I often refrain from hypothetical presumptions without conclusive data. But when I heard of the BP’s oil spill and the ensuing stories that followed, observed set of data raised my eyebrows.
I even went as per inking down my thoughts on a peer reviewed academic article, though omitted it later. However, as I read the story of new findings in the case of BP’s oil spill, I cannot help but to question BP’s sustainability measures. Guess what BP is not alone to depict questionable behavioral pathology, in fact many corporation does. From Enron to Wall Street, corporate behavioral pathologies are nothing new. Yet, when you see presidential commission (UPI.com, 2010) alleges Halliburton and BP deliberately using unstable cement mixture to seal the Macondo well, you question the motive of both corporations. Did they simply fail to act?
Presidential commission even declared that cement mixture used by Halliburton to cover the well that lead to the biggest man-made disaster in USA history is below industry standard. Robert Bea, an expert of oil industry and a professor of University of California at Berkeley questioned test methods used during drilling as “unusual” (UPI.com, 2010). Irrespective of the explanation from Halliburton and BP, the whole ordeal shows procedural faults, lack of risk assessments and preventive measures on their part. The outcome is an unprecedented disaster leading to severe socio-economic and ecological debasement.
For both corporations, I presume, literally taking their words into context, work was done as usual. However, by developing a value ingrained measure could have reduced the cost of cleanup and widespread socio-economic and environmental disaster.
Assuming that both corporations have done what they could, presidential commissions’ investigative report still depicts a sheer contrast. So, what went wrong?
There seems to a gap somewhere in the very value system or perhaps within behavioral norms of those corporations. Knowing the business you are in and the consequence it may have in ecological system or even to our common biosphere, how oil giants like BP fails to develop adequate technological means to prevent it at the first place or dose it soon after?
There lacks efforts towards integration of human values and institutions. Walrusian model of economics seems to have short sighted corporations. A paradigm shift in doing business is thus called for, a “dose of corporate Sustainability is thus essential for corporate’s own survival and that of our own species.
Reference:
UPI.com, 2010. Halliburton cement at fault for BP spill? UPI.com. Available online at http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/10/29/Halliburton-cement-at-fault-for-BP-spill/UPI-93081288384176/
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