The term “too big to fail” refers to companies that will be bailed out by the federal government if they are in danger of going bankrupt. These companies are too large and too interconnected with the global economy that, in the event of bankruptcy, their collapse would cause widespread economic and societal unrest. Although many agree that these companies are important to ensuring economic stability, some argue that if a company is "too big to fail" it should not exist at all. Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, was quoted as saying, “If they’re too big to fail, they’re too big.” Systemic risk refers to the problem that companies are “too big to fail.” Systemic risk is the risk of collapse of an entire financial system (or an entire market), as opposed to a single segment (or entity) of the market. Companies within a market are so connected that if one company were to fail, the entire market could deteriorate. Like Alan Greenspan, I believe that businesses should never get so big that the federal government has to bail them out. I believe that businesses, whether financial or non-financial, should be held accountable for their actions. If their actions lead them to bankruptcy, these companies would face the consequences of either liquidating their assets or reorganizing their businesses under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. Furthermore, I understand that it is difficult for the federal government to sit idly by while a company goes bankrupt when we know that the entire economic system will suffer. Knowing this, I remain convinced that the economy is built to repair itself and that, overall, it would be healthier without the threat created by these companies. In an interview with CNN, Willia...... middle of article ......01/gIQA4OhmcM_blog.html >.Zana, Tom. “The new era of corporate citizenship: doing good strategically by creating brand value.” Interbrand (2009): 1. Print. Zana, Tom. “The new era of corporate citizenship: doing good strategically by creating brand value.” Interbrand (2009): 4. Print.ESPN. "Wisconsin Badgers cut ties with Nike over workers, factories in Honduras - ESPN." ESPN: the world leader in sports. April 9, 2010. The web. November 17, 2011. "NKE Key Statistics | Nike, Inc. Common Stock - Yahoo! Finance." Yahoo! Finance - Corporate finance, Stock market, Quotes, News. Internet. November 17, 2011. "NIKE, Inc. - Locations." NIKE, Inc. - The official website for Nike and its affiliated brands. Internet. November 19. 2011. .