...Business Research Paper RES/351 02/13/2013 Business Research Paper In this paper I will be going over the business ethics of a company that is known for one of the biggest frauds in corporate America. The company is Enron and I found an article that is titled " The Case Analysis of the Scandal of Enron" and in this article the author talks about the business practices on Enron and the unethical research they used to grow their business and in the end they ruined a lot of good people's lives, and damaged their futures. According to "Dictionary.com" (2013) ethics are the values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions. Every person has ethics and a code that they live by, but the difference is that not everyone has that same code and especially in the business world that word can be tricky for people and standing up for the code they believe in is hard for some. Unethical business practices is not a new thing, and as the economy has grown these practices have been more common. One unethical practice would be skewing the research results, or the skewing the research from your company. That is one thing that Enron did do, and they even took a step further and did certain practices that no one had ever thought of before. Enron was a natural gas company, and what they did is that they built power plants in a few different places and they took their future...
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...Business Research Ethics Felipe Perez RES/351 December 16, 2013 Dr. Sean Kenney Business Research Ethics Enron named Most Innovated in America and listed on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies fell from grace. Its success led it to shift its “vision form being the World’s Leading Energy Company to becoming the World’s Leading Company” (Verschoor). Businesses have a social responsibility both legally and ethically. There is nothing illegal about making money, but the manner in which you do so is. Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guide moral choices about our behavior and our relationships with others. The goal of ethics in research is to ensure that no one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences from research activities (Cooper, Schindler). Enron’s ethical behavior started with its accounting department and the desire for greed. Without a governing body to ensure ethical responsibilities Enron continued to borrow money from itself eventually went bankrupt. In the wake of its missteps were retirements, stock, and countless employees. Enron’s lack of social responsibility, ethical failures, and poor management environment continued a cycle of irresponsibility. The ethical guidelines established by Enron were window dressing, to say the least. The mentality was utilitarian and the unethical cultural dominated poor decisions. “On the surface Enron kept projecting its image of being stalwart and responsible corporate citizen” (Verschoor). Enron’s management decided...
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...Research Proposal The Quality of financial Reporting after the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley Act Dr. Hassan Ahmed Assistant Professor at Cameron University Abstract The complexity of business environment necessitates a set of required disclosures in a timely fashion. The full disclosure principle under U.S. GAAP is based on a vague definition that cannot be clearly implemented. The cost of disclosures can be significantly large and can have a negative impact on companies’ future earnings (small businesses). The purpose of this article is to examine the disclosure establishment of pre and post Enron, the effect of those disclosures on both corporations and on potential investors and to examine whether financial reporting quality improved with the passage of SOX. A total of 360 audited annual financial statements of the 500 fortune companies were selected. The paper will specifically concentrate disclosures on financial statements, Notes, supplementary (required or voluntary), and other expanded disclosures required by the SEC. The findings will shed light on our understanding about the intended and unintended consequence of SOX. 1.0 Introduction/Literature Review The purpose of SOX Act is to increase corporate transparency and accountability (Friedman, The Business Forum). Though SOX did not address the full disclosure required by the FASB, it simply expanded disclosures by establishing responsibilities. The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial...
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...Ethics in Accounting By Pace University – New York Accounting for Decision Making, MBA 640 Fall 2011 Required Research Paper Page 1 of 11 Table of Contents Number Content Page Number 1 Introduction 3 2 Ethics in Accounting 4 3 Enron Scandal 6 4 Satyam Scandal 8 5 Conclusion 10 6 References 11 Page 2 of 11 Introduction • What is “Ethics”? Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics • What is “Accounting”? Accounting is basically maintaining and providing records of transfer of funds for an individual or business. All the data collected from these records are then summarized in form of reports and statements, which are used by outside parties and the company itself for various uses and analysis. Source: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/accounting.asp#axzz1fbCBL2q0 Page 3 of 11 Ethics in Accounting With many scandals and scams coming out regarding the unethical behavior of firms in terms of Business and accounting, higher authorities in governments across the globe are worried. These scams are disturbing and damaging the economy at large. When the economy is already sliding down, governments have started taking extra care and strict rules are being applied to control the damage...
