Innovation corrupted
Subtitle: Part I : the rise and fall of Enron
By: Malcolm S. Salter
Contributors: Harvard Business School. Division of Research
Series: Working paper / Division of Research, Harvard Business School -- 03-077; Working paper (Harvard Business School. Division of Research) -- 03-077
Publisher: Division of Research, Harvard Business School
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Boston]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 74
Subjects: Enron Corp
Description: This paper presents a brief historical overview of Enron's rise and fall and summarizes what is currently known about (1) the evolution of Enron's business model, (2) those organizational processes relied upon by senior Enron officials to drive and monitor the business, (3) emergent behavior related to the structuring, management, and valuation of major partnerships, and (4) oversight provided by Enron's management and board of directors. It concludes by posing the question of how Enron's story as a new, post-deregulation corporate model could have escaped critical analysis by the financial community, the business press, and other observers for so long. As such, this paper is an exercise in description, not interpretation. Since many of the facts about Enron's rise and fall have yet to be determined and agreed upon, this description must be considered tentative and incomplete. Nevertheless, the broad contours of the Enron story presented in this paper provide a sufficient basis for developing initial hypotheses about what might have caused Enron's swift collapse and what business and public policies might best protect shareholders, employees, and other relevant parties in the future from the kinds of injuries experienced in Enron's swift decline into bankruptcy.
Notes: "January 14, 2003."

Includes bibliographical references.