The BP Oil Spill and Considering Business Ethics

The BP Oil Spill and Considering Business Ethics Based on the BP Oil Explosion in Texas, the tragedy caused huge environment damages and the threaten to human safety and health: the deep-water oil spilled on the ocean and the shorelines, the effects on the ecology of coastline and marine habits, the burning-off oil-water mix causing air pollution, the hazardous material leak into the atmosphere, the old drum too closed to highly flammable Isom waiting to explode, in which 5 workers were killed and 170 were injured on March 23 2005. The problems with the incident involve unsafe working environment, disproportionate efforts and insufficient information of safety knowledge. While this error attributes to the workers individual improper act, the statement is inaccurate in that it fails to reflect how to make safety environment in working in BP oil plants. In addition, between BPs upper-class executives, who made more scandals, in order to reduce operation costs and make better financial business cycles, they even resigned avoid to accident responsibility, made false audit financial statement, disapproved Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board reports, delayed all essential expenditures. On the other hand, who is responsibility for handling with the accidents, who is taking care of employees safety and life, and who is preserving the earth we live and giving us good environment? According to the accident BP oil spill explosion in Texas refinery, it has caused serious environment damage and irreversible dead and injured. This inspiration is given is that the corporation have to ensure the corporation security, find out security problems to avoid the accident happen again. In this accident, the spokesman of BP Ron Chapman claimed, The BP fatal investigation team did not identify previous budget decisions or lack of expenditure as a critical factor or immediate cause. The clarification is vague and unacceptable. To enhance corporation safety, we could reveal the fact by discounting several of clues: The claim that the workers injures are caused by of the workers individual inattention to the safety code is doubtful. According to Baker Panels reports, the BPs employee agreed to follow the existing security conduction. In contrast, Bakers Panel found that the workers were lack of operating discipline, which implicates the responsibility vaguely. In Baker Panels r eports, on 9th Dec 2005 BP invested 10,000,000 on Texas. Unfortunately, BP dealt with the accident on financial way. BPs irresponsible attitude could be found on Lord Browne, BPs chief executives early retirement when the accident happened. Afterwards, BPs safety policies are stops at paper work only to exhibit the safety and health regulations. In the similar way, the boards of director and executives monitored the safety systems by emphasizing the workers safety repeatedly on the reports. And, another irresponsible attitude is, Carolyn Merrits, chair of CBS, said CBSs executives disagree with the report about the financial budgets. In corporations safety and health conduction, someone would responsible for safe operating practices. However, the workers do not have proper safety and health conduction to follow. The safety code in BP to acting is only concentrated on reducing personal injuries which is useless on save workers life such a dangerous industry, petroleum firm ignore th e safety process and can not control petroleum safety. First of all, I believe that the BPs employees, especially the workers do not be treated fairly based on the safety and healthy conduction. The law can not protect the employees from danger and threaten of the chemicals and petroleum. For example, the employee made much more efforts to earn their safety and only on preventing self injuries, not on all unexpected dangers and threatens. In addition, BP workers are lack of training based on the safety and health conduction. The workers do not have sufficient knowledge and training to fully make their work environment safely, so that the accidents happen all the time. While the accident happened, the workers cannot handle with the situation so that they lose their life or get injuries. However, by law, the corporation safety is supervised by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Obviously, OSHA is an inefficient organization, and it does not supervise the corporation safety and health. As we read, OSHA did not help BP mak e Safety and Health code, OSHA did not inspected whether BPs safety action is accurate under the safety and health code periodically. OSHA did not make sure the workers use chemical in the right way, did not make sure the petroleum facilities are safe and did not make sure the worker works in a safe working environment. On the other hand, BP workers do not protect by the labor law, despite the corporations have to obey the law and respect the human rights, the company does not follow. The workers overtime work, explode on the danger environment, their life and safety are threatened all the time, and their human rights are not respected. In the second place, the financial cycles become an only factor in running companys business. In order to make more business benefit, the BP Company canceled security budget, thus BP used a pressure budget to run safety program which cause serious safety problem. On the basis of BPs financial statements, BP only bought cheap equipment so that it caused the blow down drum leak hazardous material into atmosphere. Moreover, the drum in Texas was built in 1950s and refitted in 1997 which is exactly old that is why caused BP explosion accident. So far as we know, on BPs financial statement, based on the oil majors mantra: squeeze more cash out of a well, or plant, by cutting costs to the bone, and delay all but essential expenditure. More cash from shrinking assets: higher returns. BP delayed all essential expenditure to other companies, government, investorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which is unfaithful to the people who supported BPs business, nevertheless, BP made more serious environment polluti on on them. To make matters worse, BP shrunk most of their assets to the cash which made more unstable business. Nevertheless, BPs executives were still proud of their financial management which made high profits and good business cycles. Such a company does not pay their expenditures, makes dangerous and unstable of assets and cashes, how could the citizens and residents listen to the company and trust the company? The only thing BP Company concerned about is high profit. To maintain adequate safety and health standards, companies must avoid: Business decision against safety and health regulations. Business decision against human rights. Business decision against environmental laws. Ineffective management on safety and health