Questions from Business Ethics


Q: Allegations of serious impropriety and perhaps illegality surrounding Goldman Sachs’s contribution to

Allegations of serious impropriety and perhaps illegality surrounding Goldman Sachs’s contribution to the 2008 financial crisis have been well publicized. Allegations included trading for their own be...

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Q: Short selling occurs when a seller borrows shares from a brokerage house

Short selling occurs when a seller borrows shares from a brokerage house and then sells those shares. At a later date, the seller buys the shares and delivers them to the brokerage house. If the price...

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Q: On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., one

On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., one of the world’s most respected and profitable investment banks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United Stat...

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Q: During the depths of the subprime lending crisis in 2008, a

During the depths of the subprime lending crisis in 2008, a major U.S. investment banking firm, Goldman Sachs, required a $10 billion bailout from the U.S. government’s Troubled Asset Relief Pro- gr...

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Q: American International Group, Inc. (AIG) was the world’s

American International Group, Inc. (AIG) was the world’s largest insurance company with major offices in New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong. From 2005 to 2008, the company had a series of accounti...

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Q: On April 24, 1985, Warren M. Anderson, the

On April 24, 1985, Warren M. Anderson, the sixty-three-year-old chairman of Union Carbide Corporation, had to make a disappointing announcement to angry stockholders at their annual meeting in Danbury...

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Q: In December 2002, Stan O’Neal became CEO of Merrill Lynch &

In December 2002, Stan O’Neal became CEO of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., the world’s largest brokerage house. Known as “Mother Merrill” to insiders, the firm had a nurturing environment that accepted low...

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Q: Although the Canadian banks did not suffer as much as other financial

Although the Canadian banks did not suffer as much as other financial institutions around the world, they were not immune from the economic consequences of the subprime mortgage meltdown. In Canada, t...

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Q: The advantage of commission sales is that if the salesperson puts in

The advantage of commission sales is that if the salesperson puts in effort and makes a sale, then both the company and the sales- person benefit. The salesperson receives a commission, and the compan...

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Q: Why are the expectations of a corporation’s stakeholders important to the reputation

Why are the expectations of a corporation’s stakeholders important to the reputation of the corporation and to its profitability?

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