Characters Compared to Celebrities Essay Example for Free

Characters Compared to Celebrities Essay Tom Buchanan is the husband of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tom can be described as an extremely wealthy brute of a man. He is very athletic and successful. Tom is also very selfish, and he will do anything to get what he wants. In addition he has absolutely no shame in anything that he does and he thinks very highly of himself. Tom is very judgemental and often forces confrontation. These characteristics can be found in many spoiled and greedy celebrities, one of which is Donald Trump. Three qualities that we will examine between Tom and Donald will be greed, selfishness, and  I would think that Tom represents a Donald Trump figure. Toms fairly ostentatious state of being in the opening chapter is something akin to Trump. Additionally, Tom has no problem with the magnitude of me and the sense of his own superiority. Indeed, Trump is similar in that he has no shortage of faith in self. Where I think that their real connection lies in how they feel that their success allows them to parlay this into speaking with an air of authority on any subject. Tom has no basis or any idea to speak of the coloured people or the threatening of the White society. He holds no degrees of advanced study in this field nor does his theory even make logical sense. Yet, because he is wealthy and represents a sense of power, he is able to speak with absolute clarity, and presumes that others will take what he says as gospel, as if the law is being written as it is being said. Trump operates in much of the same manner. He believes that his insights on national topics are relevant because he is a success. He can publicly weigh out a run for the political office of President because of his success and his wealth. His ability to speak of issues such as 9/11 or Rosie ODonnell are only accepted, or entertained because of his wealth. In this manner, Tom and Trump are fairly similar.

Analysis of Virtual Reality Essay -- Virtual Reality Technology Comput

Analysis of Virtual Reality The term Virtual Reality (VR) is used by many different people with many meanings. There are some people to whom VR is a specific collection of technologies, that is a Head Mounted Display, Glove Input Device and Audio. Some other people stretch the term to include conventional books, movies or pure fantasy and imagination. However, for purposes of this research, we restrict VR to computer mediated systems. We would define Virtual Reality as a way for humans to visualize, manipulate and interact with computers and extremely complex data. The visualization part refers to the computer generating visual, auditory or other sensual outputs to the user of a world within the computer. This world may be a CAD model, a scientific simulation, or a view into a database. The user can interact with the world and directly manipulate objects within the world. Some worlds are animated by other processes, perhaps physical simulations, or simple animation scripts. Interaction with the virtual world, at least with near real time control of the viewpoint, is a critical test for a 'virtual reality'. Some people object to the term "Virtual Reality", saying it is an oxymoron. Other terms that have been used are Synthetic Environments, Cyberspace, Artificial Reality, Simulator Technology, etc. VR is the most common and sexiest. It has caught the attention of the media. Types of VR Systems A major distinction of VR systems is the mode with which they interface to the user. We would describe some of the common modes used in VR systems. Window on World Systems (WoW) Some systems use a conventional computer monitor to display the visual world. This sometimes called Desktop VR or a Window on a World (WoW). This concept traces its lineage back through the entire history of computer graphics. In 1965, Ivan Sutherland laid out a research program for computer graphics in a paper called "The Ultimate Display" that has driven the field for the past nearly thirty years. "One must look at a display screen," he said, "as a window through which one beholds a virtual world. The challenge to computer graphics is to make the picture in the window look real, sound real and the objects act real." Video Mapping A variation of the WoW approach merges a video input of the user's silhouette with a 2D-computer graphic. The user watches a monitor that... ...irplane that the inspector can navigate through via voice commands to mark a region of the airplane that is in need of service. Once identified, the application tags the area for transmission to the maintenance database and initiates the proper form for the inspector to fill out. The form is completed and then transmitted to the same maintenance database. When the inspector has identified all of the problems with a particular region, voice navigation is used to continue to other areas of the aircraft. The inspector is not required to take any information about the aircraft, previous defect records, clipboards, paper, etc. with them, everything required to perform the inspection is on-line and displayed in a manageable fashion in real time during the inspection. When the inspector completes the inspection, no further input is required. The inspector is not required to take notes and then pass them off to someone else to decipher and input to the system. The information is already in the maintenance database and ready for verification, planning, and scheduling. The timesaving realized from start to finish of that inspection is 30-50% depending on the inspector and the aircraft. Analysis of Virtual Reality Essay -- Virtual Reality Technology Comput Analysis of Virtual Reality The term Virtual Reality (VR) is used by many different people with many meanings. There are some people to whom VR is a