Please read the following articles related to Enron:
Madsen, S. & Vance, C. (2009). Unlearned lessons from the past: an
insider’s view of Enron’s downfall. Corporate Governance, 9(2),
216-227. Retrieved from ProQuest.
Free, C., Macintosh, N., & Stein, M. (2007). Management Controls: The
Organizational Fraud Triangle of Leadership, Culture and Control in
Enron. Ivey Business Journal Online. Retrieved from ProQuest.
Meisinger, S. R. (2012). Examining organizational ethics. Human
Resource Executive Online (June, 2011). Retrieved on November 19, 2012
from: http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=533348507
Assignment
In a well-written, 5-7 page essay, please address the following:
Discuss the ways in which a company’s leadership and culture influence
its business ethics.
Keys to the Assignment
•Define “organizational culture.” Please be very specific (and be sure
that you provide references for your description of culture).
•Evaluate Enron’s sense of business ethics and business operations in
the context of the organization’s culture? Specifically, what went
wrong?
•What should have been the role and responsibility of company
leadership (the Board of Directors, the CEO Ken Lay and others)? In
what ways did key executive players (e.g., Lay, Skilling, and Fastow)
work to negatively reshape the culture, and with what adverse
consequences?
•How might Human Resource Management (HRM) have played a central role
in setting the “moral compass” at Enron, helping to form and shape the
organizational culture (perhaps avoiding the Enron debacle
altogether)?
Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated on the following seven criteria:
•Precision – Does the paper address the question(s) or task(s)?
•Breadth – Is the full breadth of the subject (i.e., the Keys to the
Assignment) addressed?
•Depth – Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth and
include the background reading and other background resources as
references?
•Critical thinking – Is the subject thought about critically (i.e.,
accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely)?
•Clarity – Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated
properly? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means
of responding to the questions or are points conveyed through
excessive use of quotations?
•Organization – Is the paper well written? Are the grammar, spelling,
and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are headings
included in all papers longer than two pages?
•Referencing (citations and references) – Does the paper include
citations and quotation marks where appropriate? Are the references
from the background reading and assignment present and properly cited?
Are all the references listed in the bibliography present and referred
to via citation?
Tips and Suggestions
1.For this final Case essay, use at least four additional scholarly sources.
2.Cite all sources using proper APA style, and use proper in-text citations.
3.Follow the Well-Written Paper guidelines.
4.An excellent article on Enron’s culture as well, the following may
also be useful to you in your analysis of the Case:
Sims, R. R. & Brinkmann. J. (2003). Enron ethics (or: Culture matters
more than codes). Journal of Business Ethics, 45(3), 243-256.
Retrieved from ProQuest.
5.Finally, I highly recommend the movie Enron: The Smartest Guys in
the Room. You may be able to view parts of the movie on YouTube.
Following is the movie trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zMakN-EMLg
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