Erin Brockovich (2000)

1. What struggles did Erin Brockovich have with balancing her family and her job?
- One of the biggest struggles of Erin Brockovich with balancing her family and her job
was at the beginning she was a single mother and she would leave her kids at a nanny’s
house so she could go to work. This resulted in them having less time spent together and the
kid’s, especially her son, slowly developed a rebellious attitude. Time, it was the little time she
spent with her family that caused the imbalance between her two most important roles, helping
the people at Hinkley and being a mother to her kids.
2. Do you think a man would be likely to have the same problem? Why or why not?
- Yes, a man would be likely to have the same problem because it is also possible for a
man to become an unemployed single parent, where he’s bouncing between jobs just to
survive with no money in his bank account. This is a universal problem and can happen to
anyone, man or woman.
3. Did Erin Brokovich show professionalism in her job? Why or why not?
- She did not show professionalism in her job because she would occasionally curse and
blow up. She has a short temper and is quick to let her emotions get to her and if that happens
she tends to bad-mouth people even those that she has worked with such as Ed.
4. What image did she project?
- The image she projected was an unprofessional mother with 3 kids that does not want
to be messed with and will fight you if you try to insult her.
5. Did this image make things at work more difficult for her?
- This image did make things more difficult for her at work especially when she was just
beginning because people’s first impression of her was unprofessional but this image also
helped her in her work, she was easily trusted by the common people.
6. What was the substance that was making people sick?
- The substance that was making people sick was Hexavalent Chromium or Chromium 6.
7. What did the substance penetrate?
- The substance penetrated the groundwater thus resulting in hexavalent chromium pollution.
8. What company/type of company was responsible?
- The company responsible is the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) company.
9. What was Erin Brockovich’s motivation for pursuing the issue?
- Erin Brockovich’s motivation for pursuing the issue was to save the citizens from further
suffering and to make the company compensate for their deeds by making them pay the locals
a huge amount of money. It was also to save future generations from suffering the same fate.
10. What illness did the substance cause?
- The illnesses that substance caused was from Chronic Headaches, Nosebleeds,
Respiratory diseases, Liver Failure, Heart Failure, Reproductive Failure, Bone and Organ
deterioration, and any type of Cancer.
11. Did Ed Masry take a risk hiring Erin? Why or why not?
- Ed Masry was taking a risk when he was hiring Erin because she did not have any
background when it comes to law or just being a legal clerk in general. She was also stubborn
and hot-headed but his risk did end up being the biggest reason for his success.
12. The chemistry professor mentioned that the hexavalent chromium can cause
problems for children of parents that are exposed to the toxic substance. How did he
say it was possible and explain what he means.
- He said that hexovalent chromium can cause problems for children of parents that are
exposed to the substance because it can spread into your DNA and affect your offspring. It is
possible when these companies use piston engines to compress the gas and when the engine
gets hot they run water through it and chromium is in the water to prevent corrosion. So
basically, chromium then penetrates the groundwater where most of the families around
Hinkley get their water from. So when a person comes into contact or ingests water that is
polluted with hexovalent chromium it enters their body, spreads to their DNA, causes all sorts
of diseases, and when the parents have a child it is also present in the child’s DNA due to
heredity.
13. Why did the doctors tell the families in Hinkley that the chromium didn’t have
anything to do with their health problems? Why did PG&E tell the families in Hinkley
about the chromium at all if they knew it was toxic?
- The doctors told the families in Hinkley that the chromium didn’t have anything to do
with their health problems so that they will allow PG&E to operate in their land without them
growing suspicious of their deteriorating health. PG&E told the families in Hinkley about the
chromium even if they knew it was toxic because of assurance. It made the families turn away
their suspicions that chromium was making them sick but instead because of the lies of the
doctors they thought it was healthy for them and the doctors told this to them because they
knew the families had no background in that field of science and lacked the proper education
to understand what chromium even is.
14. Why do you think PG&E continued to lie to the residents of Hinkley about the
water conditions?
- PG&E continued to lie to the residents of Hinkley about the water conditions because it
was making them money and the citizens didn’t have a single clue as to what was really going
on.
15. What should PG&E have done instead of lying?
- They should have followed proper procedure to make sure the chromium did not leak
and penetrate the ground water so that they could still make money while the residents stayed
safe.
16. Consider this…is it sometimes harder to make the right (ethically correct)
decision than the wrong decision (unethical)? Why is this?
- Considering that fact sometimes it is harder to make the right decision than the wrong
decision because sometimes the right decision might be more expensive than the wrong
decision and will cost more non-monetary resources such as material and manpower which
sways the decision of the company to make the unethical choice.
17. What should the government do to prevent companies from making unethical
decisions?
- The government should enact laws that specifically target the unethical decisions of big
and small corporations. They should also place them in high surveillance and do annual
check-ups to make sure that the companies are following the correct procedures.
18. What should the consequences be?
- The consequences should be that they will pay a huge amount of money, their
operations will be suspended, and/or the company will be shut down.
19. Think of a time in which you had to make an ethically tough decision. Now, write
what helped you to make the right or wrong decision.
- The time where I had to make an ethically tough decision was when I was in Junior High
School. Our entire section was threatened to go to the guidance office and our parents being
called because we all absented from school when the reading of honors ceremony was
finished. So when the guidance counselor was telling us that we made a big offense, I pulled
out the student handbook and turned to the page that told that when student’s go absent
without permission, their first offense should only be a lecture from the counselor, I said that to
our guidance counselor thus our parents were not informed of the incident. What helped me in
making that decision was my classmates because some of their parents were strict and they
would be in serious trouble if their parents were called to school.
20. What are some suggestions for others who will face tough ethical decisions?
What can help them to make the right decision?
- My suggestion for others who will be facing tough ethical decisions and for them to
make the right decision is that they must not only think about themselves but also pay attention
to their surroundings. When you think a decision will benefit you and no one else, it may not
look like the right decision because you never looked at the bigger picture.
21. Should businesses demonstrate corporate social responsibility?
- Yes, businesses should demonstrate corporate social responsibility because they have
the biggest capability to do so. It is also their way of giving back to the community, helping the
environment, or even little things such as improving their employee’s quality of life.
22. Do the decisions I make impact others?
- Yes, the decisions you make will impact others whether you want it or not. The results
of your decisions will always have an impact on other people but it will not show at the very
beginning. Some will not be noticed until a long time has passed while you never know that
some even began.
23. Why do you think that the court case about Erin’s accident turned out the way it
did? Could she have handled it any differently, and if so would the outcome have
changed?
- The court case about Erin’s accident turned out the way it did was because she was
acting unprofessional and was shouting and screaming horrendous words in the courtroom.
Yes, she could have handled it differently by staying calm and critical, the outcome would have
not changed because the argument of the defendants were strong especially that the judge
was already leaning on them because the defendant had a medical degree which served as a
safety net.