specific collection of technologies, that is a Head Mounted Display, Glove Input Device and Audio. Some other people stretch the term to include conventional books, movies or pure fantasy and imagination. However, for purposes of this research, we restrict VR to computer mediated systems. We would define Virtual Reality as a way for humans to visualize, manipulate and interact with computers and extremely complex data. The visualization part refers to the computer generating visual, auditory or other sensual outputs to the user of a world within the computer. This world may be a CAD model, a scientific simulation, or a view into a database. The user can interact with the world and directly manipulate objects within the world. Some worlds are animated by other processes, perhaps physical simulations, or simple animation scripts. Interaction with the virtual world, at least with near real time control of the viewpoint, is a critical test for a 'virtual reality'. Some people object to the term "Virtual Reality", saying it is an oxymoron. Other terms that have been used are Synthetic Environments, Cyberspace, Artificial Reality, Simulator Technology, etc. VR is the most common and sexiest. It has caught the attention of the media. Types of VR Systems A major distinction of VR systems is the mode with which they interface to the user. We would describe some of the common modes used in VR systems. Window on World Systems (WoW) Some systems use a conventional computer monitor to display the visual world. This sometimes called Desktop VR or a Window on a World (WoW). This concept traces its lineage back through the entire history of computer graphics. In 1965, Ivan Sutherland laid out a research program for computer graphics in a paper called "The Ultimate Display" that has driven the field for the past nearly thirty years. "One must look at a display screen," he said, "as a window through which one beholds a virtual world. The challenge to computer graphics is to make the picture in the window look real, sound real and the objects act real." Video Mapping A variation of the WoW approach merges a video input of the user's silhouette with a 2D-computer graphic. The user watches a monitor that... ...irplane that the inspector can navigate through via voice commands to mark a region of the airplane that is in need of service. Once identified, the application tags the area for transmission to the maintenance database and initiates the proper form for the inspector to fill out. The form is completed and then transmitted to the same maintenance database. When the inspector has identified all of the problems with a particular region, voice navigation is used to continue to other areas of the aircraft. The inspector is not required to take any information about the aircraft, previous defect records, clipboards, paper, etc. with them, everything required to perform the inspection is on-line and displayed in a manageable fashion in real time during the inspection. When the inspector completes the inspection, no further input is required. The inspector is not required to take notes and then pass them off to someone else to decipher and input to the system. The information is already in the maintenance database and ready for verification, planning, and scheduling. The timesaving realized from start to finish of that inspection is 30-50% depending on the inspector and the aircraft.

Navajo’s Resistance on Education

There are many ways to define the word â€Å"resistance. † One way that the Standard College Dictionary defines it as: To strive against; the act of resistance; act counter to for the purpose of stopping, preventing, defeating, etc. That†s how the dictionary defines it. Personally, my definition of â€Å"resistance† is the act of being against someone†s orders, rules, or demands. The reason why we resist some of these orders, rules, or demands is because our belief, morals, and religion come into play. The way that we were brought up plays a big role in our ability of making our own decisions. If we were brought up one way, and someone tries to force us to become someone else, or to mold us into something else, we would not feel right. Due to the fact that we grew attached to many ideas, beliefs and religion. The only natural thing to do is to refuse to give in to the idea of change. It†s a basic and a natural instinct. That†s exactly what the Navajos carried out. The Navajos rejected the idea of being force to become â€Å"civilized,† even after being put into the Bosque Redondo Camp. The only thing to do now was to survive and by all means refuse to accept the idea of becoming â€Å"civilized. There were several activities that the Navajos executed while they remained at the camps which showed there resistance against the ideas of General Carleton of forcing them to become â€Å"civilized. † One of the activities that the Navajos resisted against was the idea of sending their children to school and get educated. To the Navajos it seemed like a good idea, but they had other things in mind. Such as: worrying how are they going to gather the next meal to feed their families? They were living in the worst conditions imaginable. No food, shelter, or extra spare of clothes. They were very venerable to the conditions they were put in. For those reasons many of them got sick and eventually past away. But they did consider the advantages of the education program. Most of them took advantage of the opportunities given. Thinking about survival, they took such training in Carpentry, leatherworking, and blacksmithing (Osburn, The Navajos at The Bosque Redondo: Cooperation, Resistance, and Initiative,† 159). These programs are very useful only when the resources are available. When realizing that the resources were not available, they changed their priorities. Education was the very last thing on