Investment Ethics Essay Example for Free

Investment Ethics Essay The contemporary world of today functions on investment. There are many types of investment such as investment in property, shares, mutual funds, sugar, gold, oil, rice etcetera (Theodore , 1992). The list goes on and on with some forms of investment so inanely mundane like investment in over priced paintings by unknown artists that one is forced to shake their heads at the inanes of how far the concept of investment has come since its inception. Investment is described in dictionary as: â€Å"In finance, investment is the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money. In business it is the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business. † Gambling on the other hand is almost as old as investment itself and its exact origins are unknown. Scientists believe that the ancient Romans would bet on the outcomes of chariot races and gladiator fights. It could be defined as: â€Å"†¦the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period (Linda , 2006). † Now, a raging debate in the world today is whether investment is or is not just another form of gambling. I am an opponent of this statement but will first give an argument in favor of the statement. The purpose of me including the definitions above was to prove that even the meaning of the words investment and gambling themselves are similar. Any kind of investment be it financial or physical, is done to gain money or to increase the investors’ wealth. Gambling also serves the same purpose which is to gain financially from an act (though some people gamble for the thrill of winning etc). Also, in money investment, finance managers everyday gamble outrageous amounts of other peoples’ money on chance. Such transactions entail high risks and if this is not a form of gambling then what is? In fact, in some religions like Islam, most forms of investment except investment in property and currency, is forbidden because they proclaim it to be gambling which is also forbidden in the religion. In that way, if for people of some faiths it is forbidden completely, then it is wrong from an ethical perspective because you are risking not only your own earnings but the money of those who have entrusted you with their wealth (like shareholders to security companies). In addition, it is wrong from a moral point of view. This is because gambling gives rise to selfishness in the human heart. Greed is a natural emotion for almost all people and investing money in the form of higher returns gives birth to insatiability for more money which is why we often see people at casinos squander all their gambling winnings in hope of winning more and more. It is selfish because gamblers profit on the wealth of others and do not care about the next person or what big a loss he suffers. Another way that gambling can be wrong is that it may make people idle and complacent. They may be happy to earn their money through gambling only. They may not work hard because of this for a living because of this and continue to live off gambling without caring that it is not a permanent or very stable source of income (Elizabeth , 2007). But even though their definitions may be partly similar, the two words are not common in their truest sense. I agree that investment puts peoples’ money at risk for chance of a higher return but it is done by professionals like investment managers and financial accountants instead of novices or any Tom, Dick and Harry trying out their luck like in gambling. It is a whole structured business activity with companies spending months deciding how to spend their customer’s capital and hedging (or insulating) the investment against any negative exchange rate or interest movement. Gambling on the other hand requires no such months of planning and development and can be done on the spot. Secondly, gambling involves one party losing and the other winning. The winning of one depends on the other’s loss. In investment, there is no such tradeoff and all investors can benefit at the same time. Another very valid point here is that gamblers often don’t have the same intensive information that investors have. In the long term, gamblers are always paid less in winnings then they have invested. That is not the case with investment. So the debate between whether gambling and investment continues unresolved with both sides vehemently arguing their point. Works Cited Theodore, V. Ethics in Investment Profession. Research Foundation of the Institute of Chart. (May 1992). Linda, K. T. Managing Business Ethics. Wiley. (Aug 2006). Elizabeth, A. C. The Psychology of Ethics In finance and Investment. Research Foundation of CFA Institute. (June 2007).

Macbeth Blood Will Have Blood :: essays research papers

Blood will Have Blood “These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad';(II, ii, 32-33) Translation today: A guilty conscience can make a man go crazy. In the play Macbeth, this is a recurring theme throughout one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. There are many different images that help contribute to this theme such as sleep/sleeplessness, water, & children, but the most significant image would probably that of blood. Throughout the story, the characters’ guilt is exposed through images of blood. This guilty conscience caused serious mistakes, which eventually led to the downfall of Macbeth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This blood imagery adds to the guilty theme because all the characters are driven to the brink of insanity when they see blood on their own hands or in other places. This can make a character react to the people surrounding him in a unnatural way, or if it is all kept inside, these feelings might make the person totally breakdown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.';(II, i, 33-34) The first image Macbeth sees is right before he kills Duncan. This image is not really there, yet it makes Macbeth worried. A second later, “and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood /Which was not so before. (II,i, 46-47), there was blood on that imaginary dagger. Macbeth probably appeared very serious and very worried at this time. A dark and lonely setting helped to make Macbeth’s fears even greater. This vision was the first of many that eventually drove Macbeth’s heart to be cold and his mind to grow crazy. After the murder is committed Macbeth tries to clean himself and dispose of all evidence that might lead to any suspicions of Macbeth as the guilty party.“ Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood /Clean from my hand?';(II, ii, 59-60) The blood on his hands didn’t seem to be coming off even though it was probably already washed clean. It appeared that way to Macbeth because of his guilty conscience trying to tell him that what he did was wrong. The blood on his hands signified the blood of the highest stature, that of Duncan’s. This helped emphasize the change of power but the remnants of blood also showed that Duncan’s legacy was not completely gone and would eventually return to power.

