Federation University: BUGEN 1530 Individual Reflection Journal

This individual reflection journal explores a student's evolving understanding of business ethics, globalization, and sustainability, influenced by movies like "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Up in the Air," and the TV series "House of Cards." The journal delves into the positive and negative effects of globalization, the triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility, and business ethics, as discussed by Crane and Matten. The student reflects on how these media portrayals shaped their perception of the corporate world, its impact on individuals, and the importance of ethical considerations. The journal highlights the themes of corporate culture, the impact of the stock market, and the ethical dilemmas faced by individuals within the business environment, ultimately illustrating the student's journey of learning and critical analysis of the business world.

Running head - INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION JOURNAL
Individual Reflection Journal
Name of then student
Name of the university
Author’s note

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The reflective paper helps us to understand the personal views of a person that have
been developed regarding any particular topic. Movies and TV series have played an
important role in impacting my life and have helped me in understanding the working aspects
of world. These movies and TV series withholds the very regressive culture and information
of the modern world and helps us in understanding the very fragmented nature of the society.
Therefore, it is important to understand the theme of the movies and TV series as it explains
thorough deal of real world working matter.
The following reflective journal would be discussing how these reviews discussed by
Crane and Matten, where the reviews of movies like The Wolf of Wall Street and Up in the
Air, and of TV series House of Cards. The discussion would consist of facts how these
reviews have impacted over me and how they have helped in understanding the themes like
positive and negative impact of the globalization, the triple bottom line in business goals, the
sustainable consumption, corporate social responsibility; citizenship, consumer, civil society
and activism, employees and business ethics.
Before reading about the reviews and watching the selected movies and TV series, I
was unaware how working life looks like and how corporate world have been dictating the
world economy. There have been many significant changes which have been done by the
corporate world of which I have been unaware off. The impact of business, stock market and
industrialization have imparted a huge portion in every individual’s life. People are both
tangible and intangible in terms of commerce and business (Bram & Putra, 2019). I have
been having various concepts of business and corporate world, which have either made small
changes or have imparted insignificant kinds of effects from which I have to been effected
off. Although, after seeing the above mentioned movies and TV series, I slowly started to
realize how incorporative I have been that I was overlooked these changes and how the world
works. These show and movies have helped me to draw and schematic diagram of business

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world and how there have been huge leaps made by powerful people for controlling the
wealth of the world and influencing the circular economy (Kogan, 2018). The movies have
also helped me in developing knowledge about how the corporate world work and how the
culture operates.
The Wolf of Wall Street was a classic movie made by Martin Scorsese. The movie is
recognized as an adult movie as there have been huge use of drugs and sex in the movie
incorporating the wealthy life of people, and people earning liquid cash in a much faster way.
The story of the movie narrates how Jordan Belfort made his fortune before he becomes an
author and motivational speaker. The role of Jordon Belfort was played by academy award
winning actor Leonardo Dicaprio . The movie shows how a group of loser achieve huge
success in the corporate world as brokers and how they change the face of business in stock
market. A group of people head by Belfort enters the stock market industry as they are turned
into huge successful brokers with the help of Belfort. Leonardo in the role of Belfort is seen
in the movie making impressive speeches of power and motivation to his employees from
Long Island and turn them into expert seller of stocks at their Strantton Oakmont office. The
movie delivers a theme of how normal people with minimum skills could achieve cutting
edge success in the business world if they are taught how to talk and deliver and be
presentable to people. Therefore, the movie in overall inspiring despite keeping aside the
drug usage and nudity. However, in terms of business ethics as discussed by Crane and
Matten, the movie could act as a wrong guide to aspirants who are aiming to become brokers.
As the movie being an real story written by Jordan Belfort himself in the year of 2007, named
as Wolf of Wall Street, it have been shown in the movie adopted from the book only, how
Belfort have crossed my limits and disrupted the very fabric of business ethics for which he
was convicted for 4 years under the felony of securities fraud and money laundering. During