24. (Research) Find out how regular chromium can do good things for the body.
- According to an Article by Kristina Duda, RN which was also medically reviewed by
Meredith Bull, ND, Chromium or more specifically Chromium 3 (trivalent chromium) helps in
weight-loss and in controlling blood sugar levels but should only be taken in small amounts. It
is also found in foods such as Broccoli, Whole Wheat Bread, Garlic, Orange Juice, Apples, and
Green Beans. So Chromium aids the flow of Insulin in the body which helps in your
metabolism as well as storing carbs, proteins, and fats in your body.
 The Crooked E - The Unshredded Truth About Enron (2003)

1. What kind of atmosphere did Brian Cruver encounter at Enron when he first
started his new job?

During Brian’s first day of work, he noticed how his coworkers are very drawn to their
job. A lot of them are also focused and are not humbled in their area of work. As Enron was
dubbed as America’s best company, a lot of the employees are also about their head when it
comes to their work. Brian felt lost and out of place at first as it was new to him and he doesn’t
know a lot in the business world and most of his coworkers value the background of the person
more. This kind of pressure triggered Brian to change into someone the company demands
him to be.

2. Arthur Anderson auditors have a permanent office at Enron. When Brian walks
past their office, they look like they mean business. What happens then that gives
the impression that they aren’t taking their jobs seriously?

For a first day worker as Brian, he mustn't have seen how they work at first. As he
passed by their office, it was seen at the first glimpse of the clips that the auditors seemed
serious about their work. However, as Brian got off from the screen in the clip, it was seen that
they were watching golf and even reenacting what they saw on the screen. This shows that
they weren’t as serious as how Brian impressed them to be. This actually concludes why they
went in for bankruptcy since their employees, especially those in the audit department that are
essential for the business were not serious about their work.

3. They mention “integrity”, “transparency”, “full disclosure”, and “playing by the

rules a lot during employee meetings through the movie. Why do you think they
keep mentioning this?

