“He is a snake in the grass, a selfish, greedy man and holier-than-thou.” Prospective jurors’ thoughts on former Enron chairman Ken Lay.
He is the devil and a high-class crook.” Comments from prospective jurors regarding former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling.
The corporate trial of the century begins today in Houston. Many reputations within the Enron case are in crisis, especially the reputations of Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. In addition, the reputation of corporate America and the U.S. attorney’s office are also on the line.
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Halliburton is a name that means connected, powerful, war-time experts and it also means a major company with a reputation in crisis, again.
Troops and civilians at a U.S. military base in Iraq were exposed to contaminated water last year and employees for the responsible contractor, Halliburton, couldn’t get their company to inform camp residents, according to A.P. interviews and internal company documents.
Halliburton, the company formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, disputes the allegations about water problems at Camp Junction City, in Ramadi, even though they were made by its own employees and documented in company e-mails.
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This week I examine Martin Luther King’s reputation. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be 77 years old today. The civil rights leader, Baptist minister and recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize was born in 1929 and assassinated in 1968. He is still considered one of the world’s greatest heroes for his bravery, leadership and commitment to nonviolence during the pioneering years of the civil rights struggle in America. But unfortunately, his amazing legacy was also tarnished by several major indiscretions in his lifetime which, in my opinion, he didn’t handle properly. Some will not like that I even mention this, but Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a perfect man. Like all of us, he had his areas of weakness. He was not a saint. Sadly, because of the way he handled his indiscretions, he was both a hero and a cheater. As a result, his glowing reputation also has areas of tarnish. Read more →
Below is a list of the top 5 reputations in crisis for the first week of January 2006:
1. WILBUR ROSS AND HIS INTERNATIONAL COAL GROUP’s SAGO MINE – the king of turning distressed companies into gold is in hot water. Billionaire Wilbur Ross is the man that owns the mine 12 miners 260 feet below ground were killed in last week in West Virginia. The real tragedy the entire world learned about was the owner of the mine knew for some time the mine was not safe. In the last year alone, the mine’s owner, International Coal Group (ICG), was issued 205 citations, including 46 during the most recent inspection of the Sago Mine from early October to late December 2005. Federal inspectors listed 96 citations as “serious and substantial,” i.e., those MSHA believes could cause an accident serious enough to injure or kill a miner. These included violations of approved roof control and mine ventilation plans intended to prevent the buildup of explosive methane gas. Bottom line: safety is a reputation and life-saving must.
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We see so many leaders, celebrities, business executives and average Americans today with reputations in crisis. When their reputations are in crisis, their lies, deceit and other wrong doings also greatly affect their kids.
Michael Jackson has three small children. Ken Lay has children that are now adults. Martha Stewart has a daughter. Kobe Bryant, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong all have kids. Various political leaders around the world in crisis also have children. What really happens to the children when one of their parents has a reputation in crisis? In two words: further damage.
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