BP plays the Blame Game instead of owning up

The BP Oil Spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in late 2010 due to
the negligence of British petroleum. The abysmal construction of BP
oil wells in the gulf of mexico led to one of the largest oil spills
in history resulting in 11 deaths and irreversible harm to the flora
and fauna of the region. Approximately 53000 barrels of crude oil per
day was spilled into the gulf, and a total of about 4.9 million
barrels, an equivalent of 205.8 gallons of crude oil. The oil spill
has not only resulted in disprportionate deaths of endangered species
such as whales and dolphins, increasing numbers of mutated crab and
fish it has also destroyed the livelihood of fishermen and the tourism
industry in the area.

British Petroleum pleaded guilty almost two years after the incident
and paid $4.5 Billion in fines. However, BP continues to place blame
on the rig owner and the construction company. Instead of owning up to
its actions and apologizing to the public, BP diverted media attention
by playing the blame game. Instead of empathizing with the victims,
BP’s delayed reactions may have tarnished its image forever and made
the company synonymous with this disaster in the minds of the people.
Now BP is channelizing its efforts to re-brand itself as a green
organization and undertake the sustainability agenda. I believe that
not showing remorse and not taking immediate action towards its
external stakeholders was unethical behaviour on BP’s part.

^ a b c Hoch, Maureen (2 August 2010). “New Estimate Puts Gulf Oil
Leak at 205 Million Gallons”. PBS NewsHour (MacNeil/Lehrer
Productions).