Ethical Case:

On April 20, 2010, a BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, causing what has been called the
worst environmental disaster in U.S. history and taking the lives of 11 rig workers. For 87 straight
days, oil and methane gas spewed from an uncapped wellhead, 1 mile below the surface of the
ocean. The federal government estimated 4.2 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.

AccordingtoNPR,BP’sactionhasbecomeatextbookexampleofhownottodocrisismanagement. BP executives
declared it was not their accident, blamed their contractors and made the company look arrogant and callous. CEO
Tony Hayward repeated insensitive comments in public, like this one: “There’s no one who wants this thing over
more than I do. You know, I'd like my life back.” He also suggested that the environmental impact of the spill
would be “very, very modest.”Images of Hayward attending a yacht race just 48 hours after a hostile interrogation by a US congressional
committeeontheoilspill,provokedsharpcriticismonbothsidesoftheAtlantic.

BP also bought online ads that pop up when people search for information about the oil spill on
GoogleandYahoo.Theads,whichlinktoBP'sownoil-responsesites,typicallyappearaboveorto the right of
other search results. British Petroleum said the idea was to help people on the Gulffind
therightformstofilloutquicklyandeffectively.However,manypeoplesuggestit'samovetosteer searchers away
from bad press forBP.
 Based on the above and other reliable sources, answer the following questions:

Q1.The Kantian theory of business consists of four parts. They are that businesses should act
rationally, help others make rational decisions, respect people, and make decisions based off of
goodwill. Explain how BP violated this ethical theory (in 150-200 words). [20 points]

Course Title: Chemical Engineering Junior Seminar Course Code: CHE 300 2| P a g e
Q2.Talk about 3 environmental consequences of this disaster (in 150- 200 words).

[25points]
Q3.Does the above case violate any of the ethical cannons? If yes, list the relevant ethical cannons
and provide brief justification behindyourchoices. [25 points]
 Part B

Q4.Name one example of an ethical behavior that can be adopted by pharmaceutical companies
during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (in50-100words) [15points]
Q5.Joanne started a new job at a large restaurant chain. She was trained on how to prepare
foodhygienically and to avoid cross contamination of meat with vegetarian produce.

Once Joanne was left with her co-workers they quickly made it clear that they did not
botherfollowing those rules when managers were not around. The rules were time consuming
andpointless. Joanne witnessed raw meats being prepared on chopping boards also used for
cookedproduce. She also saw meats regularly prepared on the same surfaces as vegetarian
produce.

Whilstshelikedhernewcolleaguesanddidnotwanttobeseenasa‘snitch’Joannewasveryconcerned by what she saw and the

potential food poisoning threat it posed to the consumers.

Eventually, Joanne reported her concerns to her line manager. The line manager kept Joanne’s
identityconfidentialandreviewedCCTVofthekitchen.TheCCTVconfirmedJoanne’sconcern.

Based on the above case study, what should be the actions taken by the line manager
(in50-100words)? [15 points]
 Supporting Information

A. Ethical Cannons:
1. Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of thepublic.

2. Perform services only in areas of theircompetence.

3. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthfulmanner.

4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents ortrustees.

5. Avoid deceptive acts.

6. Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor,
reputation, and usefulness of theprofession.