Bhopal Union Carbide Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bhopal Union Carbide Case Study - Essay Example With an incidental accident occurring in the year 1984, in Union Carbide Chemical Factory, in Bhopal in India, a lethal chemical gas was released in the air killing and injuring thousands of people who were living in the region. While several individuals were killed, thousands of others suffered from severe health illnesses even till death. The company was held responsible for the incident considering their lack of sincerity and effectiveness in maintenance of the equipments and units that caused the leakage on one hand and on the other hand could not prevent the spread of the chemical as well. Although the US Union Carbide Company had its holdings in the Indian Company; yet it was the Indian company and its members who were accountable for the incident (Bhopal-Union Carbide Case Study). The present study focuses on studying and analyzing the case and discuss on the ethical issues associated with the incident, and also issues such as liability of the members, the effect on the workfo rce, the effect on the management, and ways to reduce negativity. Analysis of the Case: As could be obtained from this particular case, the Indian Union Carbide Company can be said to have neglected severe issues in relation to the maintenance of its units and equipments which was significantly necessary as the factory was dealing with harmful chemicals. The management of the company should have been careful to understand that the slightest of the leakages or malfunctioning of the units or equipments could lead to such massacre. Particularly, when individuals were working within the factory, and also there were people living in the surroundings, the company should not have neglected even any minor issue in regard to handling of the chemicals and their leakages. It could be obtained from the case study that the company had been performing well initially and opportunities of jobs were also increased for the Indians at a time when the welfare of India could not be considered as healthy . However, gradually negligence occurred in the activities of the company and few years before the incident even the US inspectors detected faults and warned them of areas that needed repairing and monitoring. But, the Indian company did not take such warnings seriously and the result was the accident. It is clear from the case that if the company had been careful in its handling of chemicals, and in maintaining their units and equipments, then the incident would not have occurred in the first place. Even if it occurred, the company could have prevented the spread of the chemical in the air, but no equipments worked at that time. Hence the Indian company was to be blamed and was blamed, an incident that has left several lives into suffering till the present day. Ethical Issues Raised by the Case: The most essential ethical issue that could be observed from the case study is in regard to the responsibility of the company to provide for protection of the human lives. The company effec tively failed to protect the lives of its employees. Not only that, the company also proved to be inefficient in protecting its environment as the incident killed hundreds and injured thousands of people residing in the surroundings, affecting the entire area. Ethical issue arises as such an incident clearly reflects that the company had not been sincere in following and maintaining the safety procedures that it needed to. The focus of the company was only on increased production of pesticides and hence gained profits. Thus profits were given more value by the company than the protection and safety of human lives. The company did not care to ensure the fundamental standards of safety in the factory. Moreover, although the company was under the holding of its American company, yet the standards set by the American firm were not followed by the Indian company. Ethical issues can also be raised to be in the way the factory was built in a surrounding where so many people resided. The

Employee Relations Master Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Employee Relations Master - Case Study Example Similarly the conflicts as well as the disagreements in the company could be resolved and structured in a way that any industrial actions or any other forms of disaffections are avoided. The company should also provide a framework which is normative for dealing and the identification of the problematic areas in the company. (Alderman 1992) In this scenario Tim Fraser an employee at the Brinley Financial Services has been a product sales assistant for two years. His main job has been selling the company's products and recording the sales details on a database. He has periodically been visiting websites that are unrelated to his job during his break periods but recently he has however been doing so regularly during the working day. According to him he is only killing time since the other employees do it too. The company has however stopped this activity by issuing a new guideline which states that "Henceforth staff must not use Company equipment for non-work activity. Failure to comply with this policy may expose the employee to disciplinary action and possibly dismissal." One day Tim's supervisor Maxine Tim's supervisor saw that he was on another visit and he therefore decided to suspend him asking him to leave the building pending notice of the disciplinary hearing. On the other hand Tim's colleagues are very angry and they decide to refuse to work until Tim is reinstated. However the company has issued the workers with an official notice to immediately return to their duties and failure to do so could result to their dismissal because of their unlawful action. Strategies that was available to Maxine Salter and the BFS to avoid such a dispute. In the scenario above there are some strategies and styles as well as some disciplinary procedures that the company would have adapted so as to avoid such a dispute. (Ashdown 1993) Managerial styles The company should adapt to managerial styles that are flexible and avoid the arbitrary and the punitive discipline models which are associated with a very hard management styles. The company's management should adapt a reconstructed model which is corrective and which is also associated with the soft management. In such a model there are very few dismissible offences and also the stages that are involved in the procedures gives a lot of opportunity for an employee to reform even though the process due is imperative. By the company adapting such a model it will be seen as very respectable and also fair in all its dealings especially when it comes to disciplinary action on the employees. If this management is appropriately used Maxine Salter who is the supervisor would have given Tim who had been periodically visiting websites that are unrelated to his job during his break periods an opportunity to attend an assistance program in opposition to taking any other form of action such as suspending him in an un-procedural manner. But if the assistance program fails then he should dismiss him if need be and such actions would be perceived to be very legitimate by the external agencies as well as the workforce. This is because the company has taken the initiative to correct the behaviour but no positive results were attained. Disciplinary procedures and rules relating to industrial conflict It is very important the Maxine and the BFS Company to know that any disciplinary proc