Business ethics are not divorced from personal ethics, which are generally accepted principles of right and wrong governing the conduct of individuals. our personal ethical code exerts a profound influence on the way we behave as businesspeople. why do managers behave in an unethical manner? there is no simple answer to this question, for the causes are complex, but some generalizations can be made. many managers have made poor ethical decisions while engaged in international business. many of these ethical issues are rooted in the variations among nations in their political systems, law, economic development, and culture. what is considered normal practice in one nation may be considered unethical in another.

ernst's electrical has a bond issue outstanding with ten years to maturity. these bonds have a $1,000 face value, a 5 percent coupon, and pay interest semiminusannually. the bonds are currently quoted at 96 percent of face value. what is ernst's pretax cost of debt?

Peninsula products has just applied for a loan at your bank. when reviewing peninsula's books for the year that just ended, you notice that the firm uses the fair value option for its bonds payable. you also see that the firm recorded a $55,000 debit in its bonds payable account and a $55,000 credit in its unrealized holding gain or loss"income account. over that same period, interest rates decreased by about 0.5 percent. how should this information affect the bank's decision as to whether to grant peninsula a loan? a : the bank should strongly consider giving a loan to peninsula because the changes in firm's bonds payable and unrealized holding gain or loss"income accounts suggest that peninsula has seen an increase in its credit rating over the past year. b : the bank should put little emphasis on the changes in peninsula's bonds payable and unrealized holding gain or loss"income accounts because these changes are likely the result of the rise in interest rates. c : the bank should hesitate before giving a loan to peninsula because the changes in firm's bonds payable and unrealized holding gain or loss"income accounts suggest that peninsula has seen a decline in its credit rating over the past year. d : the bank should put little emphasis on the changes in peninsula's bonds payable and unrealized holding gain or loss"income accounts because these changes are likely unrelated to either interest rates or the firm's credit rating.

You are head of the schwartz family endowment for the arts. you have decided to fund an arts school in the san francisco bay area in perpetuity. every 5 years, you will give the school $ 1 comma 000 comma 000. the first payment will occur 5 years from today. if the interest rate is 5.9 % per year, what is the present value of your gift?