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Работодатели включают правила дресс-кода и трудовые соглашения.
Хотя понятие «делового стиля» становится все более размытым, большинство работодателей диктуют своим сотрудникам правила, определяющие стиль их профессиональной одежды.
Деловое издание IRS Employment Review провело исследование, в котором приняли участие представители 66 британских компаний. Авторы пришли к выводу, что современные стандарты делового стиля в одежде становятся менее жесткими. Одновременно с этим работодатели требуют, чтобы правила профессионального дресс-кода в компаниях соблюдались неукоснительно.
Все меньше работодателей строят свои требования на неформальном уровне. Сегодня в большинстве случаев (67%) правила профессиональной одежды прописаны в трудовом контракте.
Лишь около трети работодателей (31%), в чьих организациях существуют жесткие правила одежды, предоставляют отдельным сотрудникам послабления на основании их религиозных убеждений. По словам авторов исследования, они были удивлены этим фактом, поскольку отсутствие гибкости в политике дресс-кода может послужить основанием для судебных разбирательств по ущемлению прав.
У компаний, имеющих в своей организационной политике правила, касающиеся одежды персонала, имеется ряд причин для их соблюдения. Одежда сотрудников может служить составляющей частью бренда компании, ее корпоративной культуры и имиджа на профессиональном рынке. Во-вторых, работодатели часто учитывают факторы практического плана, такие как гигиена и безопасность.
Работодатели уверены: дресс-код должен отвечать требованиям бизнеса, корпоративной культуры и личным требованиям сотрудников. В последнее время корпоративный имидж становится все более важным фактором, поэтому неудивительно, что работодатели относятся к рабочей одежде максимально серьезно. Впрочем, некоторые работодатели уже решили пересмотреть свои правила для сотрудников, поскольку они могут послужить поводом для обвинений в дискриминации по половым или религиозным признакам.
19. Translate the following questions into English and give the answers in English.
1. Сколько британских компаний приняли участие в исследовании?
2. К какому выводу пришли авторы?
3. Как должны соблюдаться правила профессионального дресс-кода?
4. В каких случаях отдельным сотрудникам предоставляются послабления?
5. Чем были удивлены авторы?
6. Почему они были удивлены?
7. Какие у компаний причины для соблюдения правил, касающихся одежды персонала?
8. В чем уверены работодатели?
9. Почему работодатели относятся к рабочей одежде максимально серьезно?
10. Что может послужить поводом для обвинений в дискриминации?
20. Give the summary of the text in English.
Unit 14
Law and courts
1. Before you read answer the following questions.
1. What is the function of law?
2. What role do courts play in a society?
3. How important is the profession of a lawyer?
2. Read and translate the text.
Law and Courts
Most people think of the law as prohibitive or punitive – the police officer arresting a suspect or a judge imposing sentence on a defendant. That can be true of criminal law, at least up to a point, but it overlooks the role of law in regulating disputes and providing for a rational and civilized way of ordering society. In this sense, the law is an enabler, something that permits us to enjoy rights within the framework of an ordered society. In many ways law is the cornerstone of our culture. The rule of law provides society with the rules by which all of us live. Citizens can know the law and live their lives accordingly. Conversely, citizens have the right to rely on the law and be confident of the protection provided by the courts. The courts have the duty of applying the law to specific controversies brought before them. Courts resolve disputes between people, legal entities and units of government. They are often called upon to uphold limitations on the government, to protect against possible abuses of the law-making and law-enforcing branches of government, to protect minorities of all types from the majority, and to protect the rights of people who can't protect themselves.
The rule of law also incorporates notions of equal treatment and fair play. Under the rule of law, no person is above the law – and no person is below it. The courts – and the protections of the law – are open to everybody.
A recent survey of judges and court administrators revealed agreement about the following basic purposes of courts:
1. To do justice in individual cases.
2. To adhere to standards of impartiality and fair procedure, so that the courts are credible to the public and their procedures predictable to lawyers.
