Arthur Andersen LLP Custom Case Solution & Analysis

1. Evidence Brief (Case Researcher)

Financial Metrics

Enron revenues grew from $10 billion (1995) to $100 billion (2000).
Andersen audit fees from Enron: $25 million (2000), with $27 million in consulting fees.
Andersen total firm revenue: $9.3 billion (2001).
Enron debt levels: $13 billion (2000), hidden via Special Purpose Entities (SPEs).

Operational Facts

Andersen operated as a partnership; local offices held significant autonomy.
Engagement partners were responsible for both audit quality and selling non-audit services.
Internal culture emphasized revenue growth and client retention over technical risk management.

Stakeholder Positions

David Duncan (Lead Partner): Prioritized Enron relationship; oversaw document destruction.
Joseph Berardino (CEO): Attempted to reform firm culture while defending audit integrity.
Enron Management: Leveraged SPEs to mask losses; pressured Andersen to sign off on aggressive accounting.

Information Gaps

Specific internal emails regarding the exact pressure applied by Enron CFO Andrew Fastow.
Quantified impact of potential audit failure versus the immediate loss of the Enron account.

2. Strategic Analysis (Strategic Analyst)

Core Strategic Question

Should Andersen prioritize the preservation of its audit independence at the risk of losing its largest client, or continue to pursue cross-selling strategies that blur the lines between consulting and auditing?

Structural Analysis

Agency Problem: Partners are incentivized to maximize billings, creating a conflict between oversight and client service.
Client Concentration: Reliance on Enron for $52 million in annual fees created an implicit dependency, compromising the firm’s ability to act as a neutral auditor.

Strategic Options

Option 1: Functional Decoupling. Mandate a strict separation between audit and consulting divisions. Trade-off: Immediate revenue drop; higher overhead.
Option 2: Audit-Only Focus. Exit consulting entirely to restore brand trust. Trade-off: Massive reduction in firm scale and partner compensation.
Option 3: Selective Client Purge. Terminate relationships with high-risk/high-fee clients like Enron. Trade-off: Short-term financial hit; long-term reputational protection.

Preliminary Recommendation

Option 1. The firm must decouple audit and consulting to eliminate the structural conflict of interest. The current model is unsustainable given the escalating risks of litigation and reputational collapse.

3. Implementation Roadmap (Implementation Specialist)

Critical Path

Immediate suspension of non-audit services for high-risk clients.
Restructuring of partner compensation to remove reliance on cross-selling.
External audit of the Enron engagement team by a third-party firm.

Key Constraints

Partner Resistance: Partners dependent on consulting revenue will likely revolt against the income reduction.
Regulatory Pressure: The SEC will demand transparency that may expose historical failures.

Risk-Adjusted Implementation

Implement a phase-out of consulting services over 12 months to manage cash flow. Establish a central oversight committee to approve all high-risk audit opinions, stripping local engagement partners of unilateral sign-off authority.

4. Executive Review and BLUF (Executive Critic)

BLUF

Andersen is in a terminal death spiral. The firm has traded its professional credibility for short-term fee growth. The current partnership structure is flawed because it rewards partners for ignoring audit failures to secure consulting contracts. To survive, Andersen must immediately terminate the Enron relationship, fire the partners responsible for the oversight failures, and spin off the consulting practice entirely. Anything less is a cosmetic fix that invites total firm collapse under the weight of inevitable litigation. The firm is currently insolvent regarding its reputation.

Dangerous Assumption

The assumption that the firm can reform itself while maintaining its current revenue model. The culture is corrupted at the partner level; incremental changes will be undermined by those profiting from the current status quo.

Unaddressed Risks

Litigation Liability: The financial impact of class-action lawsuits regarding Enron will likely exceed the firm’s insurance coverage.
Talent Flight: High-performing staff will exit the firm as the brand becomes toxic, destroying the firm’s future viability.

Unconsidered Alternative

Immediate merger of the audit practice into a competitor, followed by a managed liquidation of the consulting arm. This preserves the core audit staff and protects the firm’s legacy assets.