Ethics in Finance: Case Studies from a Woman's Life on Wall Street - Paperback

by Kara Tan Bhala (Author)

Observes and analyses cases studies of ethical issues using the appropriate theories of moral philosophy.

Outlines major financial transactions and activities such as IPOs, secondary offerings, mergers and acquisitions, portfolio allocation strategies, equity trading, and equity valuations.

Back Jacket

Ethics in Finance earned five major awards: winner of the Business Book Awards (UK) 2022, and the Goody Business Book Awards 2022; silver medal winner, Global Book Awards 2022; bronze medal winner, Axiom Business Book Awards 2022; and finalist, International Book Awards (US) 2022.

The book comprises multiple finance and ethics case studies. The second edition adds video summaries to each chapter. The purpose of the book is twofold. First, the case studies teach readers how to evaluate and determine resolutions to ethical issues in finance. Second, the reader enjoys a journey with the author, a woman, through her years working in finance.

The case studies focus on ethical issues in finance which the author encountered over nearly a 30-year career in the industry. There are 10 cases extracted from different sectors of finance. This broad range is a consequence of the author's experience from almost all sides of the business: the buy side, the sell side, equity research in Asia, equity sales, mutual funds, hedge funds, the finance academy, and consulting.

Each case study has an engaging narrative describing the background, transactions, players, and ethical issues. The ethical issue is analyzed and resolved using appropriate theories of moral philosophy. Descriptions and analyses are rigorous yet comprehensible, approachable, and entertaining.

Apart from ethics determinations, the material in the book describes and explains a variety of specific, and even complex, financial transactions. Each case explains the roles of various players involved. In this way, readers learn about the work involved in different finance positions, from investment bankers and equity traders, to portfolio managers and equity analysts. Readers also get an understanding of major financial transactions and activities such as IPOs, secondary offerings, equity trading, and equity valuations.

The book will appeal to the general reader, finance practitioners, college and high school students, and lecturers who can use it to supplement courses in finance or business ethics.

Kara Tan Bhala is President and Founder of Seven Pillars Institute for Global Finance and Ethics (USA), the world's only independent think tank for research, education, and promotion of financial ethics. She was an Honorary Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London, and is a Jury Member for the Ethics and Trust in Finance Global Prize (Switzerland) and US Ambassador for the Transparency Task Force (UK). She has nearly 30 years of global finance experience through working on Wall Street. Dr. Tan Bhala has five degrees across three disciplines: a Bachelors (City, University of London) and Masters in Business (Oxford University), Masters in Liberal Studies (New York University), and Masters and PhD in Philosophy (University of Kansas). She has lived in the world's major money centres, and currently resides in Kansas City. She is a member of America's Council on Foreign Relations and England's Royal Society for Asian Affairs.

Author Biography

Kara Tan Bhala is the President and Founder of Seven Pillars Institute for Global Finance and Ethics, USA, the world's only independent think tank for research, education, and promotion of financial ethics. She was an Honorary Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London, UK and currently sits as a Jury Member for the Ethics and Trust in Finance Global Prize (Switzerland) and is the U.S. Ambassador for the Transparency Task Force (UK). Dr. Tan Bhala has a rare combination of professional training and extensive experience in both global finance and moral philosophy. She has nearly 30 years of experience in global finance, much of which was gained through working on Wall Street. She has been a sell-side equity analyst, a sell-side equity sales person, a buy-side equity analyst, a portfolio manager, and a lecturer in finance. For 18 years she ran her own international financial markets consulting firm. Dr. Tan Bhala has five degrees across three disciplines: a Bachelors (City, University of London, UK) and Masters in Business (Oxford University, UK), a Masters in Liberal Studies (New York University, USA), and a Masters and PhD in Philosophy (University of Kansas, USA). She has lived and worked in London, Oxford, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York, Washington DC., and currently resides in Kansas City. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, USA, and the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, UK.