Essay - Compare and Contrast Enron Corporation and the American Fur Company...

Compare and Contrast Enron Corporation ***** The American Fur Company

To construct a comparison between Enron and American Fur, it is useful to ask some questions. Were the executives at ***** more unethical than John Jacob Astor? Or was Astor ***** unethical ***** they were? Were there any indications that ***** or the Enron executives felt any social responsibil*****y f***** their actions?

To answer these questions, several *****actors need to be considered. The regula*****ry environment for a company operating in the late 1900s, Enron, differed greatly from the environment for a company operat*****g in ***** early 1800s, American Fur. Dissimilar regulatory atmospheres caused the companies to act in unlike fashions even though both companies existed ***** a capitalistic country where ***** primary goal was the same for both, monetary profit. To reach the goal, both companies relied on some ***** practices. Enron executives colluded to hide the impending financial disaster from their employees and the *****'s shareholders. John ***** Astor *****ed an organization, a trust, which g*****ve him a monopoly in the fur business ***** ***** power to control pricing. Many regula*****ry requirements evolved from efforts to eliminate monopolistic practices, such as those used by Astor. However these rules did not stop the ***** debacle from happening.

***** executives disguised ***** financial dealings and had the cooperation of their auditors, the investment community, politicians, ***** regulatory agencies to perpetuate the deception. While Enron executives were selling m*****sive quantities ***** company stock, ***** were promoting purchases of the stock by company employees. The company sponsored retirement plan forced some amount ***** retirement savings to be held in the form of company *****. When the price of the stock plummeted, many employees lost a large percentage of *****ir retirement sav*****gs. Most of the Enron executives have taken the approach that they made as much money as possible for themselves. Other people should have *****en smart enough to know when to sell. Enron executives believed that they ***** receive substantial rewards ***** their innovations that helped grow the company. *****se executives have shown no remorse toward the many people whose lives have impacted by the *****' lack of ethics. Even ***** most extensive legislation does not prevent unethical activity. The outcome of the Enron situation is still unknown. Most likely ***** rules will be updated and some new rules will be added.

***** the c*****e of American Fur, Astor created the ***** to dominate ***** fur trade in the ***** West. Domination led ***** elimination of any potential competition and control of the supply and ***** of fur products. Astor ********** in every way possible by taking advantage of Native Americans ***** ***** trappers. Few restrictions inhibited his approach to building his *****. Environmental concerns ***** not exist during American Fur's existence. American Fur and other companies like ***** Fur got whatever profit they could as quickly as *****. That kind of behavior would be unacceptable today. Huge ***** ***** accrued to him for being astute. Indirectly his success in the West focused