'Margin call': using film to explore behavioural aspects of the financial crisis

Article


Werner, A. 2014. 'Margin call': using film to explore behavioural aspects of the financial crisis. Journal of Business Ethics. 122 (4), pp. 643-654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1781-4
TypeArticle
Title'Margin call': using film to explore behavioural aspects of the financial crisis
AuthorsWerner, A.
Abstract

The aim of this article is to show how the critically acclaimed and award winning film Margin Call may be used in business ethics teaching. Set in a fictional investment bank at the dawn of the financial crisis, the film zooms in on the motivations and decision-making of people who had much to lose from the crash of the hitherto very profitable mortgage-backed securities market. The film offers rich material for analysis of behaviours that contributed to the crisis. The article will set out topics for classroom discussion, including the impact of incentives and power structures, contextual factors that distance people from the consequences of their actions, and considerations of how the banking industry may be transformed.

KeywordsFinancial crisis; Film; Teaching; Descriptive business ethics; Rationalisations
Research GroupCorporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics group
PublisherSpringer
JournalJournal of Business Ethics
ISSN0167-4544
Electronic1573-0697
Publication dates
Online26 Jun 2013
Print01 Jul 2014
Publication process dates
Deposited11 Jul 2014
Accepted17 Jun 2013
Output statusPublished
Accepted author manuscript
Copyright Statement

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Journal of Business Ethics. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1781-4

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1781-4
Web of Science identifierWOS:000339384400007
LanguageEnglish
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