Over the past decade, there has been a much stronger focus on the actions that third parties and suppliers based in developing countries take on behalf of the multinational companies they are commissioned by.

Very often, these locally based operators are blamed for many of the corrupt, unethical—and frankly unsafe—practices that their western customers are forced to account for from regulators, investors, charities, campaign groups, consumers, and the media.

Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal...