Beyond Petroleum ( Bp ) - 1192 Words

Beyond Petroleum (BP) formerly British Petroleum is a company that claims to be devoted to finding new energy sources with little impact on the environment. Ferrell, Fraderich, and Ferrell, explain in their Business Ethics textbook in 2012 that after several environmental tragedies in the mid-to late 2000’s, the company had to reassess their ethical standards and make changes to repair their image and regain the confidence of their stakeholders. During this time, they began investing in wind, solar, biofuels, and many other new types of energy sources. They also created programs to educate citizens and stakeholders about environmental awareness. Most importantly, though, they also tasked their ethics and compliance team with creating a code of conduct policy and communicate it out to every employee (p.343-345). Considering that BP is a worldwide company, with employees of diverse languages and cultures, this was a very difficult task to complete. Not only would it be a challen ge to communicate the new code of conduct out to each employee, but it was even more difficult for the company to enforce it. Because of the lack of understanding on how to deal with ethical dilemmas, managers and employees within the company did not complete proper risk assessment, leading to the worst oil spill in U.S. History. This would come to be known as the Deepwater Horizon spill. BP commonly outsources machinery and companies to complete certain tasks. They did in this case by hiring an oil rigShow MoreRelatedBps Rebranding After The Us Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill 20101730 Words   |  7 Pagescomplete failure of the product or service. I will be writing this essay on the powerful rebranding of BP oil and gas supplies and how they overcame the crisis of the US oil spill. The oil spill happened on the 20th April 2010 and had a huge effect on the company’s image, reputation and success. The incident effected the brands image which meant consumers started favouring other gas and oil brands as BP no longer had the long lasting reliability that the public chose them for. The company was foundedRead MoreA Report On The Bp Oil Spill Essay751 Words   |  4 PagesBritish Petroleum also known as Anglo Persian Oil Company, and now known as BP. The company has experienced many ups and downs in its past history, but BP became one of the largest energy companies. Over BP history has experienced issues such as environmental damage, hazards that affected its works and issue due to business practices (Thome, Ferrell, Ferrell, 2011). On April 20, 2010 the BP oil spill was the worst in U.S. history. There was a terrible explosion and the sinking to the DeepwaterRead MoreThe Critical Success Factor Of British Petroleum1562 Words   |  7 Pageswell as the operational business reputation of a corporation is critical to the survivability of the corporation in today’s business world. Today we will put our focus on one of UK’s largest multinational oils company’s. In the case with British Petroleum (BP) as it actively explores oil in 26 countries around the world, due to BP’s lack of focus on the safety issues presented in the 2004 Telos Group report coupled with the oversight and control to correct safety hazards, the Texas plant experiencedRead MoreAn Audit Of Beyond Petroleum s Ethical Practices1500 Words   |  6 Pagesaudit of Beyond Petroleum’s ethical practices. This report will identify three main breaches of ethics, explain why they are unethical and make recommendations of what could be done to rectify the issues identified. Introduction Beyond Petroleum (BP) is one of the world’s largest energy industries, ‘operating in all activities which are connected with the oil and gas industry’. This includes ‘exploring, producing, refining, distributing and marketing of these products to a global market’. BP operatesRead MoreEthics Report And Recommendations For Bp1497 Words   |  6 PagesEthics Report and Recommendations for BP Executive Summary The focus of this report will be to perform an audit of Beyond Petroleum’s ethical practices. This report will identify three main breaches of ethics, explain why they are unethical and make recommendations of what could be done to rectify the issues identified. Introduction Beyond Petroleum (BP) is one of the world’s largest energy industries, involved in all activities which are associated with the oil and gas industry. This includesRead MoreBp Oil Spill822 Words   |  4 PagesBP OIL SPILL Under the Deepwater Horizon, an offshore drilling ring of British Petroleum (BP) caused an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The incident occurred on April 20th 2010, where equipment failed and caused the explosion sinking the ring, and causing the death of 11 workers and more than 17 workers injured. The British based energy company also faced other problems at the site of the oil spill. More than 40 million gallons (estimated data) of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil spillRead MoreSocial, Cultural and Environmental Responsibility of Corporate Business Leaders1482 Words   |  6 Pageshttp://apus-green-building.com/2010/05/04/corporate-social-responsibility-and-stock-values-a-lesson-from-bps-deep-horizon-catastrophe/ †¢ Solman, Gregory (2008) BP: Coloring Public Opinion?, Adweek.com [Internet] January 14th, 2008. Available at http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising/bp-coloring-public-opinion-91662 †¢ http://www.iisd.org/sd/ †¢ http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/bp Case Study: Corporate Social Responsibility and Stock Values, a lesson from British Petroleum’s Deep HorizonRead MoreBp And Corporate Social Responsibility1584 Words   |  7 Pagesminutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.