3. To provide a forum for the resolution of disputes and a non-violent form of dispute resolution; there must be finality of results and prompt resolution to allow people to get on with their lives.
4. To protect individuals from arbitrary use of government power. For this purpose a government of limited power must be created. For example, the government must allow most defendants to go free on bail while they await trial. It must not conduct secret trials or conduct unreasonable searches and seizures. It is the courts which enforce these protections of the individual. Through the courts, governmental powers are kept within legal limits.
5. To make a formal record of legal status. Many non-trial or non-contested court proceedings exist to develop a record of the change of legal status, e.g., estates of those who have died; marriage; non-contested divorce; adoption; garnishment; attachment; transfer of real property. Many court employees, such as court reporters and clerks of courts, perform this record-keeping function. Courts spend a substantial portion of their budgets on record keeping.
6. To deter criminal behavior by people other than the defendant; to rehabilitate persons convicted of crime; to separate convicted persons from society.
7. To inform the public, through court decisions, about what behavior is lawful and what behavior is unlawful.
It is important to remember, at the outset, that law deals with two kinds of cases. Civil cases, for the most part, involve the resolution of private conflicts between people or institutions; criminal cases involve the enforcement of public or official codes of behavior that society deems necessary for the protection of its citizens or of itself. Domestic relations issues – divorce, child support, custody, and the like – are the biggest single subject of civil cases. Automobile accidents probably account for more tort actions – a very common type of civil case – than any other cause. An auto accident could give rise to a civil case if one driver sued the other, if both drivers sued each other, or if a passenger in one of the cars sued either driver. If an accident involves allegations of illegal behavior – drunken driving, hit and run driving – it may also give rise to a criminal case. In criminal cases, the state brings charges against the person who allegedly committed the crime. In civil cases, the persons themselves bring suit. Most disputes are not resolved through the trial process. Most legal controversies never result in lawsuits. Much of the time and energy of the legal profession is and must be spent in avoiding contests in court. That is as true in criminal cases as it is in civil cases. If that effort did not usually succeed, the courts could not possibly manage the workload they would have.
3. Answer the questions.
1. Why is law considered to be prohibitive or punitive?
2. What does the rule of law provide society with?
3. What kind of duty do the courts have?
4. Do the courts provide all the people with equal treatment? If so, in what way?
5. What are the basic purposes of courts?
6. How many kinds of cases does law deal with?
7. What is the difference between civil and criminal cases?
8. What issues are the subject of civil cases?
9. Why can one and the same accident give rise to both a civil case and a criminal one?
10. Why is it advisable for people to avoid contests in court?
4. Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right.
1. enforcement a) putting an end to a marriage by law
2. divorce b) and so forth
3. custody c) private or civil wrong for which the wronged person may get
redress in a law court
4. and the like d) to take legal action
5. case e) care or guardianship
6. tort f) judicial examination or inquiry in a court of law
7. to sue g) place where justice is administered
8. trial h) rule or body of rules made by authority for the proper regulation
of a society
9. law i) a matter for trial
10.court j) putting into force
5. Find antonyms of the following words in the text.
1. permissive 6. dishonest, unjust
2. plaintiff 7. bias
3. to forbid 8. divorce
4. responsibilities 9. acquitted
5. disorganized 10.to fail
6. Translate the sentences from Russian into English.
1. Особенно твердо укоренилась традиция, согласно которой суд действует на основе показаний, которые даются сторонами, а не ведет следствие, т.е. собственное расследование заявлений, которые одна сторона делает против другой.
2. Важно было сосредоточить рассмотрение основных вопросов таким образом, чтобы все их можно было решить в течение одного судебного процесса.
3. Судебный процесс должен вестись при тщательном соблюдении строгих правил относительно дачи показаний, призванных обеспечить справедливое разбирательство.
4. В делах о клевете, когда истец требует выплаты компенсаций за ущерб, нанесенный его репутации, решение часто основывается на обычном здравом смысле.
5. В большинстве случаев полиция непосредственно связана с предъявлением обвинений, и успешное разбирательство многих дел зависит от показаний свидетелей, выставляемых полицией.
