Ethics and Corruption in Cycling

Ethics and Corruption in Cycling Ethics in Sport- The Case of Cycling Introduction The Higher Moral and Ethical Ground Conclusion Bibliography Introduction As one of the world’s more demanding sports, cycling extracts as well as expects a maximum performance from its professional participants. It pits them directly against the world’s best in the sport on almost every outing, thus creating a field of competition whereby they are judged, and rated in almost every outing against the leading stars. Unlike other team sports whereby one’s performance is measured, and or gauged against those of a like skill or position, cycling does not provide this cushion or hedge. One’s performance comes under direct scrutiny each, and every outing with time sheet comparisons to indicate one’s standing, be it the mountain climbing segment, sprints, or overall balanced performance through a stage or Tour. The demands of strength, endurance, intestinal fortitude, and mental stamina that is spread in most cases over days, and in the case of the Tour de France, weeks, creates an atmosphere of pressure to perform that is unkno wn in any other type of professional sport. Dr. Alejandro Lucia (Cheung, 2003), a world recognized authority in the physiology of professional cycling, has stated that the training as well as discipline required to participate exact a high mental toll that is also a factor of the high stress of physical conditioning as well as genetics. As would be expected, each country with major participants in professional cycling has its own cycling federation, however, the Union Europà ©enne de Cyclisme, European Cycling Union, is the confederation that oversees the Union Cycliste Internationale, International Cycling Union, which is the professional organization that oversees professional cycling events globally (UEC, 2007). This organization has the responsibility for the issuance of licenses to professional cyclists, along with the enforcement of rules and regulations, which in this instance includes doping (UCI, 2007a). The professional cycling devisions that the the UCI oversees are road cycling events, track, mountain bike, cyclo- cross, BMX, Trials, indoor cycling, and para-cycling (UCI, 2007a). The International Cycling Union is a non-profit-making organization that was founded on 14 April 1900, and is headquartered in Aigle, Switzerland (UCI, 2007b). The organization’s aims represent: The regulation of professional cycling on the international level, The promotion of cycling internationally, in every country as well as at all levels, The organization of professional cycling World Championships for all cycling divisions, The encouragement as well as maintenance of friendly and professional relationships between all cycling divisions, The promotion of sporting ethics as well as fair play, The representation of professional cycling along with the defence of its interests internationally, And the collaboration with the International Olympic Committee concerning cycling events held in the Olympics (UCI, 2007b). It is item 5. the promotion of sporting ethics as well as fair play, along with morals that represents the focus of this examination. And in keeping with such, the International Cycling Union has adopted a ‘Code of Ethics’ that defines and specifies the conduct of action, and rules governing all professional cycling events (UCI, 2007c). It specifies that all executive, management, administrative, cyclists, and other individuals and associations in any way affiliated as well as coming under the aegis of the International Cycling Union must adhere to said ‘Code of Ethics (UCI, 2007c). It sets forth that on a daily basis, all participants must comply with the rules of the ‘Code of Ethics’ with respect to (UCI, 2007c): human dignity, principles of nondiscrimmination concerning race, gender, ethic origin, gender, philosophical as well as political opinions, religion, marital staus, or any other forms of discrimination for whatever reason, the principle of nonviolence in any form as well as the exerting of any type of pressure, and or harassment by any means, specify physical, professional, mental, and sexual, the maintenance of integrity, to hold the priority of the best interests of the sport on a daily basis, to hold the priority of the interests of the sport as well as its athletes regarding financial interests, to protect the environment, to maintain neurality in political issues, and Olympism. Within this ‘Code’ it is required that all parties uphold the principles as well as interests of professional cycling as well as refraining from any behaviour that might jeopardize the sport, and or the reputation of the UCI (UCI, 2007c). Within this framework is the important concept of ‘integrity’, which means â€Å"the firm adherance to a code of †¦ moral or artistic values †¦ (Interactive Playground, 2007). The preceding is specially inportant in the context of this examination as it focuses on the ‘ethical and moral questions’ of drug use in the sport. Integrity