...Case: The Fall of Enron 1. Why was Enron such an admired company prior to 2000? What innovation do they bring to the table? Be specific and support your statement with concrete information. Enron was an admired company prior to 2000 because at that time it surfaced as a frontrunner in the deregulated energy market, making it possible to sell energy at higher prices, thus significantly increasing its revenue. The company, through efficient management team, has built leading businesses in energy trading and international energy asset construction. The company has managed to maintain high return from its investments through ideal placement of resources by creating long term and fixed price contracts with clients that guaranteed stable gas prices for the duration of the contract, and managing the risk to commitment ratio. The company has further encouraged employees to move around the organization freely to positions where they feel they can add value and generate additional revenue. The company sought to rapidly obtain physical capacity in order to guarantee delivery to customers. This approach enabled Enron to provide customers with contracts that would allow for them to manage their business risks. Enron successfully used the energy-trading model to develop electric power. It acquired electric power generation, transmission, and distribution, and distribution expertise by buying Portland General Electric. In an attempt to achieve further growth, Enron pursued a diversification...
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...The Fall of Enron 1. Why was Enron such an admired company prior to 2000? What innovation do they bring to the table? Be specific and support your statement with concrete information. Prior to the year 2000, Enron Company, established in the mid-80s, caused the admiration worldwide because of its fast rise of revenue both in the local and international stock market in a short period of time. Enron’s operating income in the year 2000 was stated in $100.7 billion and its after-tax net income was reported in $979 million (Palepu & Healy, 2013). The enterprise’s business model was based on energy-trading, centered in the deregulated energy marketplace, and in its significant investments in several large-scale commodities and other broad different services. Enron promoted natural gas and electrical energy. It also provided energy and other merchandises and it supported with risk management and financial services to consumers on a global level. Considered for six consecutive years, since mid-90s, America’s most innovative business (Ellison, 2013), Enron bring to the table a transformational initiative in the course of a period of fast business model changes in the western hemisphere. In any different market it admitted, the company provided not just a new creation and service concepts, but also a fresh business model pathways. In reference to managerial quality and talent Enron was constantly classified close the best of everybody’s line up, employee capacity, and excellence of services...
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...ENRON AND UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR By SHERNITA JONES INSTRUCTOR ALFRED GREENFIELD ACC 557 FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING 10/27/2013 This paper will describe the following: 1) Corporate ethical breaches in recent times, assess whether or not one believe that current business and regulatory environment is more conducive to ethical behavior. 2) Describe the organization, the accounting ethical breach and the impact to the organization related to ethical breach. 3) Determine how the organization ethical issue was detected and how management failed to an ethical environment. 4) Analyze the accounts impacted and / or accounting guidelines violated and the resulting impact to the business operation. 5) As CFO, recommend which measures could have been taken to prevent this ethical breach and how each measure should be implemented in the future. Establishing principles for ethical behavior frequently starts with a policy on ethics. Businesses acquire a policy on ethics to guide their measures and to set up a general meaning of correct versus incorrect. According to the American Library Association, code of ethics is a handbook for suitable behavior (2012). Given the corporate ethical breaches in recent times, existing businesses and regulatory environment is more conductive behavior because some companies and managers feel as though they can get away with it. The unpredictable increase and collapse of the Enron Company set off a...
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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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...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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...Report on Corporate Frauds & the Role of the auditors: Bangladesh Perspective Faculty of Business Studies University of Dhaka SUBMITTED TO Tahmina Ahmed Lecturer Accounting & Information Systems University of Dhaka SUBMITTED BY Group 18 Date of submission:10.11.14 Group members Name | ID | 1.Sajjad Hossain Sohan | 18022 | 2.Rubina Akther | 18048 | 3.Mohammad Saadman | 18052 | 4.Rumi Akther | 18066 | 5.Hilary Talukder | 18099 | November 5, 2014 Tahmina Ahmed Lecturer Dept. of Accounting & Information Systems University of Dhaka Subject: Submission of report on “Corporate fraud & the role of the auditor: Bangladesh Perspective” Dear Sir, We are honored and pleased to inform you that as per the requirements, we worked on the issue of the preparation of a report based on the corporate frauds & the role of the auditor in Bangladesh perspective. To fulfill the report objective, we analyzed & reviewed some of the secondary information available on the internet related to the topic.. Based on our classroom knowledge on the related issues, we tried to make the report as specific and unique as possible. We humbly submit this report for your review and feedback. Preparation of this report demanded a minimum level of working knowledge of the process of audit & assurance . We also tried to follow your instructions properly now and when necessary. We would like to request you to allow us to submit...
