Unethical Practices In The Movie Boiler Room Movie Review Examples

Business practices comprise numerous standards and principles, which guide the conduct and behavior in the realms of business. There are different stakeholders in the business world such as stakeholders, customers, employees, legal system and various interest groups among others who determine the credibility of certain behaviors. These stakeholders play an imperative role in the society’s determination of what is ethical or not. Boiler room is a movie presenting the story of a young, ambitious and hardworking college drop out offered a position at an off-wall-street brokerage firm. He was assured that he would be able to make millions of dollars, before finishing his third year. However, he learns that the firm was a con and would rip off common people looking for good investments. Additionally the firm was under investigation by the Fed for violation of Security’s Exchange Commission regulations.
The current business environment is characterized with numerous opportunist who make numerous attempts of taking advantage of a situation for monetary and other gains. Seth the main character in the movie was running an underground casino in his off-campus apartment where he made thousands of dollars. However, after his father a federal judge learns of his undertaking he tells him to close down and search for a real job. Seeking for approval and regaining respect of his father he is offered a position in a stock brokerage firm by two brokers who visited his casino. He joins the firm in the hope of making easy money without understanding what happens behind the scenes.
The firm used newly hired trainees to make calls to prominent and middle class men, where they applied high pressure selling tactics for the firm’s exclusive initial public offering. After the training, Seth displays exceptional performance and becomes among the best trainees and quickly rises through the firm. However, he starts noticing practices, which were questionable and understands the truth behind the firm. He discovers that Boiler room was a firm selling non-profitable stocks, and he has persuaded people to buy something they could not afford and altogether did not require. At this moment he was facing several ethical dilemmas and he starts struggling with his conscience feeling remorseful of his actions. The ethical issues involved in this case include the teaching of untrue statements by the employer to the trainees with the purpose of attracting customers.
The moral and ethical issues presented in the movie also presents other employees operating as brokers who see the rip increase. This makes them develop a further urge of making a fortune for themselves by pushing the customers even harder. The Boiler Room had failed to meet its social corporate responsibilities where it was supposed to minimize negative effects and maximize positive effects on the society. It failed in providing the right and justifiable information presenting unethical behaviors and activities of selling unprofitable stocks to their clients. The organization also adopted compulsive selling techniques aimed at persuading and attracting uninformed investors.
In this case, the ethical issues arise from the conflicts between individual personal moral philosophies as presented by Seth, the values of the organization and the society where the people live. J.T Marlin provided the trainees with the wrong information about stocks and emphasized on the need of closing sales. This approach is morally wrong as it presents an unethical conduct against the social standing. The society and customers of the organization expected to be presented with the right information about the stocks but on the contrary the institution provided the wrong information and presentation.