represents a skill that is learned over time (Interactive Playground, 2007). As a part of the UCI ‘Code of Ethics’, integrity, under Article 4, is stated as the fact that all parties associated with the UCI shall therefore refrain from the asking for, acceptance of, and or proposal, either directly or indirectly, that any payment as well as commission, along with any advantages and or services of any type that has not been agreed to or authorized by the UCI shall not be undertaken (UCI, 2007c). Furthermore, under inetgrity it also states that when any type of offers of the aforementioned variety are made, that the UCI be so informed (UCI, 2007c). Said conditions under integrity, Article 5, go on to add that parties as covered under their association with the UCI can only accept symbolic gifts that are bestowed in the spirit of freindship as a matter of local custom, and that any other types of gifts are to be forwarded to the UCI (UCI, 2007c). The ‘Code’ goes on to cover such fields as ‘Conflict of Interests’, and Confidentiality’ in laying out specific terms of conduct (UCI, 2007c). In keeping with the foregoing, the UCI has established an ‘Ethics Commission’, that has been granted authority in the following areas (UCI, 2007c): to oversee and ensure that all facets of the ‘Code’ are respected, to field and receive complaints with regard to any infringement to the ‘Code’, to provide advice as well as assistance concerning ethical matters in all phases of the ‘Code’, to provide advice on the avoidance as well as resolution of conflicts of interests, to recommend sanctions as a result of offences against the ‘Code’, to set forth measures for the application and adherence to the ‘Code’, and to put forth proposals recommending programmes to teach and advise on ethics. The foregoing represents an extremely important facet in this discussion in that the UCI has taken an active stance in the areas of ethics, and morals, as defined by integrity. The foregoing represents a critical aspect in the examination of breaches, and scandals that have befallen the sport of cycling that have made the news recently, particularly in the instance of the most recent winner of the Tour de France. The Consequences of Individual Actions As indicated in the UCI’s ‘Code of Ethics’ as well as by the actions taken by this organization as far back as the 1960s when an article representing doping was introduced into the organization’s rules, drugs have been a key consideration in ensuring that a level as well as trustworthy representation of the sport was, and is a part of its operation (UCI, 2007d). The preceding focus was further enhanced by the following subsequent rules, and regulations (UCI, 2007d: in 1966 a similar article, on doping as referred to in 1960, was added to the UCI Technical Guide, in 1967, the UCI published its first list representing substances that were prohibited, in 1967 the UCI put into motion the first sanctions taken against riders that refused to undergo testing, 1967 represented the publishing of the first Medical Control Rules, which were the forerunner to the Anti-doping Rules The above historical understanding of the stance, and active programmes of the UCI is important in the context of recent events on doping in the sport of cycling. This examination shall cover the most noteworthy of these types of events, noting that doping issues have been a part of individual athlete rule broaching since the 1960’s (UCI, 2007d). The Tour de France represents professional cycling’s most premier, and prestigious event. It’s â€Å"†¦scale and social and cultural significance demands the academic attention that it has not always received †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 1). Covering in excess of 4,000 kilometres throughout France, and a few neighbouring countries, millions of on-hand spectators as well as hundreds of millions across the globe via television, and other forms of media follow the event. First conducted in 1903, the Tour has been held as a pinnacle of sporting fairness that shows athletes at their best over three weeks of grueling competition through mountains, and flat stages that average around 150 plus kilometres per day (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 228). Waddington (1998, p. 161) advises â€Å"†¦that a good Tour takes one year off your life, and when you finish in a bad state, they reckon three years†¦ You cant describe to a normal person how tired you fee l†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . They add that â€Å"†¦fatigue starts to kick in on the Tour after ten days if youre in good shape, and after five days if youre not in your best condition physically† (Waddington, 1998, p. 161). Waddington (1998, p. 161) adds that â€Å"Then, it all just gets worse and worse, you dont sleep so much, so you dont recover as well from the days racing, so you go into your reserves, you get more knackered, so you sleep less†¦ Its simply a vicious circle†. Robert Millar, a Scottish cycling professional who rode in the Tour, goes on to