† BP could have used Buffet’s quote as a recipe for success. British Petroleum best known as BP, a leading billion-dollar oil corporation is just one of the organizations who participates in corporate social responsibility (CSR). According to their code of conduct â€Å"we are committed to avoiding damage to the environment and related impacts on communities.† BP has put themselves on the line when the oil spill of 2010 occurred in theRead MoreThe Ethical Philosophy Of The United States1432 Words   |  6 Pagescosts, then the behavior is ethical, if not, then the behavior is considered unethical. This philosophy underlies the economic tenets of capitalism and is embraced by many business executive s† (Kerin, Hartley, Rudelius, 2015, p. 100). British Petroleum validated utilitarianism values for the Deepwater Horizon rig at the Macondo oil prospect in the Mississippi Canyon in the continental shelf (â€Å" ¬Deepwater†, 2015). Demonstrating moral idealism, â€Å"Toyota Motor Corporation’s core principle is to contributeRead MoreOil And Gas Companies : Bp1266 Words   |  6 PagesBP, originally known as British Petroleum, which was founded in 1889, is part of the world’s seven largest publicly traded oil and gas companies. According to BP’s recent annual report BP states that they provide their customers with â€Å"fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, lubricants for engines, and petrochemical items used to make items for everyday use such as paints, clothes, and packaging.† The current CEO of BP, Bob Dudley, has a focus on turning the company around into a safer

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act - 962 Words

Public policies are the rules, laws and regulations that govern society as a whole. Federal and State governments institute these policies in order to ensure that its citizens and resources are protected. The assignment required students to explore a public policy issue to determine how the policy is perceived by the various cultures in the United States. One such policy that concerns many is the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In light of the political climate in today’s society the act requires a review to determine if the law is fair to all cultures and their religious belief. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, passed in 1993, allows for any business to be entitled to an exemption from applicable laws as long as it can be proven to be due to one’s religious belief. (Rivkin, David Whelan, 2012). In simpler terms, it means that a business owner or church has the right to discriminate in the form of not providing pro-choice rights to female employees, to deny patronage to their businesses to gay/lesbian couples and to not offer the aforementioned employee benefits because of their sexual orientation. However, bear in mind, in order to deny these individuals, their particular rights, one merely has to cite the new RFRA act. In order to support the statements made previously, please see examples below: 1. A landlord who refuses to rent to same-sex couples, unmarried couples, single parents, people of various races or of a different religion. 2. An employerShow MoreRelatedThe Religious Freedom Restoration Act1309 Words   |  6 PagesThe Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is a federal law that was set up to protect the free exercise of religion, as an undeniable right, protected by the First Amendment. Easy enough, right –however, it seems can be interpreted in different ways, some depending on what your beliefs are i.e., religious or secular. Such as in the legal case of Burwell (U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services) vs. Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby argued that they should not have to pay for contraceptives for theirRead MoreLocal Religious Freedom Restoration Act905 Words   |  4 PagesLocal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) are controversial in nature, because while they pretend to use the excuse to protect the free exercise of religion, intrinsically it is an avenue to attack same sex marriages which have been ruled constitutional by most circuit appellate courts in the United States. Curr ently the Supreme Court is hearing the cases that might ultimately decide the faith of marriage equality. United States v. Windsor opened the door for most federal appellate jurisdictionsRead MoreThe Controversy Over Religious Freedom1264 Words   |  6 PagesControversies Over Religious Freedom Religious freedom has been a staple of the American doctrine since the Bill of Rights. Since then, religious freedom has been challenged non-stop. From the Supreme Court’s rulings that have shaped what religious freedoms mean, which include the enactment of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), and the legalization of same-sex marriage; to obstacles that Muslims