I like to believe that they keep mentioning this because the company is also aware that
these are their weaknesses and in order to cover that up, they must make sure that it is what
they are implying in their business and work environment. It is probably the goal of the
company and could also be their challenge and motivation to their employees. But, it was seen
that they failed to uphold those characteristics that resulted in bankruptcy. Mentioning it
repeatedly somehow assures them as innocent. As they also grew to be dishonest and greedy
in the back of their employees, they are basically manipulating them through saying these
characteristics and attributes to somehow lighten up the air in their environment.

4. “At Enron, perception is everything.” If you were a new employee there, how
would you perceive Enron to be?

If I being knowledgeable about how things work at Enron especially after watching the
film, I would perceive it as normal business who can be successful and can also go downhill. I
believe that sometimes business owners are very idealistic and comfortable with their
companies and how it works however, they always miss the point where changes are bound to
happen and every ethical issue that they are trying to hide will always create a way to be
brought up. At Enron, everyone was confident of how well profiting and successful it is that
they weren’t ready with the outcomes of how misleading and corrupt they were. As they
weren’t prepared for their downhill, they struggled a lot with securing their income and
company. I think I would perceive in Enron with limits and realistically so that I am alert to the
changes it might bring.

5. Enron sells bankruptcy protection for annual fee each month. How does this
work?

As per my understanding, Enron’s bankruptcy protection works by giving assurance to

the dealers when there is a situation of bankruptcy in a company. As it was explained in the
movie, if during a partnership the other corporation meets bankruptcy that means that you as a
partner or supplier may most likely go into debt. Basically this bankruptcy protection aims to
provide aid and insurance to those who are victims of bankruptcy in order for them to control
their debts and liabilities. It entails to provide support to the investors and owners so they can
still gain something after a downfall.
 6. How was CEO Ken Lay tied to Bush’s government?

The CEO Ken Lay is tied to the Bush government because it was said that they are family
friends. This connection became advantageous in the business and investments. Enron is one
of the loyal corporate supporters of President Bush; Enron was the number one career patron
for Bush. When Bush ran for election, Enron was the biggest supporter and back up. Yet,
ENron made this move because they need support from the government in order to expand
more. The company gained great benefits from the connection it had with the former president.

7. Mr. Blue told Brian the only limits he has are the limits he places on himself. How
did that affect Brian?

Mr. Blue was first seen as an inspiring man in the film. His beliefs were impactful to those
employees under him and especially Brian who is starting its venture in the business world.
So, when he said those things to Brian, the actor used them as a motivation to pursue more
and open up a bigger place for him in the society. He also believed that he is the person that
can limit himself and instead of disciplining himself as a way to see that statement, he got
really excited and acted rashly. He only saw the statement as a big picture and so he did not
realize that he is to limit himself too and not just open himself from what he used to be.
Overjoyed, he chose to enjoy the freedom he could give himself without preparing for what is
to come because he neglected the limits of the real world.

8. After Brian went to lunch with 2 of his coworkers, what impression did he
continue to have about Enron?

After their bonding at lunch, Brian started to think of Enron as a highly respected and standard
place which is why he started changing for himself thinking it was for greater good but it was
only satisfying the social pleasures in his workplace. He sees his work environment as
somewhere that he needs to perfect and because of the social pressure, I tried to change as a
better person in order to fit in the organization. As competition is prevalent in his workplace, he
also saw the need to rise up from his social class while forgetting about the real world outside
of his job. He always thought of Enron as a permanent success story and never thought of how
it could go downhill from there.

9. How did working at Enron and in the culture at Enron influence Brian’s behavior
and lifestyle?

Working at Enron made Brian’s life increase in class. And due to peer pressure in the
environment where his employees are over the top with stocks and investments, he chose to
pursue the same journey as them so he can be at least equal to them. Though the company
also taught him to be wise in the business world, it also manipulated him because he loved his
job so much that he forgot about the world he was living outside of it. He became more
professional at work and he became more competitive since he wanted to impress his bosses
and self. But in the end, too much comfortability can lead to insensitivity in behavior and
lifestyle as witnessed in Brian’s story in the film.

10. What happened at the quarterly earning report to employees when some tough
questions were asked? What was asked and how did Enron respond?

