The term 'Scandalous Company of 2001' refers to the company Enron, which was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. In 2001, Enron became embroiled in one of the biggest corporate scandals in history when it was revealed that the company had been using accounting loopholes and fraudulent practices to hide billions of dollars in debt from its shareholders. The scandal resulted in the bankruptcy of the company and the conviction of several of its top executives.