LEADER 00000nam  2200289 i 4500 
005    20170901113550.0 
008    170512s2017    maua     b    001 0 eng d 
010    bl2017020180 
020    9780544911130 
040    NjBwBT|beng|erda|cNjBwBT|dUtOrBLW 
082 04 332|223 
092    174.4|bDES 
100 1  Desai, Mihir A.|q(Mihir Arvind),|d1968-|eauthor. 
245 14 The wisdom of finance :|bdiscovering humanity in the world
       of risk and return /|cMihir A. Desai. 
264  1 Boston :|bHoughton Mifflin Harcourt,|c2017. 
300    xiii, 223 pages :|billustrations ;|c22 cm 
336    text|2rdacontent 
337    unmediated|2rdamedia 
338    volume|2rdacarrier 
504    Includes bibliographical references (pages 182-214) and 
       index. 
520    In 1688, essayist Josef de la Vega described finance as 
       both “the fairest and most deceitful business . . . the 
       noblest and the most infamous in the world, the finest and
       most vulgar on earth.”  The characterization of finance as
       deceitful, infamous, and vulgar still rings true today – 
       particularly in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. But,
       what happened to the fairest, noblest, and finest 
       profession that de la Vega saw?    De la Vega hit on an 
       essential truth that has been forgotten: finance can be 
       just as principled, life-affirming, and worthy as it can 
       be fraught with questionable practices.  Today, finance is
       shrouded in mystery for outsiders, while many insiders are
       uneasy with the disrepute of their profession.  How can 
       finance become more accessible and also recover its 
       nobility?   Harvard Business School professor Mihir Desai,
       in his “last lecture” to the graduating Harvard MBA class
       of 2015, took up the cause of restoring humanity to 
       finance. With incisive wit and irony, his lecture drew 
       upon a rich knowledge of literature, film, history, and 
       philosophy to explain the inner workings of finance in a 
       manner that has never been seen before.   This book 
       captures Desai’s lucid exploration of the ideas of finance
       as seen through the unusual prism of the humanities. 
       Through this novel, creative approach, Desai shows that 
       outsiders can access the underlying ideas easily and 
       insiders can reacquaint themselves with the core humanity 
       of their profession.   The mix of finance and the 
       humanities creates unusual pairings: Jane Austen and 
       Anthony Trollope are guides to risk management; Jeff Koons
       becomes an advocate of leverage; and Mel Brooks’s The 
       Producers teaches us about fiduciary responsibility. In 
       Desai’s vision, the principles of finance also provide 
       answers to critical questions in our lives. Among many 
       surprising parallels, bankruptcy teaches us how to react 
       to failure, the lessons of mergers apply to marriages, and
       the Capital Asset Pricing Model demonstrates the true 
       value of relationships.   THE WISDOM OF FINANCE is a 
       wholly unique book, offering a refreshing new perspective 
       on one of the world’s most complex and misunderstood 
       professions.  
650  0 Finance|xSocial aspects. 
650  0 Financial services industry|xSocial aspects. 
650  0 Financial institutions|xSocial aspects. 
650  0 Social responsibility of business.