Customer Reviews

Enron: A Professional's Guide to the Events, Ethical Issues, and Proposed Reforms

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found this book to be a big disappointment; it is definitely not worth the price. Almost half of it consists of the appendix, with the full texts of the Powers Report, Enron's 2000 Annual Report, and the Watkins memo. While these are useful, they can be found in other places. The rest of the book is surprisingly "thin" and superficial. I was sucked in by the "professional's guide" description and my foolish assumption that there would be content here justifying the hefty price. Multiple choice questions are included - I suspect this was an attempt to gouge college students.

As a senior financial officer for several multi-million dollar corporations, I recommend this book to anyone who needs to function in the Sarbanes-Oxley era. It is one large case study of a corporate fiasco which could happen at many companies without proper governance or oversight. Mr. Berkowitz gets to his points succinctly and imbues the reader with an understanding that this is not only about ethics, but rather corporate survival in the mid-to-long term. The documents in the appendix are excellent and support the case quite well.

The story of Enron was presented in a very understandable and interesting manner, and left me with a very good grasp of the whole sordid situation. However, as I am not an accountant, I really couldn't relate to all the specific financial procedures or details in the appendices. Most significantly, the book emphasized the field of ethics--for an accountant, for a corporate person, for a regular citizen. This was the most thought-provoking aspect of the book. Various scenarios and issues were presented--fairly, with differing sides, potential reforms and alternatives, and impacts explored--leaving the reader to form his own opinion on how we can all learn from the Enron debacle and help effect positive change. The case studies were realistic and the discussions very revealing--a book well worth reading!

As a layperson, I found this book to be engaging and extremely informative. Arthur Berkowitz captures the essence of the "Players" as the scandal unfolds. At the beginning of the book, the author lists the numerous characters along with the position(s) they held. This was a useful "tool," helping the reader keep the characters straight. I also appreciated having the "memos" readily available to read in the back of the book.

Art Berkowitz covers all the bases in this insightful and quick read book. If you are looking for a solid understanding of what took place at Enron and would also like access to some of the high profile documents that were mentioned in the press, this is your book.

This is a must read for all financial professionals. Enron's situation has had an impact on all aspects of the financial world - legal, investment and accounting, and Art Berkowitz has brought together an excellent summary of the events and provided a meaningful discussion of the ethical issues.