The present work consists of a detailed study of an empirical research that addressed hypothetical cases involving the so-called petty corruption, having the business class as its target audience. 104 businessmen from all over Brazil took part in the survey. They answered a questionnaire with 15 questions, applied through the world wide web and which included hypothetical scenarios (vignettes) involving acts of petty corruption, whose adequacy was assessed by the respondents. Despite the complexity of the research purpose, the results indicated, in general, convergence between the interviewees' position and the legal provision with regard to corrupt practices, suggesting the occurrence of a greater propensity to punish in relation to acts of passive corruption. The results also provided interesting behavioral inferences linked not only to the propensity to punish, but also to the propensity to offend.