Business Ethics Forum Looks at 'Five Years Later: Leadership Lessons from Enron and Andersen'
by Cynthia Jackson, Hankamer School of Business, (254) 710-7628
Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business will host its annual Business Ethics Forum - "Five Years Later: Leadership Lessons from Enron and Andersen" - Nov. 1-3 at the Hankamer School of Business. The forum will discuss some of the major ethical issues and lessons learned from Enron and Andersen, from their rich history and tradition to their demise.
"A critical dimension in the experience of a Baylor business student is the opportunity to develop ethics skills," said Dr. Terry Maness, dean of the business school. "Although ethics is included in our business curricula all year long, we feel compelled to set aside this time every year to place special focus on this important topic."
The forum will begin at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, with a panel discussion on "The Andersen I Knew." The panelists will include Larry Dagley, Dagley Design and Development; Harold Cunningham, retired; and Phil Wedemeyer, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), who were all formerly with Andersen. Visit www.baylor.edu/businessethics/Andersen for more information and a complete list of the forum events.
At 5 p.m., more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students will take part in the Business School's first annual Ethical Leadership Case Competition. This competition consists of five leagues, with each league having four or five teams. All student teams will present the case and their recommendations in a formal business presentation. Presentations and judging will begin at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3.
All day Wednesday and Thursday, executives and ethics officers from various companies will be guest speakers in classes across the Business School.
At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, the Business School will host a movie night, showing Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, that will include popcorn, Dr Pepper floats and lively discussion.
At noon on Friday, Nov. 3, Mark McCollum, senior vice president and director of accounting for Halliburton, will speak at a luncheon as part of the Ben H. Williams Distinguished Speakers Series. Seating for this event is limited and reservations are required.
Later that afternoon, executive panelists will meet for a discussion, "Five Years Later: Leadership Lessons from Enron and Andersen Integrity Roundtable." Panelists include Dr. Vince Kaminski, professor of executive education at Rice University, former director of research for Enron; Jack Tompkins, former Andersen partner, former CFO of Enron; and Phil Wedemeyer, PCAOB, former Andersen partner. Charles D. Niemeier, member of the PCAOB, will serve as moderator for the event.
The Business Ethics Forum is sponsored by Harry and Hazel Chavanne Endowment for Christian Ethics in Business, Students in Free Enterprise, Larry and Mandy Powell, Conoco Phillips and Texas Farm Bureau.
About Baylor Business
The Hankamer School of Business holds to a visionary standard of excellence whereby integrity stands shoulder to shoulder with analytic and strategic strengths to build leaders, not simply careers. The undergraduate program is ranked 22nd among private business schools by U.S.News and World Report and 23rd among private business schools by BusinessWeek. Baylor's Entrepreneurship program is ranked 14th by U.S. News and its Accounting program is ranked 24th by Public Accounting Report. Visit www.baylor.edu/business for more information.