Case Study Questions
To respond the following questions students are expected to use the internet or other resources in addition to the data/information provided in the case material uploaded on iLearn. 1. Describe the factors that influenced Enron and led to its fall in 2000? Your discussion should revolve around the internal and external environment of Enron. Also, describe in general terms the breaches of accounting and ethical conduct that occurred within Enron. 2. Why were Enron’s internal checks and balances system fail to prevent its demise? 3. How did the top leadership/Board of Directors at Enron undermine the foundational values of the Enron Code of Ethics? 4. How did Enron’s corporate culture promote unethical decisions and actions? 5. If you were an accountant at Enron, how would you have responded to what was going on, and why?” 6. Using the lessons learned from the Enron case; describe the implications of unethical business practices on society. Marking criteria: 1. Comprehensiveness of caseanalysis 2. Support of case analysiswith evidence 3. Overall clarity Refer Case Study Marking Rubric. Deliverables: 1 x case analysisreport (Approximately 3000 words excluding references). Additional requirements: Formatting: Standard 12 point font, 1.5 line spacing, side margins 2.5cm wide. Referencing: All sources (ie the work and ideas of others) cited and referenced using a standard referencing system. Preparation: In order to complete this task and understand its requirements you may attend week 8 open consultation on case study, either via email or face-to-face meetings with the UC. Take careful notes of the discussion and analysisof the case conducted by the Unit Convener. Your Case Report MUST include the following FIVE sections: Section 1: Abstract – this opening section briefly describes the case, your analyses, the approach you used to respond the case questions, research you undertook to study additional material/resources to analyse/respond case questions, reflect on the NEW skills and knowledge you have learned from this case and reflect on the role of accounting professionals in the case organisation. Please note that this is NOT an executive summary – write this section as your “self-reflection” in your (own) words. This section should not exceed 300 words. Section 2: Introduction – in this section: (i) provide the overall summary for the case and background information about the case organisation; (ii) describe the environment/context of the case organisation, major players, its accounting & auditing practices, its corporate governance & culture, and ethical foundations within the case organisation; (iii) describe the specific issues/challenges you identified which arose within the case organisation. You may include tables, figures, sidebars, charts and graphs to highlight key points.This section should not exceed 500 words. Section 3: Responses to the Case Questions – this section is heart of your submission document. In this section provide response to each question (discretely). These questions will be uploaded on iLearn by the Unit Convener in week 6 of the session. In each question you are required to construct an argument about various situations and critically analyse the role of an accounting professional in those situations. Do NOT simply describe the situation or case or merely repeat information from Section 2. Limit descriptions to the Introduction Section. Specific details will vary according to the case question being analysed and the information necessary to support your argument. It is expected that you will undertake some research to construct and support your arguments. This section should not exceed 1850 words. Section 4: Conclusion paragraph generator - provide overall conclusion of the case in this section. Conclude this section by evaluating the impact of the issues/challenges highlighted in the case (both positive and negative), discuss lessons learned from the case, and the steps to be taken to avoid similar issues/challenges as faced by the case organisation. This section should not exceed 350 words. Section 5: References – provide a list of additional resources/material (ie journals, websites, books etc) you used to write case analysis and responses to the question. Your case analysis may also be supported by material presented by the industry partners and academic and industry sources. Limit your list to a maximum of 10 references. There is no word limit for this section.