face. Religious freedom has been and continuous to be a center point in American politicsRead MoreReligious Freedom : More Than Just America s Hobby Anymore1666 Words   |  7 PagesReligious Freedom: More Than Just America’s Hobby Anymore Religious freedom in the United States originated in the reason that many pilgrims arrived on North America’s shores. They were leaving so that they could practice their version of their religion unhindered by a government entity. This was later reaffirmed by the Constitution of the United States with the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause. The laws of the land continued to be relooked at by the Supreme Court and religious freedom wasRead MoreContraception Within The Affordable Care Act2406 Words   |  10 PagesContraception within the Affordable Care Act Sarah Tharpe University of New England SSW 505 October 16, 2014 Abstract The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its mandate regarding contraception has been the center of contention since the United States Supreme Court decided to go forward with the case in 2013. The initial mandate in question instructed establishments to include and or make available all forms of contraception. Additionally, the employee’s individual health care plan was to provideRead MoreThe Freedom Restoration Act Should Not Be Treated Like People, Let Alone Granted1499 Words   |  6 PagesWhether big or small, corporations should not be treated like people, let alone granted religious freedom. The Supreme Court continued the horrible trend of pro-corporation rights. Whether one stands with Hobby Lobby, Inc. and considers this case a success of religious freedom or an intrusion, I see it as the court favored corporation’s rights over personal rights. Female workers should be given the availability to use contraceptives. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled on the case of Burw ell v. HobbyRead MoreBirth Control and the Government Essay1092 Words   |  5 Pagesbirth control and the government. A dangerous couple, it raises the question of who should have control over contraceptive laws and what controls involving them should be put in place? Currently, under the Obama Administration, the Affordable Care Act and â€Å"Obamacare† have been created. One of the sections of this new plan creates a mandate which requires private businesses to provide insurance that covers birth control costs. The government should not be able to force businesses, and therefore theRead MoreControversial Issues Like Same Sex Marriage1481 Words   |  6 Pagesanti-gay license to discriminate, it permits anyone to deny â€Å"any services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods or privileges, nor counseling, adoption, foster care, and other social services to anyone else, based on their sincerely held religious beliefs (Bardash). The second bill bars same-sex couple s from taking part in contract marriage. Subsequently, it expels the fundamental right to have equal protections guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution to any LGBT person as well as women andRead MoreHobby Lobby : An Overview1027 Words   |  5 PagesIsland by August 2017(Bloomberg). The company seems to continue to grow even in the down turn of the economy. Many people may say that this is a coincidence, but they believe that they are prosperous because of their faith in God. With the company’s religious beliefs, they are not open on Sundays. They believe that their employees need to spend Sundays with their family and not working. Only being open for sixty-six hours a week, the company is still very prosperous (becketfund.org). With the introductionRead MoreHeavens Gate and the Infingement of Religious Freedom2800 Words   |  12 PagesInfringement of Religious Freedoms Introduction How much religious freedom do we want? The United States Constitution guarantees religious freedom to all citizens. However, since the establishment of this freedom, there have been continuous debates and modifications. Despite this independence, there have been times when the government felt it necessary to infringe upon religious freedom for various reasons. The question is, at which point it is okay for the government to become involved in religious affairs

Characteristic, Personal Attributes, Styles and Qualities free essay sample

Abstract: Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or a set of goals. The theories can divide by 3 chronological in groups that deal with leadership. First were the trait theories. Until the 1940s, research in the field of leadership was dominated by these theories. Second came from the behavioral theories which were very influent until the late 1960s. Finally, contingency theories are the most modern theories about leadership. Trait theories are theories that consider personal qualities and characteristics that ifferentiate leaders from non-leaders. Early results aimed at confirming this theory were inconclusive. Many research studies were conducted and each identified key traits supposed to differentiate leaders from non-leaders. The problem is that they didnt get the same results, thus failing to discover common traits, which should have shown in each research study. When applying the Big Five Personality framework (extravers ion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience) to