Inside Arthur Andersen

Inside Arthur Andersen PDF

Author: Susan Elaine Squires

Publisher: FT Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0131408968

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The authors bring their unique insights to a close-range observation of Andersen's culture that has continued for more than 15 years. They first review Andersen's unique history and role; its traditionally careful attention to "enculturing" new employees via mentoring, social networking, rewards and punishments; and its social structure characterized by personal, "familial" relationships. Next, they narrate two decades of change at Andersen, showing how the firm's tightly integrated cultural system gradually began to devolve, rapidly coming apart in the wake of the 1990s new economy revolution. The book concludes with an insightful discussion of the systemic cultural and business factors that placed Andersen and many other organizations at risk, along with a realistic assessment of the proposed reforms.

Final Accounting

Final Accounting PDF

Author: Barbara Ley Toffler

Publisher: Currency

Published: 2004-04-13

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0767913833

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A withering exposé of the unethical practices that triggered the indictment and collapse of the legendary accounting firm. Arthur Andersen's conviction on obstruction of justice charges related to the Enron debacle spelled the abrupt end of the 88-year-old accounting firm. Until recently, the venerable firm had been regarded as the accounting profession's conscience. In Final Accounting, Barbara Ley Toffler, former Andersen partner-in-charge of Andersen's Ethics & Responsible Business Practices consulting services, reveals that the symptoms of Andersen's fatal disease were evident long before Enron. Drawing on her expertise as a social scientist and her experience as an Andersen insider, Toffler chronicles how a culture of arrogance and greed infected her company and led to enormous lapses in judgment among her peers. Final Accounting exposes the slow deterioration of values that led not only to Enron but also to the earlier financial scandals of other Andersen clients, including Sunbeam and Waste Management, and illustrates the practices that paved the way for the accounting fiascos at WorldCom and other major companies. Chronicling the inner workings of Andersen at the height of its success, Toffler reveals "the making of an Android," the peculiar process of employee indoctrination into the Andersen culture; how Androids—both accountants and consultants--lived the mantra "keep the client happy"; and how internal infighting and "billing your brains out" rather than quality work became the all-important goals. Toffler was in a position to know when something was wrong. In her earlier role as ethics consultant, she worked with over 60 major companies and was an internationally renowned expert at spotting and correcting ethical lapses. Toffler traces the roots of Andersen's ethical missteps, and shows the gradual decay of a once-proud culture. Uniquely qualified to discuss the personalities and principles behind one of the greatest shake-ups in United States history, Toffler delivers a chilling report with important ramifications for CEOs and individual investors alike.

Best Practices

Best Practices PDF

Author: R Hiebeler, T Kelly, C Ketteman

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-12-11

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1471109267

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

For the past five years, Arthur Andersen has been gathering, sorting, and condensing data from the world-class companies it works with to compile its Global Best Practices Database. Now, for the first time, Arthur Andersen shares its understanding of how more than forty best-practices companies focus on their customers, create growth, reduce cost and increase profits. Managers of any business in any industry can adapt and apply what those companies do best. Unlike other books based merely on limited anecdotal experience, BEST PRACTICES is backed up by 30,000 pages of active, documented data on hundreds of companies worldwide. With information being the most valuable commodity in business this is both comprehensive and cutting edge - it is without peer as an information resource.

And You Thought Accountant's Were Boring

And You Thought Accountant's Were Boring PDF

Author: Larry R. Katzen

Publisher:

Published: 2013-09-25

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781939758187

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This is a story about the power of the government who destroyed Arthur Andersen, one of the largest accounting firms in the world. The company was later vindicated by a 9-0 supreme court ruling, but it was too late. The careers of 85,000 people were destroyed. Meet one of them: Larry R Katzen, who devoted his life to Arthur Andersen.

