Martha Stewart: Not Such a Good Thing
Case 6.10 – Martha Stewart: Not Such a Good Thing
1. What issues did Martha Stewart, Bacanovic, and Faneuil miss in making their decisions about selling the ImClone stock in their conduct following the sales? Apply the models and make a list of suggested questions they could have asked that might have affected their decisions.
I do not feel any of them were thinking about any consequences! Why was this
small amount of money so important to them, especially Ms. Stewart, who was a multi-
billionaire at the time? Maybe it was bad press, or embarrassment…who knows? It is
obvious that they weren’t concerned at all about repercussions and just went ahead with
their scheme that they truly thought they could pull off without getting caught. Well, it
so turned out that they did get caught and lost millions because their reputations and
stocks in Omnimedia were much more valuable than ImClone!
2. Was selling the shares illegal? If selling the shares was not illegal, was it unethical?
Selling shares are not illegal; it’s all part of the stock market. However, when you
have advanced knowledge like this case, it is border-line and extremely unethical. She
was thinking only of herself and the profits she’d make, and not considering the company
and other stockholders at all. I would go as far as calling it heartless and greedy!
3. What do we learn about long-term consequences from Ms. Stewart’s conduct and case?
Having too much money can turn a person evil. Martha was a multi-billionaire,
and why she cared about a couple hundred thousand is beyond me. Not only did she
serve jail time, lose respect and money, her stock has decreased more than 50% since
2001 when she was convicted. The public now sees that she is not trustworthy, because
she admitted to obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal
investigators.
4. What advise can you offer someone who has engaged in trading
1. What issues did Martha Stewart, Bacanovic, and Faneuil miss in making their decisions about selling the ImClone stock in their conduct following the sales? Apply the models and make a list of suggested questions they could have asked that might have affected their decisions.
I do not feel any of them were thinking about any consequences! Why was this
small amount of money so important to them, especially Ms. Stewart, who was a multi-
billionaire at the time? Maybe it was bad press, or embarrassment…who knows? It is
obvious that they weren’t concerned at all about repercussions and just went ahead with
their scheme that they truly thought they could pull off without getting caught. Well, it
so turned out that they did get caught and lost millions because their reputations and
stocks in Omnimedia were much more valuable than ImClone!
2. Was selling the shares illegal? If selling the shares was not illegal, was it unethical?
Selling shares are not illegal; it’s all part of the stock market. However, when you
have advanced knowledge like this case, it is border-line and extremely unethical. She
was thinking only of herself and the profits she’d make, and not considering the company
and other stockholders at all. I would go as far as calling it heartless and greedy!
3. What do we learn about long-term consequences from Ms. Stewart’s conduct and case?
Having too much money can turn a person evil. Martha was a multi-billionaire,
and why she cared about a couple hundred thousand is beyond me. Not only did she
serve jail time, lose respect and money, her stock has decreased more than 50% since
2001 when she was convicted. The public now sees that she is not trustworthy, because
she admitted to obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal
investigators.
4. What advise can you offer someone who has engaged in trading