The New York Times published on Sunday a very favorable report on Ken Lay. In it, they argue that he was, at least in part, wrongly chastised for his role in the Enron affair. Apparently, we are to believe that the CEO didn't know what was going on inside the company he ran. After news of the report appeared in numerous U.S. media earlier this week, the BBC today counterattacks brutally (although perhaps not intentionally), describing some of the most ruthless Enron practices - like placing the combined total salary of the top 200 executives salary at one and a half times the company's total earnings (Lay's went from 15m to 164 mil in that period). My question is simple: just what is going on here?
posted by magullo on Feb 14, 2003 - 9 comments

Accounting scandals aren't the only kind of corporate crime, maybe the Justice Department should talk to this guy.
posted by elwoodwiles on Aug 31, 2002 - 7 comments

You've got Jail is a light hearted, easy summer reading and informative article which explodes the myth that malfeasing CEOs get sent to "Club Fed", a prison so minimum in insecurity that its really like an enforced vacation in the country rather than the more typical round of incarceration. Required reading for the Skillings, Rigas, Taubmens and every college student considering an MBA. (So is the MeFi fascination with Prison life an idle one or am I keeping the wrong company?)
posted by BentPenguin on Jul 30, 2002 - 5 comments

"The bigger the binge, the longer and more severe the hangover." A short history of accounting scandals and fraudulent bankruptcies that follow bubble economies.
posted by raaka on Jul 10, 2002 - 3 comments

Enron May Spark a Revolt of the Professionals. James K. Galbraith suggests that the managerial class has had enough.
posted by Ty Webb on Jan 25, 2002 - 16 comments

"Enrongate" in a nutshell. Our own Oliver Willis has compiled a very thorough catalogue of clips from the Enron scandal, dating all the way back to April 2000. If you haven't been following all along, it's a great resource to catch up.
posted by jpoulos on Jan 13, 2002 - 34 comments