ENRON: THE COMPANY & THE PEOPLE
• 7th largest company in US and largest buyer/seller
of natural gas and electricity
• Heavily involved in Energy brokering, Electronic
energy trading and energy services
• Awarded “America’s most innovative company”
for six consecutive years
• Enron's stock was priced at $83.13 in 2000
• Market capitalization exceeded $60 billion
• Kenneth Lay : Chairman of Enron
• Jeffrey Skilling : CEO of Enron
• Andrew Fastow : CFO of Enron
ENRON : THE SCANDAL
• Enron reports a $618m loss, its first quarterly loss
• October 22 2001
Enron shares loses a fifth of their value.
• November 8 2001
Enron says it overstated profits dating back to 1997 by
$600m.
• December 2 2001
Enron files for bankruptcy, the biggest in US history
• 20,000 employees lost their jobs and medical insurance
• In 2001, employees lost $1.2Bn in retirement funds
• Average severance pay: $4500
• Top executives were paid bonuses totalling $55M and
cashed $116M in stocks
“Just as character matters in
people, it matters in
organizations”
GREED
“Ethics and integrity are at the
core of sustainable long term
success”
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
• Rank And Yank!!
• Ruthless work force
• Aspired to be “world’s largest company”
• Two Oil traders encouraged by Kenneth Lay
to gamble rather stopping them
• Jumped every possible Ethical Fence
• The only Aim being- to maximize stock Prices
howsoever
PERCEPTION OF “All is Well”
• Cooked books
• Phony Companies
• Inflated profits
• Mark-to-Marketing Accounting
• Wild Gambling
• Extensive PR Campaign/Media
Exaggeration
HOW DOES WORK CULTURE AND
VALUE SYSTEM OF THE COMPANY
DRIVE THE EMPLOYEES’ PSHYCE?
• Risk Taking behavior
• Legends/Stories
• Incentives/Commissions
• INFLUENCE OF CEO/LEADERSHIP
SYNERGY BETWEEN THE
GOVERNMENT,BANKS AND ENRON
• Donations to Political Campaigns
• Close relations with George W.Bush
• Pushed for Deregulation in energy sector
• Ignorance by Banks
• Banks did not scrutinized Enron’s books
which even a CA student would have figured
out
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE
PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE
SCAM?
• Kenneth Lay
 indicted by a grand jury on 11 counts of securities fraud and
related charges
 died while vacationing in Snowmass, Colorado, on July 5, 2006
• Jeffrey Skilling
 Criminal Charges : Conspiracy, securities fraud, false statement,
insider trading
 24-year, four-month prison sentence at the Federal Prison Camp
(FPC)
 On May 8, 2013, federal prosecutors announced a sentencing
agreement that reduces Skilling's sentence by 10 years, making him
eligible for release in 2017
• Andrew Fastow
 Entered into a plea agreement with a maximum penalty of 10 years
in prison
 forfeiture of US$23.8 million in family assets, on September 26,
2006
 sentenced to six years, followed by two years of probation
SATYAM SCAM :The Enron Of India
AGENCY PROBLEM
• “Refers to a conflict of interest between a
company's management and the company's
stockholders”
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
“The framework of rules and practices by which a board of
directors ensures accountability, fairness,
and transparency in a company's relationship with its
all stakeholders”
• Report of Committee appointed by SEBI under the
chairmanship of Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla on
Corporate Governance
• Clause 49
RECOMMENDATIONS BY
COMMITTEES
• Mandatory
 Applies to listed companies with paid up capital of Rs 3 crores and above
 Composition of Board of Directors- Optimum combination of Executive
and Non Executive
 Audit Committee
 Board Procedures
 Management Discussions and Analysis Report
 Information sharing with shareholders
• Non Mandatory
 Role of Chairman
 Sale of whole or substantial part of the undertaking
THANK YOU

Enron Scandal -Business Ethics

  • 2.
    ENRON: THE COMPANY& THE PEOPLE • 7th largest company in US and largest buyer/seller of natural gas and electricity • Heavily involved in Energy brokering, Electronic energy trading and energy services • Awarded “America’s most innovative company” for six consecutive years • Enron's stock was priced at $83.13 in 2000 • Market capitalization exceeded $60 billion • Kenneth Lay : Chairman of Enron • Jeffrey Skilling : CEO of Enron • Andrew Fastow : CFO of Enron
  • 3.
    ENRON : THESCANDAL • Enron reports a $618m loss, its first quarterly loss • October 22 2001 Enron shares loses a fifth of their value. • November 8 2001 Enron says it overstated profits dating back to 1997 by $600m. • December 2 2001 Enron files for bankruptcy, the biggest in US history • 20,000 employees lost their jobs and medical insurance • In 2001, employees lost $1.2Bn in retirement funds • Average severance pay: $4500 • Top executives were paid bonuses totalling $55M and cashed $116M in stocks
  • 4.
    “Just as charactermatters in people, it matters in organizations”
  • 5.
    GREED “Ethics and integrityare at the core of sustainable long term success”
  • 6.
    SURVIVAL OF THEFITTEST • Rank And Yank!! • Ruthless work force • Aspired to be “world’s largest company” • Two Oil traders encouraged by Kenneth Lay to gamble rather stopping them • Jumped every possible Ethical Fence • The only Aim being- to maximize stock Prices howsoever
  • 7.
    PERCEPTION OF “Allis Well” • Cooked books • Phony Companies • Inflated profits • Mark-to-Marketing Accounting • Wild Gambling • Extensive PR Campaign/Media Exaggeration
  • 8.
    HOW DOES WORKCULTURE AND VALUE SYSTEM OF THE COMPANY DRIVE THE EMPLOYEES’ PSHYCE?
  • 9.
    • Risk Takingbehavior • Legends/Stories • Incentives/Commissions • INFLUENCE OF CEO/LEADERSHIP
  • 10.
    SYNERGY BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT,BANKSAND ENRON • Donations to Political Campaigns • Close relations with George W.Bush • Pushed for Deregulation in energy sector • Ignorance by Banks • Banks did not scrutinized Enron’s books which even a CA student would have figured out
  • 11.
    WHAT HAPPENED TOTHE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE SCAM?
  • 12.
    • Kenneth Lay indicted by a grand jury on 11 counts of securities fraud and related charges  died while vacationing in Snowmass, Colorado, on July 5, 2006 • Jeffrey Skilling  Criminal Charges : Conspiracy, securities fraud, false statement, insider trading  24-year, four-month prison sentence at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC)  On May 8, 2013, federal prosecutors announced a sentencing agreement that reduces Skilling's sentence by 10 years, making him eligible for release in 2017 • Andrew Fastow  Entered into a plea agreement with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison  forfeiture of US$23.8 million in family assets, on September 26, 2006  sentenced to six years, followed by two years of probation
  • 13.
    SATYAM SCAM :TheEnron Of India
  • 14.
    AGENCY PROBLEM • “Refersto a conflict of interest between a company's management and the company's stockholders”
  • 15.
    CORPORATE GOVERNANCE “The frameworkof rules and practices by which a board of directors ensures accountability, fairness, and transparency in a company's relationship with its all stakeholders” • Report of Committee appointed by SEBI under the chairmanship of Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla on Corporate Governance • Clause 49
  • 16.
    RECOMMENDATIONS BY COMMITTEES • Mandatory Applies to listed companies with paid up capital of Rs 3 crores and above  Composition of Board of Directors- Optimum combination of Executive and Non Executive  Audit Committee  Board Procedures  Management Discussions and Analysis Report  Information sharing with shareholders • Non Mandatory  Role of Chairman  Sale of whole or substantial part of the undertaking
  • 17.