The smartest guys in the room is a very well researched and exhaustive account haha, see what i did there. Enrons rise and surprising collapse in 2001, left everyone wondering what was going on, behind the curtains. Written by two senior writers for fortune magazine, the smartest guys in the room is a comprehensive history and analysis of the rise of enron and its dramatic and catastrophic collapse. In 2001, the collapse of the enron corporation was of one of the largest business scandals in american history. The written assessment of enron is due according to syllabus. The smartest guys in the room is the one book you have to read to understand the enron saga. On january 17, 2002 enron dismissed arthur andersen as its auditor, citing its accounting advice and the destruction of documents. Some people see the enron saga as a tale of corporate greed run rampant. Enron, the smartest guys in the room essays writers. The smartest guys in the room opens with a shot of the enron building in houston. 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. Fortune reporter mcleans article in early 2001 questioning enrons high valuation was cited by many as an early harbinger of the companys. Ethical issues in enron the smartest guys in the room. Kew media group releases oscarwinning filmmaker alex gibneys enron.
Bethany mclean and peter elkind in the smartest guys in the room. Paper should be two pages of text and a reference page. Drawing on a wide range of unique sources, the book follows enrons rise from obscurity to the. Then, as it focused on shortterm stock prices, it became corrupted by deceptive accounting, making more egregious bets. Though enron has become a byword for the corporate chicanery of the last decade, and theres been lots of news coverage of the duplicitous accounting and horrific practices of the houstonbased company including the bestselling book by bethany mclean and peter elkind which serves as a major source. If youre not familiar with the story, id recommend mclean and elkinds 2003 book the smartest guys in the room, andor the cnbc documentary that is based upon the same. The smartest guys in the room, with details about the key players, adapted book and filmmakers. The smartest guys in the room is a compelling, fastpaced inquiry into the buildup of enron and its very public undoing. 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 core of the enron story is the people, an array of brilliant.
Working from the 2003 book by bethany mclean and peter elkind. 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 by bethany mclean pdf download. The smartest guys in the room is a riveting documentary that s every bit as absorbing as fahrenheit 911. 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. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Write a critique of the film in 45 page doublespaced paper. Directed by alex gibney, the film looks into the collapse of enron corporation that led to. The smartest guys in the room book summary by bethany mclean. 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.
There were dozens of books about watergate, but only. The author of this theory suggests that firm must be valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and perfectly non sustainable. The smartest guys in the room alex gibney has a body of work that could scare off potential collaborators by not shying away from the truth. The smartest guys in the room makes abundantly clear just how rigged and dishonest the entire system of stock market analysis is. Watch enron the smartest guys in the room prime video. The smartest guys in the room is a 2005 american documentary film based on the bestselling 2003 book of the same name by fortune reporters bethany mclean and peter elkind, a study of one of the largest business scandals in american history. The other agencies listed are the second, third, or fourth lines of defense against a dishonest or corrupt corporation. Meticulously researched and character driven, smartest guys in the room takes the reader deep into enrons pastand behind the closed doors of private meetings. Summary of the film the smartest guys in the room free. Apr 14, 2005 working from the 2003 book by bethany mclean and peter elkind. Drawing on a wide range of unique sources, the book follows enrons rise from obscurity to the top of the business world to its disastrous demise.
Bethany mclean and peter elkind are the authors of this book. The amazing rise and scandalous fall of enron is a business book that describes enron scandal. The smartest guys in the room by turns amazing, amusing and appalling in ways that recall michael moore at his most sardonically outraged, enron. Ethical issues in enron the smartest guys in the room essay. Enron to hide massive debts and report good results until it declared bankruptcy. 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. 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. Mclean and elkind worked on the book when they both were fortune senior writers. The smartest guys in the room documentary trailer for the biggest corruption scandal in us history. A documentary about the enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall. The book does a very good job of explaining the history of the company, ken lays involvement in it, and his mentality and motivations. A church spire wrapped in a banner reading jesus saves peeks into frame. The film begins with a profile of kenneth lay, who founded enron in 1985. Andersen countered that it had already ended its relationship with the company when enron became bankrupt.