Many investors and stockholders joined the meeting and even asked for clarification. The
president being so overly confident and selfish chose to believe that his company has no
threats and weaknesses as he reported a good profit during the quarter which is assumed to
make their growth sustainable for years to come. He also confidently answered the issue about
Enron taking advantage of the California energy crisis convincing everyone that they are the
good guys. He chose to get away from the question especially when asked about the balance
sheet. Knowing that financial statements are important in a company as big as Enron, he
chose to bad mouth the investor and deny the fact their auditing team was lacking in that field.
Financial statements are the basis for success and also a tool to see different frauds that are
happening internally.
 11. Mid-August 2001, CEO Jeff Skilling resigned for “personal reasons.” Ken Ley
took over. Enron stock was dropping. Why do you think the employees were
buying as much stock as they could?

I think the employees were also anticipating the next happening since things became a
blur after the resignation of the former president. So, in order to save their financial status they
bought as much stock as they could. It was the wisest move they could think of as stocks in
the company were dropping each day. Buying stocks was like saving the economy and
corporation as it takes advantage of the investment that is available.

12. What do you think about Enron basing their bonuses on estimated future profits?
How can this be risky?

This idea is risky especially for a big company because estimations are not assured to
be true. They are only a basis and expectation however this does not analyze the real
business and profit venture. They are basically just expecting and estimating but they lack in
research and proper data that could have helped them attain their recognition in the business
world. This will lead them unprepared for threats as they only saw the greater good and
neglected other branches in their corporation.

13. When Kruver had a meeting with his boss about his performance, do you think he
“sold out”? Why or why not?

I think Brian sold out enough for his boss to commend him in person though there may
be hidden opinions privately. Brian was seen to be very persuasive with his dealers and there
was a clip where his boss got impressed with his strategy and words to his dealer. This is why
he was able to deal with someone who has a 50 million dollar share and is a big contribution to
the wealth of the company. Even if Brian did not exemplify a good tactics in business that is so
unique in his work environment, he was still persistent to do well in his job and fit in the
company which is appreciated.
 14. The CFO (Chief Financial Officer) was good at hiding debt (liabilities) from the
balance sheet. How did that affect Enron’s stock price?

I believe that when there are high debts in the company as seen in the balance sheet, it
should be recognized so that the team can do something about it and it can be brought up as a
concern and therefore make a solution and decision for it. But since these frauds and debts
were hidden in the film, it was one of the reasons why their stocks began to decrease that
resulted in bankruptcy since the problem was not seen early on.

15. Ken Lay gave a lot of motivating speeches to Enron employees when things got
tough. How do you think this affected corporate culture with employees?

If I was an employee there with a boss who’s very encouraging, of course I would be
motivated to do good and hope more for my job because I am being encouraged by someone
who must know how the business works and runs. However with too much sugary statement in
the film where the management keeps on motivating them and assuring them that everything
is going well, the employees just kept on hoping not knowing that their job is going to be taken
away from them. I believe it’s good to be inspired however it is not healthy to be so idealistic at
times of adversity where solutions are more needed than hoping. It was nice to be motivated
and ensured by the administration as it keeps you going, braver, and strong. But this also
taught them that things will be okay in no time though they are not doing much for it to be okay.

16. Why do you think Enron “bought” the auditing firm Arthur Anderson?

In my opinion, they bought it so they can manipulate their finances better. They need to
partner up with a big auditing firm in order to proceed and expand in their venture. They need a
good core and foundation to keep their corruption at place and so I think that must be the
reason why they bought the auditing firm.
 17. Why do you think Enron had the philosophy of “no bad news”?

I think that Enron is very idealistic and comfortable with their standing that they keep on
neglecting and denying their weaknesses. They chose to believe that there is no bad news
because either they are denying that there can be a lot of bad news, or they are running away
from it. It is their way to also be confident in their stand in the economy and it is a way for them
to motivate the whole business and its employees. It is an assurance they try to give to
everyone and what they force to imply in the economy as a large and successful company.

18. “Nearly all men can withstand adversity. But if you want to test a man’s character,
give him power.” ~ Abraham Lincoln. What does this quote mean to you in your
own words?

