Massey Energy Corporation failed to comply with governmental regulations for the application of rock dust. Thus, resulting in an explosive coal dust build up on the surface and in the air. Over fifty percent of the mine area where the explosion happened was poorly rock dust at the time of the explosion. Additionally, it was found that the area of the longwall where the explosion began had not been rock dusted since September 2009. Upper Big Branch Mine failed to have enough ventilation to provide miners with fresh, breathable air, and to remove methane and coal dust. Particularly, the push-pull ventilation system failed; consequently, the methane from the poor ventilation delivered fuel for the initial fireball. Also the water sprayers on the longwall shearer were not working properly and failed to extinguish the initial spark. After this event, Massey Energy Corporation version of what caused the explosion was completely different. The company blamed the events leading to this explosion on an unfortunate labor accident. …show more content…
Massey seemed to have a history of unethical actions. Furthermore, the vice president of safety statement further validated unethical behaviors within managers. Miners were often threatened or disciple when they complained about safety concerns. Although Massey actions were obviously unethical in regards to worker safety, the company did uphold other corporate social responsibilities. Massey Energy Corporation provided jobs in poverty stricken communities. The company also funded several educational programs. In addition to the aforementioned corporate social responsibilities, Massey Energy Corporation should equally commit its efforts to protecting the environment. Also, the Massey should restructure their focus on ensuing a safe work environment for
Inspector Scanlan sent reports every three months from 1942 – 1944 repeating recommendations and adding new ones. He considered Centralia No. 5 the worst mine in his district. Coal dust and gas are explosion hazards. Steps can be taken to minimize these concerns. Rock dusting is a method used to localize an explosion. Illinois law requires rock dusting in a seriously dusty mine. Mr. Scanlan was the first line for the miners. He had the authority to close the mine and did not do it. He later mentioned being afraid of losing his job. It was his responsibility as a public administrator to take action.
It will be advantageous for the company if they can project themselves as responsible corporate citizen and an environment friendly company. Social enrichment schemes, recycling schemes and educational funds can be initiated to cater to this cause and long term goal.
Exxon/Mobil, one of the nation’s leading oil producers, has its main refinery located in Beaumont, Texas. Each year, the residents of Beaumont/Port Arthur have to contend with the 39,000 pounds of pollution spewed each year by the Exxon refinery. Exxon’s emissions are 385% above the state refinery average. In 1999, the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Committee (TNRCC) allowed the plant to increase their emissions, without allowing the public to have a say in the matter. Interestingly, 95% of the people living near the plant are of African American descent and are in the poverty range. Some believe that this, along with the lack of education in the area, allows Exxon to get away with such high emissions. Residents in nearby neighborhoods have been complaining of headaches, nausea, eye, and throat irritation for years. Since 1997, Mobil has repeatedly violated health standards in its emissions of two key air pollutants: sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, These “rotten egg” smells are so strong, one can smell it through a car driving past the refinery. After numerous complaints and one record of a refinery worker becoming unconscious because of the fumes, the EPA awarded Exxon with a $100,000 environmental justice grant in October of 1998. Hopefully, Exxon has put the money to good use and cleaned up their emissions.
Many accept that the sole legitimate purpose of a business is to maximize profit and shareholder value. In doing so there is a growing concern whether the companies have acted in a social and environmentally accepted manner (Brueckner 2011, 25). Chevron's vision, "to be the global energy company most admired for its people, partnership and performance" reflects the Chevron Way and they value to place the highest priority on the health and safety of their workforce and protecting the environment. They claim to proactively work towards improving their processes to reduce pollution and waste (Chevron 2012).
The first issue to look at is what should Herman Singer do and why. The central fact or issue in this case is the fire and whether to rebuild the factory or retire. Due to the fire, profits has decreased, unemployment has increased, which could cause the community in a small New England town to suffer. So, what should Herman Singer do and why? Herman Singer has to take several issues into considerations in whether or not he should rebuild the factory or retire on his insurance proceeds. There are several issues that Singer needs to look at before making his decision. The first issue is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Corporate Social Responsibility is where one considers the impact on the company’s action on society. Within CSR, you have four responsibilities, economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic. Herman Singer need to take a look at all these to make for sure that the action that his is going to take is an economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic approach in regards to his corporation and society. He needs to look into all the issues that could affect the company as well as the society when determining whether to rebuild or retire.
They should make sure that their primary and secondary stakeholders feel that Paradigm Toys is meeting their corporate social responsibility on a daily basis. First, customers should feel that Paradigm maintains an ethical relationship with them and that they are treated fairly. Employees should be trained and understand what is expected of them and that they are performing ethically and maintaining the highest social responsibility. Paradigm Toys should practice corporate social responsibility to make sure their image with their stakeholders is positive for today and in the future.
