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Lecture to Focus on Greed and Business Ethics

27 February 2007

Visiting BU Professor, Chris Swinson Visiting BU Professor, Chris Swinson, will deliver the inaugural Princecroft Willis Lecture on Tuesday 24 April.

Andrew Alder, Managing Partner at Princecroft Willis - the largest firm of independent chartered accountants and business advisers in the Dorset/New Forest region – will introduce the event scheduled in the Marconi Lecture Theatre on the BU’s Talbot Campus.

Professor Swinson’s lecture ‘Greed is good – famous frauds and business ethics’ will draw inspiration from Gordon Gekko, the lead character from the film ‘Wall Street,’ now synonymous with corporate greed.

“In that film, Gekko makes a speech in which he says ‘Greed is good’,” said Professor Swinson, one of the country’s leading experts on corporate accountancy and auditing.

“Gekko goes on to say that ‘greed cuts through, greed clarifies, greed captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit’.

“It is said that this speech was closely based on an actual address by Ivan Boesky – the junk bond wizard,” he continued. “I want to take these quotes as texts and look at a number of examples of exceptionally greedy people in an effort to raise a series of questions about business ethics.”

During a long and successful career, Professor Swinson has held many major positions and was appointed Comptroller and Auditor General for Jersey in 2005.

As well as being former senior partner of BDO Stoy Hayward and President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Swinson has been a Chairman of the Audit Committee of HM Treasury and a member of the Financial Reporting Council.

He is the author of several books on aspects of accounting and auditing.

As a Visiting Professor to BU, Professor Swinson is able to share his wide knowledge of business and other organisations with students and academics.

Event Details

Where: Marconi Lecture Theatre, Talbot Campus.
When: Tuesday 24 April. The lecture is preceded by registration and drinks from 5.30pm followed by the lecture. The evening will conclude with a buffet.
Price: Free
Further Information: Speak to Jeanne Basley on (01202) 967218 or email jbasley@bournemouth.ac.uk.

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