Mgmt 5590 Final
MNGT 5590
Fall2, 2010
Final Exam
Even though this is a take-home final exam, it is not an open book/open note exam. Please complete it using only the vast knowledge you have acquired from class/studying and retained in your brain. This stuff means something only if you have cognitively processed it and absorbed it.
There are 2 parts to the exam – a case with questions and some general questions. Remember: • there is no credit given for filler • lots of credit for organized concise thought • legible typing (no fancy fonts) • proper grammar and sentence structure counts • and (of course) use of stuff we learned in class (books or class discussion)
Also remember, repeating the question in the answer to make it longer doesn’t help. I left only a small space between questions because you can expand the space as you type, and not take up any more room than necessary.
Finally, if I ask for examples, please give them. If I ask for your opinion please provide it in sufficient depth so I can tell if you have really thought it through.
CASE 1
Few business episodes have been the subject of so much debate and despair as the swift descent of once-admired energy trader Enron. The saga of this firm, which rose to prominence as rapidly as it subsequently fell, serves as a kind of morality tale of corporations, regulators, and investors. As we have discussed in class, the tragic effects of Enron’s overreaching arrogance provide a textbook example of both the best and the worst of American business culture and practice. Although the catastrophe’s complete impact may never be completely determined, it seems likely that Enron’s collapse caused more than one major company to cease to exist, several industries experienced radically changed environments, regulators and investors modified their behavior, and all firms are now subjected to greater scrutiny and regulatory oversight. So how did one of the brightest stars of American
Fall2, 2010
Final Exam
Even though this is a take-home final exam, it is not an open book/open note exam. Please complete it using only the vast knowledge you have acquired from class/studying and retained in your brain. This stuff means something only if you have cognitively processed it and absorbed it.
There are 2 parts to the exam – a case with questions and some general questions. Remember: • there is no credit given for filler • lots of credit for organized concise thought • legible typing (no fancy fonts) • proper grammar and sentence structure counts • and (of course) use of stuff we learned in class (books or class discussion)
Also remember, repeating the question in the answer to make it longer doesn’t help. I left only a small space between questions because you can expand the space as you type, and not take up any more room than necessary.
Finally, if I ask for examples, please give them. If I ask for your opinion please provide it in sufficient depth so I can tell if you have really thought it through.
CASE 1
Few business episodes have been the subject of so much debate and despair as the swift descent of once-admired energy trader Enron. The saga of this firm, which rose to prominence as rapidly as it subsequently fell, serves as a kind of morality tale of corporations, regulators, and investors. As we have discussed in class, the tragic effects of Enron’s overreaching arrogance provide a textbook example of both the best and the worst of American business culture and practice. Although the catastrophe’s complete impact may never be completely determined, it seems likely that Enron’s collapse caused more than one major company to cease to exist, several industries experienced radically changed environments, regulators and investors modified their behavior, and all firms are now subjected to greater scrutiny and regulatory oversight. So how did one of the brightest stars of American