Enron Case Study Essays - 1905 Words

1. Was Watkins an ethical hero in taking these steps? Watkins was definitely not an ethical hero. First, she made it clear in the first half of her memo that she was concerned about getting caught, and explicitly asked if there was any way their â€Å"accounting gurus† could wind things down and basically cover their tracks. Second, she went to no one other than Kenneth Lay, the CEO of the company; anyone, in this day and age, who believes that CEOs are deaf, dumb, and blind to whats going on under their noses is incredibly naà ¯ve – and this, Watkins was not. Third, she started having suspicions about unethical practices as early as 1996, years before she wrote anything to Lay (How Could 29); if she was truly ethical, she would have reported†¦show more content†¦3. Besides Kenneth Lay, who else might have had an interest in hearing from Watkins? Who else might have had a right to be informed? Did Watkins have a responsibility to anyone other than Lay? Watkins should have first gone to Andrew Fastow, who was the CFO of Enron and her immediate superior (Barlas, Willians, and Verschoor 21). Had she continued to achieve no results by going to him (she was reportedly afraid to do so because he wanted to fire her), then she should have continued up the chain of command all the way to the Board of Directors. Had she still gotten no results, she should have resigned and gone to the SEC. She did indeed have a responsibility to others, at least all the way through the Board of Directors in terms of her superiors at Enron, and, of course, to the thousands of shareholders who lost everything as a result of their unethical practices. 4. Other than informing Lay, what other alternatives might have been open to Watkins? Again, she could have gone to Fastow and the Board of Directors, as well as to the SEC. 5. What might the consequences of each of these alternatives had been? Clearly, Watkins faced being fired by Enron for her actions; however, that is the worst that could have happened to her. She had already cashed in her own shares as a result of having insider information (Ganske B05) (thusShow MoreRelatedENRON Case Study1572 Words   |  7 Pages1. The Enron debacle created what one public official reported was a â€Å"crisis of confidence† on the part of the public in the accounting profession. List the parties who you believe are most responsible for that crisis. Briefly justify each of your choices. Following parties are believed to be the most responsible for the crisis. With any big organization going so bad, the blame starts with the top level executives, there was no different in this case. 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Profitability Measures Enron’s reported net income grew from $703 million in 1998 to $979 million in 2000, totaling 35.1% profit growth for the three-year period. Enron was among the leading of â€Å"high performing† companies by sustaining a high earnings growth insight. However, as Table 1 indicates, Enron’s reported profits were microscopic relation to revenues. Net income did not grow at anything near the sameRead MoreEnron Case Study Analysis1699 Words   |  7 PagesBusiness Strategy Enron Case Study 09/08/12 Enron Case Study: From Company to Conspiracy 1. What is the History of Enron, and what current situation does it find itself in? Enron was created by a combination of companies. These companies were Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth. These companies were merged together in July 1985. CEO of Houston Natural Gas, Kenneth Lay became chairman and CEO of the combined company. This happened in February 1986. The company changed its name to Enron on April 10thRead MoreEnron Case Study Summary976 Words   |  4 PagesEnron Case Study The case of Enron is a fascinating one. United States is a country where auditing and accounting principles are so strong. How can something take place on such high level in the United States? The Enron case demonstrates the need to reform the accounting and corporate governance practices in the United States. Moreover, the Enron case made government officials to pay close attention to deregulated energy market. Some of the aspects that struck me are discussed below. One of theRead MoreEnron Case Study1472 Words   |  6 PagesQ 1: Evaluate Enron profit and cash flow performance during the period 1998 – 2000? Profitability Measures Enron’s reported net income grew from $703 million in 1998 to $979 million in 2000, totaling 35.1% profit growth for the three-year period. Enron was among the leading of â€Å"high performing† companies by sustaining a high earnings growth insight. However, as Table 1 indicates, Enron’s reported profits were microscopic relation to revenues. Net income did not grow at anything near the sameRead MoreEnron Tyco Case Studies2163 Words   |  9 PagesRunning head: CASE STUDIES: ENRON’S FALL AND TYCO INTERNATIONAL’S LEADERSHIP CRISIS Case Studies: Enron’s Fall and Tyco International’s Leadership Crisis Grand Canyon University BUS 604 November 4, 2009 Case Study: Enron’s Fall and Tyco International’s Leadership Crisis The tight Federal regulations now governing businesses and their accounting practices came about because one corporation, Enron, took risks their company could not withstand without taking some rather extreme measures inRead MoreEnron and Worldcom Case Study1225 Words   |  5 PagesEnron and WorldCom Case Study This report is based on the demise of Enron Corporation and WorldCom. 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Crash White People and Movie Free Essays