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...STUDY:- Once the seventh largest company in America, Enron was formed in 1985 when InterNorth acquired Houston Natural Gas. The company branched into many non-energy-related fields over the next several years, including such areas as Internet bandwidth, risk management, and weather derivatives (a type of weather insurance for seasonal businesses). Although their core business remained in the transmission and distribution of power their phenomenal growth was occurring through their other interests. Fortune Magazine selected Enron as "America's most innovative company" for six straight years from 1996 to 2001. Then came the investigations into their complex network of off-shore partnerships and accounting practices The saga of the ENRON Corporation has been unfolding in the media for well over a year. In the span of only three years, ENRON has gone from public and professional acclaim of the company and its senior executives to scorn, infamy and bankruptcy. Its public auditing firm, Arthur Andersen, has basically been destroyed, as well as publicly disgraced. Tens of thousands of employees and investors have been emotionally and financially affected. Major financial services firms in banking, securities brokerage and insurance have been, and may yet be, drawn into the legal battles regarding who is to blame for the ENRON failure. Enron grew wealthy due largely to marketing, promoting power, and its high stock price. Enron was named "America's Most Innovative Company" by Fortune...
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...Research Enron Scandal the rise and fall Enron Formed after Merger Enron was formed in 1985 following a erger m between Houston Natural Gas and Omahabased InterNorth. Kenneth Lay, who had been the chief executive officer (CEO) of Houston Natural Gas, became Enron's CEO and chairman, and quickly rebranded Enron into an energy trader and supplier. Deregulation of the energy markets allowed companies to place bets on future prices, and Enron was poised to take advantage. Enron Named America's Most Innovative Company By 1993, Enron had set up a number of limited liability special purpose entities that allowed Enron to hide its liabilities while growing its stock price. Analysts were already criticizing Enron for "swimming in debt," but the company continued to grow developing a large network of natural gas pipelines, and eventually moving into the pulp and paper and water sectors. Enron was named "America's Most Innovative Company" by Fortune for six consecutive years between 1996 and 2001. Misleading Financial Accounts Creative accounting allowed Enron to appear more powerful on paper than it really was. Special purpose entities subsidiaries that have a single purpose and that did not need – to be included in Enron's balance sheet were used to hide risky investment activities – and financial losses. Forensic accounting later determined that many of Enron's recorded assets and profitsere inflated...
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...Enron Research Paper In 2001, the world was shocked by the demise of Enron, a multibillion dollar corporation that had thousands of employees and people that had affiliations with the company including The White House itself. Because of the financial chaos and destroyed lives and reputations this catastrophe left in its path, questions arose concerning how exactly it happened, why it occurred, and who was behind it. It is essential to understand how this multibillion dollar corporation rose to power and later imploded. Enron itself was born as the result of Houston’s Natural Gas and InterNorth, a gas based pipeline company from Nebraska in 1985. In the final analysis, the conspiracy of Kenneth Lay, Jeffery Skilling, and others, including the accounting firm of Authur Anderson, led to the collapse of Enron due to fraud, shady accounting practices, false reporting revenue, and general disregard of virtually every principle of business ethics. Kenneth Lay, Jeffrey Skilling and Richard Causey went on trial for their part in the Enron scandal in January 2006. The 53-count, 65-page indictment covers a wide range of financial crimes, including insider trading, making false statements to banks and auditor’s bank, fraud, securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. Another huge player in the Enron scandal was Arthur Anderson, who was charged with obstruction of justice for destroying thousands of documents, e-mails, and company files that connected the firm to its...
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...Business Research Ethics RES/351 Business Research Business Research Ethics The trust instilled in a company that is being considered to provide support is immense. There are key factors that a company looks for when choosing. These factors could include integrity, reliability, honesty, responsibility, and prestige just to name a few. Enron and Arthur Andersen auditors had such a partnership where Arthur Andersen auditors provided accounting support. There were unethical practices that lead to the collapse of both companies. Arthur Andersen Auditors Arthur Andersen the founder of the company began his career at a young age. Mr. Andersen first partnered with another accountant to build an accounting firm. This partnership only lasted a few years. After the slip Mr. Andersen made it his mission to have his company do extremely well while having integrity in the accounting field. The company was taken internationally around the 1950’s. These years were very profitable for the company. There were known internationally and became very credible. In 1986 Arthur Andersen auditors began business with Enron. Enron Arthur Andersen auditors provided Enron with internal and external auditing for the business. Enron had a sizeable debt when it opens for business. The plans for the company was to purchase gas put it in a bank and then sell it to consumers. This was working well, however the debt was still noticeable. The problems arose when Enron began to lie on transactions...