This quote is very inspiring and mind opening to me, it is the line from the movie that got
stuck in my head as I find it true and accurate. It got to me that everyone is strong in the midst
of problems and challenges in life. Everyone can be wise and be pursuing at times of difficulty.
People who are in a lower class of society can be successful as those who are in the high
class ranked. Everyone can pursue to be equally successful through determination and
passion. It is a characteristic that is inspiring to many these days. But if we really want to
challenge somebody’s character, we give him power. Power to control those around him. The
authority given to every man is very addicting that with no self discipline can lead to misleading
of oneself. Just how the love of money is considered as the greatest sin because with that we
forget about the external factors and we become toxic to those who surround us. Power can
also do the same thing to us because we get to control those under us, we think of them less
as we are comfortable and assured with where we are. We tend to forget how we should act
because we think we get the freedom and choice to be rash as we have the power that we
need. And so, mostly those who took advantage of their powers will likely fail the most when
their power is taken away from them. Therefore, power shows someone’s true identity whether
they are well disciplined or they have hidden desires for themselves. And just how it was
stated that with power comes great responsibility, one with the authority should use its power
in a meaningful and right way in order for him to preserve it.
 The Social Dilemma - Reflection

The Social Dilemma film opened new horizons for my understanding as it tackles how

manipulative the internet and technology is when its usage is not controlled and when we are not

disciplined enough. The topic here focuses on marketing strategies of technology experts and how they

sell to us through engaging us in the social media world. It also shows the products that social media is

selling to us which can also lead to addiction as it’s capable of determining our preferences and gets us

pass through boredom and curiosity. The film stated how different founders and creators of large tech

companies built a world that exists around advanced technology and innovation for everyone however,

their main goal was ruined by the unrecognized impact it actually brought to the users. At first, they

thought that social media and technology is for optimism, communication, socialization, and spreading

positivity and information by connecting everyone around the globe. However, a lot of us did not realize

how this can affect us in terms of getting socially conscious and insecure, addicted, and socially

frustrated. There are good sides when using social media but there are more negative sides especially

when neglected and unrecognized. So we must look at both sides of the coin.

Personally, I got exposed to social media pretty early. At the age of 7 I already have a Friendster

and Facebook account. At a young age, I mastered the extensions in Mozilla Firefox and Google. I spent

my days in front of the computer instead of enjoying my childhood and playing with the children outside

in the streets. I was happy back then since I interacted with different people and made friends from

different parts of the world. And since I got exposed to the internet earlier, I know better about online

games than kids my age and I used to be proud of how advanced I was. I got my Twitter, Instagram, and
Tumblr account at an early age. I got exposed to information, expressions, and opinions that are not

meant for someone as old as I was.

I used to enjoy the internet back then until I realized how toxic it is. Since I entered the social

media world at a young age, I also got damaged pretty early on. During my Junior High School years I

struggled with socializing on the internet and in real life. I then read a post saying “I wish I wasn’t

exposed to Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook at an early age. How could my life have turned out if I didn’t let

social media eat me.” and I have never related the most to a post since then. After some realizations, I

came to convince myself that I need to detach myself from the internet world as it was not and will be

healthy for me. I used to just have a week off from social media every month, but now I completely

stopped using them. I only made a new Facebook account with 20 friends for school purposes, I stopped

posting and going to Twitter and Instagram, and stayed a little time on Tumblr since it’s the least toxic

for me now. Social media is helpful for socializing and connecting to the world but I can testify how it

can ruin someone emotionally and mentally and it will eventually lead to physical problems. It takes

strength for a teenager like me to recognize how dangerous social media is in order for us to realize how

we should discipline ourselves in social media usage. Just like those creators and founders in the film

have testified; they were the first people to get a hold of social media and they are also the first few

people to give up on it because of how addictive and dangerous it gets. It manipulates our routine, time,

opinions, beliefs, and minds. We may be connected to those far from us but it surely disconnects us from

those near around us. Unconsciously, we fail ourselves until we realize that we are completely broken by

immersing in the world of social media. These realizations were made fresh through the Social Dilemma

film and sets a good reminder for me and hopefully to other viewers.
 This kind of manipulation does not only work on the internet but a lot of markets manipulate us too

which is why it’s important to be self aware of our actions. Advertisements and marketing can really

influence us and we can’t blame businesses because it’s part of their strategy. However, I morally

disagree with manipulation for successes. I think it is better for a business to be socially helpful rather

than damaging. By using the power of social media these tech companies made us the very products that

they sell and make money from. Gathering and selling the data of their users may not void any legal

laws but is of course unethical. It leaks the privacy of the user and when millions of individuals’

information are readily available to buy, it may lead to unexpected and dangerous consequences.

Companies can make a great impact on society but they are not always good. For a mere user and

consumer like us, we must be attentive of how society demands from us and we must make sure that it

doesn’t control us. The future generation will have to face these kinds of challenges and if we are not

recognizing the damages early, we are also putting them at risk.