the study and research of leadership traits, results were more ncouraging. They showed that the most important trait for leaders was extraversion. Still, this founding should be mitigated. Extraversion seems to be a crucial trait in getting leaders into leadership positions or being recognized by others as being a leader but isnt necessary related to effectiveness in the long run. Another trait that was identified by recent studies is emotional intelligence. The point is that if a leader doesnt have emotional intelligence all his other skills and qualities such as, competence, experience, excellent analytical skills, vision, etc. ay fail to ave a positive influence on the people he leads. Central to emotional intelligence is empathy and the caring part of empathy, especially for the people with whom you work, is what inspires people to stay with a leader when the going gets rough. The mere fact that someone cares is more often than not rewarded with loyalty. Instead of focusing on personality traits, behavioral theories focus on the behavior of effective l eaders. This distinction is very important because if behavioral theories proved to be true they would mean that people can be trained to become better eaders, in contrast to the trait theories, which assumed that characteristics that made the difference between leaders and non-leaders were given to an individual and couldnt be changed, thus leaving organizations with the recruiting process of selecting the right leader as the only tool towards effectiveness and little hope for any improvement. The most famous behavioral theory was developed by the Ohio State University. It basically identifies two categories of behavior associated with effective leaders: initiating structure and consideration. Initiating structure refers to he extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his or her role and those a leader is likely to have Job relationships characterized by mutual trust, respect for subordinates ideas, and regard for their feelings. We can note that the consideration dimension is similar to the empathy part of emotional intelligence discussed in the trait theory, thus suggesting it is an important factor since it is evidenced and common to both approaches to leadership. The second behavioral theory was developed by the University of Michigan. It also identified two dimensions in leadership behavior. Those dimensions are employee-oriented and production- oriented. Employee-oriented leaders favor interpersonal relations, take personal interest in their employees needs and accept individual differences among members whereas production-oriented leaders focus and insist on the technical, operational and task aspect of the Job. The findings of the University of Michigans research show that employee-oriented leaders were associated with higher group productivity and higher Job satisfaction (whereas) production-oriented leaders tended to be associated with low group productivity and lower Job satisfaction. Once again we have a dimension (employee-oriented) which is very similar to the emotional intelligence factor of trait theories and the consideration factor of the Ohio State Universitys behavioral theory. Although no formal connection has been demonstrated so far, its worth bearing in mind that these elements are consistent with three major theories in the subject of leadership. Hersey and Blanchards in Situational Theory (SLT), the SLT is quite intuitive. Maybe thats why it is so popular in organizations nowadays. It basically states that a leader hould adapt to his employees degree of willingness and ability to perform a task. For example, if an employee is both unwilling and unable, the leader needs to provide him with directions that are both clear and specific. If the employee is able but unwilling, the leader needs to use a supportive and participative style. Etc. Introduction: In this articles review, I am going to look at the characteristics of leaders. What qualities they all share, their personal attributes and the different styles they adopt. Look at the theories by Tannenbaum Schmidt, Douglas McGregor Kerr Schriesheim. Also what challenges they may face and looking at focusing on leadership. Body of text: Characteristics/attributes: Ability to make decisions Willingness to lead Integrity Enthusiasm Imagination Willingness to work hard Ability to analyses people, data situations Ability to understand people Be able to deal with difficult Ability to spot opportunities situations On top of the above, all leaders should be able to plan, initiate, control, support, inform and evaluate within they working lives. Leadership styles cannot be fully explained by behavioral models. The situation in hich the group is operating also determines the style of the leadership, which is adopted. Several models exists which attempt to understand the relationship between style situation, four from the module are described here. According to Tannenbaum Schmidt (1958) believes in the autocratic and democratic model where leaders are somewhere in between using their authority to get the Job done or to allow freedom within the team. Douglas McGregor (1960) believed in the X Y theories. His model is based on the belief that workers are generally lazy and without a push to achieve they will become disinterested. Theory