Originally Posted by
procede
So the real reason is that RR is not willing to bribe them anymore?
I'd be a little surprised if GE resorted to bribery to encourage the switch.
The US has pretty strict laws regarding such things - and in the past people have gone to prison for bribing foreign officials to obtain business orders.
When I spent time working in Indonesia about 30 years ago, I was given strict guidance - to the effect that if they found out I'd bribed any Indonesian officials, I'd be fired - no ifs, ands, or buts... This actually caused me some issues getting my long-term work permit - at the time bribes in order to get your paperwork processed were simply considered a part of the Indonesian process - and without such, my paperwork simply sat. Finally, when my temporary permit was about to expire (which would have forced me to leave the country), the local Boeing manager went to his file cabinet, grabbed a handful of 'Boeing' trinkets (Boeing key chains, money clips, etc.), and the two of us proceeded to go person to person getting my work permit processed (it was all in the same building which made it convenient). We'd go to whoever had the paperwork - give them a keychain or other trinket - and say we needed my paperwork done. It would be finished in a few minutes as we stood there, then it was taken to the next person in the process and those steps repeated.
I had my approved long-term work permit by the end of the day.
Apparently, giving away trinkets doesn't count as bribes, but cash does.