Subject: enron and the new economy value research lab
gentlemen :
enron is exploring the possibility of becoming involved in a research
endeavor called the new economy value research lab . the lab is the result of
a joint effort between mit ' s sloan school of management and arthur andersen
( aa ) . its purpose is to develop " quantitative valuations of the intangible
assets wall street finds increasingly important in the new economy " ( business
week , 2 / 7 / 00 ) . clearly , as enron continues to shift from a hard asset to
intangible asset based organization , the question of " how to " accurately and
appropriate measure and value our intangible assets is becoming increasingly
important .
last week , steve kean , vince kaminski , marie hejka , and myself met with a
team from aa , the deputy dean of the sloan school , and mit ' s lead
accounting / finance professor to discuss the intent of the lab , expected
outcomes , and how enron may be involved . post that meeting , the decision was
made to continue to explore participation in the lab . enron now needs to 1 )
define our corporate measurement and valuation process needs , and 2 ) identify
value attributes important to enron and the industries in which we operate .
once defined , a follow up meeting will be held with mit and next steps will
be determined .
your expertise and assistance could significantly impact the inputs and
outcomes of these next steps . please schedule time on tuesday august 1 from
2 : 00 to 3 : 30 to attend the next meeting , during which we will begin to
identify needs and define value attributes . location will be eb 49 c 4 . please
notify me if you are unable to attend .
lastly , to assist with preparation for this meeting , i am attaching notes
from a recently published book entitled cracking the value code : how
businesses are creating wealth in the new economy ( may 2000 , boulton , libert ,
samek - arthur andersen ) .
should you like more information on the lab , previous meeting , book or other ,
please feel free to contact me .
i look forward to meeting you .
regards ,
amy oberg