Ethics- Bp

Based on the maxims of duty, BP did not act ethically in its drilling operation but did act ethically in the setting up of a compensation fund.

First Maxim which is consistency

BP was consistently unethical in their decision making because, BP has a consistent poor safety record. According to PIRG research, between January 1997 and March 1998, BP was responsible for 104 oil spills.

In 2005, BP faced a disaster, when one of BP's refineries located in Texas City, Texas, exploded killing 15 people and injuring another 180 individuals and forced thousands of nearby residents to take up shelter within their homes. (Mauer & Tinsley, 2010).

In 2006, BP pleads guilty to a federal misdemeanour that cost BP $20 million in criminal penalties due to an estimated 201,000 gallons of oil that leaked out into the Alaskan Tundra.

The Anchorage Daily News stated, "Prosecutors said BP manager failed to heed "many red flags and warning signs" that key pipelines within the nation's largest oil field were going bad." (Loy, 2007) BP continues to show ethical problems by ignoring red flags and warning signs that could have stopped the leaks from occurring.

The decision of setting up a compensation fund is good and as the record show is been consistent. Each time BP act unethically, they get fined, pay the fine and continue their business. Paying the fine helps those that were affected by their action and make them either continue with their business or go into another type of business if they want to avoid BP.

Second Maxim, which state that "Act as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end, never as means only" (Immanuel Kant) BP did not act ethically in this category because they should have informed each and every stakeholder about the risk of platform explosion. By so doing, BP would have given each and every one of the stakeholders involved the opportunity to make a rational decision. But by hiding Information from the government, the local fishers, local citizens and all the stakeholders, BP has breached the second Maxim standing for respect of the individual. It left all the stakeholders being as an uninformed victims and observers of the huge catastrophe.

In the setting up of the compensation fund, BP acted ethically because they did put the stakeholders who are most affected as an end not as a means, they did this because they did not go about announcing the amount they give each of them so as to gain reputation but they did it because they see it as their duty to do it. They also set up the compensation fund to help the stakeholders affected to get back on their feet, they did not ignore the fact that some of the stakeholder's income was hugely affected. . BP naturally acted out of duty to clean up after their mistakes. Also, it