Ethics in Finance

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Identify an event or series of events that occurred in the financial marketplace falling within the realm of Financial Management, Financial Institutions and Markets, or Investments that raise significant ethical questions. Analyze the events, public policy responses and their impact on the financial markets and economy at large.

Suppose you are the CEO of a well respected, multi-million dollar energy company. You stand at the forefront of innovation and you are world-renowned for your pioneering efforts in the energy industry. However, due to a series of poor financial decisions, your company is on the verge of bankruptcy. You realize that in order to protect your own interests and investments, desperate measures need to be taken. Just exactly how much are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to risk everything? Imagine your company is Enron. Imagine your name is Ken Lay.

Many remember and know of Enron not because of its reputation but because this company filed one of the largest bankruptcies to ever occur in American history. Enron began its reign as a powerhouse company when congress passed legislation that deregulated the sale of natural gas and electricity which allowed Enron to excel among companies in this field. This increased Enron’s stock price up to $90 per share and made it appear to be one of the best companies for stockholders to invest their money into. Enron then decided to create offshore accounts commonly referred to as special purpose entities that would hinder any losses that the company was incurring and also deter taxes since international territories have different laws, and would show how much profit the company was making.

It was then discovered that these offshore companies were solemnly cr...

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...s to finance its operations. The financial manager must decide how much the firm should borrow as well as the least expenses sources of funds for the firm. How and where to raise the money are important decisions that the manager must correctly make so that no financial consequences occur. Companies borrow money from a vast variety of lenders and a variety of ways so the always be aware of the possible options regarding this.

In order for a financial manager to be successful, all 3 of these areas of financial management must be executed properly. Working capital deals with a firm’s short term assets; capital budgeting is the process of planning and managing a firm’s long term investments; capital structure is the mixture of debt and equity maintained by a firm. All 3 of these areas entail different things as explained but together they make up financial management.

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