The amazing rise and scandalous fall of enron is a book by bethany mclean and peter elkind, first published in 2003 by. 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. Even if youve seen the movie, i think its worth a read. Based on the book by fortune magazine reporters bethany mclean and peter elkind, the film opens with the suicide of enron executive cliff baxter in january, 2002, then backtracks. Fearing the media at large was skewing the coverage afforded to enron on a whole, i looked forward to a book or report that would serve as a definitive look into the entire enron affair with the type of thoughtful and provocative investigation that the smartest guys in the room provides. The smartest guys in the room 4 5 stars 4 out of 5 stars. Directed by alex gibney, the film looks into the collapse of enron corporation that led to criminal trials of the companys top directors.
Love for sale by cole porter, performed by julie london. Mclean and elkind are credited as writers of the film alongside the director, alex gibney. Answer each of the following questions in your essay. The smartest guys in the room 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 smart guys at enron were, in fact, clever but amoral enough to profit from those conditions. The amazing rise and scandalous fall of enron by bethany mclean paperback. The film pulls back from the enron headlines and senate hearings, and explains with exceptional clarity the technical details of the firm s neverending, moneymaking schemes. The smartest guys in the room frauds and financial scandals in the business world were before an enrons case and will be after it. With john beard, tim belden, barbara boxer, george w. The smartest guys in the room and millions of other books are available for instant access.
Oscarwinning documentary filmmaker of taxi to the dark side and enron. Nov 07, 2016 alex gibney, who wrote and produced eugene jareckis the trials of henry kissinger, examines the rise and fall of an infamous corporate juggernaut in enron. Nov 26, 20 the tenthanniversary edition of the definitive account of the enron scandal, updated with a new chapter the enron scandal brought down one of the most admired companies of the 1990s. But the greatest contempt has to be reserved for the enron board. A documentary about the enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt. Peter elkind is an awardwinning investigative reporter and the coauthor of the national bestseller, about. Vrio analysis of enron the smartest guys in the room. The smartest guys in the room by bethany mclean pdf. The executives and insiders at enron knew about the offshore accounts that were hiding losses for the company. 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. But he explains to the hollywood reporters documentary roundtable how he earned the trust of his latest subject, mikhail khodorkovsky, one of russian president vladimir putins. The smartest guys in the room on nextflix 2005 movie enron. The smartest guys in the room chronicles the history of enron, from beginning to end.
The book should be within the grasp of any reasonably wellinformed investor. The smartest guys in the room 2005 plot summary imdb. Vrio analysis for enron the smartest guys in the room case study identified the four main attributes which helps the organization to gain a competitive advantages. 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. The smartest guys in the room is a 2005 documentary film based on the bestselling 2003 book of the same name by fortune reporters bethany mclean and peter elkind a study of one of the largest business in america 2212 page summary paper include.
Sep 28, 2004 meticulously researched and character driven, smartest guys in the room takes the reader deep into enrons pastand behind the closed doors of private meetings. The smartest guys in the room recounts the rise and fall of enron, the spectacularly fraudulent energy trading company whose 2001 collapse. The smartest guys in the room reprises the same booktofilm formula to powerful effect, perhaps because gibney took. The smartest guys in the room is a 2005 documentary film based on the bestselling 2003 book of the same name by fortune reporters bethany mclean and peter elkind a study of. It starts after background on ken lay when lay becomes ceo of houston natural gas in 1984 and concludes with the collapse of enron late in 2001, with an epilogue covering the further trials and criminal. The failure of enron in the early 2000s is one of the largest bankruptcies in us history with lehman brothers in 2008 as the largest.
Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. 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. The smartest guys in the room, taxi to the dark side latest documentary no stone unturned this coming monday, with the film detailing the 1994 loughinisland massacre where six men were killed when armed gunmen opened fire in a pub in the small northern irish village. The smartest guys in the room is a 2006 documentary based on the identically named bestselling book written by fortune magazine reporters bethany mclean and peter elkind. The smartest guys in the room for this assignment view the video, enron. Watch the documentary the smartest guys in the room about the enron scandal and complete the following.
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. But a chain of events lead to an enormous shock on the wall street and went down in history as one of the biggest business scandals. 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. Putatively, it began with good intentions and a believable vision. The smartest guys in the room puts the key focus on them with the help of recording, archive reports and interviews with many leading economic experts counting mclean and former enron workers. The smartest guys in the room pdf summary bethany mclean. Alex gibney, who wrote and produced eugene jareckis the trials of henry kissinger, examines the rise and fall of an infamous corporate juggernaut in enron. Film web site journey inside the interactive world of enron. Also the book of the smartest guys in the room is an amazingly written, dorky nonfiction book. In 2005, it was adapted into a documentary film, enron. 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 culture the guardian.
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