their list. Their primary priority was to find a way to get food and survive. As the Osburn states, â€Å"Yet the Indians claimed they were not opposed to education; they were simply more absorbed with the immediate concern of daily survival and considered the benefits of education to be peripheral to more urgent matters, such as obtaining enough food to fend off starvation. Their attempt to procure money and extra ration coupons for sending their children to school demonstrates the Indians† shrewd survival strategy†(159). The Navajos used simple and obvious strategies just to stay alive. It†s very much like if your stranded in an island, away from civilization. Your first instinct is not to worry about your make-up or your clothes. The first thing you have to worry about is how are you going to survive. Which eventually leads you to sub categories as: food, shelter, clothes, etc. It†s easy to say, but it is hard to do. The Navajos had to undergo many obstacles. When they realized that they were not getting enough coupons for food, and forging them wasn†t enough, they had to take drastic measures. Many of the Navajo women had to do things that were against their religion and their morals. The very last resort had to be taken, which eventually brought shame to the Navajo tribe and families. Many of the woman thought that the only way to attain extra food was prostitution. Osburn states, â€Å"Another method of obtaining extra food was prostitution, which was not a standard practice under less stressful conditions. Navajo women were generally considered to be modest and decent before and after the Bosque Redondo years†¦ While the Navajo recognized the degradation of prostitution at Fort Sumner, they also indicated that the women were compelled to set aside their moral prescription because of poverty and hunger†(159). Anybody would set aside his or her morals just to stay alive. Even if it means to kill someone just to gather food. It†s like Darwin†s theory: Survival of the Fittest. The weak people die and the strong survive. It takes valor to do something drastic like this. That is why I respect them so much. It makes people think of just the things we are capable of achieving if we just put our morals aside for awhile, and think about survival when put in a aquared situation and are forced to take extreme measures. Another activity that the Navajos resisted was the idea of â€Å"barrack housing. † Forcing them to start a new life as â€Å"civilized† people and living in a civilized community, the Navajos rejected the idea of living somewhere else that wasn†t their homeland. As the article states,† Carleton had originally planned to house the Navajo in neatly ordered barracks similar to the type of housing found in Pueblo villages. The Navajos, however, found this scheme unacceptable because their traditional housing was widely dispersed. Furthermore, they rejected the idea notion of permanent homes because of their beliefs about departed souls†(160). Lots of people wouldn†t mind starting off fresh and living in a house that was given to them. The reason being because he or she have had bad experiences in their past home and life. They are ready for a change. However, it wasn†t like that for the Navajos. They were already customed to the surrounding in which they were living before the â€Å"white people† took them out of their homeland. It†s like they stated, † The custom of our tribe†¦ is never to enter a house where a person has died, but abandon it. † Assuming that the past owners of the houses were probably killed, they rejected Carlton†s plan. Not only because they believed it was bad luck to enter someone else†s† house, but also because they were being put in an environment that they have never been exposed to. People find themselves very venerable if they have no control of the surroundings in which they are being put into. Very much like a parakeet in a cage. For years, a parakeet depends on its owner to give him food. What if the cage†s door was left open and the parakeet escapes or was left to be free. How would it live in the wild, without having the necessary skills to survive? Knowing that there is a harsh world just outside that cage, the parakeet takes his or her chances. Most of them end up finding a way to survive; yet, many of them just die of hunger because they couldn†t gather food. It†s exactly the way that the Navajos felt. The Navajos have already been customed to the surroundings of their homeland and were not prepared when they were being put into camps or the houses that were provided for them. They had no control over the resources that were provided, if they were any. They harvested many crops, but no luck. It wasn†t enough for everyone. Very much like the parakeets, they starved and died. If they did live through starvation, many of them were exposed to disease, which eventually killed them little by little. Knowing that the Navajos were sick, they never took advantage of the clinics or medicine that was provided for them. The last activity that the Navajos refuse to accept was the idea of getting medical attention. The refusal of â€Å"Anglo medical treatment. † â€Å"†¦ For similar reasons the Navajos refused medical treatment and the post hospitals. The Indians explained that they shunned the hospital because â€Å"all that have reported there have died†(160). When the Navajos noticed that many Indians were dying, the realized that the â€Å"white† people had to do something with it. Perhaps they believed that they were being slaughtered and killed. Not only that, but the Navajos didn†t want to be exposed the â€Å"white† medicine. They had their own ways of curing their sickness. Very much like people nowadays. Many of them do not believe in modern medicine and have their own way of curing themselves. For the Navajos, the only way to cure themselves and