Business Ethics
Amtrak’s Case Study
LS312: Ethics and the Legal Environment
Unit 4: Assignment
Kaplan University
Professor Bill Mulherin
January 3, 2013 Amtrak’s Case Study
Corporate social responsibility can create big problems if corporations do not handle difficult situations properly, especially when there are accidents involved. According to the eGuide to Ethics and the Legal Environment chapter 2, “CSR is a business practice that demands that business organizations look to the effect their decisions have on multiple stakeholders” (eGuide 2013 pg. 3). I would have to say after reading The Wreck of Amtrak’s Sunset Limited, the question of “Who was at fault” would be a difficult task to determine. However, I will do my best to break this case study down into elements that will eventually present an idea as to who truly was at fault for the derailment, which was caused by a towboat which was lost in the dense fog and hit the bridge while pushing 6 barges and knocked the track out of alignment. I will present to you all the stakeholders involved in this derailment, as well as their interests in cleaning up the mess this “normal accident” left in its wake. Next, I will explain the four areas of the corporation 's social corporate responsibilities including the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic areas. Based on these four areas of corporate social responsibility, I will reveal my final summary of who was responsible for this derailment and provide my justifications and recommendations to each of the businesses at fault. I will present a brief history of the derailment of Sunset Limited and the accident that took place (Eisenbeis, Hanks & Barrett, 1993).
The case study involved several factors that contributed to creating this devastating accident. Amtrak’s transcontinental passenger train, Sunset Limited, was delayed in New Orleans and behind schedule thirty minutes before it left Alabama. The train was cruising on its tracks at seventy-two mph; a towboat that
LS312: Ethics and the Legal Environment
Unit 4: Assignment
Kaplan University
Professor Bill Mulherin
January 3, 2013 Amtrak’s Case Study
Corporate social responsibility can create big problems if corporations do not handle difficult situations properly, especially when there are accidents involved. According to the eGuide to Ethics and the Legal Environment chapter 2, “CSR is a business practice that demands that business organizations look to the effect their decisions have on multiple stakeholders” (eGuide 2013 pg. 3). I would have to say after reading The Wreck of Amtrak’s Sunset Limited, the question of “Who was at fault” would be a difficult task to determine. However, I will do my best to break this case study down into elements that will eventually present an idea as to who truly was at fault for the derailment, which was caused by a towboat which was lost in the dense fog and hit the bridge while pushing 6 barges and knocked the track out of alignment. I will present to you all the stakeholders involved in this derailment, as well as their interests in cleaning up the mess this “normal accident” left in its wake. Next, I will explain the four areas of the corporation 's social corporate responsibilities including the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic areas. Based on these four areas of corporate social responsibility, I will reveal my final summary of who was responsible for this derailment and provide my justifications and recommendations to each of the businesses at fault. I will present a brief history of the derailment of Sunset Limited and the accident that took place (Eisenbeis, Hanks & Barrett, 1993).
The case study involved several factors that contributed to creating this devastating accident. Amtrak’s transcontinental passenger train, Sunset Limited, was delayed in New Orleans and behind schedule thirty minutes before it left Alabama. The train was cruising on its tracks at seventy-two mph; a towboat that
References: Anaejionu, R. (2013). What is corporate social responsibility? Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/corporate-social-responsibility-11605.html CarbonFree. (2010) Amtrak. Carbonfund.org. Retrieved 14:23 Feb 26, 2012 from http://carbonfund.org/index.php?option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=2&Itemid=216. Chandler, D. (2009). The perfect storm of leaders’ unethical behavior: A conceptual framework. Retrieved from http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/ijls/new/vol5iss1/IJLS_Vol5Is1_Chandler (2).pdf Eisenbeis, H. R., Hanks, S., & Barrett, B. (1993, September 22). The wreck of amtrak’s sunset limited. DOI: Retrieved from Kaplan Portal History Channel. (1993, September 22). Sep 22, 1993: train derails in alabama swamp. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/train-derails-in-alabama-swamp The Kaplan eGuide to ethics and the legal environment. Retrieved January 2, 2013 from eGuide_LS312_Chapter 2.pdf US Legal. (2001-2013). Code of ethics law & legal definition. Retrieved January 2, 2013, From http://definitions.uslegal.com/c/code-of-ethics/.