state that â€Å"It takes two weeks to recover from a good Tour, three months to recover from a bad one† (Waddington, 1998, p. 161). This event is being utilized in the context of this examination as a result of the intense competition between riders to look good on the world stage in cycling’s biggest event. The preceding translates into the fact that the â€Å"†¦Tour de France cannot avoid seeing an increase in the demands on competitors with the ever-growing importance of television, whose systematic coverage of every stage has also brought in, on top of the necessary battle for the stage win, the necessary battle for permanent presence in front of the TV cameras, therefore making races ever faster† (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 229). They add that there is a â€Å"†¦ long-standing presence of doping in the Tour brings us back to the excessive nature of the race† (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 229). The first instance of doping in the Tour de France occurred in 1924 as a result of the confessions of the Pelissier brothers who admitted using â€Å"†¦cocaine for the eyes, thats chl oroform for the gums† † (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 230). The next significant doping issue occurred in 1955 when Tour riders Jean Mallejac, Ferdi Kubler and Charly Gaul† admitted to taking substances (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 229-230). Doping issues were subsequently repeated in † (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 230): 1966 representing the first year in which â€Å"†¦-doping tests were carried out in the Tour de France †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 230). In 1975 the first rider tested positive for doping, In 1977 another incident was uncovered, In 1980, there was another issue of a rider testing positive for drugs. But, the most noted example came in 1998 when the winner of the Tour, Marco Pantini tested positive in a subsequent race called the Tour of Italy in 1999 (Appleyard, 2006). In 2000, Frenchman Richard Virengue, a celebrated rider in the Tour, admitted to using drugs during a Festina trial (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 232), with the biggest scandal taking place in 2006 when major Tour riders Jan Ullrich, a winner of the Tour in 1997, and Ivan Basso where forced to withdraw from the event (Leicester, 2006). But, for the first time in the history of the Tour de France in 2006, the winner was later declared ineligible and stripped of his title after testing positively for drugs (Bagratuni, 2006). Subsequent testing after the Tour was completed found that Landis tested positive for the 17th stage to Morzine that he won in what has been termed â€Å"†¦ spectacular fashion after a long ride over 130 kilometres †¦Ã¢â‚¬  that included â€Å"†¦ three major alpine peaks† ( Bagratuni, 2006). The discovery wound up causing the cancellation of a later racing event in the Netherlands as well as Denmark, and set off an international furor over doping that had been building for years (cbc.ca, 2006a). The scandals brought back to the forefront past cycling scandals, as a result of the magnitude of the 2006 Tour winner being stripped of his crown. A lot of journalists stated that the 1998 scandals nearly killed the Tour’s integrity as well as value when an employee of the Festina team was arrested with a carload of â€Å"†¦ performance enhancing drugs †¦Ã¢â‚¬  that included one called erythropoietin (EOP), which is â€Å"†¦ a hormone that helps the blood carry more oxygen †¦Ã¢â‚¬  which thus lets riders carry on longer as well as faster (cbc.ca, 2006a). That incident lead to the arrest of six members of the Festina cycling team, out of nine utilized in the Tour, who admitted to the use of drugs that aided in their performance, along with the leader of the Credit Agricole team Christophe Moreau, who later in that same year â€Å"†¦ tested positive for anabolic steroids† (cbc.ca, 2006a). The litany continues with the following incidents as well as allegations (cbc.ca, 2006a): 2002 saw Stefano Garzelli, the â€Å"†¦ leader of the Vini Caldirola team †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (cbc.ca, 2006) tested positive for probenecid. The preceding is a diuretic that is often used to mask the presence of other drugs. 2003 saw Igor Gonzalez, a Spanish cyclist, being banned from the Tour de France after he tested positive for an anti-asthma. 