The IMF made corruption an integral part of its country evaluation process. It suspended arrangements with endemically corrupt recipients of IMF financing. Since 1997, it has introduced policies regarding misreporting, abuse of IMF funds, monitoring use of debt relief for poverty reduction, data dissemination, legal and judicial reform, fiscal and monetary transparency, and even internal governance (e.g., financial disclosure by staff members).

Yet, no one seems to agree on a universal definition of corruption. What amounts to venality in one culture (Sweden) is considered no more than hospitality, or an expression of gratitude, in another (France, or Italy). Corruption is discussed freely and forgivingly in one place - but concealed shamefully in another. Corruption, like other crimes, is probably seriously under-reported and under-penalized.

Moreover, bribing officials is often unstated policy of multinationals, foreign investors, and expatriates. Many of them believe that it is inevitable if one is to expedite matters or secure a beneficial outcome. Rich world governments turn a blind eye, even where laws against such practices are extant and strict.

In his address to Inter-American Development Bank on March 14, President Bush promised to "reward nations that root out corruption" within framework of Millennium Challenge Account initiative. The USA has pioneered global anti-corruption campaigns and is a signatory to 1996 IAS Inter-American Convention against Corruption, Council of Europe's Criminal Law Convention on Corruption, and OECD's 1997 anti-bribery convention. The USA has had a comprehensive "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act" since 1977.

The Act applies to all American firms, to all firms - including foreign ones - traded in an American stock exchange, and to bribery on American territory by foreign and American firms alike. It outlaws payment of bribes to foreign officials, political parties, party officials, and political candidates in foreign countries. A similar law has now been adopted by Britain.

Yet, "The Economist" reports that American SEC has brought only three cases against listed companies until 1997. The US Department of Justice brought another 30 cases. Britain has persecuted successfully only one of its officials for overseas bribery since 1889. In Netherlands bribery is tax deductible. Transparency International now publishes a name and shame Bribery Payers Index to complement its 91-country strong Corruption Perceptions Index.

Many rich world corporations and wealthy individuals make use of off-shore havens or "special purpose entities" to launder money, make illicit payments, avoid or evade taxes, and conceal assets or liabilities. According to Swiss authorities, more than $40 billion are held by Russians in its banking system alone. The figure may be 5 to 10 times higher in tax havens of United Kingdom.

In a survey it conducted last month of 82 companies in which it invests, "Friends, Ivory, and Sime" found that only a quarter had clear anti-corruption management and accountability systems in place.

Tellingly only 35 countries signed 1997 OECD "Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions" - including four non-OECD members: Chile, Argentina, Bulgaria, and Brazil. The convention has been in force since February 1999 and is only one of many OECD anti-corruption drives, among which are SIGMA (Support for Improvement in Governance and Management in Central and Eastern European countries), ACN (Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies in Europe), and FATF (the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering).

Moreover, The moral authority of those who preach against corruption in poor countries - officials of IMF, World Bank, EU, OECD - is strained by their ostentatious lifestyle, conspicuous consumption, and "pragmatic" morality.

Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, PopMatters, and eBookWeb , a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory Bellaonline, and Suite101 .

Visit Sam's Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com

This serious approach to position not only negatively affects our workers, but us, too. When we reach a toxic level of ‘position’, it is usually painful: we feel misunderstood, overwhelmed, crisis-oriented, over-stressed and we begin to hate our job, and maybe our co-workers, which we may have previously loved. Others see this and they begin to shy away from us. This cycle happens so often that many supervisors quit within 3 years of promotion.

So here’s where results of study comes in. Supervisors need to remind themselves that no matter what work they think are in, they are really in ‘human services’. No matter what company does: make widgets, produce soft or hardware, sell via phone; once you become a frontline supervisor your priority must be human beings who are responsible to you, as it is those humans who produce final product. The work or final product is no longer your priority. No work is done well if people aren’t happy doing it. So don’t lose your ‘person’ to ‘position’.

And here we must be reminded why people leave their jobs (this, from yet another study). Most people leave because they see their supervisor as a jerk, and second they leave because they don’t feel acknowledged, recognized or appreciated. We can again become ‘person’ known to be talented, liked and therefore, promoted, by remembering importance of people who do job. Stop vicious cycle. Lighten up! Smile. Visit. Have fun. It’s a win-win situation!

Linda LaPointe, MRA, is author of The New Supervisor, who has taught thousands successful supervisory techniques. See part two of this article, buy book, and sign up for Linda’s FREE E-Tools News at www.thenewsupervisor.com