Business Ethics

Paper Summary:

The paper describes the accounting scandals of Enron, WorldCom and Tyco and looks at how these financial frauds occurred as a result of monitoring failures at different levels. The paper explores ethics and moral judgements in general and discusses how if one is not comfortable telling one's family about a decision, then the decision is likely unethical in one's business.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Enron
WorldCom
Tyco
Analysis & Conclusion

From the Paper:

"In the past decade, several scandals involving the improper management of financial data have emerged, bolstering the importance of business ethics to the forefront of many industries. The most notable accounting scandals in the 2000s consisted of Enron, WorldCom and Tyco. In just 15 years, Enron grew from nowhere to be America's seventh largest company, employing 21,000 staff in more than 40 countries. WorldCom achieved its position as a significant player in the telecommunications industry through the successful completion of 65 acquisitions. From 1997 through 2001, Tyco's revenues rose by 48.7% a year. These three significant accounting scandals that occurred in the past decade led to the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, an act that requires that the management of a company certify that a system of internal controls is in place that is adequate to report a fair representation of the financial condition of the business in financial statements."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bianco, A., Symonds, W., Byrnes, N. & Poleki, D. (2002). The Rise and Fall of Dennis Kozlowski. Retrieved May 21, 2007, from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_51/b3813001.htm.
• Bottorff, D. (2004). Culture Management Essentials. Retrieved May 21, 2007, from http://www.ethicsquality.com/about.htm.
• Canto, V. (2002). How Enron Failed. Retrieved May 21, 2007, from http://www.nationalreview.com/nrof_canto/cantoprint01402.html.
• Kadlec, D. (2002). Enron: Who's Accountable? Retrieved May 21, 2007, from http://www.time.com/time/business/printout/0,8816,193520,00.html.
• Moberg, D. & Romar, E. (2003). WorldCom. Retrieved May 21, 2007, from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/dialogue/candc/cases/worldcom.html.

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