conduction. Ineffective management of OSHA. Ineffective management of safety and health line management. Ineffective management of broad committee. Insufficient information of safety and health discipline. Irresponsible attitude of management. Cost cutting in safety and health budget. Cost cutting in training, discipline of safety and health. Cost cutting in buying proper equipment or buy inexpensive equipment under safety and health code. Contribution to political interests, or other interests outside the companies. Participating unacceptable business practices. Under the business interests, the corporations tend to act on behalf of their own short-term interests, not on behalf of the environment. This clam gives rise to complex issues about business interests and corporation responsibilities. In my view, the claim assumes a distortedly narrow view of corporation responsibilities, ignoring certain aspects of more expenditure of safety and health and environment prevention. On the contrary, maximizing shareholders wealth and preserving security environment at times coincides and at times conflicts. While the companies may only focus on the business interests, an unknowing toxin pollutes the environment, it would be cost much more to clean up and restore the environment. Furthermore, the compensation of the dead and injury workers caused the companies more losing their interests than business interests. Thus the employees would lose their jobs, and the shareholders would lose their benefits as well. Thus it caused the increasing of the oil pri ces, consequently individuals all around the world paid for these irresponsible of environment damage. Financial cycle of course an important factor to be taken into account but there are also many more essential factors playing just as pivotal a role and not one of them, including, the safety and health, corporation environment, social obligation, good managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Corporation responsibilities is determining in every single case. However, few companies take more consideration of business benefits, but the BP explosion tragedy told us the importance of the corporation responsibilities: Financial cycle should not be overriding factor in running the business; the corporation should not take ethics in trading off individuals for the sake of its own profits. As it stands, the company need take corporation responsibilities to protect employees safety and preserving the nature environment. Accordingly, the corporations have to fairly treat their employees by following the labor law. The companies have to respect the human right of their employees; do not make the workers overtime work, make over efforts, and employees have the rights to have adequate discipline of safe and health working environment. Consequently, the corporations have to protect the employees safety and health by following the safety and health conduction. The corporation need have their own safety and health regulation to prevent the unexpected safety and health accidents. On this ground, the companies have to follow the relevant safety and health authorities conduction; the companies have to make sure have the proper safety and health action for employees to follow. The companies have to give the employees sufficient safety and health information, proper safety and heal th training, criteria safety and health facilities and review the safety and health conduction periodically. The workers not only have the knowledge of prevent individuals from injuries, should know about their job-related problems, but also having the thorough knowledge of the safety and health conduction to know how to protect their selves from danger chemicals, petroleum and unexpected accidents. While it makes some sense in a vague way to share the responsibilities, the obligations belong to individuals will allocated by all relevant lines of authority within the organization. When we do assign responsibility to organizations, it must be clearly distributed to individuals. Nowadays fewer and fewer individuals accept to work in a risk, unsafely and unhealthy working environment. More and more companies increase ethical standards to turn into the corporation responsibilities. The primary obligation to preserve the environment is necessarily to be obeyed by the companies. The corporation must, at the very least respect the law, respect the human rights; obey the safety and health regulations and environmental preserving conductions. The law and the human rights will priority to run the business. In order to practice the law, the companies require portioning out fixed and proper safety and health budget which is at least enough to maintain equipment, provide sufficient safe and health information and training to the employees as an essential budget in running the business. To prevent other external interests the companies from cutting the safety and health budget, the companies should not give political contributions or unacceptable business practices from corporation funds which other external interests could affect companies budgets. Besides, the penalties or compensations might be a measure to prevent companies unwilling to act corporation responsibilities. Furthermore, the corporations require obeying the safety and health regulation via the supervision of the directors of board committees and also the corporations require being supervision under safety, ethics and environment assurance committee. Moreover, the corporation could make ethical strategies into trading rules which benefit a corporation financially thus the shareholders will choose the high ethical to follow when pursuing high business interests. The government might be advised to enhance more safety and health competitions to stimulate more economy maximize highly ethical behavior when the businesses maximize profits. In the final conclusion, business ethical is always beyond business interests. Thus the choice to follow high ethical standards, in many cases, it will make the life better. Notwithstanding, few corporations concerned about their short-term interests, we could make the law to help the organizations to follow business ethics as an essential factor to make the company profits and help the company long-term survival. To make the good life, good future and achieve such goals, we encourage the leadership to turn into the right direction, to think more about ethical behavior when attempting to run the maximum profits. BPs oil spill explosion tragedy is an example to tell us to practice corporation responsibilities and preserve the nature environment. The safety and health environment belongs to each individual. Because workers, employees and individuals cannot scope the environment regulations and safety and health conductions, the corporations, industries, relative authorizations, and org anizations must to do so.

