India’s Enron: The Satyam Accounting Scandal
U21Global Mini-Case Series, No. MC-2009-001
Posted: 3 May 2010 Last revised: 4 May 2010
Date Written: May 7, 2009
Abstract
This case describes the events surrounding accounting fraud at Satyam – what was then India’s fourth largest IT services company – and the startling admission by B. Ramalinga Raju, the Founder and Chairman of Saytam Computer Services, that he had been over-stating Satyam’s profits over a period of 8 years. This is India’s first major accounting scandal, and has been dubbed “India’s Enron”. The case illustrates how executives in the senior most positions within an organisation can collude to commit fraud in a way that may remain undetected for many years.
Keywords: Corporate Scandals, Accounting Fraud, Satyam Computer Services, India
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation