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Ethics or Bust: Beyond Compliance and Good Marketing

By Clare Payne

Robin Cosgrove Prize for Ethics in Finance, Fall 2007

Clare Payne

Historically, the success of the finance industry has been judged by profits. Increasingly, however, society is seeking to judge the finance industry’s performance and role in society according to broader criteria, such as its social and environmental impact and ethical conduct. Herein lies the challenge for the finance industry. How does a complex and constantly evolving industry that relies on measurable outcomes to judge performance, satisfy society's ethical expectations of it?

This paper argues that ethical conduct should be a key performance indicator for the finance industry, along with profit generation and business development, and for ethics to be woven into corporate culture.

Download: Ethics or Bust: Beyond Compliance and Good Marketing (PDF, 150.77 K)

Read More: Business, Ethics, Finance, Global

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