Family Life During Civil War Essay

As a pivotal point in our nation’s history, the civil war holds a special fascination in the land and minds of the American people. It was a war entirely fought by Americans, often dividing families and even brothers against brothers. The American civil war was unforgettable. It was fought between the United States of America and the Southern slave states of the nearly formed confederate state of America under Jefferson Davis. The Civil War made really a tragic long lasting effect on a family unit of that period. During Civil War, families on both sides of the war had to bear a pain of personal loss. Husbands and fathers and sons died not in hundreds but in thousands of numbers in both the North and South and many of them returned home either handicapped or wounded manner. So many men not only injured physically but due to their wartime experiences, they had suffered more emotionally also. This effected their already burdened struggling families more. This way, the families ha d suffered with physical and psychological pain a lot. Also the families were divided during Civil war. The only bread winner of any family – may be a father or husband or an elder son had to go far off the home. So in those families, especially middle class, wives and mothers had to work in the home and also out of the home. They were the only to take care about every aspects of the family including children. And for this they were not much trained. This situation for city women was much more difficult (.netplaces.com). The painting from the article of war sprits at home by Lily Martin Spencer shows that she herself is sitting in the kitchen with her children and a servant. Lacking an adult male figure, the painting reflects the absence of men in the home during this period in American history. The painting from the article of war sprits at home by Lily Martin Spencer shows that she herself is sitting in the kitchen with her children and a servant. Lacking an adult male figure, the painting reflects the absence of men in the home during this period in American history. Northern families lost a great many loved ones over the course of war and experienced their share of problems and grief, but southern families suffered far more. Many southern towns and cities were destroyed and the impact on the confederate civilian population was enormous in all eras (netplace.com). Most people and families in the south led the pastoral life, organized around agricultural activities. Many people in south had no slaves or very few, so all the man does physical labor. Due to war, families lost their able-bodied man, which had changed the condition of family that women had to do all the work in the house and farms to keep farms functioning with the other works such as cleaning, making and fixing cloths, and raising the children (civilwar.org). As war went on, people also started suffering from hunger. With confederate troops, to feed and burning all the remaining food, combined with the lack of available rail transportation which was being use by war efforts. They also suffered from the lack of goods as all the industries and factories were busy preparing the goods for civil war. As many men and sons were forced to leave their house they were not able to concentrate in the war. Handwritten letters were the main form of communication between soldiers and their relatives during civil war. Soldiers became desperate to hear from their families and for news from home. They even gladly read each other’s letters just to hear about familiar places and everyday situations; anything to take their mind off the war and their struggles. Robert T. Tallman, wrote to William Brown, with an interesting suggestion as a possible means to encourage more communication (ozarkscivilwar.org). â€Å"I have not had a letter for two weeks what is our folks doing. tell them I am dead and maybe they w ill send for my bounty and wages, and I will hear from them that way if no other.†( Robert T. Tallman letter to William Brown – February 11, 1865). Civil war had the same impact on northern families. White families in Virginia first confronted the war’s impact with the enlistments of their male kin. To provide food and protect families, men were pulled away from their loved ones to serve in the confederate army. As one Virginia solider put his duty in the war encompassed â€Å"the defense of our country, our liberty and the protection of our parent, wives, children, and all that is dear to a man† (encylopediavirginia.org). 50 percent of the male enlisted from Virginia tried to help both families and the confederacy. But it was of no use. Wives, daughters, sisters, and other female kin assumed much of the work normally pursued by men- managing plantation, harvesting crops, running business. This pressure took toll on women. â€Å"We felt like clinging to Walter and holding him back†, wrote one Virginia woman in reaction to a family member’s enlistment. â€Å"I was sick of war, sick of the butchery, th e anguish† (encylopediavirginia.org). Virginia Civilians After a Battle Often soldiers tries to maintain their role in family through home letters, but their correspondence proved an imperfect surrogate when the mail, disrupted by war, was slow in coming. Some women also tried to bring their men home by filing petition with the confederate secretary of war for a man’s exemption, or by urging a soldier to desert the army, which were often unsuccessful and so the women has to wait for her man until the war end or sometimes she never gets to see him. These lines from the letter were included in the Civil War diary of Samuel Bennett, a Daviess County native who fought for the Union Army. In it, Bennett’s mother expresses her worries about his welfare. â€Å"Wilson I dreamed last night that you had come home you may be sure that I was sorry when I waked and found it was a dere dream Wilson the crop is in tolerable good order you father commensed mowing yesterday and Amas thought he could mow and your father concluded that he might to get it he does very well Wilson we will get your janes today and if you want a pair of everyday pants I want you to let me know and I will make them and bring them if we get to come and if not I will send them I hope we will get to come yet I must bring my broken lines to a close by saing I hope that it will not bee long till we see each others face Write as soon as this comes to hand I remain your devoted and loving mother untill death†(ket.org). Political divisions sometimes compounded the separation experienced by families. Regions with high unionist concentrations, witnessed the division of house members against each other-pitting father against son, husband against wife, and sometimes brother against brother. John fee wrote in his autobiography that â€Å"The next morning just as I was about starting back to my home, my father said to me, â€Å"Julett is here on my premises, and I will sell her before sundown if I can.† I turned to him and said, â€Å"Father, I am now that woman’s only guardian†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. yet if you sell that woman, I will prosecute you for so doing, as sure as you are a man.†(ket.org) Civil war had made a enormous effect on the family life. Many lost their loved ones and very few got their loved ones back. Thus the civil war era was very hard for every women, men, and child. To claim that the Civil War was unlike any war before or since is an argument this overlooks many of the continuities of time displayed in a history of warfare. Certainly it can be claimed to be the first type of war in several of its features, but entirely different isolates it from this history and leaves out very important aspects of it. Citation * â€Å"The American Civil War.† 123helpme.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. . * Civil War Trust. â€Å"Civil War Lesson Plans: Southern Life during Civil War.† Civilwar.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. . * Stoddard, Brooke C., and Daniel P. Murphy. â€Å"Family Life during Civil War.† Netplaces.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. . * Slipp, Naomi, ed. â€Å"Unpacking Feminist Content in Lilly Martin Spencer’s â€Å"War Spirit at Home†.† WordPress.com. N.p., 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. . * â€Å"Women and Children at Home.† Ket.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. . * STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY of MISSOURI RESEARCH CENTER – ROLLA, ed. â€Å"Tallaman- Brown Family Papers.† Ozarkscivilwar.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. . * â€Å"Impact of the Civil War on the Tennessee Homefront.† Liberary.mtsu.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. . * Taylor, Amy Murrell. â€Å"Family Life During the Civil War.† Encylopedia Virginia. Ed. Brendan Wolfe. 2 February 2013 Virginia Foundation Humanities 6 feb 2012