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...world closer together and almost made it a requirement for businesses to develop plans and strategies to deal with different cultures. Businesses and managers must think on a more global scale and develop a global perspective to expand their businesses. In pursuing opportunities in the global marketplace, managers increasingly engage themselves in international business negotiations (Reynolds, Simintiras, & Vlachou, 2003). In this paper, I have decided to use an article that is an example of how a business failed in their negotiations overseas. I will also analyze the implications of globalization and technology on negotiation. International Negotiation Situation Article The article chosen for this paper involves Enron and their negotiations with the government of India and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board. The project proposal was for the construction of a US$3 billion power-plant in the town of Dabhol, situated on the Indian Ocean. There were many problems with the proposed project and the negotiations process that was undertaken by Enron. World Bank, acting as a consultant to the Indian government said that the project would produce an excess capacity of electricity for years and would be too costly in comparison to the more traditional sources of fuel, such as coal, already in use ("Enron’s Indian Negotiation Debacle " 1996-2012). The project was also too costly for the people and businesses who would be consuming the energy. A tariff was proposed to cover the cost...
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...Ethics Case: Arthur Andersen’s Troubles Once the largest professional services firm in the world, and arguably the most respected, Arthur Andersen LLP (AA) has disappeared. The Big 5 accounting firms are now the Big 4. Why did this happen? How did it happen? What are the lessons to be learned? Arthur Andersen, a twenty-eight-year-old Northwestern University accounting professor, co-founded the firm in 1913. Tales of his integrity are legendary, and the culture of the firm was very much in his image. For example, “Just months after [Andersen] set up shop in Chicago, the president of a local railroad insisted that he approve a transaction that would have inflated earnings. Andersen told the executive there was “not enough money in the City of Chicago” to make him do it.”1 In 1954, consulting services began with the installation of the first mainframe computer at General Electric to automate its payroll systems. By 1978, AA became the largest professional services firm in the world with revenues of $546 million, and by 1984 consulting brought in more profit than auditing. In 1989, the consulting operation, wanting more control and a larger share of profit, became a separate part of a Swiss partnership from the audit operation. In 2000, following an arbitrator’s ruling that a break fee of $1 billion be paid, Andersen Consulting split completely and changed its name to Accenture. AA, the audit practice, continued to offer a limited set of related services, such as tax advice.2 Changing...
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...Enron Ponzi Scheme Enron Ponzi Scheme The Enron scandal was a corporate scandal that involved the American energy giant Enron Company based in Houston, Texas and the auditing and accountancy-consulting firm Arthur Andersen. The scandal was uncovered in October 2001. Enron Corporation was undoubtedly a giant corporation and in fact, some individuals suggest that it was one of the largest energy companies’ world over. It comprised of a multibillion corporation that employed several individuals and had various affiliations right to the White House. Enron majorly depended on external sources of credit to finance its operations (Loren, 2003). In 2001, the corporation collapsed leaving in its wake financial chaos and financially ruined lives and families. It emerged that the Enron Corporation’s remarkable financial condition thrived on institutionalized, systemic and intricately planned accounting fraud that was later to be referred to as the “Enron scandal”. From that instance, Enron has continued to become a very popular symbol and example of willfully orchestrated corruption. The collapse of Enron Corporation destroyed lives and shattered reputations, questions have been raised on how the fraudulent transactions occurred and who was involved. In this paper, all these questions will be investigated explicitly. The paper will also focus on the various ways in which the Enron debacle created an awareness of corporate ethics within the United States (Peter & Ross, 2002). Enron...
