into the Gulf.” [1] A key component to business ethics is trying your best to prevent bad things from happening, not just reacting when they do. However, it seems BP has trouble with that old adage from George Santayana, which states “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” Certainly a saying which, goes hand in hand with understanding your own history as a company and not making the same disastrous mistakes over and over. For example “On March 23, 2005, 15 people died in an explosion at BP 's Texas City, Texas refinery; 170 more were injured. The 1200-acre Texas City refinery, which was built in 1934, was acquired in 1999 as part of BP 's $61 billion takeover of Amoco. While under Amoco management, major upgrades to the refinery had been postponed. For example, in 1991, Amoco considered replacing the antiquated blowdown drums used to collect volatile liquids and gasses in an emergency with safer, modern flares. In a moral debate of profit vs. safety, they decided against it; it was a question of saving money. A 2002 e-mail chain indicates that BP had also considered updating the blowdown drums but decided against it. "We need to decide if we want to invest $150,000 now to save money later on," wrote one employee. A senior manager wrote that capital expenditure is "very tight. Bank the $150,000 in savings right now." In the March 23, 2005 explosion, observers saw a geyser of excess gas and liquid "flying out the top of" the blowdown drum.” [2] When…
Case Study: HR Outsourcing at BP Amoco British Petroleum, or BP Amoco, is a leading international energy and petrochemicals company. Currently, it operates in more than 40 countries and has more than 80,000 employees, with an equal or greater number of retirees. Several years ago, BP decided that drilling and finding oil was its primary mission. Everything else was deemed secondary. The U.S. company Exult defined this type of full service HR outsourcing in December 1999 when it announced a $600…
It falls under the category of “other proper circumstances”. In Laclede Gas Co. V. Amoco Oil Co., the dispute involved a long-term requirements contract for the delivery of pro-pane. In remanding the case with instructions to enter a decree of specific performance, the court found that propane was readily available on the open market. No evidence was presented to show that the quantity available was insufficient to satisfy the buyer’s re-quirements. The court also accepted expert testimony that…
and legal requirements” regarding specific types of training need to be evaluated to ensure compliance. (Blanchard & Thacker, pg. 13) The results of these evaluations should be reviewed and used to improve training plans, facilities, programs, materials, and procedures moving forward to support effective training and follow up. As in other facility programs, training activities must be carefully managed to produce effective results. Training plans should be developed, company departments…
environmentalists and earth protectors know that oil affects anything. This is surely not the case at all. Oil spills can affect any living thing. It can kill animals and plants. Mainly seagulls, otters, seals, and whales are affect, but not in all cases. In the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989[1] hundreds of bald eagles, which are endangered in the US, were found dead, along with seals, and the usual seagulls. Oil pollutes the water by putting chemicals into it that …
Carnival: Unmasking Louisiana Politics Parent truly examines and explores all areas, leaving the reader with a thirst for more knowledge. Dr. Wayne Parent a prominent political scientist as well as associate dean of the College of Arts and Science at Louisiana State University, he is a frequent commentator on national and Louisiana political media. He has appeared on such shows as Nightline, CBS Sunday Morning, All Things Considered, and U.S. News and World Report. As a Russell B. Long…
modifications to rejuvenate and update their look. Since the devastation of their brand positioning during the Gulf of Mexico crisis BP have worked hard to re-build themselves as well as build back their strong relationship with their consumers. BP was one of the first major transitional corporations to ‘rebrand itself as green by invoking the language of sustainability’ (Kirsch, 2010: 295), some could question as a result of public criticism of its operations and environmental impact. Back in…
also make it mandatory for companies that contribute to oil pollution to pay a clean-up fee. Although companies pay money already as punishment, clean-up fees are important because they give oil companies responsibility and a role in fixing a mess they caused. According to Foley’s discussion of the Oil Pollution Act, companies that damage natural resources or cause loss of revenue by damaging natural resources should pay removal or (clean-up) fees. However, upon further research, it was…
this is that investors look at the general populace as irrelevant, because they know that the end consumer in need of fuel will not drive past the BP because of the spill. This is something that BP knows too. Their former CEO Tony Hayward initially downplayed BP public reactions to the oil spill. He called the accident relatively tiny compared to a big ocean. He also predicted the environmental effect to be “very very modest.” Mr. Hayward later apologized and based his statements on lack of…
assessments are carried out at all levels throughout drilling processes (Brown, 2010; Hoffman, 2010; McQuaid, 2010). Question 2: BP’s Signature Process The 2005 MIT Sloan Review article, “Beyond Best Practice,” named BP a high performing company and focused on BP’s superior performance from 1997 to 2002. The article stated that high performing companies need to adopt industry best practices, stay competitive and embrace a unique signature process that reflects their values. BP’s success was…