www.IndianJournals.com Members Copy, Not for Commercial Sale Downloaded From IP - 115.135.179.1 on dated 17-Jun-2021 Splint International Journal of Professionals, Vol. 8, No. 1, January-March 2021 (pp. 51-76) IndianJournals.com A product of Diva Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. RESEARCH ARTICLE 1 Researcher, 2 Professor, 3 Former Professor, Minot State University, Minot, USA *Corresponding Author email id: profsaeed@yahoo.com How to cite this article: Chan ZY, Kim K, Popov M, Ondracek J, Saeed M, Bertsch A and Amakaaz K, 2021. Corruption, Religion, and Cultural Variables. Splint International Journal of Professionals (A Peer Quarterly Refereed International Journal), Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan-March), pp. 51–76. Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: None. Received: 18/10/2020; Accepted: 25/03/2021 INTRODUCTION The overall wellbeing of a country can be determined by the level of corruption. Corrupted countries are characterised by high levels of bureaucracy, inequity, and low levels of transparency and life gratification. Corruption does not only affect the quality of life in a country, but it also impacts local and foreign businesses and their success. Corruption may deter growth and development by dissuading foreign investments, rule of law, satisfaction, and economic outcomes (Tanzi, 1988). Corruption is a serious phenomenon that should be addressed as it can have dreadful impacts on a country and its prosperity. PROPOSITIONS Gaining a good insight into corruption and addressing its serious impacts may help alleviate the effects of poor implementation of rules and law, inequalities, and inadequate distribution of resources. Susan Rose-Ackerman (2016), the Henry R. Luce Professor of Jurisprudence at Yale Law School, describes corruption as the misuse of an entrusted power for private enrichment. She believes that corruption has negative impacts on productivity and that corrupted officials are more inclined to support futile investments. Therefore, she claims that the origins and prevalence of corruption can be investigated using economics as a potent tool. However, given that religion is, sometimes, considered the foundation of morality (Hare, 2014), this article aims to investigate the correlation between corruption and religion using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions as variables in the analysis. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (Figure 1) identify the cultural differences across countries and show how the society’s culture impacts the values and behaviour of people, which in turn impact the corruption levels. Hofstede identified six cultural dimensions: long-term/short-term orientation, power distance, individualism/ collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, indulgence, and masculinity/femininity (Hofstede Insights, n.d.). Long-term/short-term orientation stresses perseverance and expresses the degree to which societies are inclined toward future virtue. Social Corruption, Religion, and Cultural Variables Zhi Yang Chan 1 , Kyuri Kim 1 , Mikhail Popov 1 , James Ondracek 2 , Mohammad Saeed 3 *, Andy Bertsch 2 and Khatima Amakaaz 1 ABSTRACT The evolution of globalisation in recent decades has contributed to the growth in relationships and interactions among different countries. These interactions are impacted by the country’s cultural history and the structure of rules and ideologies. As businesses explore the opportunities to expand their operations globally and penetrate new markets, they are faced with many risks and challenges. One major risk that international businesses face is corruption. Throughout this paper, we will address and examine corruption as it pertains to religion and cultural dimensions and capture its economic impacts. Keywords: Corruption, Globalisation, International business, Religion, Cultural dimensions