7. Look through the text and suggest a headline.
The trial jury in either a civil or criminal case is chosen at random from a list called a venire or jury pool and compiled by the court clerk. The method of selecting names for the venire varies. In many states the list is compiled from voter registration lists, drivers license lists, or tax assessment rolls. In the federal courts, the court clerk compiles the jury list from the roster of registered voters in the counties comprising the court's jurisdiction. This list is compiled with the assistance of a jury commissioner who is appointed by the presiding judge.
Most states require that a court official screen the list of potential jurors to eliminate persons unqualified or ineligible under relevant state laws. Traditionally many persons were exempted from jury duty because of their jobs. The exemptions varied from state to state, but the most common exemptions were for lawyers, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, teachers and the clergy. In some states nurses, journalists, printers, railroad, telegraph, and telephone employees, government officials, firefighters, and police officers were also exempt. Generally, persons were exempt because the jobs they did were considered so important to society that they couldn't be released from them for jury duty.
On occasion, the qualifications of all the potential jurors may be challenged, on the grounds that the jury pool – which is to represent the whole community – excludes certain groups. This is called a challenge to the array and generally is based on the allegation that court officials compiled the jury list in an illegal manner.
Once the jury list is assembled, juries of six to twelve persons are selected from this pool. The size of jury varies from state to state and depends to some extent on the type of case at trial. In civil cases, especially in courts of limited jurisdiction, the standard size in many jurisdictions is becoming six, which can be increased by stipulation of both parties. In misdemeanor cases there are sometimes fewer than twelve jurors, though in serious criminal cases twelve jurors are generally required. The old requirement that juries be unanimous is also changing. In misdemeanor and civil cases particularly, states are experimenting with permitting verdicts based on the concurrence of three-fourths or five-sixths of the jurors.
Alternate jurors are selected in some cases to take the place of jurors who may become disabled during the trial. Alternate jurors hear the evidence just as the other jurors do, but they do not participate in the deliberations unless they replace an original juror.
Jury selection begins with the court clerk's calling twelve people on the jury list and asking them to take a place in the jury box. The judge usually makes a brief statement explaining what kind of case is to be tried and inquiring whether there is any reason the potential jurors cannot serve. The judge or the lawyers then ask them questions ranging from their names, occupations, and residences to whether they have any knowledge of the case. This questioning of the potential jurors is known as voir dire.
If either lawyer believes there is information which suggests a juror is prejudiced about the case, he or she can ask that the juror be dismissed for cause. For example, a juror can be dismissed for cause if he or she is a close relative of one of the parties or one of the lawyers, or if he or she works for a company that is part of the lawsuit. A juror can only be dismissed for cause with the concurrence of the judge. Each lawyer may challenge an unlimited number of jurors for cause.
In addition to challenges for cause, each lawyer has a specific number of peremptory challenges. These challenges permit a lawyer to excuse a potential juror without stating a cause. In effect, they allow a lawyer to exercise a hunch, to dismiss a juror because of a belief that the juror will not be sympathetic. Peremptory challenges are limited to a certain number determined by the kind of lawsuit being tried.
When both parties have agreed upon a jury, the jurors are sworn in by the court clerk. Those not selected are excused from participating as jurors in the case.
8. Find the key-words in each paragraph of the text and translate them into Russian.
9. Find the English equivalents of the following word-combinations in the text and translate sentences with them into Russian in writing.
1. выбирать произвольно
2. составить список присяжных
3. освобождать от обязанности присяжного
4. на основании того, что
5. зависеть от типа дела
6. соглашение между обеими сторонами
7. вердикт, основанный на согласии ¾ присяжных
8. дополнительный присяжный, присяжный запасного состава
9. стать недееспособным в течение судебного процесса
10. скамья присяжных в зале судебного заседания
10. Give the summary of the text in Russian using the key-words and word-combinations from exercises 8 and 9.
11. Read the following text.
Family Courts
1. Where they exist, family courts are part of a state court system. There are no family courts in the federal system. The best known branches of family law are domestic relations – divorce, marital separation, child custody – and in some states problems of juveniles. (In some states, juvenile problems are handled by juvenile courts.)
