Business Ethics

Class, if you remember nothing else from this course,

I want you to remember this one thing.

Dishonesty, lies, cheating...

You will never get away with them.

They will always come back to haunt you,

and you will pay the price.

Yes, Mr. Cranston?

This price that has to be paid,

I was thinking, Professor Wrightway, like everything else,

shouldn't we ask if it's worth paying?

I'm not talking about small-time thievery.

We're business students here.

I'm talking about something really big,

where you steal or cheat people out of a lot of money.

Zachery.

I just wanted to say that last night...

Wonderful.

Veronica.

We're in the office right now, honey.

I like to keep things professional.

Aren't you gonna open it, Zachery?

I'm kind of busy right now.

And, please, don't call me that.

In here, it's either "Mr. Cranston" or "Sir".

Okay.

There's no denying it.

I'm a bastard.

But let's go back before I had success,

and fame, and money.

It all began with just my mother and me,

and her candy store, of course.

Then, she met the man who would change our lives forever...

Mr. Edwin Murk,

the big investment manager.

The most important thing in life

is to understand the difference between good and bad.

Good.

Bad.

Good.

Yes, son. Well done, well played.

Now, Zachery,

this is a symbol of all the beautiful things

that are gonna happen in your life.

I'd always known Mr. Murk had another life.

And I was curious.

I knew then that one day I would be like Mr. Murk.

Lies, cheating,

you will never get away with it.

They will always come back to haunt you...

So, after graduation,

I spent seven years at Mr. Murk's investment firm,

working my way up to senior portfolio manager.

Things were good. Very good.

Or so I thought.

Even though your husband is gone, Mrs. Finnegan,

you can count on me.

I can continue to manage your money for you.

I need to keep this short.

Suffice it to say,

it is time to strike out in a new direction.

Leave the firm, son. The sooner, the better.

You too, Mabel, take your business elsewhere.

What's going on, sir?

Some nonsense about fraud.

Embezzlement, money laundering.

Bribery, tax evasion.

Mr. Murk, wait... I don't understand.

There must be some mistake.

With Murk Wealth Management on my resume,

other employers shunned me like a bad disease.

So, I decided to start my own business.

A wise choice?

I'll tell you what happened...

And you decide.

Hedge fund? (GIGGLES) That sounds exciting.

What do you think, Gerald?

I still consult my husband on matters of importance.

You'd be my first client.

Well, Gerald says no.

No hedge fund.

Sorry, dear, he doesn't want to take any risks.

He can be a bit of an old woman.

I've already committed my client's money

to another fund management company.

How many Masters tournaments did I take you to? What, five?

That many? Well, thanks again, by the way.

Experience of a lifetime. Never forget it.

Won't be the same going without you.

You're going this year?

As luck would have it, another company invited me.

That wouldn't, by chance, be the same company

you committed your client's money to now, would it?

You know, I... I believe it is.

You ready for this? All right.

Ah, yes!

Game time. Whoo!

So you're starting up a new hedge fund.

Yes. Always wanted my own business.

You know, no boss, no partners to answer to.

And that means I can cut you a damn good break on fees.

Forget about it, Cranston.

I've already transferred my account over to Amanda.

She's got me hooked up on one of those hot, new issues.

Congrats on the new gig, Amanda.

That didn't take long.

Dryesdale Ferrit's been after me for a long time.

I bet.

And hey, what about your news?

I hear you're starting your own firm.

Yeah. To tell you the truth, it's been difficult.

Hard to find clients when you don't have a track record,

and it's difficult to get a track record without clients.

I don't suppose you have any leads

or a bone or two to throw at me.

"Magnus Hardcastle?"

He's super wealthy.

But my firm refused to take him on.

Why? What's wrong with him?

I didn't make the fortune that I have today

worrying about ethics.

If there's one thing that I've learned, Cranston,

it's the value of shit.

"Shit," sir?

Stuff nobody wants or wants to do.

It's made me a wealthy man.

Foreclosures, wasn't it, Mr. Hardcastle?

That's right.

Bankers today, bunch of gutless wimps.

They need people like me

to take care of all the messy stuff for 'em.

But you moved on. Sold your business.

That's right.

And the last thing I want is to leave my money in a bank.

I didn't make the kind of fortune that I have today

trusting those fat-ass bankers.

Well, sir, that's why I'm here.

I'd like to manage your fortune.

I want a real son of a bitch handling my loot,

number cruncher.

You don't have to worry about that, sir.

I'm prepared to get my hands very, very dirty.

In fact, I'm starting a new hedge fund

that will focus on the kind of business

I think that you'll like.

Weapons, gambling, pornography, pollution.

Now you're talking my language.

Excuse me, sir.

I think you'll find this more to your liking.

Why, what's wrong with this bottle?

It's poisoned, sir.

You bastard!

I'm going to make you pay.

She claims you foreclosed on her mother.

I foreclosed on lots of people's mother.

Take it from me, son.

There's no surer sign of a great business

than having people try to kill you.

I'll tell you what.

I like the sound of this new fund of yours.

I'll set you up with a million bucks.

Mmm?

With my first client finally on board,

all I needed to do was make some good investments.

The other investors were put off by the mosquitoes.

Well, that or the snakes.

Made a major financial commitment

to this venture, you know.

Ah, excuse me. I, um... I have to take this.

It seems there's been a development.

- Oh, yeah? - (CLEARS THROAT)

The gold in our mine samples, um,

apparently it didn't all come from the mine.

So...

No, it, uh, it came from wrist watches.

All of it, actually.

Ground-up wrist watches.

So, what are you saying?

All things considered,

it's probably best if I get out here.

- (SPEAKS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) - Hey!

We need to talk about this Internet firearms company

you recommended.

You assured me

that the project would be up and running by now.

- Pull. - (LAUNCHER CLICKS)

I need a winner, fast.

Just tell your investor to be patient.

- Right, Jared? - Yeah. I mean...

Jared here is the smartest guy in the industry.

That's why I brought him here today to meet you.

He's our company's secret sauce.

Quite frankly, he's what you've invested in.

I mean, I wouldn't...

And when Jared's got this product ready,

that's when the company goes public.

I figure a market cap between one and two billion.

Maybe three, on the upside.

- (HISSING) - (EXCLAIMING)

When would that be?

- Jared? - (GUNSHOT)