to purify their body without any modern medicine was to perform a traditional dance called â€Å"Squaw Dance. † They had their own views on how they believed they got sick. â€Å"According to this ceremony some sicknesses are the result of the ghosts of aliens, either those whom a Navajo warrior has killed or those who died from other causes and with whom the Navajo may have had contact, sexual or otherwise. Touching the corpse or stepping on the grave of an â€Å"outsider† may also cause alien ghosts to torment a Navajo with sickness† (160). Behind every culture, there are many reasons why they perform or do different things to get themselves better instead of using modern medicine. For example, â€Å"In the Navajos world view, illness is an example of disharmony in the cosmic order that the performance of a religious ceremony can correct. During the ceremony, the Navajo invoke their Holy People to rectify the disturbance or order. If the ritual is correctly carried out, the deities are obligated to grant the mortals requests, for a principle of reciprocity governs the exchange. In this regard, Navajo oral tradition emphasizes the importance of healing ritual at the Bosque (160). Nowadays, everyone grew up with an idea on how to get rid of an illness without the use of medicine. For instance, if someone has a nosebleed how do you stop it? Many people believe that lying down is one way, others to pour water over your head and pinch your nose with a wet towel and remain standing. There†s not an exact way. Probably all of them work. It†s just that most of us have been custom to one of these methods, and will not use any other one. It†s just the way we were brought up. Likewise, the Navajos didn†t want to try nothing new. Their beliefs and morals don†t allow it. The only thing left to do is to pursue your values and principles. The Navajo†s struggle for survival depended not only on resistance by their part but also the strategies that they used to attain it. Their primary objective was to survive. They accomplished this by many â€Å"patterns,† but one of those patterns stands out the most. The idea of â€Å"resistance. † They resisted â€Å"formal education,† â€Å"barrack housing,† and â€Å"Anglo medical treatment. † By refusing these ideas, many of them had to perform such tasks that would bring shame, not only to them but to their families too, just to survive. Many women became prostitutes, while others Navajos forged coupons, raided the camps but also fleeing from them, and performed ceremonies for spiritual cleansing. All of these activities played a big role in trying to change the way the Navajos lived their lives. Forcing someone to change, or to mold them in something they are not, will result in confrontation. That is why the experiment at Bosque Redondo failed to work. Gen. Carlton forced the Navajos to become â€Å"civilized† against their will, and in return was confronted and his ideas were retaliated. It was the only way that the Navajos could prevent the â€Å"white† people from forcing them to change their lifestyle, morals, beliefs, and tradition. So in conclusion, the Navajos† actions can be considered â€Å"resistance,† due to the evidence provided.

How Memories Crowd Themselves Out Of The Public Sphere Of...

Yujia Jiang May 1, 2016 GSAH220 - Global Interactions and Identities Safoi Babana-Hampton Communal Forgetfulness: How Memories Crowd Themselves Out of the Public Sphere Introduction Human history is full of major events. Great tragedies, heroic victories, and unlikely achievements all remain long after they have occurred, alive in the memory of the public and immortalized in histories and songs. Over time, though, the importance of different memories changes, and some memories are effectively â€Å"crowded out† of the public sphere of remembrance. In particular, tragic events that were perpetrated by a culture tend to fade out of that culture’s consciousness to make way for more recent events. These events are not forgotten, but they are viewed through the lens of more recent events. The memories of different events build on each other when they share common themes, even when the events themselves are very different, which leads to a collective memory that is based on shared national or international history. Public Memory People tend to think of memories as a set of individual recollections of specific, chronological events. In reality, though, human memory is much more nuanced and complex than just the storage of data like might be stored on a computer hard drive. Memory is far more colored and far less accurate than simple data storage. One individual’s memory of an event may be entirely different than another individual’s memory of that same event because of differencesShow MoreRelatedVampire Diaries61771 Words   |  248 PagesJudith and Margaret and I were driving back from the airport, I had such a strange feeling. When we turned onto our street I suddenly thought, Mom and Dad are waiting for us at home. I bet theyll be on the front porch or in the living room looking out the window. They must have missed me so much. I know. That sounds totally crazy. But even when I saw the house and the empty front porch I still felt that way. I ran up the steps and I tried the doo r and knocked with the knocker. And when Aunt JudithRead MoreSda Manual Essay101191 Words   |  405 Pages................... Mode of Baptism ...................................................................... Ministers Thoroughly to Instruct Candidates Previous to Baptism ........................................................................... Public Examination .................................................................. Baptismal Covenant ................................................................. Baptismal Vow and Baptism ........................................................

