I am currently enrolled in a Crisis Communication class that covers widely accepted and successful Public relations practices when dealing with an organizational crisis.
Of course of the list of examples of what not to do, the Exxon Valdez oil spill is at the top. Since starting this Blog, I have wanted to post on this case. Can you believe that it is nearing 20 years since the disaster happened and ExxonMobil is still fighting when it comes to taking the blame?
In a February 2008 press release from the Exxon website, the representative stated that the ongoing "case before the Supreme Court is not about compensating people for actual damages. All such claims have been resolved. Rather, the case is about whether further punishment is warranted..."
http://www.exxonmobil.co.uk/Corporate/about_issues_valdez_sc_022708.aspx
According to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, work to restore the beautiful Prince William Sound is still an ongoing, daily struggle. Why would a company, who made a profit of $40bn in 2007 alone, feel that the $3.5bn they have thus far put into cleaning up the disaster (for which they are fully responsible) truly be enough?
http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/
It is my opinion, and I believe this to be true from a PR standpoint, the company should support the restoration of the sound until it is in as good of a condition than it was before the spill. If ExxonMobil would step up and take full responsibility for this crisis, it could help their image in the eyes of the American people. But if they haven't been willing to do that in the past, could it ever really happen?
A comprehensive, and somewhat controversial, look at the effects of the Big Oil Industry on us as consumers. How are the actions of the Big Oil Giants affecting us? How is the industry portrayed by media? How does this portrayal compare to statmements made by industry insiders and supporters? Can the "best of times" for the industry be the begining of the "worst of times" for us?
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3 comments:
It's crazy to think about all our lives we were taught to "leave places better than we found them." I don't know all the details of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, but the points you bring up about them taking responsibilty and making things better than they were before, rings true to me. If we would all do our part and step up and start conserving in our own community, starting in our own homes, the world could end up a better place. If we could save ourselves the unnecessary trips in the car, it could help us save more gas, in the long run. We all would like to point the blame at everyone else, but we are all at fault, to a point.
Darla has a great point on conserving energy. All though I do not agree with all of the Global Warming Hype (becuase science and recent statistice from climatologists will disagree with what Al Gore is falsifying) the one good thing that might come from it is making us more aware of the wasting habits we have created. America's economy is now based on consuming rather than producing. Decades earlier American manufacturing, steel, automobiles and food products dominated the global markets. Now a lot of these jobs have gone over seas due to heavy corporate taxes and trade agreements that favor the US in giving us cheaper products to buy but will send US jobs out of the country to pay workers a cheaper rate. We need to get back to becoming a producing nation, that's what made the US the best country and economy in the world. Most countries around the globe produce and save. All we do now is consume and borrow. Our national debt is out of control and our dollar is very weak, thus affecting the price of food and gas with inflation. Gas prices are not going to go down any time soon, therefore we need to look for other sources of energy that will allow us to control our energy prices and other markets that are affected by it. Until a real plan is put into place, (like the Manhatten project or putting a man on the moon) we will always be stuck in this endless cycle.
Since the majority U.S. economy is involved in the services industry and manufacturing is no longer dominant, I don't think that becoming a producing nation is feasible. The rising countries of China and India owe a lot of their progress to the manufacturing industry. I prefer to work at an office than at a factory. Due to technological advances, human labor is a small factor in the production process of food, so farming for everybody is a thing of the past. Consumption moves the economy. Consumption is not bad. Borrowing is a tool that is often abused. Excessive borrowing (mortgage crisis) is another story. The borrowing or saving factors are related to culture (like Japan).
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