shawwaqy
1. After watching the movie, do you agree that Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay were the
“smartest guys in the room” or would it depend on the room?
I believe Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were the smartest guys in the room. The idea of inflating the price of stock and manipulating their income by using potential profits, shutting down power plants and next generation ideas (on- demand with blockbuster) was smart. It actually did increase the revenues of Enron. I think their failure was not reinvesting the revenues into the ideas they actually had to make them come true. I think their failure to reinvest their profits led to the demise of Enron.
2. Skilling emphasized in his testimony before Congress that he was only acting in the interests of the shareholders. Do you agree? Why or why not?
I disagree. Skilling was acting on the interest of himself and those in top management at
Enron. They raised the price of the stock and cashed out leaving them with the profits and the Enron shareholders were left without anything. As the stock was falling many of the people in top management left Enron with gains in income.
3. Are there other people whose interests should Skilling also have been protecting?
I think Skilling should have protected the interest of the people that Enron serviced (their employees, their consumers, the state of California). They should have been more concerned with providing a better product and service than trying to artificially inflate their stock price.
4. Ken Lay is said to have “wrapped himself in the cloak of moral rectitude.” Do you know other people who adopt this image? Name an example. In your view, does this kind of behavior merit more or less trust among such people? Why or why not?
My pastors, deacons or some of my role models growing up all adopted this image. This behavior creates more trust as long as your actions back it up or at least appear to back it up. It’s definitely a way for people to feel close to you,
“smartest guys in the room” or would it depend on the room?
I believe Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were the smartest guys in the room. The idea of inflating the price of stock and manipulating their income by using potential profits, shutting down power plants and next generation ideas (on- demand with blockbuster) was smart. It actually did increase the revenues of Enron. I think their failure was not reinvesting the revenues into the ideas they actually had to make them come true. I think their failure to reinvest their profits led to the demise of Enron.
2. Skilling emphasized in his testimony before Congress that he was only acting in the interests of the shareholders. Do you agree? Why or why not?
I disagree. Skilling was acting on the interest of himself and those in top management at
Enron. They raised the price of the stock and cashed out leaving them with the profits and the Enron shareholders were left without anything. As the stock was falling many of the people in top management left Enron with gains in income.
3. Are there other people whose interests should Skilling also have been protecting?
I think Skilling should have protected the interest of the people that Enron serviced (their employees, their consumers, the state of California). They should have been more concerned with providing a better product and service than trying to artificially inflate their stock price.
4. Ken Lay is said to have “wrapped himself in the cloak of moral rectitude.” Do you know other people who adopt this image? Name an example. In your view, does this kind of behavior merit more or less trust among such people? Why or why not?
My pastors, deacons or some of my role models growing up all adopted this image. This behavior creates more trust as long as your actions back it up or at least appear to back it up. It’s definitely a way for people to feel close to you,