2. Proceedings in family courts will usually emphasize negotiations, reconciliation, and conciliation in order to try to avert more serious difficulty. However, family courts will also have available trial-type procedures for use if disputes cannot be resolved. The rules of civil trial procedure usually will be followed. Family courts do not generally use juries; their proceedings are most often before judges alone.
3. In addressing issues of domestic relations, family courts are empowered not only to arrange or supervise separation agreements, but also to grant divorces. In granting decrees of divorce, the courts will customarily divide assets and liabilities, make awards of alimony and child support, and award child custody.
4. In confronting problems of juveniles, family and juvenile courts may seek to rely upon highly informal advisory or counseling sessions, or may use more formal procedures that will have some of the aspects of a criminal trial. In some jurisdictions, these courts are empowered to issue orders requiring that older juveniles be tried as adults in regular criminal courts.
5. Judgments judges of family or juvenile courts render in juvenile cases may actually lead to forms of confinement in specialized institutions, the punishment depending on the seriousness of the crime committed, but their stated purpose is to provide treatment rather than punishment.
6. Proceedings regarding juveniles customarily are not open to the public, in order to protect juvenile reputations. Divorce proceedings and other family court proceedings are often open to the public.
12. Combine the following sentences to make one complete statement. Make every change you think necessary but don’t change the sense of the original. Refer to the passage when you have finished the exercise.
Judges of family or juvenile courts render judgments in juvenile cases. Their judgments may lead to forms of confinement in specialized institutions. The punishment depends on the seriousness of the crime that was committed. The purpose which they state is not so much to provide punishment as to provide treatment. (paragraph 5)
13. Find sentences with a) gerund; b) infinitive; c) participle II. Analyze them and suggest different ways of their translation.
14. Translate the text in writing.
15. Before reading the text translate the following words into Russian.
1. jury, juror, jurisdiction, jurisdictional, jurisprudence, jurist, jury-box, jury-list, jury-packing;
2. justice, just, justice court, justiceship, justiceable, justification, justificative, justify, justly, justifiable;
3. competence, competent;
4. judge, judge-made law, judg(e)ment, judgeship, judicable, judication, judiciary, judicial, judicially, judicial review, judicial separation;
5. legal, legal age, legal aid, legislation, legalize, legally, legal separation, legal tender, illegal, illegally;
6. trial, try, trial court, trial list;
7. law, law-abidibg, law and order, lawbook, lawbreaker, law court, law-enforcement, lawful, lawfully, lawfulness, lawless, lawlessness, lawmaker, lawmaking;
8. procedure, procedural, proceeding, proceedings;
9. evidence, evident, evidential, evidentiary, evidently;
10. guilt, guilty, guiltily, guiltiness, guiltless, guiltlessness.
16. Match word combinations on the left with their English equivalents on the right.
1. оправдать обвиняемого a) to observe the rules
2. отправление правосудия b) a criminal case
3. состоять из не-юристов c) to acquit a defendant
4. соблюдать правила d) to reach a verdict
5. уголовное дело e) to pay the damages
6. гражданское дело f) administration of justice
7. выносить вердикт g) to take steps
8. возместить убытки h) to find somebody guilty
9. предпринять шаги i) a civil case
10. признать кого-либо виновным j) to consist of laymen
17. Translate the following sentences into English, using Participle I and Participle II.
1. Суд присяжных, состоящий из двенадцати присяжных, избирается произвольно.
2. Участвуя в заседаниях суда, присяжные, не имеющие юридического образования, принимают решения, исходя из фактов, приводимых в спорах сторон.
3. Будучи совершенно отличными от функций судьи, функции присяжных в уголовном деле ограничиваются определением виновности подсудимого.
4. Сыграв важную роль в развитии правосудия в Англии, суд присяжных оказал сильное влияние на весь ход судебного разбирательства в Англии.