Social Medi An Emotional And Legal Commitment Of Two People

Marriage is an emotional and legal commitment of two people. However, Social media comes in many forms, such as Facebook, Tinder, Myspace, Match.com, Instagram, and Twitter. Social media is either a website or application that enables users to create and share content in order to participate in social networking. Some individuals find themselves using social media to find people with similar interests in order to find a relationship. Social media has made it easier for people from across the street to across the world to communicate. Social media has created profound effects between partners in marriages that lead to irreconcilable differences and eventually lead to divorce. According to Jim Halfens (2015), â€Å"’People who use social media†¦show more content†¦With more intimacy between individuals, there breeds conflict. Conflict may be a small disagreement and can escalate into dangerous abusive situations. There are various communication styles that may cause te nsion or feeling bored within a relationship. Avoidance is a tendency to avoid issues and inability to express their feelings that oppose their partner’s that may cause a disagreement. Comparing avoidance, partner dominance is when an individual tries to be controlling or the dominant one of the relationship. In the middle of avoidance and dominance lies assertiveness, which is the ability to express one’s feelings and desires to their partner without being overpowering. Physical and emotional conditions are a contributing factors in a relationship. Some people may find themselves in a sexual rut in which they may find themselves with a low sexual desire, a physical dysfunction, or sexual dysfunction. These may include emotions such as anxiety, and anguish. The individual may also experience physical conditions such as arthritis, fatigue, and headaches that make it more difficult for them to perform sexual activities. Psychological causes such as depression and long-term stress also play a factor in sexual relationships. Cultural, religious, and relationship pressures put a strain on each

Women During The Nineteenth Century - 1562 Words

Women both in Europe and America during the nineteenth century were living in a society that was characterised by gender inequality (Wwnorton.com, 2015). In the early periods of the century, women were expected to remain passive and subservient to the male counterparts. They were denied many of the legal, social, or even political rights, which in the modern world we consider as a right (Wwnorton.com, 2015). Thus, generally speaking women who belonged to the middle and upper classes remained home; they were expected to care for their children and run the household. In contrast, lower class women worked more frequently and so had other roles to play in society, which was outside the home. However they were likely to be poorly paid servants†¦show more content†¦The roles of women were undergoing significant change, and so therefore many of the writers reflect this change in their writing, and so we see different explorations of the roles of women in society. Many of the writers in the nineteenth century explored the role that women played in society. The historical changes that occurred in this period prompted much discussion and argument about the nature and role women played in society. The reform bills of 1932 and 1867 stimulated the discussion of women’s political rights (Wwnorton.com, p. 418). These changes inevitably were reflected in the works of many of the nineteenth century writers, as the industrial revolution presented a challenge to the traditional perceptions of the female stereotype. Emily Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’ being a very prominent work of literature at the time, as she challenged stereotypes by creating a female heroine that did not meet the social conventions of a woman living in the nineteenth century. The female protagonist Jane ‘articulates passionately the view that women are not different from men, but need a field of action as much as their brothers’ (Wwnorton.com, p. 420). Bronte presents to her readers a character that challenges the notion that women depend on men, and so we see Jane striving for independence. Bronte challenges the Victorian ideals as her character Jane finds love on an equal basis, and not for financial security, which was an important feature in Victorian society. This

Enrone Leadership failure free essay sample

Enron stands out as one of the biggest failures in business history. In 2001, Americans were appalled to learn of the unethical practices carried out by leaders and other employees of Enron. Enron used various methods of deception to appear more profitable than it really was, including through creating off-the-book entities to which Enron transferred its substantial debt. (Jennings, 2005). Enron implosion took the world capital markets and Shake the investor confidence in accounting and financial reporting. It even caused the world’s renowned international accounting firm Arthur Andersen to collapse. The most important gatekeeper could not predict Enron’s collapse before it occurred. It was then discovered that Enron senior management had employed complex creative accounting techniques to manipulate the company’s financial figures and hence boost up the financial performance. (Cruver, July 2002) This essay explores the internal culture and leadership practices of its top management. It includes a particular emphasis on charismatic leadership, in people like Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. The compelling vision of these leaders, expressed in a recruitment system designed to activate a process of conversion and the promotion of culture by conformity and penalizing of dissent. Introduction Enron went bankrupt and disappeared thirteen years ago, the impacts it has made on the ethical standards never faded. It took Enron 16 years to go from about ten billion dollar assets to more than sixty-five billion dollar assets, and took twenty-four days to go bankrupt. Enron, which once ranked as the seventh-largest company on the Fortune 500 and ranked as