[pepsi_junkie]

I heard or read a blurb about a poll of corporate ethics officers regarding corporate scandals. This was in response to the Tyco mess, prior to worldcom. They all said we could expect about 20 more scandals before it's done. Of course I wondered why if you are a bunch of crooks you bother to have an ethics officer, and if you have one why you would actually tell him anything but I guess they did.

My vote: GE. Despite efforts by his officially sanctioned biographers to portray him as a nice man who just wants whats best for his employees he was a ruthless by-the-numbers man, do anything for a buck. They didnt call him neutron Jack for nothing. While I was getting my masters degree I cringed whenever I was in a Wharton classroom listening to the profs (who were just about all exceptional, IMHO) use Jack Welch and GE as an example of the way business ought to be, share price is everything. I cringed because deep down I was and am conviced that he's a crook. And in the light of day we are now being exposed to, it'll turn up. GE has held a bunch of meetings with analysts to try to explain how they did the accounting for GE Capital and so far it hasnt helped. If its that confusing to experts you know they played with the rules.

By the way, GE is an icon of american industry. Far more so than Tyco or Worldcom or Enron. If it goes down to an accounting scandal it would send a real shockwave across the markets. Everything up to now will seem like ripples compared to a tidal wave I fear. Hope I'm wrong!

[hopespringseternal]

Wasn't Jack Welch the one banging the Harvard Wetloaf skank?

[sibb1213]

I hope you are wrong too since my husband and I are both retired from GE and have huge holdings of GE stock. I get a real sick feeling in the pit of my stomach wondering if Jack and his men were crooks. Ruthless, yes, absolutely! But crooks? He made millionaires out of many of his employees and we have him to thank for that. Our stock has suffered because of Enronitis and the recent Worldcom scandal but thank God we don't use A. Anderson for our accounting!! Only time and more digging will tell. (Personally I hope it is Ted Turner and also Disney!!)

[aristeides]

I know Archer Daniels Midland has been buying support for its ethanol subsidy with the way it advertises for the talking heads shows on TV. But I wonder why GE has felt the need to buy so many ads on the same shows.