Cuba In Revolution By Antoni Kapcia Discusses Social Change

Cuba in revolution by Antoni Kapcia discusses social change and how the world needs to think about Cuba separate from Europe. The book is a well written history that summarizes Cuba in the 1950’s as its own branch of socialism and not an extension of the Soviet Union. It also gave new insight to the ideas of Castro. The books downfall is that it was for the Castro regime, which alienated some readers from the main point of his argument. One of the book’s main arguments is that Cuba is not extent of Eastern Europe. It also is explores why it did not fall with the Soviet Union. Kapcia makes the point that Cuba’s social revolution was not that of the Soviet Union communism, but that it was revolution of its own. The role of Castro†¦show more content†¦People who were politically opposed to the Cuban revolt were sent to exile. Everyone left in Cuba was happy with the government and supported the government. The public liked no public intervention. The 19 60’s reform, rent was cut in half, raised the minimum wage, literacy went up, and purges were done to place political opposition in exile. This left positive views of the government. Press is also controlled by the government greatly. The government made sure to protect the people and control what the press was releasing. Young people had once leaded the revolution. They went to teach and to fight when the revolution was at its height, â€Å"the youngest revolution, benefit the youth,† describes the role of youth in the revolution(Kapcia,156). Now that the youth were not going off to fight and to teach they were exploring themselves and the United States movement. This left a disconnection between the generations in Cuba and the youth were negatively impacted by this discord in Cuba. The author does two things really well he acknowledge and addresses the audience he has and he makes argument that is cohesive and continuous. One of the things the author does well is address the audience he is talking to. The audience he has is one that views Castro and the Cuban revolt negatively. The positive lean Kapcia gives Castro allows the readers who do have a bias against