Governance and Fraud – T1 2017

Generic instructions:
Due: Thursday 18th May, 2017 (11.59 pm) - Week 10
Weight: 30% of the overall assessment (15 marks)
Word Limits: 1,750 words
Part 1:
You are required to conduct a research on Enron (the edited version of Enron – the smartest guys in the room)(movie) as background understanding and answer the questions below.
(i) Critically analyse and discuss the corporate culture at Enron. Include in your analysis, the normative theory of ethics which you would consider most relevant in driving the decision making at Enron.
(8 Marks)
(ii) At which stages on Kohlberg’s theory of cognitive moral reasoning and development do you consider Jeff Skilling and the Sherron Watkins are at? Justify your answer. (4 Marks)
Three (3) marks will be awarded for overall grammar and expression.
(8 + 4 + 3 = 15 marks)
Submission Details:
• Provide a table of contents (not included in word count) and ensure all questions are clearly labelled.
• Harvard style of referencing to be employed (reference list is not included in word count).
• Written in font size 12 for body writing; headings and block quotes may have different sizes.
• Include page numbers
• Line spacing of 1.5 or double spacing
This is an edited version of Enron: the smartest guys in the room, you are to watch this movie along with further research in addressing the assignment.
Description: This searing examination of the Enron accounting scandal reveals the psychology of greed and corporate corruption that facilitated the company's rise to power and also its fall. When Enron went bankrupt in 2001, the principals walked away millionaires - but later faced legal proceedings and jail sentences. Meanwhile, many employees and investors were left with nothing, not even their 401k retirement savings. Shedding light on the new economy of the 1990s when predictions and book cooking flourished without actual profits, the film shows how it was not Enron alone but a network of bankers, traders, and accountants who turned a blind eye to the company's clearly suspicious numbers. CEO Ken Lay and top dogs Jeff Skilling and Andy Fastow give candid interviews that illustrate their skill at deflecting hard questions and egotistically boasting about the company's success. In one of the company's cold and calculated moves which caused the California power outages, and lead to the ousting of governor Gray Davis, Enron employees are shown laughing at forest fires. Unbelievable footage of employees reveals unbridled greed, lust for risk-taking, and guiltless cheating, all while thinking they could never be caught. Finally, a few brave whistle-blowers stepped forward, including Bethany McLean, author of the Enron novel upon which this film is based, who wrote an article in Fortune magazine calling the company's bluff. A remarkable documentary which packages the events of the scandal into a cohesive story, this is one film not to miss. PRODUCTION DETAILS: ABC TV Series Producer: Edwina Waddy Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room was written and directed by Alex Gibney Produced by Alex Gibney, Jason Kilot and Susan Motamed.
Part 1 Unsatisfactory Less than satisfactory Satisfactory Good Very good Excellent
GLOs 1 and 4
Part 1
(i) Critically analyse and discuss the corporate culture at Enron. Also include Normative theory of ethics in your discussion.
0 points
(0-2.3)
Did not analyse corporate culture at Enron or failed to include normative theory in discussion. 3.0 points
(2.4-3.9)
Attempted to analyse and discuss but provided an inadequate analysis and discussion. 4.5 points
(4.0-4.7)
Provided some analysis and discussion of the corporate culture at Enron. Provided some discussion using normative theory. 5.0 points
(4.8-5.5)
Provided adequate analysis and discussion of the corporate culture at Enron. Provided adequate discussion using normative theory. 6.0 points
(5.6-6.3)
Provided very good analysis and discussion of the corporate culture at Enron. Provided very good application of normative theory. 8 points
(6.4-8.0)
Provided very comprehensive analysis and discussion of the corporate culture at Enron. Provided excellent application of normative theory.
(ii) Analyse the stages on Kohlberg’s theory which Jeff Skilling and Sherron Watkins are at with justification. 0 Points
(0-1.1)
Failed to analyse using Kohlberg’s theory or no justification provided. 1.5 Points
(1.2-1.9)
Attempted to analyse using Kohlberg’s theory but inadequate justification. 2.0 points
(2.0-2.3)
Provided some analysis using Kohlberg’s theory with some justifications. 2.5 points
(2.4-2.7)
Provided adequate analysis using Kohlberg’s theory with justifications 3 points
(2.8-3.1)
Provided very good analysis using Kohlberg’s theory with good reasoning and justifications 4 points
(3.2-4)
Provided very comprehensive analysis using Kohlberg’s theory with excellent reasoning and justifications
Governance and Fraud – T1 2017 Marking Rubric