Ethical Analysis of BP's Actions in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Utilitarian and Relativist Perspective

Name: Ethical Analysis of BP's Actions in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Utilitarian and Relativist Perspective
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Author: Evelyn Morris

Evaluation of BP's ethical responsibility in the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Evelyn Morris

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Ethical Analysis of BP's Actions in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A
Utilitarian and Relativist Perspective
Critically analyze the ethical issues surrounding BP's actions in relation to the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill of 2010, using the ethical frameworks of Utilitarianism and Ethical Relativism.
In your answer, discuss the role of whistleblowers, the concept of "at-will" employment, and
BP's efforts to rebuild its reputation through post-disaster marketing. Be sure to address how
BP’s actions could have been different to prevent the disaster and explore the long-term ethical
responsibilities the company holds. Your response should be at least 1,500 words.

SUMMARY& BACKGROUND INFORMATION
BP oil is a global organization that essentially directs business in the oil and characteristic
gas industry through investigation, field advancement, and creation that spotlights on creating
powers, greases, and petrochemicals (BP, 2015). BP has associations around the world and
activities a plan of action to make maintainable progress concentrated on long haul intrigues. The
organization makes esteem by giving vitality supply, while supporting and generating so as to
advance financial advancement, personal satisfaction upgrades, and occupations in numerous
nations around the globe. The primary focus of this paper will examine the ethical actions that
BP did or did not take pertaining to the deep water horizon oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of
Mexico on April 20, 2010, which was one of BP’s oil drilling sites (Huffington Post, 2015). The
examination of ethical issues will view the ethical actions through a Utilitarian Perspective and
Ethical Relativism. In order to grasp the understanding of the ethical issues at hound we must
first turn to defining ethics, Utilitarian ethics, Ethical Relativism and take a deep look into the
deep water horizon water spill pertaining to the actions BP did and did not take. Additionally,
this paper will examine the role in which whistle blowers did and did not play prior and after the
explosions and the efforts that the company put in place to re-establish, and rebuild their
reputation and image.
DEFINITIONS
The meaning of ethics defined by dictionary.com (2015) “is rules of conduct recognized
in respect to a particular class of human actions, a particular group, or culture” (p.1). Any time

ethics is referred to in the study the reference shall be to the actions and beliefs taken by BP in
correlation to the deep water horizon oil spill.
Utilitarian ethics according to Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, and Meyer (2015) is a form a
reasoning that is applied to moral decision making by weighing the consequences of all possible
alternatives and selecting the best choice the produces the most benefit for the most good.
Ethical Relativism assumes the position that there are no moral absolutes, no moral rights
and wrongs, instead the moral beliefs that decide what is morally right or morally wrong are
create through the social norms in which society creates (Slick, 2015). In essence, ethical
relativism makes the assumptions that the moral values that are held true by one person or
organization are those that have changed and evolved over a period of time.
PROBLEM
The oil spill that occurred of the Gulf of Mexico in July, 2015 posed ethical problems and
issues for BP. The main problem that occurred was that an explosion caused oil to flow into the
Gulf of Mexico for 86 straight days pouring over 5 million gallons of oil (Shannon, 2011). The
ethical problem was not that of the oil spill, but rather why did it occur, and who would take
responsibility for the events that occurred on that day and the actions that would be required
thereafter pertaining to the cleanup. The consequences of the oil spill resulted in 11 deaths, 17
injuries, 16,000 miles of coastline being impacted in Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi,
and Florida, 8,000 animals became deceased within six months of the soil, and over $40 billion
dollars in total cost related to the cleanup and fines (DoSomething.org, 2015). All of these
consequences revert around the ethical question of how BP responded to and handled the
situation that their organization was responsible for.

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Environmental Science

Ethical Analysis of BP's Actions in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Utilitarian and Relativist Perspective

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