former president and CEO of Enron, the driving forces behind Enron’s bogus success and responsible for the moral code that should have been set for the organization. These unethical actions Enron took part in even had support by auditor, Arthur Anderson, and attorneys, Vinson & Elkin. The top leaders of Enron had a passion for capitalism, which drove the company to illegal and unethical behaviors, eventually leading to the catastrophic fall of the company. However, in order for Enron to deceive as
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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
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Creditors Recovery Corporation was an American energy company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy in late 2001, Enron employed around 21,000 people (McLean & Elkind, 2003) and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, pulp and paper, and communications companies, with claimed revenues of $111 billion in 2000. Fortune named Enron "America's Most Innovative Company" for six consecutive years(Fortune, 2000, pg.45-50). It achieved infamy at the end of 2001, when it was revealed that
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of standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession”. The Enron scandal is already part of the history as one of the reasons why Business and Accounting Ethics had become more than ever a major concern in today’s businesses. In this paper we’ll review and analyze all the major reasons why will Enron collapse. To begin with, Enron in only 15 years grew rapidly and became of the biggest companies in the United States. Enron employed more than 21,000 people in more than 40 countries.
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the company’s financial statements. The financial statements did not clearly reflect its operations and used accounting loopholes. Its poor financial reporting allowed Enron to cover up billions of dollars in debt from failed projects and deals. Enron’s auditor, Arthur Andersen had provided accounting and consultation services for the company for many years. Hence, Arthur Andersen formed a close relationship with the company’s board of directors (Kenny Lay and Jeffery Skilling), major shareholders
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In 1984 Ken Lay became chairman and Chief Operator of Houston Natural Gas. It quickly doubled when it bought Florida Pipeline Company. The next year in 1985 Houston Natural Gas merged Internorth Incorporation. With the merger they both combined to own around 40,000 miles of pipeline and shortly after they changed their name to Enron. Around that time Washington was being lobbied by energy corporations to deregulate business and let companies set their own prices. Energy companies said this would
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Licensed to: iChapters User CASE 1.1 Enron Corporation John and Mary Andersen immigrated to the United States from their native Norway in 1881. The young couple made their way to the small farming community of Plano, Illinois, some 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Over the previous few decades, hundreds of Norwegian families had settled in Plano and surrounding communities. In fact, the aptly named Norway, Illinois, was located just a few miles away from the couple’s new hometown. In
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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 Corporation was formed when Houston Natural gas Company of
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identified and $1 billion of hidden debt revealed, this obscure office of 40 employees almost bankrupt the giant Enron Corporation. After the collapse of Enron in 2001, denial was identified as Enron’s modus operandi. This paper will examine the warning signs of Enron Oil Trading prior to the fall of Enron, highlight the inconsistencies and demonstrate and unwillingness of Enron to learn from their
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CASE 1.1 Enron Corporation John and Mary Andersen immigrated to the United States from their native Norway in 1881. The young couple made their way to the small farming community of Plano, Illinois, some 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Over the previous few decades, hundreds of Norwegian families had settled in Plano and surrounding communities. In fact, the aptly named Norway, Illinois, was located just a few miles away from the couple’s new hometown. In 1885, Arthur Edward Andersen
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