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The Real Lesson of Enron's Implosion: Market Makers Are In the Trust Business

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  • McAfee R. Preston

    (Caltech)

Abstract

How did Enron, a firm worth $60 billion, collapse over the discovery of a billion or so in hidden debt and fraudulent accounting? It didn't. Or, at least, not directly. Market makers like Enron and Ebay are in the "trust" business, just as banks and insurance companies are. Once trust was lost, the rest of Enron's value quickly disappeared. The maintenance of customer trust is an important, and frequently mismanaged, aspect of business strategy. The legislative response of Sarbanes-Oxley may do some good, but cannot really ensure trust.

Suggested Citation

  • McAfee R. Preston, 2004. "The Real Lesson of Enron's Implosion: Market Makers Are In the Trust Business," The Economists' Voice, De Gruyter, vol. 1(2), pages 1-10, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:evoice:v:1:y:2004:i:2:n:4
    DOI: 10.2202/1553-3832.1008
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    Cited by:

    1. Frank A.G. den Butter, 2012. "Managing Transaction Costs in the Era of Globalization," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14748.
    2. Vakkur, Nicholas V. & McAfee, R. Preston & Kipperman, Fred, 2010. "The unintended effects of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 18-28.
    3. Ines Gharbi & Mounira Hamed‐Sidhom & Khaled Hussainey & Janet Ganouati, 2021. "Religiosity and financial distress in U.S. firms," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(3), pages 3902-3915, July.
    4. Bohnet, Iris & Greig, Fiona & Herrmann, Benedikt & Zeckhauser, 2006. "Betrayal Aversion on Four Continents," Working Paper Series rwp06-005, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    5. Philip M. Fernbach & Steven A. Sloman & Robert St. Louis & Julia N. Shube, 2013. "Explanation Fiends and Foes: How Mechanistic Detail Determines Understanding and Preference," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(5), pages 1115-1131.

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