I will just play devil's advocate. Sometimes different cultures have very different ideas about what is an ethical way of doing things. If you're passing judgement on Walmart here, I think you're also passing judgement on Brazilian culture. Of course, you're welcome to do so, and I might even agree with you. But if you want to fine Walmart for doing things the "Brazilian way" while operating in Brazil, then I think if you are going to be a principled person you must also advocate for trade sanctions or other barriers to doing business with Brazil since you think their way of doing things is naughty. I hope you're prepared for a long battle though, because once you get done fussing at the Brazilian people and their culture you've got a very, very long list of other countries you need to be prepared to harass.
That assumes corruption exists in these countries because people are OK with it, but that doesn't square with everything I've read about corruption. It exists because corrupt systems are difficult to dismantle.
By analogy, imagine someone from outside the US making the argument that it's "just our culture" that makes it OK for a lobbyist to walk into a senator's office with a $20,000 check in hand ready to discuss policy. That's a situation almost nobody is happy with here - it's not a "cultural difference" but a difference in how power structures have been built up over time through a concerted effort by very small groups in a larger society.
If the people in power are abusive in some way, then advocate sanctions or something. Fining Walmart because a Brazilian Walmart employee living and working in Brazil greased few palms to get building permits seems like a fool's errand.
> OK for a lobbyist to walk into a senator's office with a $20,000 check in hand ready to discuss policy
Or maybe your wife is Secretary of State and OK's a Uranium deal right after you get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to give a speech to an empty room.
There are some types of culturally accepted behaviors that I would and do get on my soap box and say we shouldn't do business with those places. A little grifting for building permits is not one of those.
Parent may argue that Brazilians themselves are thereby insensitive to the "Brazilian way" and should be educated by US corporations as to the social values they should hold.
On the contrary. If Brazil doesn't think this is the way things should be done, Brazil should fine, arrest, or whatever is relevant to Brazilian custom and law. If the US government wants to report to Brazilian government some findings of wrongdoing, then so be it. But it doesn't make sense for the US to fine a US corporation for the wrongdoings of a Brazilian committing a crime in Brazil.
And let's not pretend that there's no difference between the letter of the law and the cultural norm. Selective enforcement of laws that are out of sync with cultural norms couldn't be more common. There are places in the world where low level corruption is so common that tourists are recommended to carry some cash to pay off police or other grifters so that the tourist can avoid pretty awful consequences when they're totally innocent. Should the US fine those tourists? It doesn't make sense to me.
Personally it sounds like a diplomatic and moral superiority coup to position themselves strongly in the future.
If it was done by a foreign superpower which wouldn't be obvious massive hypocrites I would be very afraid for future diplomatic and trade impacts if I was in the US government - especially if reforming wasn't in "my department".