Greed is the root to evil or at least the motivation behind some corporations making a good, ethical decision. The Ford Motor Company fell into a trap of greed that would cost many human lives. Before the disaster of the Pinto Fires, Ford had a reputation as being the safety pioneer in the automobile industry with additions such as the seat belts. However, as the invention of small cars began to take emerge Ford began to loose market shares to the foreign market. Ford had to do something and quick.
This report summarizes the results of a review of Target Corporation’s sense of social responsibility as discerned by examining three areas: ethics, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability practices. It presents an overview of Target’s historical and ongoing corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, and an evaluation of Target’s CSR efforts based on the corporation's policy, performance stated objectives, key performance measures, and select peers. The report includes recommendations for improvement as well as measures for evaluating improvement. The sources of Target’s policy and performance results are its corporate governance documents and corporate reporting.
With all the coal dust in the air, it made it so you were always breathing it in. In the long term it made it very dangerous for your health. Sometimes if there was just one little spark it could set off an explosion. It is a combination of coal, dust and gas. It creates a kind of tornado effect. The miners were all very well educated on this. Coal gives off a gas that is impossible to see. It is often called the white damp. A lot of mining companies cut corners to make more money and not go under. This was catastrophic to the mine and the miners. When cutting corners this caused a lot of explosions and people working in very dangerous situations and conditions. When an explosion happened most miners were trapped like helpless animals. They couldn’t do anything so they died of being burnt
The first fire related incident associated with the ‘Model S’ occurred in the state of Washington on October 1st, 2013. The media was quick to blow the incident out of context. Graphic pictures along with videos taken by bystanders who witnessed the incident started circulating via social media portals. Executives at Tesla were quickly reactive in taking action and addressing the issue. CEO Elon Musk personally took matters in his hands and addressed the media backlash via a blog post on the Tesla website two days after the incident (Model S Fire, Oct 4, 2013).
An organization’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drives them to look out for the different interests of society. Most business corporations undertake responsibility for the impact of their organizational pursuits and various activities on their customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment. With the high volume of general competition between different companies and organizations in varied fields, CSR has become a morally imperative commitment, more than one enforced by the law. Most organizations in the modern world willingly try to improve the general well-being of not only their employees, but also their families and the society as a whole.
The accidents involving machinery kill and/or hurt more coal miners in a year than any other mining accident. The machinery in mines are located in cramped spaces with little light, causing miners to have two times the chance of accidents. The accidents involving roof and rib failures can usually be averted if a mining company has a roof support plan. For a roof support plan to be made, information like entry widths, mine geometry, the number of pillars that must be left up right, and the number of bolts that must be used are needed (Cobb 3 of 5) Accumulations of gases in underground coal mines is another very serious hazard. If certain gases like methane and carbon monoxide are at or above 5% in the air they can cause violent explosions. Blasting in coal mines are the main cause for such dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
Many laws have been put into place to make sure corporations act ethically, so they do not harm people or the environment. Corporations have a social responsibility to follow these laws and various other ethical actions; Johnson & Johnson, considered to be one of the most admirable companies according to Fortune, is one company that included their corporate social responsibilities in their code of ethics. Their code of ethics states that executive officers cannot financially benefit from unethical transactions or that their management must be competent and ethical (Code of Business Conduct, 2015). It is important for corporations to act ethically and hold up to their social responsibility, especially within the workplace; ethics are especially
It seems obvious that large corporations have a tendency to ignore the negative effects of their actions in favor of profit. This example, although sensationalized, still says to me that with power comes responsibility. It affirmed my belief that a corporation’s goal cannot be just to provide profit to shareholders, but there must also be an element of social responsibility.
Both of these areas are the lifeblood of the company, and any benefit to them should not be overlooked. Before a company can become proficient at corporate social responsibility, they must first know its definition. Corporate social responsibility is defined as actions that can be taken by a company to ensure they are adhering to ethical and social responsibilities of the day. These corporate social actions are self-regulatory, as a company strives to adhere to guidelines while also going above and beyond being a Good Samaritan in the business world (ECA, 2015). This can place certain businesses at the forefront in customers mind because of the example they are setting in the marketplace. A company going above and beyond the call of duty to work towards a more philanthropic approach in the surrounding community is a perfect example for corporate social responsibility. Going deeper into the definition, corporate social responsibility acts like a “double bottom line” for a company, as they strive to achieve financial goals, but also achieve their social mission out in the community. Once a company is aware of what the concept of corporate social responsibility is, they can now implement it and start to reap the many benefits of its