Ethical Investing Linked to Lifestyle and Image

1. Read the text.
An ethical investment is one that avoids investments in sectors such as tobacco and military arms considered by some to be ethically unsound. There are 30 ethical unit trusts in the UK, worth about 750 million pounds. Some investors also manage their own ethical portfolios. In a study of more than 1,100 ethical investors, economists at the Centre for Economic Psychology at the University of Bath have found that ethical investing correlates with other lifestyle choices.
Speaking at the British Association meeting yesterday, Alan Lewis, who led the research, said: “Most ethical investors are healthy, educated and caring professional people, middle-aged or older. Hardly any vote for the Conservative Party. The paper they read most is the Guardian.”
In addition, 16 per cent of those surveyed said they were members of charitable organizations such as Amnesty International and Oxfam, a third world aid charity. There is no obvious gender bias. “It appears that this is part of a lifestyle package,” said Dr. Lewis.
As ethical investments frequently underperform other portfolios, most ethical investors seem to be prepared to take a loss to support their moral beliefs. Some 80 per cent would be prepared to take a 2 per cent loss in income per year compared with an ordinary portfolio if their overall return was 8 per cent.
Everything though has its price. Some 40 per cent of those surveyed said they would reduce their ethical investments if they were underperforming ordinary investments by 5 per cent. The size of an investor’s portfolio seems to have no influence on this decision.

From the Financial Times

2. Answer the questions based on the text:
1. What is “ethical portfolio”? What is it made for?
2. What does the Centre for Economic Psychology do?
3. Who is Alan Lewis?
4. How can you characterize a typical ethical investor?
5. What’s the difference between ethical and ordinary portfolio?
6. Do you think ethical investment will become more popular over the years to come?

3. What do these numbers in the text refer to?
1. 40
2. 1,100
3. 30
4. 750
5. 5
6. 80
7. 2
8. 16
9. 8

4. Find synonyms to the following words in the text:
1. research, questionnaire
2. escape, keep away from
3. skilled, experienced, well-qualified
4. knowledgeable, learned, intellectual, well-read
5. contribution, stake, speculation, venture, asset
6. help, encourage, back, defend
7. option, alternative, selection, preference
8. think, suppose
9. kind, generous, understanding, humane
10. gathering, conference, assembly

5. Explain in English what is meant by:
1. investment – _______
2. arms – _______
3. amnesty – _______
4. charity – _______
5. benefit – _______

6. Find all the irregular verbs in the text and compose sentences of your own using them.

7. Read the anecdotes and express your viewpoint:
• are they funny or not?
• is it ethical to make fun of such cases?
A.
A carpet layer had just finished installing carpet for a lady. He stepped out for a smoke, only to realize he’d lost his cigarettes. In the middle of the room, under the carpet, was a bump. “No sense pulling up the entire floor for one pack of smokes,” he said to himself. He proceeded to get out his hammer and flattened the hump. As he was cleaning up, the lady came in. “Here,” she said, handing him his pack of cigarettes. “I found them in the hallway. Now if only I could find my parakeet…”

to install	укладывать
to step out	выйти
to flatten	разровнять
hump	бугорок
hallway	коридор
parakeet	попугай

B.
An usher at a movie theatre notices a customer lying across three seats near the back of the theatre. He tells the customer that he can only take one seat.
The customer just moans and rolls his eyes.
The usher goes to get his supervisor who also tells the customer that he can only take one seat or he will call the police.
Once again, the customer just moans and rolls his eyes.
The supervisor calls the police who come and tell the customer that he has been told by the usher and the manager to sit up and that he can only take up one seat. “What’s wrong with you?” they ask.
The customer just moans and rolls his eyes.
Then the police officer asks the man: “Probably you do not speak English. Where do you come from?”
The man lifts his hand in the air and says: “The balcony!…”

usher	швейцар, консьерж
to moan	стонать
to roll	закатывать

8. Write an acrostic on the word ETHICS.
Every line of acrostic should contain one word, that is directly associated with ethics and it should start with the letter of the given word: E, then T, then H… etc)

9. Imagine that you work in a state organization that cares about moral and ethical issues of the advertisement.
Write a letter to a company that advertises alcohol or cigarettes trying to convince them not to do it at all or make certain changes not to provoke people to do this.
Give good, clear and persuasive argumentation.

10. Debates!
TOPIC:
There are certain business sectors that are “ethically unsound”.

RULES:
1. To start debates you need to be divided into 2 groups. Choose the jury/judge.
2. Each group should defend one viewpoint: either you state that there are certain business sectors that are “ethically unsound” or you state the opposite.
3. People in the group may personally be of different opinions, but as a group they have to defend one point for all.
4. Spend some 15 minutes to find arguments to support your statement.
5. Choose 3 speakers in each group who will present the group opinion.
6. Each speaker should talk for 2 minutes.
7. After every speaker the opposite team has the right to ask one question.
8. After all speakers have expressed their points the two groups can exchange questions.
9. Finally the judge announces the winner, basing his decision on:
– how convincing the speakers were;
– whether the questions were smart;
– whether they fit in time limits (not more or less);
– whether they respected the opposite team.

KEY: 4. 1. study; 2. avoid; 3. professional; 4. educated; 5. investment; 6. support; 7. choice; 8. consider; 9. charitable; 10. meeting