5. Возникли имеющие важное значение предварительные стадии процесса и правила, призванные обеспечить справедливое разбирательство.
18. Translate the text into English.
Суд присяжных в Англии
Суд присяжных издавна играл в Англии важнейшую роль в развитии системы правосудия. Коллегия присяжных состоит из двенадцати членов, представителей народа, избираемых произвольно из списка правомочных лиц, не юристов. Она участвует в заседаниях суда и принимает решение, исходя из фактов, которые приводятся в спорах сторон. Во главе суда стоит судья, имеющий юридическое образование. Его функции совершенно отличны от функций коллегии присяжных. Он должен следить за соблюдением правил ведения процесса, решать, какие правовые нормы применимы к данному делу, и информировать присяжных о законе и тех вопросах, которые им предстоит решить в свете данных в суде свидетельских показаний. Все это, по мнению англичан, обеспечивает непредубежденное, объективное решение суда. В уголовном деле функция присяжных ограничивается определением виновности подсудимого. Если присяжные выносят вердикт о виновности, судья единолично определяет необходимую меру наказания. В гражданских делах присяжные не только решают, должен ли обвиняемый возместить убытки, но и определяют сумму, которую он должен уплатить. В гражданских делах присяжные обязаны вынести вердикт на основании единогласного решения, и в этом правиле заключена большая доля авторитета и уважения, которым пользуется суд присяжных.
Правилами не предусмотрено, что решение присяжных должно сопровождаться разъяснением причин. Если судья не согласен с вынесенным присяжными вердиктом о виновности, он может предпринять определенные шаги (хотя лишь в известных рамках), чтобы его отменить. Но он не может это сделать, когда человек признан присяжными невиновным. Это последнее слово, и ни судья ни апелляционный суд не располагают средствами для того, чтобы поставить под сомнение решение присяжных об оправдании обвиняемого.
В историческом плане значение суда присяжных состоит не только в том, что он стал средством, благодаря которому отправление правосудия превратилось в одну из обязанностей простых граждан. Наличие присяжных оказало сильное влияние на весь ход судебного разбирательства в Англии – и уголовных и гражданских дел.
19. Translate the following questions into English and answer them in English.
1. Какую роль в развитии системы правосудия в Англии играл суд присяжных?
2. Из какого количества присяжных состоит коллегия?
3. Как они избираются?
4. Кто находится во главе суда?
5. Какое образование имеет судья?
6. Чем отличаются функции судьи от функций присяжных?
7. В чем отличие функций присяжных в уголовном деле от их функций в гражданском?
8. Каковы полномочия судьи в случае вынесения присяжными вердикта о виновности и невиновности?
9. В чем состоит значение суда присяжных?
10. Что, по мнению англичан, обеспечивает принятие объективного, непредубежденного решения суда присяжных?
20. Give the summary of the text in English.
Unit 15
Corruption
1. Before you read answer the following questions.
1. Is corruption a disease of every society? Comment on the problem.
2. Is corruption stronger now than it was before perestroika?
3. What ways to combat corruption do you see?
2. Read and translate the text.
The Law and corruption
Prior to perestroika one could say that the Soviet system was ideal in terms of promoting corruption. Calls to adhere to ideology and periodic persecutions did not change the system under which certain people rather than laws governed our life. There was neither public control, nor clearly outlined limits to bureaucrats' power. I don't think there are particularly corrupt strata in our country, but we do have a corrupt society. This may sound insulting, and a bitter pill to swallow, but it is beneficial, at least for diagnostic purposes.
We have practically no hopes for rapid treatment. Corruption has become so ingrained in our culture that generations of normal living will be necessary to help eradicate this disease, which is almost resistant to treatment and will be so in the future. If we recognize many relations between people that were formally banned, it would greatly help in the search for a remedy against corruption, although many people will think it strange.
I refer to corruption as if it were a disease, but this is only my appraisal, a call to get rid ourselves of this disease. Aren't real things more complicated? Isn't corruption society's normal response to the intolerable living conditions forced upon it?