2004 saw the police in France seize EPO, amphetamines as well as male hormones, and the arrest to Cofidis team cyclists. Lance Armstrong, the most celebrated Tour winner was accused of doping allegations, and later cleared. The preceding has damaged the reputation, and sporting fairness of cycling, and represents a long list of doping scandals that have also rocked other sports. The spectacular performances of the 1970s, and 80s East German swimming teams saw a large number of stellar performers later come down with negative health and side effects â€Å"†¦such as liver cancer, organ damage, psychological defects, hormonal changes and infertility †¦Ã¢â‚¬  that called into question that they might have taken performance enhancing drugs (cbc.ca, 2006b). Kornelia Ender, the winner of four gold and the silver gold medals during the 1972, and 76 Olympics revealed she had been taking drug injections since she was 13 (cbc.ca, 2006b). Her situation mirrors that of other East German swimmers Barbara Krause, four gold and silver medals, Carola Nitschke, and others (cbc.ca, 2006b). Incidents of doping scandals hit the 1983 Pam Am Games that was held in Caracas, Venezula, U.S. Track and Field, professio nal baseball and football in the United States, and a host of other sports (cbc.ca, 2007a). The pressures to perform in all manner of sports is clear, and in the case of professional cycling has been particularly damaging owing to the international nature of the sport. The Higher Moral and Ethical Ground The preceding examples as well as histories of cycling, and other scandals have left the sport in a serious state of affairs. These events, and created a situation that has put â€Å",,, cycling at a fork in the road† (Case and Sachs, 2006). The failure of Floyd Landis to pass drug tests after winning the Tour de France resulted in the disbanding of the entire team as sponsors canceled their contracts (Abt, 2006). Gibbs (2000, p. 4) opens up a broad range of considerations in the case of ethics that takes into account that it, ethics, brings with it the responsibility for others. He states that ethics also takes into account that â€Å"We also are responsible for each other in a mutual way when justice requires us to become present, one-to-another† (Gibbs, 2000. p. 4). A situation that is made even more the case in cycling as a team is built to promote one rider, and when that rider or members of the team fails, the entire team suffers. The case of the collapse of Floyd Landis’ team after the 2006 Tour scandal is evidence of this point. Gibbs (2000, p. 4) stated the foregoing above, which in a team sport such as cycling makes such a bind more important. He adds that â€Å"†¦we are bound asymmetrically to each other, and ethical mutuality is possible only because of that excess of responsibility† (Gibbs, 2000. p. 4). And add that such represents a community whereby the actions of one affect the standings of others. As a community, cycling represents a prime example of the foregoing. Mottram (2003, p. 52) brings forth an interesting proposition that â€Å"The motivating factors for drug misuse do not necessarily lie in the hands of the athlete†. He (Mottram, 2003, p. 52) points to a number of studies whereby â€Å"†¦the majority of athletes, coaches, medical practitioners and others involved in sport do not favour the use of performance-enhancing drugs†. There is an ‘however’ he states, which represents that â€Å"†¦these results may reflect the respondents ethical and moral attitudes to the problem, but in practice the pressures of competition may compel them to take a more pragmatic approach to drug taking† (Mottram, 2003, p. 52). Gibbs (2000, p. 4) adds to the foregoing in stating that â€Å"†¦ethics are the will, conscious intentions, deliberate choices, or the perfection of an individual rational life†. Sports, and in this instance cycling, embody rules of fair play, ethics, and other value systems that the public idealizes, and seeks to believe in a world of uncertainty, corporate, and political corruption. Fans, and more importantly children, tend to view winning athletes as role models, thus when that trust is shattered it damages not just the individual, but the sport as a whole. Dauncey and Hare (2003, p. 182) describe this as â€Å"The spectators ethical analysis of the conduct of their favorite riders is arguably more complex than that of the Tour organizers (limited to the rules of the race) or that of the French state (limited to French law and Republican values towards sport) or that of cycle sports international ruling bodies such as the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)†. Conclusion Ethics is a concept, ideal, and principle that is rooted in moral philosophy. Plato’s dialogues delves into the question â€Å"†¦of the subjectivity or objectivity of morality provides the focus for the earliest complete works of philosophy †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Graham, 2004, p. 1). Our belief, and use of moral values represents an evolution of the human spirit that is traced back to Plato, and his teacher Socrates. They held that â€Å"†¦ there is a radical difference between the world of facts, and the world of values, between physis and nomos to use the Greek words, the difference being that when it comes to matters of value, the concepts of true and false have no meaningful application† (Graham, 2004. p. 1). Thus, Graham (2004, p. 1) holds that â€Å"By implication, then, in ethics there is no scope for proof and demonstration as there is in science and mathematics; ethical argument is a matter of rhetoric, which is to say, of persuading people to believe what you believe rather