Activity-Based Management

Activity-Based Management PDF

Author: Steve Player

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 1999-05-03

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"We believe the results of this work deliver up some valuable lessons for any company thinking about ABM, about to start ABM, or recovering from a failure with ABM. . . . We hope our views on the pitfalls that impede successful implementation of ABM help the reader and that by book's end, you'll be as convinced as we are that ABM can be a key weapon in today's international business arena."-from the Preface Now revised and expanded, Activity-Based Management covers the tools and techniques needed to implement ABM as smoothly as possible and use it to its maximum potential over the long-term. Along with revealing case studies from companies across industries, this comprehensive resource includes thirty lessons to be learned in three crucial areas: starting off right, developing the pilot, and moving from pilot to mainstream. Instrumental in decreasing or eliminating misallocation and misinformation, activity-based management (ABM) is a discipline that focuses on the management of activities as the route to improving the value received by the customer and the profit achieved by providing this value. While a host of Fortune 500 and other growth companies are using ABM, not all are doing so with maximum results, demonstrating clearly that proper application requires certain tools and techniques. The fundamentals needed for the effective deployment of ABM are presented and explained in this comprehensive resource, now completely revised and updated. Edited by Steve Player and David E. Keys, with cases written by members of Arthur Andersen's Advanced Cost Management Practice, Activity-Based Management defines what kind of organization should employ ABM, why it should be implemented, and how it can link with other improvement initiatives to enhance a company's management performance. Along with straightforward guidelines on ABM do's, Player and Keys offer important details on the don'ts, highlighting thirty lessons to be learned in three crucial areas: getting off to the right start, developing the pilot, and moving from pilot to mainstream. Covering potential pitfalls, as well as what to do to overcome them, the authors pinpoint such problems as unclear objectives, misallocation of costs, inadequate software, and poor project management. For a frontline perspective, Activity-Based Management features revealing case studies from various corporations. Presenting their experiences with ABM and activity-based costing (ABC), these firsthand accounts examine a wide range of topics, including using storyboarding to develop ABM systems, how to use ABM for profitability, using ABM to support reengineering, and using ABC for target-costing, activity-based budgeting, and benchmarking. In addition, the next wave of tools are examined. These include customer profitability, revenue profitability, performance management systems, target costing, and reporting ABC information. Packed with proven strategies and practical tips, this accessible and exhaustive resource is indispensable reading for anyone looking to implement activity-based management smoothly and successfully. Jacket Design: Andrew Liefer.

Inside Arthur Andersen

Inside Arthur Andersen PDF

Author: E Squiresm S

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"Inside Arthur Andersen provides a perceptive analysis of the changes in cultural values that took Andersen from the top of the accounting profession to its doom. The authors do a superb job of analyzing the historical Andersen culture and the varied forces that led to dramatic changes in that culture in recent years. In addition, the authors display great insight into what made Andersen great and the changes that led it to fail, while also raising serious questions about the remaining accounting firms and whether they understand how they must change to survive. In the struggle between public interest and private profit, private profit won out only to cause Andersen to fail."--Arthur R. Wyatt, Retired Partner, Arthur Andersen, former member, FASB, and past Chairman, IASC "This book provides a thought-provoking account of how the firm's culture changed over time. It is balanced and helped me make sense of what happened to our once-great firm."-James Brennan, former Associate Partner, Andersen Consulting "This author team is the best to provide insider insights and credible explanations of what happened at Arthur Andersen and why it happened. The story they tell contains valuable lessons for all companies and leaders and is a must-read for anyone interested in the health and well-being of companies today."-D. Quinn Mills, Harvard Business School, and author of Wheel, Deal, and Steal . "The wave of corporate financial scandals has served to emphasize the critical role of the external auditor in maintaining a market economy. Arthur Andersen had a distinguished history of being the 'gold standard' of the profession. How this highly respected firm lost its bearings is the subject of a superb, serious study by former Andersen employees. Inside Arthur Andersen is and will remain the definitive explanation of the downward spiral to Enron."-Leonard R. Sayles, Professor Emeritus, Graduate School of Business, Columbia University " Inside Arthur Andersen provides a lively excursion through the conflicting goals and values that permeate organizations in general and the public accounting profession in particular. The story of the birth and death of the Arthur Andersen firm is loaded with lessons for us all. This book should appeal especially to readers who want an overview of the dramatic consequences of Andersen's changing values through the years."-Charles T. Horngren, Stanford Graduate School of Business " Inside Arthur Andersen provides an outstanding chro ...

An Actor's Odyssey

An Actor's Odyssey PDF

Author: Arthur Anderson

Publisher:

Published: 2010-02

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781593935221

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Though Arthur Anderson will never be a household name, I can claim to have been performing professionally since 1935, making a living - sometimes a very good one - and in that time I've had some joyful experiences, some depressing ones, and have worked with many fascinating people - and a few rotters. But in their own way they were fascinating, too. -- Publisher website.

Cases in Corporate Governance

Cases in Corporate Governance PDF

Author: Robert Wearing

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2005-05-24

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 9781412908771

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

With in-depth analysis of nine different cases, several of which have influenced the codes and regulations of corporate behaviour in the UK and America, this book explores the relationship between governance practice and theory.