Ethics

As we evaluate the movie Wall Street, the underpinnings of unethical culture are in plain view. While a person may be inclined to unethical behavior based on their individual attributes, the culture of organizations help drive this conduct. Such was the case in the movie, Wall Street, as we are exposed to the interaction between the main character, Bud Fox, and his antagonist, Gordon Gekko. Gekko established formal and informal cultural systems that were rife with ethical dilemmas. Upon closer inspection, we look at the business conduct in the movie, Wall Street, through the actions of Bud Fox and Gordon Gekko to analyze their ethical standing based on the decisions they made.

Bud Fox started his career with Jackson & Steinhman as a young broker eager to make it to the top. He sought out new clients offering second-hand advice regarding the buying and selling of stock. Initially Bud fulfilled his bargain of the deal by the use of Corporate Resources. When Bud Fox called clients he served as an agent for Jackson & Steinhman providing clients with truthful information regardless if it would be beneficial to him or not. An example of this is the beginning of the movie when Bud tells a client that he had not suggested a particular stock purchased and that the client supposedly acted upon receipt of insider tip. Bud’s ethical response would soon change with future incidences. Bud was faced with a choice that would change his life and demonstrate the transformation into an unethical person.

Bud Fox was not satisfied with the life style his current employer, Jackson Steinem Broker Firm, was giving him. He saw how Lou, an older broker, had spent his entire life working at the same place with very little compensation. Being a NYU graduate, Bud had high aspiration for his future and hoped to achieve financial success in the early years of his career. Recognizing that he needed to be in the investment banking side of the industry to attain the life style he...