With some oversimplifications, corruption can be reduced to the following:
1. People's attempts to exercise rights usually belonging to them, in defiance of the law or a ban by authorities. This represents a very broad class of cases. There are many examples of how people register in their flats unclose relatives, or resell things that can only be bought with difficulty. In all these cases people are trying to live normally and it is not their fault that someone has invented bans on this.
2. Resistance to people's equality implanted by the state according to the parameters which people do not agree to submit to owing to natural strivings to differ from one another. Any efforts by the state to implant equality in poverty and lack of rights, no doubt strengthen this type of corruption.
3. People's resistance to excessive pressure to work harder is one of the most widespread sources of corruption.
4. The atmosphere which says that a person is a subject of law, something inherited from the medieval period, makes people buy this right. The question "Who are you?" usually produces the answer: "Nobody!", if a person does not possess things that can corrupt – money, contacts, if one does not belong to a certain nation, a tribe, a party and so on.
5. Resistance to legalized equality under the law. This is a rather uncommendable form of corruption, and struggle against it is inevitable in any society which respects law, but it must be kept in mind that the abundance of legalized privileges in society makes such corruption practically invincible. It concerns not only the privileges of the "ruling strata" that are now being combatted. Privileges to the needy and the increasing number of this category also corrupt society.
Such, in brief, are the major types of social corruption. How can it happen that a legislator, who claims to struggle against this social evil, spreads this corruption himself? There is hardly any need to discuss in detail pre-perestroika laws – readers will have no difficulty recalling examples of how they or acquaintances have circumvented discriminatory or simply evil laws in the past. It was easy to blame for such laws those who ruled the country without public control.
But now the laws are adopted by elected people's representatives; they are discussed for a long time and society's opinion is taken into account. One example: the long awaited “Fundamentals of Legislation on Land” no doubt are helping to lay the foundation of new economic relations in our country. But how helpless legislators were in realizing not only their role in building the new but also in understanding how strong they are to combat corruption.
We shall have to live with corruption in society for many decades. Тhe development of democratic and social relations under a market economy will in many respects be remedy against corruption, because it will be possible to do openly and lawfully many things which before were done covertly and in circumvention of the law. But one should not belittle the danger that the knights of corruption will utilize new public relations to the detriment of citizens' rights. The responsibility for making sure this does not happen rests, to a large extent, on the legislator. He or she must build a society where people who are subject to the law, will not be forced to pay bribes to bureaucrats.
3. Answer the questions.
1. Why could one say that the Soviet system prior to perestroika was ideal for promoting corruption?
2. Why is corruption almost resistant to treatment?
3. What would help in the search for a remedy against corruption according to the author of the article?
4. What is one of the most widespread sources of corruption mentioned in the article?
5. What makes people buy the right to be a subject of law?
6. In what societies is struggle against resistance to legalized equality under the law inevitable?
7. Describe the difference in adopting laws now and in pre-perestroika period.
8. In what aspect were legislators helpless while adopting “Fundamentals of Legislation on Land”?
9. Why will a market economy be remedy against corruption?
10. What society must the legislator built?
4. Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right.
1. corruption a) a rule that is supported by the power of government and that
controls the behaviour of members of society
2. govern b) to forbid, especially by law
3. generation c) of the period in history between AD 1100 and 1500
4. ban d) something especially money offered or given to someone in
position of power
5. society e) dishonesty, especially by people in position of power
6. state f) a period of time in which a human being can grow up and have
a family; all the members of family of about the same age
7. law g) to control and direct the affairs of the country, city etc. and its
people using political power
8. medieval h) people in general considered with regard to the structure of law,
organizations etc., that makes it possible for them to live together
9. legislator i) the government or political organization of the country
10.bribe j) a maker of laws or a member of a lawmaking body
5. Find synonyms to the following words in the text
1. encourage 6. reply (noun)
2. rule (verb) 7. wide
3. quick 8. in accordance with
4. cure (noun) 9. flight
5. prohibit 10.ten years
6. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English.