Crash (2004) Directory Paul Haggis Crash is a movie that takes place in a two-day period and puts racism right in the face of viewers. From the time the movie starts to the time the movie ends, there is racism covered. The opening scene shows a black couple driving and gets pulled over by two white cops. We will write a custom essay sample on Crash: White People and Movie or any similar topic only for you Order Now One of the white cops starts harassing the black couple and leads to comments about race. It quickly turns worse as the white cop starts molesting the female of the couple they pulled over. Which in turn then causes a debate between the black couple about being controlled by white people. This was just the opening scene of the movie. This is a very powerful scene that leads up to all the events happening during the movie. There is racism in every part of this movie and from every angle. The movie shows how people themselves can be racist toward their own race and others. Crash breaks down stereotypes and shows how each has race certain features that the race has. There were scenes that showed what stereotypes Muslims have and how they talk to each other and own small convenience store. Later in the movie their store was trashed and spray paint on their walls called them â€Å"towel heads†. There was a Mexican lock smith who was in a white woman’s house changing out locks and was said to have the look of gang members and go to his â€Å"homies† with an extra set of keys to rob them. Which later shows him with his family at home and him loving his daughter. The list goes on and on with each different race to show stereotypes and how they are perceived and then shows the character in the way they live their life in that movie, being that it a true state of truth or what the real life is. Crash brings real life situations to light. There is a lawyer who even uses a race card to try to get people on his side. It is not how he honestly feels but it is how he is seen in the public eye. Brendan Fraser plays the, not so popular, role of the lawyer. A very different role for him to play and puts him as a bad character. Every movie he has completed, he has been a good guy type and lovable. Crash puts him into a category where later on could get fans to turn on him for this role. But he does a great job portraying this character truthfully. All the characters in the movie appear to have some kind of connection to each other, but not knowingly connected. Each character starts their own story, but by the end of the movie, shows how they all are connected to each other. They movie ends with the racist white cop who molested the black female from the couple he pulled over in the beginning of the movie, saving her life from a firey car accident. She tries to reject his help because of what happened earlier, but knows she has no other choice to accept his help. It shows that sometimes first impressions are not always true and people could be different from what they pictured in their head. When they showed the background on the racist cop, they showed he had troubles at home with is father that he loved and cared for. And he was not getting sleep because of the type of care he was giving him. Later on calling for help from his insurance company, who happens to be a black female with a â€Å"typical† black female name, causing another racist remark. But, again, the only thing he is looking for is help for his father. The black female insurance person was very angry about how she was being treated on the phone and that he was being racist. But later in the movie, it showed that she herself was making racist remarks. This movie has very real life situations. This movie can and does happen in everyday life. I have seen it happen and been around it when it happened. Everyone has stereotypes towards all races. Is that racism? Maybe and maybe not! It’s all how you act out on it. And in this movie Crash, everyone acts out on his or her beliefs of every race. In fact, the movie was based on a real life incident, which happened to director and writer Paul Haggis when his car was hijacked in 1991. (â€Å"Crash(2004),† ) Since this story was created on real life, it could happen and will most likely happen again in life. I, personally, loved the movie. It had a very powerful and strong message. Crash got you to hate and yet like the characters. Some parts pulled at my heartstrings and got me to cry multiple times. Why did I cry during this movie? I cried because I can see this happening everyday. I can see how this hurts people and how desperate people can be to make themselves look good. The movie did win BEST PICTURE and BEST WRITING awards at the Oscars the following year. The script was done perfect. A lot of thought went into writing this and brought in from personal experience. We all have own thoughts on how every race is seen in the public eye. Everyone doesn’t know what happens behind closed doors. When things happen behind closed doors, we do not know the whole complete story. And that’s when judgment is brought out. Racism happens everyday. It can be happening right in front of us or we can be the guilty party of creating it. It is a hard battle to fight when there is so much happening everyday. We choose which we do. Stand together and fight against this evil or keep going living our lives with hate towards each other and act like nothing is wrong. Crash(2004). (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0375679/faq How to cite Crash: White People and Movie, Essays

Cinematography Analysis of American Beauty Essay Example For Students