than proving to them that the beliefs you hold are true†. Rist (2001. p. 1) states that there is a core concern in ethics that is â€Å"†¦widely admitted to be a crisis in contemporary Western debate about ethical foundations†. He tells us that we are members of a larger community and that what binds us together in a livable society is the belief, and practice of ethics as a matter of trust (Rist, 2001. p. 205). He (Rist, 2001. p. 119) brings up the foundational principle of â€Å"†¦the problem of the relation between fairness and justice (in what circumstances and by what criteria should people be treated equally†, and that rules are seemingly needed if fairness as well as rights â€Å"†¦ are to be enforced†. He continues that ethics refers to the good life for humans as a whole, and that morality â€Å"†¦is limited to what we are told we ought, or more probably what we ought not to do† (Rist, 2001, p. 120). Hare (1997, p. 1) tells us that ethics can also be termed as a moral philosophy whereby it represents the point that â€Å"†¦philosophers come closest to practical issues in morals and politics†. Outka and Reeder (1993, p. 29) advise that the idea representing moral philosophy is and has been central to the history of philosophy and figures prominently with regard to â€Å"†¦recent moral, legal, and political thought and action†. They bring forth the interesting proposition that â€Å"†¦there is agreement on very general principles †¦ (of morality) †¦ such as the Golden Rule, and disagreement over more specific precepts, or that there is agreement over general moral ends and disagreement over particular means or purely factual considerations†. Morality represents the concept of does and don’ts, and that the â€Å"†¦mark of a civilized society is that its members share this concept, for only because they have it do civilized people acknowledge that human conduct everywhere is properly judged by standards accessible to members of societies other than their own, whose opinions they are not entitled to ignore† (Outka and Reeder, 1993, p. 29). The preceding is central to this discussion of the ethical, and moral questions of drug use in cycling. The ‘Code of Ethics’ as defined by the International Cycling Union has nine key points, representing (UCI, 2007c): human dignity, principles of nondiscrimmination concerning race, gender, ethic origin, gender, philosophical as well as political opinions, religion, marital staus or any other forms of discrimination for whatever reason, the principle of nonviolence in any form, as well as the exerting of any type of pressure and or harassment by any meas, specify phyical, professional, mental and sexual, the maintenance of integrity, to hold the priority of the best interests of the sport on a daily basis, to hold the priority of the interests of the sport as well as its athletes regarding financial interests, to protec the environment, to maintain neurality in political issues, and Olympism. The foregoing harkens back to Gibbs’ (2004, p. 4) statement that we are â€Å"†¦responsible for each other in a mutual way when justice requires us to become present, one-to-another†. He adds that â€Å"†¦we are bound asymmetrically to each other, and ethical mutuality is possible only because of that excess of responsibility†. That sense of community represents what the International Cycling Union is, and thus the highly damaging effects of individual actions to the whole. As the overall governing body of cycling, the International Cycling Union seeks to make these principles a reality, however, it has failed to manifest these into the consciousness of some of its members, which represents a real source for concern. It, the taking of drugs, has been stated by the International Olympic Committee in the following manner (Mottram, 2003, p. 52-53): â€Å"†¦ the use of doping agents in sport is both unhealthy and contrary to the ethics of sport, †¦it is necessary to protect the physical and spiritual health of athletes, the values of fair play and of competition, the integrity and unity of sport, and the rights of those who take part in it at whatever level†. It, drug use, represents a condition that â€Å"†¦is contrary to the very principles upon which sport is based† (Mottram, 2003, p. 53). Dubin (1990) states that â€Å"Sport is considered as character building, teaching the virtues of dedication, perseverance, endurance and self-discipline†. He adds the important observations that â€Å"sport helps us to learn from defeat as much as from victory, and team sports foster a spirit of co-operation and interdependence†¦import(ing) something of moral and social values and†¦integrating us as individuals, to bring about a healthy, integrated society drug abuse would have no place in sport† (Dubin, 1990). Thus, the question, in light of the preceding examples of drug use, is why so many athletes have resorted to cheating†, and â€Å"Why are the rules that govern sport often regarded as obstacles to be overcome or circumvented rather than as regulations designed to create equality of competitive opport unity and to define the parameters of the sport?