$(1)$ How does Transparency International define corruption?

$(2)$ How does the Corruption Perceptions Index $($CPI$)$ attempt to measure corruption in a country, given that corruption tends to be hidden and not easily observed directly?

Now consider this scenario: you work in the global office of a major multinational operation. Your company wants to open offices in Central America to direct its Latin American operations, in Southeast Asia to oversea its operations there, and in the Baltic region to initiate a move into that region. The head of the global office is concerned with corruption in each area, and what challenges might be faced. Use information $($including but not limited to the CPI ratings and rankings$)$ to assess concerns with each of the following locations $$ be succinct but provide enough details for an informed decision:

$(3)$ In Latin America, compare Panama to Costa Rica

$(4)$ In Southeast Asia, compare to Vietnam to Malaysia

$(5)$ In the Baltics, compare Estonia with Lithuania