Topic > The fall of Lehman Brothers and the financial crisis of 2008

Over many years the world has witnessed how large and successful companies felt helpless and went bankrupt overnight. While numerous reasons led to the failure of those companies, it all centered around the unethical practices prevalent in that organization. Companies like Enron Corporation, Worldcom Company, Washington Mutual Company and many others have been victims of unethical practices and Lehman Brother is no exception in the list. This investment banking company not only went bankrupt, but also became the main reason for the 2008 financial crisis (Chu, 2018). It is a wonder how power and money take over a person's integrity and pave the way for unethical practices within an organization. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As humans we are prone to both ethical and unethical behavior; all human behaviors that refer to moral principles and that are permitted in societies and according to laws are all ethical behaviors. On the other hand, any conduct that is morally wrong and not accepted in people's belief, a complete opposite to ethical conducts, are all unethical behaviors. People working in companies and organizations can have ethical or unethical behavior. Therefore, organizational ethics evolves as an important issue for the success and well-being of the organization. Letendre (2019) states that organizational ethics is a strong form of discipline that governs moral choices guided by values, standards, principles, rules and strategies associated with organizational activities and objectives. It is clear and necessary for every business and organization to function to generate more profits and growth. However, violating regulations and indulging in unfair means to generate profits, thus neglecting the value and morals for the well-being of the company, would be considered unethical organization. Very similarly, Lehman Brother cast aside all corporate values ​​and norms and engaged in corrupt and unethical practices. Context of the Lehman Brother Crisis Lehman Brothers was once the fourth largest investment bank in America until it failed in September 2008 (History.com Editors, 2018). The story dates back to the mid-2000s, when U.S. home prices began to rise and Lehman, as an investment banking firm, issued mortgage-backed securities and loans to borrowers. According to Sraders (2018) by the end of 2004, Lehman to issue more loans acquired other lenders, namely BNC Mortgage and Aurora Loan Services, both of which specialized in subprime loans. These mortgages were intended for borrowers who were traditionally low credit risk and profitable in the short term. Subprime mortgages charged higher interest rates on the loan and generated higher fees than conventional mortgages. This has made lenders highly motivated to grant such mortgages. On the other hand, as long as home prices rose, subprime borrowers could always refinance the mortgage or sell the property if risk was imminent. Because these subprime mortgage leaders like BNC Mortgage and Aurora Loan Service were guaranteeing loans without complete documentation, Lehman was already making a big bet. The main problem arises when home prices far exceed their long-term appreciation trend. In 2006, the interest rate began to rise and an increasing number of borrowers began to default, resulting in significant revenue losses and a serious increase in liquidity risk-14703153