† (Dubin, 1990). The unfair advantage of the use of drugs in sport lessens the outcome, and masks the potential of those who have superior abilities that are hidden by cheaters. It reduces the concept of sport itself, which is defined as â€Å"an activity, pastime, and competition †¦ â€Å" (Allwords.com, 2007). The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, 2007) states â€Å"The spirit of sport means competing fairly and performing to the best of your abilitythe pursuit of excellence with honor†. The international implications of doping in sport has drawn the attention of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2005) which drafted doping in sports, whereby it stated that â€Å"†¦ sport should play an important role in the protection of health, in moral, cultural and physical education and in promoting international understanding and peace†. The preceding is a broader application of the meaning and purpose of sport than addressed in this examination, but nevertheless is an important facet in the understanding of the attention and implications of sport in our lives, as stated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, 2007). Such higher ideals were and are behind the International Cycling Union’s ‘Code of Ethics’, and the personal as well as individual responsibility of each and every person as well as organization affiliated or associated with it. Loland (2002, p. 143) advises that â₠¬Å"†¦fair play is commonly understood as a set of norms for rule conformity and justice†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . He continues that (Loland, 2002, p. 144): Fairness, represents when â€Å"Parties voluntarily engaged in sport competitions ought to act in accordance with the shared ethos of the competitions if this ethos is just†. And that fair play provides for an equal platform of rules, regulations, methodologies and systems whereby â€Å"†¦competitors are given equal opportunity to perform by eliminating or compensating for significant inequalities that the competitors cannot influence in any significant way and for which they cannot be held responsible†. Loland (2002, p. 144) states that unless there is fair play, then the performance of athletes is not based upon talent, but some hidden advantages that corrupt the outcome and prompts inequality. The use of substances to enhance sport’s performance represents an issue that is as old as sport itself (Mottram, 2003. p. 307). Fair play is the operative concept behind the rules and regulations of the International Cycling Union, and is the ethical and moral foundation. The efforts of the ICU, as put forth by McNamee and Parry (1998) is that â€Å"†¦ the moral structure of sport in terms of an implicit social contract (and thus to offer a rationale for why we should condemn cheating and so forth) needs further careful exploration through studies of both the history of sport and the contract tradition†. Midgley (1974. p. 143) continues that â€Å"the social contract is just one sort of analogy for underlying moral structures that seem to bind societies together, as a co nceptual tool used by the prophets of the Enlightenment to derive political obligation from below rather than from above†. Fairness and justice go to the root of modern civilization as the basis for order, and cooperation. Hare (1970. p. 179) argues that it is â€Å"†¦our duty to obey the rule always keep your promises is simply part of a game (the institution of promising, in this case), and that we could just as easily decide not to play, in which case the duty would disappear†. He concludes that â€Å"For unless one accepts this principle, one is not a subscribing member of the institution which it constitutes, and therefore cannot be compelled logically to accept the institutional facts which it generates.† (Hare, 1970. p. 179). The preceding are the principles and reasons for the existence of the International Cycling Union and its binding ‘Code of Ethics’ on its members. It is the duty of these members to uphold and adhere to the principles of this ‘Code’ as it represents the foundation for public trust and belief in the fact that the outcome of competitions reflects honest and accurate performances. The ‘Play the Game Conference’ held on 10 November 2005 issued a declaration that best sums up that reasons for fairness, honest, integrity, morals and ethics in sport (Pro Cycling News, 2005). It calls for the organizing bodies within sports to: Ensure that corruption, is eliminated from sports, And that the integrity of sports management is upheld by maintaining ethical behaviour, Through a demonstration of commitments to counter corruption. Corruption in sport represents any activity that changes the outcome from what it would have been if everyone adhered to the rules. It thus then provides the public with a true recording of performances in an arena they can trust and believe in. The pressures to perform mean little if such is aided by unfair advantages that skew results, thus it is the