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the conviction period Belfort confessed about his illegal business and all the partners that
were involved with the business.
In their book Crane and Mitton have significantly described how the ethics and law
are dependable in the business world and how they are applied in appropriate ways for
sustaining the morality in the business. It was more surprising to me when I was introduced
to the concept of ethics and morality in the chapters, how there should be proper needs of
power in business in the society where greater aspects could be received than before. The
chapter have helped me in knowing the fact how business have been making special
opportunities for people in proving a huge part of their contribution regarding to the aspects
of society, and moral welfare. The business could also help up for the malpractice which
initially could be inflicting to the enormous harm on each of the individual along with the
communities and the challenges. The stakeholders have been also demanding the ethical
upgrades, which is more complex and more challenging. This have been making huge
influence to the significant business class and preaching safer ways of business. I could easily
claim that there very few people who have received proper ways of business ethics and
business propaganda, which would be showing how they have received a formal business
ethical training. The business ethics could also provide the ability for assessing the benefits
and problems associated with the different ways of managing the ethics among the
organization.
In the movie Up in the Air which was released in the year of 2009, the story of the
movie tells about how personal and professional interest co-exist in the corporate world. The
movie focuses on how the main character Ryan Bingham exists in his extreme mobile life
style. Ryan unfortunately has the job where he travels around the United States of America
and fires people from their job. However, it may seem an unfortunate job to me but the
character portraits a very different body language and stigma while on the job. Ryan loves his

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life in traveling for more than 300 days per year. It is most enjoyable as the character enjoys
first class tickets and effortless checking as most of them are bared by the company that is
hiring him for firing their employees. Other than that, Ryan enjoys 5 star hotel, rented cars,
and famous hotel check inns, a perfect life anyone would cherish off. Although, there have
been slight changes of plans when the director introduces romance in the characters life.
There have been huge expansion of military contracts and other expatriation, but the depicted
life of the character Ryan, played by George Clooney, it resembles the romantic view in the
expat life. Indeed the movie tells us about how the corporate world are insignificant and how
it treats the employees who spends their entire life giving up their important moments of life
and this is how the corporation returns them, by throwing out of the company, not even by
their own seniors. The movie also significantly tells us about the philosophical aspect of life,
how for a little about of time a person enters our lives, makes some bright moments ad them
slowly fades up way like beautiful dream. As the philosophy tells us how we need to cherish
those moments and let those people go rather than holding them, as sometimes holding on
makes the more damage, the character in the movie does the same thing; he travels light. The
director tried to make a significant point in the movie claiming that it is not about only having
a very mobile life, it is also about the metaphor which have been used in the movie and also
being used in life claiming that belongings and relationships are supposed to be stagnant in
the normal way. The point made in the movie claims that having such a life could take a toll
on your attachments with your family members and close friends as well. The character Ryan
while visiting his sister’s wedding becomes a stranger to most of the people around the
family. This simple yet again complicated philosophy of Ryan does not respond after the
emotional barriers have been shattered and his inward attention have been triggered. He finds
it hard to separate from his partner who is a businesswoman as well follows the same
philosophy. After achieving the personal goal of 10 million miles, he realizes that has not

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shared those moments with anyone, as he is again in the air, all by himself, no one to
congratulate him.
The TV show House of Cards in an American TV show. The show is about political
drama and thriller related to the political background of the United States of America (Finn,
2017). The show tell us about the charector congressman Frank Underwood, played by
famous actor Kevin Spacey, who is a Democrat belonging from the South Carolina’s 5th
congressional district and the Majority House whip. His wife, Claire Underwood is also
ambitious women who has the dream of having significant place in the Congress as well. The
series shows how Frank is made the Secretary of the State and how the alongside his wife
plans to attain power of the state as well as the country through their elaborated pan involving
huge political stigmas. The series have left a huge impact on me as it have helped me in
understanding the how manipulation, pragmatism, betrayal and want of power could larch
within a person for wanting power. The series have shown how false patriarchy have claimed
the world and how the people involving in the government have serge upon each other for
attaining the maximum about of power upon the people. Ethical and moral dilemma have not
only consumed the corporate world but it has also spread their wings in the government
sector too. I have hugely been influenced by this series as now it is clear to me how thighs
governing us works.
Themes
Theme 1 – Positive and Negative effects of the process of Globalization
The term globalizations explains how the whole effort makes in the global
community of business as a single entity. The business conducted in the western world could
be found be accessed in other place in the world too. The globalization of the economics have
increasingly being integrated, where the mobile phones and the internet have been used for

