Technology's role in the Enron, WorldCom, and Arthur Andersen scandals

NSome of the key questions that were presented in the article include; How could a company as successful as Enron meet such a demise? What lessons can be learned from the Enron Debacle? Was the Bush administration aware of the problems at Enron before they became apparent to the rest of the country What can be done to prevent this from occurring again? Why did WorldCom collapse? Can the collapse of WorldCom interrupt internet connections? Why did Arthur Anderson ignore the discrepancies with Enron's business practices? Is Arthur Anderson to blame for the problems with Enron? Have the actions of Arthur Anderson tainted the profession of accountants? Why wasn't there more accountability for the practices of the companies? Why didn't the SEC know that these problems were occurring?

What is the most significant question?

The most significant question is What can be done to prevent this from occurring again? This question is the most significant because ot forces us to examine the things that are wrong with the current business structure in America. In addition, it forces us to find ways to address this issue and prevent the collapse of other companies.

2. What information did the authors use to come to the conclusions?

Most of the authors site information from the SEC and other government agencies. In addition, the company has been forced to disclose certain information during the court proceedings that occurred after the companies collapsed. Some of the articles discuss the authors opinions about the situation based on information from these sources. After the collapse of these companies, a great deal of information was revealed about the internal affairs of these organizations.

How can we check to see if this information is accurate?

We can make sure that this information is accurate by obtaining company information from the SEC. In addition, we can gather information from court transcripts. All of this information is readily available to the public and can be obtained easily.

Is there a more reasonable interpretation of the evidence than the conclusions to which these "experts" have come?

The interpretation of the evidence is straightforward. The articles assert that all of these companies met their demise because they were dishonest; all of the evidence supports this conclusion. All of the articles came to the same conclusion about the evidence that was available about the companies.

3. Name and explain some of the questions, problems, and issues that people in the IT field answer, solve, or resolve related to this issue.

Technology is an important part of business throughout the world. During the Enron scandal a key pieces of evidence were found through interoffice emails. IT professionals were able to retrieve emails that were sent and they were used as evidence against those that had been involved in the scandal. In addition current and future technologies could make it easier for IT professionals to retrieve emails and other interoffice communications such as letters and memos.

In the case of these three companies, IT professionals have asked if these situations could have been prevented through the use of advanced technologies. Some professionals suggest that software programs should be developed to accurately record and report information to the SEC. In addition, some assert that advanced accounting programs should be used to track business activities and to ensure that these activities are accurately recorded. These experts also contend that software programs should be used to track any changes that are made to the companies accounting records. Tracking such changes will allow the SEC and other firms to hold the company accountable for any inaccuracies in their reporting.

4. Discuss the point-of-view or perspective that the field of IT involves surrounding consideration of this topic.

IT professionals assert that much can be done to ensure that none of these scenarios occur again. The professionals assert that there are already programs that exist that can aid in catching discrepancies before they cause the collapse of a business. IT professionals also recognize there limitations and assert that businesses must behave in a way that is ethical to ensure that these situation do not occur again. Business leaders that are unethical will always find a way to beat the system no matter how much technology is in place to prevent problems from occurring.

5. What assumptions do the authors take for granted?

The authors of all of these articles have the benefit of hindsight. In other words they can see the whole picture and make assumptions about the types of steps that could have been taken to prevent the collapse of these companies. It seems that they take the benefit of hindsight for granted. The people involved in the debacle probably got so rapped up in the lies and deception that they did not realize the extent of the problem and how many people would be affected by the collapse of the company. In the case of Enron, the authors assume that the company's leadership made a concerted effort not to allow stockholders to know about the true state of the company's finances.

business structure look extremely vulnerable.

What are some implications for your life regarding this separation of the traditional U.S. business fabric?

The separation of the traditional business fabric is detrimental to the way that business in run. The actions of these companies could be detrimental to the economic structure of America and the economies of the world. If the SEC and the business world do not set up a structure of accountability the business world and investors could be severely harmed.

Were these just isolated cases or symptomatic of U.S. business overall?

I think that these cases were symptomatic of the overall business structure. It seems that American businesses are willing to do anything to make profits, with no concern for the people that are going to harmed through these frauds.