Y on the other hand believes that workers are keen to do well so are interested in what they do. Kerr Schriesheim (1974) The Ohio State Leadership Model, which uses the ideas of leaders, which: 1. Initiate structure 2. Show consideration Just by looking at these four theories, you can see that a pattern is emerging. They seem to be either democratic where the leader believes in allowing freedom to their workers, or autocratic where the leader believes that a tight rein on what goes on with their workers is best. How about with the leadership attitudes? These appear to e broken into two sections, either Task oriented or People oriented. Once again these are following the same two routes of either democratic or autocratic. Broken down, they are: Leadership attitudes: Task oriented leaders, who are most interested in training, instructing behavior, performance and winning. Where as a people oriented, leaders are more interested in the interpersonal relationships within the team. (Adair 1984) Based on these two styles, Blake Mouton developed the Management grid, which classifies leadership styles into: 1. Country club 2. Team 3. Middle of the Road 4. Impoverished 5. Authority/Obedience 1. Country Club This person uses reward power to maintain discipline and to encourage the team to accomplish its goals. 2. Team This type of person leads by positive example and endeavors to foster a team environment in which all team members can reach their highest potential, both with team members and as people. They encourage the team to reach team goals as effectively as possible while working tirelessly to strengthen bonds among various members. 3. Middle of the Road This type of person is able to balance the importance of getting the Job done in the orrect manner while taking into consideration the needs of the team. . Impoverished This leader uses delegate or disappear management style. They are not really committed to either the task accomplishment or maintenance. They allow their team Authoritarian These leaders are very much task oriented are hard on their workers. There is little of no allowance for co-operation or collaboration. They are very strong on deadlines and expect their workers to do whatever they are told without question. When something goes wrong, they tend to focus on who is to blame rather than concentrate n what went wrong and how they can prevent it from happening again. This in turn makes it very difficult for the workers to contribute or develop. (Anon 2005) All these styles have a place in leadership but it is only by studying the situation and the forces affecting it, that you will know which style to choose. Situational Leadership: Situational leadership operates by using one of four approaches, which was developed by Paul Hersey Kenneth Blanchard (1988). 1. High task low relationships is where the leader needs to define the roles direct the team or individual to get the task done. Communication is largely one-way. 2. High relationship low task is where the leader needs to support the team after a group decision has been made on how the Job is to be completed. Control is with the team. 3. High task high relationship is where the leader still defines the roles but seek ideas from the team. Decisions remain the leaders domain but the communication is more two way. 4. Low task low relationship is where the leader is still involved in decisions and problem solving but the control is with the team. The team decides when how the leader is involved. As shown by this panel (Blanchard K. t al 1986) i. Supporting it. Praise, listen facilitate iii. Coaching v. Direct support v. Delegating v. Turn over responsibility for day to day decision vil. Making viii. Directing x. Structure, control supervise So a suitable mix of supportive directive behavior defines the four styles. Which one is most important during a period of change when the team could be feeling negative? Leadership Challenges: Leadership can come under challenges one of the toughest is change having to lead their team through that process. Change can be anything from re-structuring, e-location to the introduction of new equipment processes to new policies. Resistance to change is an understandable reaction recognizing resistance gives the leader the opportunity to do something about it. (Antonakis J. 2004) Typically the superficial reasons given for resistance are not the real deep-seated concerns. Leaders need to take time to understand then address the underlying fears. Once the real concern is understood, the leader can consider what points to emphasize to support while the leader is trying to drive the change through. Allow your team to have their say, listen and acknowledge their concerns. Be honest; let them know the bad as well as the good news. Keep your cool and keep promises and be enthusiastic about the planned changes, be positive. The leader needs to find equilibrium. In the module, it breaks it down to 5 key points: Supportive Honest Informative No-nonsense Enthusiastic The leader needs to find equilibrium some kind of focus. Focusing your leadership: 1. Heroic Leaders Ordinary people, like Nelson Mandela, who have overcome hardship difficulties through patience and persistence, they set examples to others. They have a belief and demonstrate day after day determination to succeed.