And thirty years later, if youre going to read only one book on watergate, thats still the one. Enron grew from a pipeline company to an economic powerhouse by playing the middle man, selling long term gas contracts to buyers for a fixed price and. The amazing rise and scandalous fall of enron is a book by bethany mclean and peter elkind, first published in 2003 by portfolio trade. The smartest guys in the room chronicles the history of enron, from beginning to end. Dennis boutsikaris is a fairly good reader for nonfiction. The smartest guys in the room 2005 starring peter coyote and john beard on dvd and bluray. It was a financial conglomerate, a deregulationsecuritizationselfdealing disaster. The smartest guys in the room culture the guardian.
Apr 27, 2006 enron s chairman and chief executive officer were kenneth lay and jeffrey skilling, two supremely arrogant and belligerent men who believed they were the smartest guys in the room. The collapse resulted in criminal trials for several of the companys top executives, bringing the facts of exposure to enrons involvement in the california electricity crisis, where the company had rigged the market in order to generate huge speculative profits during the power. The smartest guys in the room recounts the rise and fall of enron, the spectacularly fraudulent energy trading company whose 2001 collapse cost investors hundreds of millions of dollars. Countless books and articles were written about it, but only the smartest guys in the room holds up a decade later as the definitive narrative. This paper will focus on the business ethics issues at enron that were raised from the documentation enron. I am usually not a hottempered type when it comes to the movies, and seldom have i left a theatre feeling so upset that i felt like punching a hole in a wall with complete disdain and contempt okay, maybe bad boys 2 conjured up those nasty vibes. The smartest guys in the room this movie about americas biggest corporate collapse is part of a new breed of film, more agitprop than documentary. Enron the smartest guys in the room quiz flashcards quizlet. The smartest guys in the room audiobook by bethany. Basically any principle of business ethics articulated in textbooks on business was violated in the greed fueled pursuit of profits. The smartest guys in the room is a wellwritten, wellresearched attempt to unravel the financial shenanigans that led to enrons bankruptcy. Bethany mclean and peter elkind in the smartest guys in the room. Interview with bethany mclean, writer of academy awardnominated documentary, enron. The amazing rise and scandalous fall of enron is a business book that describes the enron scandal brought down that is one of the most admired companies in the 1990s.
The movie profiles its two leaders, ceo ken lay and president jeff skilling, who lied and cashed in while their 20,000 employees were robbed of their life savings. For this tenth anniversary edition, mclean and elkind have revisited the fall of enron and its aftermath, in a new chapter that asks why enron still matters. It tells the story of how enron rose to become the seventh largest corporation in america with what was essentially a ponzi scheme, and in its last days looted the retirement funds of its employees to buy a little more time. Enron was involved in americans largest corporate bankruptcy. Love for sale by cole porter, performed by julie london. The perpetrators of the events leading up to the scandalous collapse of the house of cards that was americas seventh. With a blend of fascinating footage, fastpaced interviews and a wealth of information, this film is a serious. Above all, its a fascinating human drama that will prove to be the authoritative account of the enron scandal. The amazing rise and scandalous fall of enron bethany mclean, author, peter elkind, author. Nov 26, 20 countless books and articles were written about it, but only the smartest guys in the room holds up a decade later as the definitive narrative.
The smartest guys in the room book the smartest guys in the room. Enron made their stock sky rocket through unethical means, and in reality this company kept losing money. Andy fastow features a lot in the book, but hes only a minor character in the film. The smartest guys in the room is a 2005 oscarnominated documentary by alex gibney which charts the rise, peak, and fall of the energy corporation enron. Watching this felt like reading the summary on the back of a book jacket.
In 2001, the collapse of the enron corporation was of one of the largest business scandals in american history. They focus more on the traders in the film with the recordings of. The enron scandal brought down one of the most admired companies of the 1990s. A documentary about the enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt. The smartest guys in the room 2005 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
For this tenth anniversary edition, mclean and elkind have revisited the fall of enron and its aftermath, in a. Enron made their stock sky rocket through unethical means. The smartest guys in the room was assigned viewing as part of our unit on business ethics and all i can say is wow. The wall street journal attacked the nature of the writedowns in a series of articles. A fascinating exploration of corporate culture and epic misdeeds, enron.
It is a story about people, and in reality it is a tragedy. Countless books and articles were written about it, but only. Aug 12, 20 the entire story of how enron corporation, one of the worlds major energy giant, collapsed is beautifully portrayed in the 2005 documentary film called the smartest guys in the room which is based on the bestselling 2003 book of the same name, written by fortune reporters bethany mclean and peter elkind. The smartest guys in the room chronicles a corporate disaster in which top executives from the seventh largest u. Today, enron is the biggest business story of our time, and fortune. Mclean and elkind are credited as writers of the film alongside the director, alex gibney. Meticulously researched and character driven, smartest guys in the room takes the reader deep into enrons pastand behind the closed doors of private meetings. Enrons chairman and chief executive officer were kenneth lay and jeffrey skilling, two supremely arrogant and belligerent men who believed they. Books can carry huge amounts of information, films only skim the surface. The smartest guys in the room and millions of other books are available for instant access. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. The smartest guys in the room is a 2005 documentary film based on the bestselling 2003 book of the. The smartest guys in the room is a film that lays out almost all of the important points of the story in 110 minutes, and helps clarify many of the reasons why it was able to happen, while avoiding the sort of tendentiosity that many middleoftheroad americans find offensive or tiresome in liberalslanted attacks on corporate abuses.