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...strategic management. The study of organizational behavior within any organization is intriguing. Success relies on many factors that involve leadership, strategic vision and a motivated team poised for the challenges of the day to day operations of the organization. Blockbuster Video skyrocketed to the top of the movie entertainment empire. A Leader in the entertainment industry, Blockbuster Video was plagued by challenges and failures that eventually led to their ultimate demise after a short lived 25 years. This research paper will attempt to answer how the King of the video entertainment empire withered away, even after years of company acquisitions and finally merging with Dish Network. Blockbuster Video faced fierce competition in the latter part of its lifetime, namely, Netflix and Redbox, although some would say that Blockbuster was its own competition with a poorly executed strategic plan. The organization was plagued with customer dissatisfaction, a poorly directed leadership, and a lack of innovation. Towards the end of the era, desperation led Blockbuster to join forces with Enron; which eventually withered...
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...Global Perspectives on Investment Management LEARNING FROM THE LEADERS Conversation with a Money Master BILL MILLER, CFA with FRED H. SPEECE, JR., CFA Bill Miller, CFA, is chairman and chief investment officer at Legg Mason Capital Management, Inc., and was named ‘‘The Greatest Money Manager of the 1990s’’ by Money magazine. In this question and answer session, Fred H. Speece, Jr., CFA, interviews Bill Miller about his insights into portfolio management in general and value investing in particular. Continuing a tradition of lifelong learning a cfa institute publication Conversation with a Money Master BILL MILLER, CFA Bill Miller, CFA, is chairman and chief investment officer at Legg Mason Capital Management, Inc., and was named ‘‘The Greatest Money Manager of the 1990s’’ by Money magazine. In this question and answer session, Fred H. Speece, Jr., CFA, interviews Bill Miller about his insights into portfolio management in general and value investing in particular. Speece: You have an impressive long-term track record as a portfolio manager. Given today’s very efficient and sophisticated market, do we still have room for stock picking? Miller: When we discuss market efficiency, we run into a semantic issue about what exactly is meant by the term ‘‘market efficiency.’’ At Legg Mason, we believe that the markets are pragmatically efficient, which means that they are extremely competitive and usually beat most active managers. For example, fewer than 35 percent of...
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...Virginia Pathways to Success in M&A Mahmoud Mamdani and David Noah, Morgan Stanley In Defense of Incentive Compensation: Its Effect on Corporate Acquisition Policy Sudip Datta and Mai Iskandar-Datta, Wayne State Reappearing Dividends Brandon Julio and David Ikenberry, University of Illinois Making Capitalism Work for Everyone Raghuram Rajan and Luigi Zingales, University of Chicago University, and Kartik Raman, Bentley College Reappearing Dividends by Brandon Julio and David L. Ikenberry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign * I n his 1976 classic called “The Dividend Puzzle,” Fischer Black wrote that there was no convincing explanation for public corporations’ centuriesold practice of paying cash dividends to their shareholders. His argument rested on two main premises. The first was Modigliani and Miller’s demonstration that,...
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...relationship between ethics and the law and appreciate why it is important to behave ethically. 2. Differentiate between the claims of the different stakeholder groups affected by a company’s actions. 3. Identify the four main sources of business ethics, and describe four rules that can be used to help companies and their employees behave ethically. 4. Describe some methods companies can use to strengthen their ethical rules and positions. 5. Appreciate the important ways in which a nation’s business laws and regulations affect business commerce, occupations, and organizations. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT ? A friend who is an A-student has offered to write your paper, which is worth 25% of your grade, for $50. You need the course to graduate because you only have a low C average. You hate writing, do it very poorly, and know others have had good results submitting this student’s papers as their own. Will you pay the money and submit the paper or submit your own paper and pray for a good result? This chapter will help you learn how to act ethically when facing dilemmas in your business and personal life. This is important because the decisions you make will affect your own future and those of stakeholders of the organizations that employ you. jon24565_ch05.qxd 11/2/05 1:22 PM Page 139 A Question of Business How Different Ethical Stances Can Help or Harm a Company How can companies ensure their managers and employees follow their ethical...
