Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room—Using the Enron Film to Examine Student Attitudes towards Business Ethics

Abstract

Publicity from recent scandals has generated increased discussion of the role of business schools in teaching students about ethical behavior. The business ethics literature reveals that business schools can be effective in changing student attitudes towards business ethics. The approach used i n this research integrates the teaching of business ethics into an undergraduate organizational behavior course. We outline the use of the film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room as an intervention to engage student discussion about their attitudes towards business ethics. We report an assessment of the effectiveness of the intervention, and provide suggestions for future research.