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Tyco International

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Theresa Gaglia

Tyco International

Tyco is a multi-national corporation which grew rapidly under the

leadership of CEO Dennis Kowalski. For awhile, this emerging corporate

giant’s leader was admired for his management abilities of business takeovers and

growth strategies which benefited many of the company’s stakeholders, as well as,

himself. He was heavily compensated as one of the leading CEO’s of his time.

According to Kaplan, “Along the way he amassed nearly a half-billion dollars and

reveled in the toys that came with it: a $31 million Fifth Avenue apartment, a vintage

yacht, a Renoir, and a Monet.” Kaplan, D. A. (2009), p.14-16.

Under his guidance, this public manufacturing company’s total market share

would soar from a $1.5 billion cap to more than $100 billion. So, of course, many

top business publications recognized him as an emerging leader with multi-talented

business management skills. Some well regarded publications, such as Business

Week and Fortune Magazine, even referred to him as a genius and one of the most

remarkable CEO ‘s of his time. Kaplan, D. A. (2009), p.14.

Kowalski’s general message to his employees was to be very frugal and keep

corporate expenses low. He cut many jobs and encouraged consolidation as much

as possible to lower overall operating expenses. His top executive management

team, which included the CFO Swartz and the General Counsel Belkin, worked

collaboratively to convince employees to manipulate the accounting procedures and

find cost savings through the practice of “financial engineering” for the overall good

of the company in misleading investors. Barlas, S., et al (2003),

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