the sixth-largest energy company in the world, on December 2, 2001, filed for bankruptcy protection in the biggest case of bankruptcy in the United States up to that point. By November 2001, the company’s stock, which once peaked at $90, was down to less than $1. It was a disaster for the thousands of employees and investors. Employees lost their jobs and pensions, and investors lost billions of dollars. Enron’s ethics code was based on respect, integrity, communication, and excellence. Respect. We treat others, as we would like to be treated ourselves. We do not tolerate abusive or disrespectful treatment. Ruthlessness, callousness and arrogance do not belong here. (chairman, 2000) Integrity. We work with customers and prospects openly, honestly and sincerely. When we say we will do something, we will do it; when we say we cannot or will not do something, then we won’t do it. We have an obligation to communicate. Here we take the time to talk with one another and to listen. We believe that information is meant to move and that information moves people. (chairman, 2000) Excellence. We are satisfied with nothing less than the very best in everything we do. We will continue to raise the bar for everyone. The great fun here will be for all of us to discover just how good we can really be (chairman, 2000) As per this code of conduct and Ken Lay’s professed commitment to business ethics, how could Enron have collapsed so dramatically, going from reported revenues of $101 billion in 2000 and approximately $140 billion during the first three quarters of 2001 to declaring bankruptcy in December 2001? The answer to this question seems to be rooted in a combination of the failure of top leadership, a corporate culture that supported unethical behavior, and the complicity of the investment banking community. (chairman, 2000) The Enron History Enron found in 1985 as a pipeline company, there power supplier to utilities. Enron business start through the merger of Houston Natural Gas. In the following years, Enron improve quickly and became one of the successful energy trader in the world. Enron identified as a one of the world’s leading electricity, natural gas, and communications organization. (The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron, January 5, 2003) In the following years, with the increase of competition, Enron decided to use diversification and international investment to keep its market position. Actually, these activities brought Enron an unexpected large amount of losses rather than profits. In 1999, after a foray into fiber optics and the broadband market, which was a wrong decision again, Enron suffered too many substantial losses and began bleeding quickly. However, Enron had never declared any information about its losses until October 2001. Besides manipulated the financial statements, Enron never mentioned the risks, which it should disclose to its investors. On the contrary, the executives of Enron disclosed a great earnings forecast through the media and encouraged investors to purchase Enron’s stocks. They also suggested their employees invest their pensions in Enron’s stock or stock options. Arthur Andersen, the audit company for Enron, helped Enron hide these frauds for five years. Every time when analysts or Enron’s employees expressed their doubts about Enron’s financial condition, Enron would try to keep them quiet and fired them later. Meanwhile, top executive embezzled. The executives also drove up the stock price and put a large amount of money into their own pockets through trading stocks. (Mclean, 2004) Because of those frauds, from 1998 to 2001, the stock price peaked at $90 US. â€Å"By December 2000, Enron’s shares were selling for $85 each, its employees had their 401(k)s heavily invested in Enron Stock, and the company [had] a matching program in which it contribute additionally shares of stock to savings and retirement plans when employees chose to fund them with Enron stock† Therefore, both investors and employees suffered heavily from this disaster when Enron collapsed. Problems began erupting in 2001. Jeffrey Skilling, the CEO, left in August of 2001. Then in October 2001, Enron reported a loss of million $. Following that, Chief financial officer Andrew Fastow was replaced, and the Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating the Enron. After about one month, in late November, the SEC found off-the-books entities and overstated revenues, and then the company’s stock was down to less than $1 US. Finally, on December 2, 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection. Investors lost billions of dollars. (The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron, January 5, 2003) The Enron 1985 | To be the first natural gas company in North America 1990 | To be the first natural gas company in the world 1995 | To be best performing energy company in the world 2001 | To be the best performing company in the world 2002 | To recover from bankruptcy The Enron Culture Enron’s corporate culture developed inside its office during the heady days of its success and has revealed many signs of how things could go wrong. In general, the top management developed arrogance due to its success, the tone was set at the top and it percolated to the lower level and finally became a culture of the corporation. Enron’s top management, Kenneth Lay and it associates gave its executives freedom to pursue the corporate goal and left them to be and was only questioned when goals were not met. (William, 2002) â€Å"These controls were not rigorous enough, implementation and oversight was inadequate at Management and Board levels, as no one took responsibility for oversight; controls were not execute properly and structural defects became apparent over time. No one in Management addressed issues as it arose or brought it to the Board’s attention† Skilling instituted the performance review committee which known as the harshest employee ranking system as associates had to â€Å"do deals† and post earnings to be ranked high. Secrecy became order of the day for many of the company’s trading as well as disclosures†. (Thomas, 2002) Who to blame for Unethical Leadership Enron top