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...2nd Writing Assignment- Enron Case 1.1 Due 10/27/14 by 7:00 PM in week 9 folder on BB * Read the Enron Case #1.1 of the Knapp Contemporary Auditing book. Make sure that you have a complete understanding of the details of the case as the assignment will require you to have such an understanding to enable you to answer the questions. * Answer questions 1,2,3,4, and 7. Length of each answer will vary from 1-3 paragraphs depending on the question and the paper should be no more than 3-4 pages. Do not retype the question as part of the paper. Each response should be numbered, have an introductory sentence and a concluding sentence. * As noted in the course syllabus the paper should be double spaced, using proper margins (1 inch at top, bottom and sides) and a 12 point font. Pages should be numbered. * Ensure your responses to the questions are clear and concise. Review Chapters 4/5 of the May and May Effective Writing book. * To assist you with answering the questions you should research the topic. Some of the information needed to assist you with answering the questions can be found in your Arens Auditing Textbook. As you research and gather information please ensure that you do not plagiarize the work of someone else. This is grounds for failing the course. * DO NOT use slang terms and avoid the use of “like”. Informal writing is not acceptable. For example, DO NOT write the paper as if you are talking to me. You will receive a grade for the...
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...Journal of Economic Perspectives—Volume 17, Number 2—Spring 2003—Pages 3–26 The Fall of Enron Paul M. Healy and Krishna G. Palepu F rom the start of the 1990s until year-end 1998, Enron’s stock rose by 311 percent, only modestly higher than the rate of growth in the Standard & Poor’s 500. But then the stock soared. It increased by 56 percent in 1999 and a further 87 percent in 2000, compared to a 20 percent increase and a 10 percent decline for the index during the same years. By December 31, 2000, Enron’s stock was priced at $83.13, and its market capitalization exceeded $60 billion, 70 times earnings and six times book value, an indication of the stock market’s high expectations about its future prospects. Enron was rated the most innovative large company in America in Fortune magazine’s survey of Most Admired Companies. Yet within a year, Enron’s image was in tatters and its stock price had plummeted nearly to zero. Exhibit 1 lists some of the critical events for Enron between August and December 2001—a saga of document shredding, restatements of earnings, regulatory investigations, a failed merger and the company filing for bankruptcy. We will assess how governance and incentive problems contributed to Enron’s rise and fall. A well-functioning capital market creates appropriate linkages of information, incentives and governance between managers and investors. This process is supposed to be carried out through a network of intermediaries that include professional...
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...Journal of Economic Perspectives—Volume 17, Number 2—Spring 2003—Pages 3–26 The Fall of Enron Paul M. Healy and Krishna G. Palepu F rom the start of the 1990s until year-end 1998, Enron’s stock rose by 311 percent, only modestly higher than the rate of growth in the Standard & Poor’s 500. But then the stock soared. It increased by 56 percent in 1999 and a further 87 percent in 2000, compared to a 20 percent increase and a 10 percent decline for the index during the same years. By December 31, 2000, Enron’s stock was priced at $83.13, and its market capitalization exceeded $60 billion, 70 times earnings and six times book value, an indication of the stock market’s high expectations about its future prospects. Enron was rated the most innovative large company in America in Fortune magazine’s survey of Most Admired Companies. Yet within a year, Enron’s image was in tatters and its stock price had plummeted nearly to zero. Exhibit 1 lists some of the critical events for Enron between August and December 2001—a saga of document shredding, restatements of earnings, regulatory investigations, a failed merger and the company ling for bankruptcy. We will assess how governance and incentive problems contributed to Enron’s rise and fall. A well-functioning capital market creates appropriate linkages of information, incentives and governance between managers and investors. This process is supposed to be carried out through a network of intermediaries that include professional...
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...The Enron Collapse Enron, a high profile organization which ranked as the seventh largest company in the United States during the 1990’s consisted of approximately 25,000 employees worldwide and held revenues in the tune of over 100 billion dollars in 2000. Enron controlled about one quarter of the gas companies in the United States and also expanded into Myriad energy products during its years of operation. The company traded hundreds of products throughout the wider Continentals including South America, Asia, Europe, Australia and also the United States, and was considered to be very successful with their trading strategies. An excerpt from an article in the CRS Report for Congress entitled The Enron Collapse: An Overview of Financial Issues, Mark Jickling, (February 4, 2002), states that “the firm was widely regarded as one of the most innovative, fast growing, and best managed businesses in the United States.” However, despite all of Enron’s fame and glory, the company crumbled as a result of bad management and unethical practices. According to Donaldson & Werhane (2008), “The controls as designed were not rigorous enough and their implication and oversight was inadequate at both Management and Board levels,” (p. 313). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Enron Collapse and explain how the virtuous manager would have responded to working for Enron. Also being discussed is what the virtuous manager is expected to do if confronted with these decisions. Unfolding...
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