America Must Invest in Energy Efficiency Essay -- Argumentative Persua

America Must Invest in Energy Efficiency In recent years our country has had many debates over what must be done to lessen the amount of oil that our country consumes. It is well known that we need to make some type of change to help not only the environment, but also lessen our reliance on imported oil. President Bush recently announced his new plan that could someday greatly reduce that amount of oil that Americans use by replacing oil with hydrogen fuel cells. Although this plan is a step in the right direction, it is not the answer. There are far too many downsides that could actually hurt our country in the long run. One problem is that the plan proposed by Bush will take far too long before any changes will be seen. This is a major issue due to the fact that a previous plan was showing very promising signs for short-term success. A second problem is that the President’s funding is not in the correct area of hydrogen fuel cell research; he is funding methods that are not reasonable. When the new hydrog en fuel cell plan is looked at closely it actually uses oil that could be set aside. I feel that Bush’s plan for funding fuel cell research will not solve many of today’s problem regarding oil problems in our country because it could be more efficient and have more immediate effects. Although Bush’s plan could someday make a huge difference in the amount of oil used in the US, there is no way of knowing when any changes will be seen. I feel that something needs to be done to change our oil consumption as soon as possible. A major change would be seen very soon if President Clinton’s plan were to continue being funded. His idea was not to totally stop cars form using oil, but to lessen the amount of ... ...is is the answer to our short term oil problems, but it is not a long-term solution. That is why I feel that we do need to spend some money on hydrogen fuel cells. If we split the money between the two forms of research, it would help the US now and in the future. We must also fund the correct areas of hydrogen fuel cell research. To me it makes no sense to fund something when there is a better way to do it. Bush seems to simply be protecting the oil companies; he must learn to look past this and see the big picture. America is in need of a great change when it comes to our consumption of oil, and Bush has the opportunity to make huge changes if he spends the money in the correct way. I believe that the intentions of Bush’s new plan are good because of the fact that he wants to make a change, but I feel that his ideas must be revised before they are put into effect.

President Speech Essay

Delegation: India Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen of the house, Terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon. Every minute, two people are killed in conflicts around the world. Often very little is known about the people who are fighting and dying. The country of India calls upon greater participation of the United Nations in countering terrorism. Worldwide participation should be taken in the implementation of the present anti-terrorist conventions, and new international methods must also be developed in order to counteract terrorist threats. We ask that countries cooperate with each other, particularly through bilateral and multilateral agreements and arrangements to make extraditions easier and deny terrorists asylum, in order to prevent and suppress terrorist acts. Countries must realize that suppressing acts of international terrorism are essential to international peace and security, because even if their countries are not facing terrorism as a crisis, they may eventually do so, as terrorism is a worldwide occurence, which is, as we have seen, often interconnected. Thank you for your attention.

The Assembly of Athens Known as the Ecclesia

Ecclesia (Ekklesia) is the term used for the assembly in Greek city-states (poleis), including Athens. The ecclesia was a meeting place where the citizens could speak their minds and try to influence one another in the political process. Normally at Athens, the Ecclesia assembled at the pnyx (an open-air auditorium west of the Acropolis with a retaining wall, orators stand, and an altar), but it was one of the jobs of the boules prytaneis (leaders) to post the agenda and location of the next meeting of the Assembly. On the pandia (All Zeus festival) the Assembly met in the Theatre of Dionysus. Membership At 18, young Athenian males were enrolled in their demes citizen lists  and then served for two years in the military. Afterward, they could be in the Assembly, unless otherwise restricted. They might be disallowed while owing a debt to the public treasury or for having been removed from the demes roster of citizens. Someone convicted of prostituting himself or of beating/failing to support his family may have been denied membership in the Assembly. The Schedule In the 4th century, the boule scheduled 4 meetings during each prytany. Since a prytany was about 1/10 of a year, this means there were 40 Assembly meetings each year. One of the 4 meetings was a kyria ecclesia Sovereign Assembly. There were also 3 regular Assemblies. At one of these, private citizen-suppliants could present any concern. There may have been additional synkletoi ecclesiai Called-together Assemblies summoned at short notice, as for emergencies. Ecclesia Leadership By the mid-4th century, 9 members of the boule who were not serving as prytaneis (leaders) were chosen to run the Assembly as proedroi. They would decide when to cut off discussion and put matters to a vote. Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech was essential to the idea of the Assembly. Regardless of his status, a citizen could speak; however, those over 50 could speak first. The herald ascertained who wished to speak. Payment for Assembly Members In 411, when oligarchy was temporarily established in Athens, a law was passed prohibiting pay for political activity, but in the 4th century, members of the Assembly received pay in order to ensure the poor could participate. Pay changed over time, going from 1 obol/meeting—not enough to persuade people to go to the Assembly—to 3 obols, which could have been high enough to pack the Assembly. What the Assembly decreed was preserved and made public, recording the decree, its date, and the names of the officials who held the vote. Sources Christopher W. Blackwell, â€Å"The Assembly,† in C.W. Blackwell, ed., DÄ“mos: Classical Athenian Democracy (A. Mahoney and R. Scaife, edd., The Stoa: a consortium for electronic publication in the humanities [www.stoa.org]) edition of March 26, 2003.