executives lay and Skilling are mainly to blame for the Enron collapse. As intemperate leaders, Lay and Skilling were surely able to lead an effective and efficient Enron, but they lacked self- control and in turn followed a path down a slippery and slimy slope to disaster. They fostered a competitive environment that crushed any little creativity employees had and had them constantly worried about the permanence of their job. Not only were Enron’s top executives intemperate, they were also just plain toxic. Lay blatantly lied to employees, sending emails of false hope. He also conned his employees into keeping all stocks they held in the company all the while he sold millions of dollars’ worth of his stock. As employees of Enron, many were making a decent living. Many shut themselves off from the utter corruption they saw. Speaking out would surely cost them their jobs and possibly their childs college fund. (Cruver, July 2002) Looking back, many would want to say they would have been the whistle blowers, they would have spoken out, but personally, I do not think I would have. Maybe if I did not have a family or anything to live for I would, but I do. It may be selfish, but I believe that too much was at stake. I also find that the auditing firm Arthur Anderson played a key and pivotal role in this collapse. Ordering all Enron related documents to wipe after the scandal illustrates. Fault of Arthur Andersen’s There is no single answer for who is responsible for Enron downfall. There are many different people and groups at vault all varying degrees. Chairman and Jeffery Skilling are most certainly at fault, but I do not think you can blame a man for acting in his own best interests and for doing what he â€Å"thought† would protect a the organization. However, you can blame an organization whose sole job is to audit the books, for screwing up the auditing of the books. For this reason, I put Arthur Andersen most at fault. As a separate entity from Enron, the firm was the only check put in place on Enron’s’ accounting. However, it failed to properly report those findings as evidenced by not only the tragedy that was Enron’s finances, but also by the shredding of documents. Arthur Andersen not only had the information to stop the Enron train wreck, it also had the means of doing so. They expected to remain objective in the auditing of the finances but by instead became too invested in the company and the fees it generated. Whereas Ken Ley faltered in his attempts to keep the company afloat, he still â€Å"tried. † The job of Enron was to produce earning for its investors and they attempted to do so. Arthur Andersen’s job was to keep the books clean and they failed at just that. (The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron, January 5, 2003) †¢Way of Leadership Failure and Leaders The Top leaders were Kenneth Lay, CEO and Jeffery Skilling, COO/then CEO. However, Andy Fastow, who eventually became CFO, also played a leadership role in the development of special purpose entities their leadership failed on a number of Stages. (Cruver, July 2002) Ambition and greed created a culture of revenue growth at all costs, Poor financial controls allowed bad business decisions to be masked over, Unethical â€Å"quid pro quo† partnerships with auditors and other external reviewers were developed, and Compensation and bonuses went to the top without correlation to earnings. Enron failed in many different aspects but primarily due to the failure of the leadership team and people in different positions within Enron and other organization to act reputably and responsibly. Key issues were Transparency, protection of shareholder rights, and responsibility of the boards of directors. (The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron, January 5, 2003) †¢Leadership influence the organizational culture The best examples in which the leadership beliefs shaped the culture can found in the work of Andrew Fastow. He had tremendous authority to create the Special Purpose Entities. These organizations became a dumping ground for bad assets and a source of cash flow to please Wall-Street: â€Å"First, by selling troubled assets to the partnerships, Enron removed them from the balance sheet, taking pressure off the firm’s total indebtedness and simultaneously hiding underperforming investments†¦Second, the sale of the troubled investments to the partnerships generated income which Enron could then use to make its quarterly earnings commitments to Wall Street† In Enron’s case, SPEs were used widely to conceal the real performance some troubled assets and investments. SPEs were a way of securing capital funds and are very deceptive as we learned later on because it can deviate from the main purpose of creating SPEs. Jeffery Skilling was the first who employed this concept through the creation of Cactus Fun in 1991. Later, Fastow (CFO) took this concept to a new level and created these SPEs mainly for the purpose to sell troubled investments to partnership and remove these troubled investments from its balance sheet. Enron’s leadership was positively rewarding many people who participated in flourishing its corporate balance sheet starting from Andrew Fastow himself through promotion and compensation to other influential outsiders by rewarding them with multimillion consulting projects. By doing so, the leadership encouraged deceptive and shady practices within its corporate governance systems. Whether Lay and Skilling overlooked the SPE practices or encouraged them outright, the culture was such that Fastow could go forth recklessly as long as he returned revenues. The SPE solution would only provide short-term relief from swelling debt pressures. In the end, the SPE’s helped to undo Enron. (Mclean, 2004) †¢Corporate culture and organizational leadership support or undermine Enron vision According to the New York Times, Enron’s vision was to operate â€Å"as a global corporate citizen† conducting business with â€Å"respect, integrity, communication and excellence. † Enron wanted to become â€Å"the world’s leading energy company-creating innovative and efficient energy solutions for growing economies and a better environment