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bringing more and more users in the single community (Beck, 2018). There have been
significant improvements made in every aspects of business world as new approaches are
being used in the daily life cycle. The on-going process of globalization could be increasing
the regional economy as well as the societies and the cultural aspects of integrated thoughts
of global spacing. There are positive and negative effect of globalization (Hirst, Thompson &
Bromley, 2015). The positive effects are –
Global market – The most successful emerging markets in the development of the countries
are occurring due to the results of privatization of the state owned by the industries.
Therefore, in order to increase the demand of the consumers, the industries are attempting to
expand their extent to various sectors of the globe. The impact if globalization on the
business management have been seen in the sudden increase in the number of transactions all
across the borders, where cross cultural communication is also made with aspect to the global
business community. There also have been wide range of footprints that shows how
maintaining the competiveness in the global network of business. Many multinational
corporation have been using the concept of globalization. These organizations are occupying
a central role among the process of globalization, where the global foreign investments are
done in the direct inflow manner.
Cross-culture management – The impact of globalization have also incorporated the
management of cross cultural management, where various people from different backgrounds
of culture co-exist is peaceful harmony. The various background of the culture have
reportedly being made for having a deeper grip in the local market and global market also,
where, many people from various culture have been working in developing the market of
business.
Whereas, the negative impact are –

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Jobs insecurity – The development of globalization have also increased the risk of job loss
for many people. As organizations have been using many other form of mode and methods
for getting the job done, people are also being replaced by many other people from various
other states. The factor of globalization have eminently led to the loss and exploitation of
labors. Industries are effectively outsourcing the manufacturing units and hence creating
white collar jobs. Therefore, there have been huge loss of lower level jobs which have been
creating a set of major risk in the sectors as well.
Fluctuation in price – The process of globalization have helped in getting touch with most
of the workers and people around the world. However, it have also created a huge issue for
having an exponential gap in the rage of price which is on the loss of growth. The increase in
the competition have led to the rise of purchasing in a more severe way where the
organization faces huge fluctuation in price range of manpower as well as raw materials.
Therefore, this have been a huge issue for organization (Hirst, Thompson & Bromley, 2015).
The movie and TV series have inevitably helped me in understanding the concept of
globalization and how it have affected the global network of business in both good and bad
way. In the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, it have significantly being shown how global
communication have helped in selling more and more stocks to the people. However, the
fluctuation in the price have been a loss for the marketers and the brokers as some of the
stocks ranging high would turn out to be low in their aspects.
In the movie Up in the Air, the organization outsourced man power for doing their
work. Although, the organization had to face a job security scope where the organization had
no use of their superiors for doing that work.
Theme 2 – Triple Bottom Line

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The triple bottom line is consider to be the ultimatum business accounting framework
which helps the organization in three aspects namely environmental, social and financial.
There are some organizations which have adopted the triple border line framework for
evaluating the performance of the organization in a more broader aspect, increasing the value
of the business as well. The aspect have been used making assumption of how people, the
social and equity bottom line could be used in proper aspect.
The movies and the TV series have helped me in understanding the concept of triple
bottom line where, people along with social and environmental aspects have been making
significant and contradictory alignments. The financial aspect of the framework have been
used in understanding the social propaganda, where the script of the movies are seen for
making the maximum amount of profit.
Theme 3 – Sustainable Consumption
The concept of sustainable consumption is described thoroughly in the TV series
House of Cards. In the series it is shown how the people in the congress of the United States
of America are eagerly wanting for getting more and more power in aspect of ruling over the
people. Therefore, the more power they consume, the more would be the consequences
(Tukker et al., 2017).
Theme 4 – Corporate Social Responsibility
This theme is also well rehearsed and portrait in the series House of Cards. As being
one of the members of the congressmen, there have been many responsibilities of the Frank,
which he is obliged to complete. Therefore, I personally this, working for any corporation
would need to deliver some responsibility to the society as well (Unit, 2015).
Theme 5 – Citizenship, consumers, civil society and activism

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Activism and civil society is well documented and explained in the movie Up in the
Air, where Ryan had to do the job for other organizations which they failed for doing.
Theme 6 – Employees and Business Ethics
This theme is mostly explained in the movies The Wolf of Wall Street and Up in the
Air. In these movies, it is clearly being shown how corporate people have mistreated the
concept of business ethics. Both the character, Jordan and Ryan have twisted the very concept
of business ethics as they have been using the morals and ethics for their own good. After
reading the Crane and Matten business ethics chapter, it was clear to be me how they both
have manipulated and misused business ethics (Hussain, Rigoni & Orij, 2018). Employees
are also important part of the organization which was shown in these movies, how employees
could help you in achieving success and also it could be deceptive.

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