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The goal of most people is to make as much money as possible, whether they are stockbrokers on Wall Street or homeless and begging for money. It is human nature to be greedy and to want to acquire as much wealth as possible. There are many ways to make money, but even some of the wealthiest people make their money in a corrupt manner. Corruption in business is obviously wrong, but when crooked businessmen are influenced by society, extremely greedy, and are addicted to money, it is hard for them to turn away from the possible profits of unfair business.

In the early 1900’s true businessmen began to emerge, thinking of many different ways to make money fast and efficiently. This is the time period when the “pump and dump” stock market scheme emerged. The investment companies would buy stock in small companies, also known as penny stocks, then proceeded to “push” it on their investors, essentially making them buy the stock. Once bought, the stock price would rise and the investment company would sell the stock, making large quantities of cash fast. In the eyes of investors, this was a brilliant idea which worked time after time. Although it may not appear to be, this method is illegal. An investment company cannot pressure an investor into buying stock; this is referred to as “backdoor marketing”. The investment companies truly did not value their customers; their intent was to make money while their clients lost money. It is illegal for investment companies to bully their clients into buying stock in a company. This type of corruption can often be overlooked because the stock market always fluctuates. So when the clients lost massive amounts of money, the investment companies would simply say that it was just bad luck, or that the...

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...ars in prison without bail. Bernards frauds were so massive that they did not even show on the federal fraud chart, which only reaches 400 million. Madoff’s actions affected his family, friends, co workers, and company. Greed is the source of business corruption because everyone wants to make money and many will do anything to reach that goal.

It is the goal of most people to be wealthy, have power, and do something worthwhile during their lifetime. Some people will do whatever it takes to achieve these goals, even if that means being corrupt and evil. People want to make money and show everyone that they have it; it is human nature. Being haughty with money that was obtained in corrupt ways is extremely dangerous. Greed is the downfall to all corrupted businesses, they all want more. Humans are designed to be corrupt, but it is possible to overcome this temptation.