worldwide (CSUS). The corporate culture and organizational leadership undermined this vision in that the business did not operate with integrity; instead Enron focused more on off-balance sheet accounting to unjustly enrich the pockets of its top management and meet/exceed Wall Street’s expectations. Such focus diverted Enron’s resources from creating innovative and efficient energy solutions. The culture can easily be summarized as aggressive which lead to unethical behavior in the form of issuing worthless stock options to employees. In addition, during Enron’s takeover in India over 200 million people in India experienced a massive blackout which further lead to Enron demanding more than â€Å"three times the normal rate for supplying power† to re-power the electricity stations. (The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron, January 5, 2003) †¢The Most parts of the corporate governance system that failed in Enron Enron failed because appropriate internal governance failure, especially since the SPE’s were specifically designed to write-off bad assets and hide poor profits. The focus on revenue above real earnings was the fault of upper management. Of course, external governance failed to acknowledge warning signs. Clearly at fault, the auditors and legal counsel did not serve the Enron community of stakeholders well. Rather, both accounting and legal entities overlooked discrepancies and errors and favored the relationship with Enron to continue the revenue streams for their own professional services companies. Without appropriate financial information from the auditors and legal counsel the SEC and SYSE (external corporate governance systems) cannot be held accountable for their failure to notice Enron’s illegal practices. If I am in Enron If I am Enron employee. I will have many questions about the condition of the company, and depending on our business intuition, I feel there must be some problems at Enron. But if I ask questions or mention my opinions, I will be hurt right now, such as lose my job, or receive unfair reviews. In the Utilitarian Theory, Philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill argued that â€Å"resolution of ethical dilemmas requires a balancing effort in which we minimize the harms that result from a decision even as we maximize the benefits† (M.J, 2009) In this theory, when we make decisions, we should consider the interest of all the parties who are affected by our decision and choose the actions which can maximize the benefits. We can just do the most good that we can. It is an ethical dilemma—protecting our own interest with a predicted harm to all the investors, or just protecting most of stakeholder’s interest and give up our own short-term interest. According to the Utilitarian Theory, the answer is obvious. The Categorical Imperative and Immanuel Kant theories stated a standard â€Å"you cannot use others in a way that gives you a one-side benefit† (M.J, 2009) I ask myself the following three questions: Is it legal? Is it balanced? How does it make me feel? If I were an employee of Enron, I would think about the answers for the three questions above. 1. According to our business intuition or some threads, I feel the Management may commit fraud. It’s illegal to help the Management to hide fraud. 2. If I disclose this information to public, I may lose my job. Otherwise, if I hide the information, more people will suffer, such as the investors and stockholders of Enron. 3. I need to disclose these to public and try best to stop the fraud of Enron although I may lose my job. Hiding the facts I know and letting others suffered from that facts, make me feel guilty. Conclusion Enron the weakness is bad leadership. The executives of Enron are really smart guys, but they destroyed the fortune they built in 16 years and also hurt many investors. The fundamental cause of this disaster is that they lack the idea of the business ethic. Therefore, when the executives encounter dilemmas, they chose the wrong way. To avoid another Enron, I have three suggestions for organizations in today’s business world. 1. Organization has to think about their corporate culture carefully because organization’ culture will impact the decision of both the employees and employers when they face ethical dilemmas. As discussed in the third part, Enron’s culture brought many bad results and contributed to its fraud and bankruptcy. Enron had competitive environments and rigorous performance evaluation standards. Besides that, Enron only focused on its financial goals. If Enron gave more job securities to their employees, there might be less cheating on work. Additionally, employers could not make so many decisions if they cared about the interests of their employees and other stakeholders. Therefore, organizations should build a healthy corporate culture. 2. Organizations need to build a robust ethics infrastructure and follow it in the daily business. Only having ethical codes is far from enough. Enron had a well written code of ethics, but many unethical behaviors still happened. So organizations should write a code of ethic and communicate it to all the employees. If you have an ethical code, you should try your best to follow it. Don’t make your code of ethics be window dressing. Instead, organizations should make ethical standards common sense in every person’s mind. 3. Organizations need to learn business ethics theories and models because they are the ethical basis in all the situations. For example, in these theories and models, the impacts of your decisions and the interests of related parties are emphasized. These ethics and models give out good ways of balancing the interests of all the related parties, so they can help you make the right decisions when you face ethical dilemmas. Executives of business should have a good knowledge of business ethics. Then when they encounter dilemmas, they can know what to do. Therefore, to avoid another Enron, organizations should consider whether they have a healthy business culture, whether they have a well-written code of ethics and also follow the code, and whether the employers and employees have enough knowledge about business ethics.