OB Application 2
Pay attention to the OB Application Grading Rubric found in the Getting Started section.**This application assignment requires you to (1) read the case synopsis below, (2) review the questions,(3) conduct research for more information if needed, and (3) then state your responses and additional assignment information using the assignment structure below.
Note: OB Application 2 should be submitted as a Microsoft Word or PDF file.Case Synopsis, Questions, and Application Instructions:
BP’s 1998 installation of solar power cells at 200 of its pumping stations looks like an example of commitment to green values. However, BP invested only 0.1 percent of its portfolio in solar panels,while simultaneously expanding its fossil fuel extraction and exploration program. In effect, one could argue that BP has conducted a public relations campaign designed to accommodate its consumers’ concerns about the effect of carbon emissions upon the world, while also expanding its fossil fuel extraction process. Critics refer to this as ‘green washing’, in an analogy with ‘whitewashing’. BP has also adopted ‘socially responsible’ positions on global warming to mitigate regulatory risk and legitimize its operations. By defecting from the Global Climate Coalition, an association that denies global warming, it was able to take part in debates over policy prescriptions, voicing a preference for market-based and voluntary solutions.
1. How ethical is BP? Explain your reasoning.
2. Explain the pros and cons of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
3. Choose a concept from Module 6 , other than ethics, that relates to this case synopsis.
