The Social Implications of Gift-Giving and the Extent to Which It Constitutes Bribery: A Field Study of a Sample of Male and Female Employees at Omar Al-Mukhtar University

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the social implications of gifts and the extent to which they can be transformed into bribes, as well as to determine the extent to which employees respond to and accept gifts, through a field study conducted on a random sample of 20 male and female employees at the Faculty of Arts at Omar Al-Mukhtar University. The study revealed a set of findings, the most significant of which was that gifts have a positive impact on individuals and strengthen social relationships by 75%, and that 85% of respondents believe that giving a gift in the workplace constitutes a bribe in exchange for a service, even if not directly. This led to several recommendations, including: Efforts must be intensified to include sermons in mosques explaining the importance of gifts in their positive sense and bribes in their negative sense, and the need to educate individuals and citizens on the necessity of distinguishing between gifts and bribes given in exchange for a service that is not the giver’s right.