Behaving Badly: Ethical Lessons from Enron

If you're one of the people glued to their TV as the Enron verdict was announced, if you've watched one of the many news programs or read the magazine and newspaper articles about the Enron collapse--or, perhaps even more importantly, if you've done none of the above quite yet, you're really in for a treat! Most of what you've heard about Enron just touches the surface of some very intriguing questions: Were Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling ruthless monsters or just ordinary people? What could have driven them to commit the kinds of actions that eventually led to the complete collapse of one of the world's most acclaimed and admired companies? Denis Collins's book actually shows that the seeds of the actions that ultimately brought the Enron giant to its knees may not be that uncommon in business organizations! There was nothing inevitable about Enron's collapse, nor was it something that happened overnight. But how can one effectively deal with ethical dilemmas--even on a much smaller scale--that can truly change the course of an entire organization and the lives of all its employees? What can business leaders ultimately learn from the Enron scandal? How can real people, with real weaknesses, who make real mistakes, take steps to build an organizational culture based on integrity and ethics? Nowhere have I found answers to these questions in a concise, compelling, and convincing manner--until I came across this remarkable book! Of course this comes as no-surprise: The first time I heard this award-winning author speak about the Enron scandal was on a National Public Radio program that made me stop dead on my tracks and listen eagerly: I was later delighted to discover that the direct, insightful, conversational style of that program is exactly what characterizes the book Behaving Badly! It tackles serious issues in a way that's exciting, meaningful, and offers food for thought: Whether you're a business leader or someone who aspires to become one, whether you're fascinated by politics and current affairs, or simply strive to better tackle the ethical dilemmas in your own life, this book is definitely worth reading! Something tells me you might even pick up a couple of extra copies; after all, this book is sure to make a positive difference in the lives of people you work with or care about. Enron might be what sparked the idea for this book, but its lessons are surely timeless.

The Enron Case has become synonymous with corporate greed, a breakdown of business ethics and destroyed organizational lives. Why another book on this well publicized event? There is a simple and compelling answer. It is because this one is unique. This is the very best book on this topic in the marketplace. It is well written, well researched and is far more than just another report of what happened. Behaving Badly is written in such a way that the broader issues of business ethics and how they relate to organizational decision-making are presented. To differentiate this book further, Dr. Collins invites readers to place themselves in the role of decision maker. Enron is the backdrop, but the main focus of this superior book is to dissect the elements of the process that led up to the well-known and highly publicized outcomes. By doing so, Dr. Collins has taken the event out of the headlines and given us an incredible teaching/learning tool. As one who believes that Business Ethics is not an oxymoron, I find the focus of this book to be both informative and useful. It puts the spotlight on how decisions were made at Enron and provides the reader the opportunity to input their own views in a more enlightened, value driven way. Readers who are organizational leaders will be able to test their own ethical framework. It's stimulating and thought provoking. This book is more than a great read. Corporate leadership in businesses of all sizes should buy Behaving Badly in bulk, distribute them to all of their employees and then gather to discuss the issues and decision points presented in each chapter. It is a fantastic tool to use in focusing attention on core values and their use in corporate decision-making. It would be an excellent catalyst to sharpen the commitment of all members of an organization to its best ethical inclinations. Training and development professionals should use Behaving Badly to generate discussion and engage in corporate self-discovery. What would you do? What would your colleagues do? How would your organizational culture react to your responses? Extremely important questions. You have to discuss the issues before they become universally understood, embraced and applied. In addition, Behaving Badly should be used in college classrooms as supplemental reading. It is academically strong and well researched. Students can apply their understanding of ethics to an actual, very familiar case. . Buy this book. Read it. Think about the issues. Discuss them with colleagues. Buy the book for your boss and leave it on her desk. It is a great opportunity for personal and professional growth and development.

This book is great. Very interesting and keeps the reader involved. Very contemporary given the guilty verdicts. Read this book and you will understand why.