1. До перестройки в Советском Союзе не было общественного контроля и Советская система способствовала коррупции.
2. Нельзя сказать, что мы сможем быстро излечить эту болезнь.
3. Коррупцию можно свести к следующим пяти пунктам.
4. В нашем обществе не все люди равны перед законом и это является одним из источников коррупции.
5. Если все люди будут подчиняться закону и будут равны перед ним, то им не придется платить взятки бюрократам.
7. Look through the text and suggest a headline.
Corruption is now recognized to be one of the world's greatest challenges. It is a major hindrance to sustainable development, with a disproportionate impact on poor communities and is corrosive on the very fabric of society. The impact on the private sector is also considerable – it impedes economic growth, distorts competition and represents serious legal and reputational risks. Corruption is also very costly for business, with the extra financial burden estimated to add 10% or more to the costs of doing business in many parts of the world. The World Bank has stated that "bribery has become a $1 trillion industry”. The rapid development of rules of corporate governance around the world is also prompting companies to focus on anti-corruption measures as part of their mechanisms to protect their reputations and the interests of their shareholders. Their internal controls are increasingly being extended to a range of ethics and integrity issues and a growing number of investment managers are looking to these controls as evidence that the companies undertake good business practice and are well managed.
The international legal fight against corruption has gained momentum in more recent times through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and through the entering into force of the first globally agreed instrument, the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in December 2005.There are a number of very different reasons for why businesses should combat corruption in all its forms.
The ethical case. Corruption is inherently wrong. It is a misuse of power and position and has a disproportionate impact on the poor and disadvantaged. It undermines the integrity of all involved and damages the fabric of the organizations to which they belong. The reality that laws making corrupt practices criminal may not always be enforced is no justification for accepting corrupt practices. To fight corruption in all its forms is simply the right thing to do.
The business case. There are many reasons why it is in any company's business interest to ensure that it does not engage in corrupt practices. All companies, large and small, are vulnerable and the potential for damage to them is considerable. The following are some of the key reasons for avoiding involvement in corrupt practices:
· Legal risks
· Regardless of what form a corrupt transaction may take, there are obvious legal risks involved. Not only are most forms of corruption illegal where it occurs, but also it is increasingly becoming illegal in a company's home country to engage in corrupt practices in another country. The principle that it is illegal to bribe foreign officials was first established in the US Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and since then, this principle has gained legal standing within the whole of the OECD and in a number of other countries. It is a principle that was universally recognized in 2003, through the adoption of the UN Convention against Corruption.
· The enforcement of anti-corruption legislation internationally has hitherto been relatively poor, but this is slowly changing. In developing countries and emerging markets, where the opportunity for corruption has been rife because of weak law and regulation, corruption has become an issue of significant political importance and there is growing determination to act and to take those accused of corrupt practices to court. There is also a growing number of examples where developing countries with limited capacity to handle such cases have obtained outside legal assistance. To this end the OECD is playing a critical role in ensuring that its member states are developing judicial capacity to enforce the prohibition against any involvement in bribing foreign officials.
· This changing environment of law, regulation and enforcement makes it harder for business managers to assess and quantify the legal risks to which corruption exposes their operations. Change brings uncertainty. Of particular significance for many large companies is the degree to which they may be responsible for agents acting on its behalf in other countries. What may yesterday have been considered an independent agent – for whom the principal company carried no responsibilities – may today be someone whose actions the principal company indeed can be legally accountable for.
8. Find the key words in each paragraph of the text and translate them into Russian.
9. Find English equivalents of the following word combinations in the text and translate the sentences with them into Russian in writing.
1. сама структура общества
2. как часть их механизма
3. ряд очень разных причин
4. злоупотребление властью и положением
5. не только …, но также
6. осуществление анти-коррупционного законодательства
7. обвиненные в коррупционной деятельности
8. развивающаяся страна
9. с этой целью
10. особый интерес представляет
10. Give the summary of the text in Russian using the key words and word combinations from exercises 8 and 9.
11. Read the following text.
Дата: 2019-04-23, просмотров: 218.