Cinematography Analysis of American Beauty Essay American Beauty is an American drama directed by Sam Mendes. The connecting themes in the film are what make American Beauty a masterpiece. One of the key components in causing the multiple themes to connect is the use of cinematography. There are more than a few visual elements within the film that cause the viewer to connect certain motifs. Most of them are not necessarily meant to be consciously noticed but assist in conveying the primary messages meant to be communicated. One of the more obvious uses of cinematography in American Beauty is the placement of the roses throughout the film. The roses represent desire, passion, and possibly lust. Traditionally, the color red represents these emotions as well. Also, the most evident use of the roses is to represent Lester’s desire for Angela. The first time the roses are seen in the film are in Lester’s daydream of Angela during the dance routine at the high school. Whenever he is lustfully thinking about her, the roses are seen. Also, in the final scene when Lester and Angela almost have the sexual encounter that Lester has always fantasized, there is a vase of roses placed on the table in the room. When they are approaching each other the roses stand in between them portraying the mutual desire for each other between the two. There is also a scene where Carolyn is cutting rose stems. This could possibly represent that she is the wall between Lester and his lustful desires or that she has cut all passion away within their marriage, leaving it dry and morbid. The last time the roses are seen is right before Lester is murdered. He had just arrived at the peak of his progressive epiphany that he slowly neared all the way through the film. He had just had the opportunity to satisfy his obsessive lust over Angela and realized that it wasn’t actually worth what he imagined. He left the room where Angela was and sat down at a table and looked at photos of his family. The roses are right in front of him and his eyes are stuck on what he had concluded â€Å"really mattered†. He pays absolutely no attention to the roses. The roses are seemingly ignored. The scene portrays that though he had placed so much weight on his own carnal desire for Angela, it would not ultimately satisfy him. His family was what his heart desired and that was all in his life that held any actual worth. The color red was a very strong reoccurring cinematographic element in American Beauty. The billboards and advertisements for â€Å"The Real Estate King† represent Carolyn’s desire for success and eventually her sexual desire for Buddy. This is unleashed after a dinner they have together and immediately go to a hotel after and being somewhat of a relationship. For Lester, other than his lust for Angela it represents his rebellion as he buys the car of his dreams to satisfy some sort of desire for youth and satisfaction. In Ricky Fitts video of the bag floating in the wind, it is in front of a red wall. The video represents a mystical energy behind the entire universe, causing it to continue, and continue well. It is possible that here the color red represents Ricky’s desires to continually or more deeply grasp this concept, that in the midst of all the awfulness that life brings, there is something good, behind it all, waiting and wanting to be acknowledged and enjoyed. The use of camera placement is key to American Beauty. In the beginning of the film Lester is always viewed from a higher angle conveying that he is in some sense inferior: inferior to his boss and occupation, his wife and family, and even his wife’s to-be lover. .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d , .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d .postImageUrl , .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d , .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d:hover , .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d:visited , .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d:active { border:0!important; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d:active , .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u43740af33b5fb68ce1507153d37ce07d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Impacts On The American Revolution EssayThroughout the film Lester is progressively placed higher and higher within the frame. At some point he is placed more towards the vertical center of the frame and towards the end he is higher and looking down with the camera to his boss, his family, his daughter and Angela, and even his wife and her lover at the drive through of all places. This is communicating that he is in a sense â€Å"taking control† of his life: that what once ruled him, now serves him in some abstract psychological way, and is now inferior to him. In Lester’s final moments there is a panning eagle eye shot over â€Å"Lester’s life† . Right before he dies he says something along the lines of â€Å"life does not flash before your eyes but moves slowly and seemingly forever. † The shot moves slowly over dream-like scenes of all that â€Å"really mattered† to Lester. The film begins and ends with a shot moving over Lester’s neighborhood. In the opening shot it is pulling in conveying that you are in some sense â€Å"entering† Lester’s life and mind and heart as it is. In the final shot the camera is pulling out conveying that he is â€Å"leaving† this life and feels like you are leaving with him. The shot, being the same view, possibly could be an attempt at conveying that â€Å"what is† is always the same but how one views them, is what alters their subjective perception of reality. Cinematography is a massive story-telling tool used in American Beauty. It is obviously intentional as well as subtle enough to come across clean and orderly. It does not distract from the story but enhances it. It connects the pieces of the story that the dialogue, and other elements do not. It is truly the string that ties the film together.