Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room
While I enjoyed reading the Enron Case Study by Sims and Brinkmann and found it to be extremely informative, the movie, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, provided additional information, details, and context regarding the individuals, decisions, and factors that contributed to Enron’s downfall (McLean & Elkind, 2003). To begin with, the movie delved into Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling’s personal, educational, and professional background and provided context regarding how their backgrounds influenced their decisions as Enron executives. Subsequently, I was able to better understand how their character flaws of selfishness, greed, and unscrupulousness were driven by personal insecurities, intellectual arrogance, and a deep seeded desire to succeed
and acquire wealth. Therefore, it was clear Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling strategically and intentionally created an organizational culture devoid of ethics and integrity, skilled at manipulating company results, and driven by the dark side of human nature.
Furthermore, the movie provided greater insight into the depth of their depravity by highlighting how they allowed Enron traders to manipulate the energy market utilizing rolling blackouts in California, encouraged executives to enrich themselves and their cronies through clandestine partnerships with the company, and personally advised shareholders and employees the company’s stock would rebound while they and other Enron executives secretly sold millions of dollars of their personal Enron stock. Moreover, to further illustrate their utter lack of personal and professional morals, after Enron collapsed, the movie depicted Ken Lay attempting to empathize with shareholders and employees by lamenting how his personal net worth had dropped from $300 to $20 million. As well as, Jeff Skilling testifying in front of Congress that he firmly believed he had properly represented the interest of Enron shareholders and employees and he saw nothing wrong with him selling $66 million dollars of Enron stock prior to the collapse. In conclusion, I found the additional details the movie provided regarding who Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were as people, the decisions they made during Enron’s meteoric rise to prominence, and how their true character was revealed after its calamitous fall, to be particularly insightful and extremely beneficial to understanding why Enron failed.
and acquire wealth. Therefore, it was clear Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling strategically and intentionally created an organizational culture devoid of ethics and integrity, skilled at manipulating company results, and driven by the dark side of human nature.
Furthermore, the movie provided greater insight into the depth of their depravity by highlighting how they allowed Enron traders to manipulate the energy market utilizing rolling blackouts in California, encouraged executives to enrich themselves and their cronies through clandestine partnerships with the company, and personally advised shareholders and employees the company’s stock would rebound while they and other Enron executives secretly sold millions of dollars of their personal Enron stock. Moreover, to further illustrate their utter lack of personal and professional morals, after Enron collapsed, the movie depicted Ken Lay attempting to empathize with shareholders and employees by lamenting how his personal net worth had dropped from $300 to $20 million. As well as, Jeff Skilling testifying in front of Congress that he firmly believed he had properly represented the interest of Enron shareholders and employees and he saw nothing wrong with him selling $66 million dollars of Enron stock prior to the collapse. In conclusion, I found the additional details the movie provided regarding who Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were as people, the decisions they made during Enron’s meteoric rise to prominence, and how their true character was revealed after its calamitous fall, to be particularly insightful and extremely beneficial to understanding why Enron failed.