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...relationship between ethics and the law and appreciate why it is important to behave ethically. 2. Differentiate between the claims of the different stakeholder groups affected by a company’s actions. 3. Identify the four main sources of business ethics, and describe four rules that can be used to help companies and their employees behave ethically. 4. Describe some methods companies can use to strengthen their ethical rules and positions. 5. Appreciate the important ways in which a nation’s business laws and regulations affect business commerce, occupations, and organizations. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT ? A friend who is an A-student has offered to write your paper, which is worth 25% of your grade, for $50. You need the course to graduate because you only have a low C average. You hate writing, do it very poorly, and know others have had good results submitting this student’s papers as their own. Will you pay the money and submit the paper or submit your own paper and pray for a good result? This chapter will help you learn how to act ethically when facing dilemmas in your business and personal life. This is important because the decisions you make will affect your own future and those of stakeholders of the organizations that employ you. jon24565_ch05.qxd 11/2/05 1:22 PM Page 139 A Question of Business How Different Ethical Stances Can Help or Harm a Company How can companies ensure their managers and employees follow their ethical...
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...law and appreciate why it is important to behave ethically. 2. Differentiate between the claims of the different stakeholder groups affected by a company’s actions. 3. Identify the four main sources of business ethics, and describe four rules that can be used to help companies and their employees behave ethically. 4. Describe some methods companies can use to strengthen their ethical rules and positions. 5. Appreciate the important ways in which a nation’s business laws and regulations affect business commerce, occupations, and organizations. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT ? A friend who is an A-student has offered to write your paper, which is worth 25% of your grade, for $50. You need the course to graduate because you only have a low C average. You hate writing, do it very poorly, and know others have had good results submitting this student’s papers as their own. Will you pay the money and submit the paper or submit your own paper and pray for a good result? This chapter will help you learn how to act ethically when facing dilemmas in your business and personal life. This is important because the decisions you make will affect your own future and those of stakeholders of the organizations that employ you. A Question of Business How Different Ethical Stances Can Help or Harm a Company How can companies ensure their managers and employees follow their ethical codes of conduct? In 1982, managers at Johnson & Johnson (J&J), the well-known medical products company experienced a crisis...
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...Auditing Cases instructor resource Manual f our th e d itio n Mark S. Beasley Frank A. Buckless Steven M. Glover Douglas F. Prawitt do not coPy or redistribute Prentice hall Upper Saddle River, New Jersey ta b l e s e ct ion o f co n t e n t s 1 2 client acceptance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S o l u tionS inc lu de d in t h iS Section 1.1 Ocean Manufacturing, Inc. 3 The New Client Acceptance Decision s e ct ion Understanding the Client’s Business and assessing risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 S o l u tionS inc lu de d in t h iS Section 2.1 Your1040Return.com Evaluating eBusiness Revenue Recognition, Information Privacy, and Electronic Evidence Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2.2 2.3 2.4 Dell Computer Corporation Evaluation of Client Business Risk Flash Technologies, Inc. Asher Farms Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Risk Analysis and Resolution of Client Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Understanding of Client’s Business Environment s e ct ion 3 Professional and ethical issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 S o l u tio nS inc lu de d in t h iS Section 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 A Day in the Life of Brent Dorsey Staff Auditor Professional Pressures Nathan Johnson’s Rental Car Reimbursement Solving Ethical Dilemmas–Should...
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...Learning with Cases INTRODUCTION The case study method of teaching used in management education is quite different from most of the methods of teaching used at the school and undergraduate course levels. Unlike traditional lecture-based teaching where student participation in the classroom is minimal, the case method is an active learning method, which requires participation and involvement from the student in the classroom. For students who have been exposed only to the traditional teaching methods, this calls for a major change in their approach to learning. This introduction is intended to provide students with some basic information about the case method, and guidelines about what they must do to gain the maximum benefit from the method. We begin by taking a brief look at what case studies are, and how they are used in the classroom. Then we discuss what the student needs to do to prepare for a class, and what she can expect during the case discussion. We also explain how student performance is evaluated in a case study based course. Finally, we describe the benefits a student of management can expect to gain through the use of the case method. WHAT IS A CASE STUDY? There is no universally accepted definition for a case study, and the case method means different things to different people. Consequently, all case studies are not structured similarly, and variations abound in terms of style, structure and approach. Case material ranges from small caselets (a few paragraphs...
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...More Than a Numbers Game A Brief Histor y of Accounting Thomas A. King John Wiley & Sons, Inc. More Than a Numbers Game More Than a Numbers Game A Brief Histor y of Accounting Thomas A. King John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2006 by Thomas A. King. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability...
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