Their prose is effortless, like a sprinter floating down. The entire story of how enron corporation, one of the worlds major energy giant, collapsed is beautifully portrayed in the 2005 documentary film called the smartest guys in the room which is based on the bestselling 2003 book of the same name, written by fortune reporters bethany mclean and peter elkind. Smartest guys in the room is a story of greed, arrogance, and deceita microcosm of all that is wrong with american business today. On january 17, 2002 enron dismissed arthur andersen as its auditor, citing its accounting advice and the destruction of. The amazing rise and scandalous fall of enron man, if this book does not get you outraged. Unlike enron, the texasbased energy giant that has come to represent the postmillennium collapse of 1990s gogo corporate culture, its also ultimately successful. Founded in 1985, enron went on to become the seventh largest corporation in america. The smartest guys in the room is streaming, if enron.
Based on the book of the same name by peter elkin, director alex gibneys documentary takes a behind the scenes look at the powerful energy company whose downfall forever changed the landscape of the business world. In 2005, it was adapted into a documentary film, enron. The smartest guys in the room may 30, 20 by dpmonahan in books, culture leave a comment the smartest guys in the room recounts the rise and fall of enron, the spectacularly fraudulent energy trading company whose 2001 collapse cost investors hundreds of millions of dollars. The smartest guys in the room by bethany mclean is a detailed account of the rise and fall of enron and it gives the most insight into the actions of lay, skilling, and fastow. The smartest guys in the room is the inside story of one of americas greatest business scandals, in which top executives of the countrys seventh largest company walked away with more than.
Using a combination of public hearing footage and new interviews with former enron. The film describes in detail how, with a combination of a weak moral compass and accounting fraud, enron became ground zero for the greatest corporate crime of the century. In this book summary, youll venture into enrons past to learn about the fascinating people behind this infamous scandal, and will see how greed and deceit can. Countless books and articles were written about it, but only the smartest guys. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. The smartest guys in the room full movie jamulangkalas kanopelnade enron. The smartest guys in the room is a work of that latter category. The smartest guys in the room awards and nominations. Based on the book of the same name by peter elkin, director alex gibney s documentary takes a behindthescenes look at the powerful energy company whose downfall forever changed the landscape of the business world. This book is generally acknowledged to be the definitive account on enron. Download the smartest guys in the room by bethany mclean pdf ebook free. The smartest guys in the room is on netflix, and get news and.
Its a compelling and sometimes soapy indictment of the worst side of business, and it queasily foreshadows the financial crisis of 2008. The smartest guys in the room takes viewers from the heyday of soaring profits through the prolonged fallout, including the. Apr 22, 2005 enrons staff of gogetter stock salesmen, the sort of alpha males depicted in the film boiler room, convinced hundreds of ordinary people to invest in the company, thus inflating enrons stock price to a value that was far greater than what the company was actually worth if one examined its actual assets. With john beard, tim belden, barbara boxer, george w. The smartest guys in the room comes a wall street heist story about a stillunfolding financial crime so big, it has the power to affect all of our wallets. The smartest guys in the room by bethany mclean pdf. In truth, even as they angrily pointed fingers, the two deserved each other.
July 5, 2006 fortunes bethany mclean wrote about enron in the book the smartest guys in the room. Businessweek the authors write with power and finesse. Enrons staff of gogetter stock salesmen, the sort of alpha males depicted in the film boiler room, convinced hundreds of ordinary people to invest in the company, thus inflating enrons stock price to a value that was far greater than what the company was actually worth if one examined its actual assets. Drawing on a wide range of unique sources, the book follows enrons rise from obscurity to the. Enron the smartest guys in the room quiz flashcards. Enron scandal overview the enron scandal was a financial scandal involving enron corporation and its accounting firm arthur andersen, that was revealed. The collapse resulted in criminal trials for several of the companys top executives, bringing the facts of exposure to enron s involvement in the california electricity crisis, where the company had rigged the market in order to generate huge speculative profits during the power. Investors on the fringes of the financial world feverishly seek new alternatives for highreturn investments in the global markets, and have found a goldmine in. Like its subject, the smartest guys in the room is ambitious, grand in scope, and ruthless in its dealings. The smartest guys in the room, from cognitive moral development to group norms, etc. The amazing rise and scandalous fall of enron is a book by bethany mclean and peter elkind, first published in 2003 by. The smartest guys in the room 510 movie clip something didnt add up 2005 hd duration. Deputy of lays at florida gas and chief strategy officer at hng initially became head of enron international and was a get it done type guy who could be both nice and aggressive first prima dona first guy to get genuinely rich and get money for a project that he developed first guy to take advantage of lay and the company and only say enron as a place to get rich and peace.
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