About 58pc of managers at Hungarian companies in a survey by consultancy Ernst and Young said bribery and corruption was common in domestic business. Ernst and Young based the survey on 50 interviews in Hungary. The survey was part of a larger gauge involving more than 1,700 managers in 43 countries.
The proportion of Hungarian companies that considered corruption common compared to 51pc for the CEE region, 39pc globally and 22pc for Western European countries.
In spite of its apparent commonality, 64pc of Hungarian companies believe that unethical behaviour is unacceptable even if it is aimed at ensuring the survival of the company under difficult economic conditions.
Almost one-third of the companies said it was acceptable to give personal gifts to win over or keep clients, but none of the Hungarian companies thought it was acceptable to give partners cash.
