Appearances are not everything
In this modern day, appearance and reality have become much more interchangeable and the line that separates them has disappeared greatly. Everyone from corporate executives and sports athletes to infomercials all take on double roles, presenting them in one way, while in actuality, are entirely different. Putting on a façade that’s fake or illegitimate in order to deceive someone will always come back to bite you in the end with many negative results. Because of this reality is the basis for trust and credibility
Large corporations are the backbone of America and have created many opportunities for work and advancement. Yet many executives have asked the question in regards to profits and their financial situations, what is more important, appearance or reality? Ken Lay, the former chairman and CEO of Enron concluded that the appearance of his company making large profits was more important than the harsh reality in which Enron was losing millions of dollars. Ken Lay and others were indicted for essentially “cooking” the books, in other words, lying about finances and trying to cover their dire financial situation by giving information about non-existent profits and slim losses. Lay and others gave false reports about profits and shredded evidence of their growing debt and losses. Lay and others proved that when you try to lie and falsify appearances, your demise will always come. Appearances break down and the ultimate reality catches up to you, as in Enron’s case. Thousands of employees lost their jobs, pensions, and life savings at the tip of a few greedy individuals who asserted that appearance is more valuable than the truth. In addition, another scandal involving top executives, this time at WorldCom, shows that false appearances are used for greed and usually fail. Scott Sullivan, the Chief Financial Officer of WorldCom along with David Myers, the Controller and “Buddy” Yates, the Director of General...