duty of the monitoring organization to enforce the rules as strictly as possible to minimize cheating, as well as to administer strong drug testing. The community of cycling is larger than the athletes and members of the International Cycling Union. It includes every spectator that has and will ever watch the sport. In light of the recent and numerous scandals, much needs to be done to re-establish a platform of trust that the public can look ate and believe that the ills of the past, are in fact in the past. Such will restore cycling to its former prominence, and help to further bound the community of athletes and fans to fair play, e thics and morality. Bibliography Abt, S. (2006) Cycling: Shunned by sponsors, Landis’ team dies. 15 August 2006. Retrieved on 17 April 2007 from http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/15/sports/bike.php Allwords.com (2007) sport. Retrieved on 18 April 2007 from http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3Keyword=sportgoquery=Find+it!Language=ENG Appleyard, B. (2006) Drugs and Debauchery. 3 July 2006. Vol. 135. New Statesman Bagratuni, J. (2006) Tour winner Floyd Landis tests positive in latest cycling shock. 27 July 2006. Retrieved on 17 April 2006 from

Arab Women and Education :: Family Identity Essays

Arab Women and Education Whether it was the impoverished desert village, the war torn hills of Beirut, affluent Barqais, the jet set in London and Paris, or the enclosed lives of women in a harem in Morocco, the female characters in these novels all shared five common threads that dealt with the family and the search for identity. In my reading of five novels about Arab women from backgrounds and in situations as diverse as I thought possible, I was surprised to find this common thread running through every piece of literature. In this paper, I will analyze the role the women’s families have in the education of the women, the role of women and families in the literature in political support and times of war, women’s health and family planning, and most of all what these issues do to the emerging identity of the Arab woman. In a society that is so oriented around the extended family, and in which elderly parents are rarely if ever sent to nursing homes, the family’s opinion weighs heavily on what a woman can and cannot do with her life. The examination of the manner in which education is regarded in the families of these women is critical for a better understanding of the decisions they make. In a traditionally patriarchal society where the man is the breadwinner, the assessment of the subject of work outside the home is also interesting. In a region so riddled with almost constant political and military upheaval, there has been bound to have been a change in the roles women in the family play in support of these political and military actions. Finally, the issue of identity is much more prominent in the more modern novels and the issue of the modern family versus the individual and the rise of the individual from the modern family plays very prominently in â€Å"In the Eye of the Sun† and Dreams of Trespass†. The Arab family, as Magida Salman writes, is where â€Å"the fate of women is being decided and unfolds† (Salman 7). Therefore, it is nece ssary to understand the huge impact the family has on the identity of Arab women. Identity as a concept is valuable as a center for cross-cultural understandings of human experience because it begins with the individual, and issues of identity in a literary context can act as a mirror for what is happening in the real world.

A Cinderella Story Essay -- Cinderella Fairytale Essays

A Cinderella Story   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When examining adaptations of fairytales you must look at the original source. This can be a very difficult task because with fairytales we never really know where the original came from. I will base my paper on the theory that the original tale of Cinderella comes from the Grimm Brothers version of Ashputtle. In comparison we will examine two movies. First there is the Disney version Cinderella. Secondly we will look at the movie 'Ever After'.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Characterization is an important aspect of any story or film, because it sets what the entire film will be about, and how the audience will absorb it. In the story of "Ashputtle". The characters include Ashputtle = Cinderella, The Stepmother, and the stepdaughters, the prince, and who I think are two of the most important characters the father and the spirit of Ashputtle's mother. The character of Cinderella is portrayed as a good little angel that always does what she is told. She is also very weak, because she doesn?t stand up to her family. The characters of the stepfamily are portrayed as evil and vindictive. They treat her rotten, and they make her sleep in the ashes. But in the end all of the parties get their just desert. The stepfamily gets what they deserve. The mother was sent away, and the stepsisters who on her wedding day tried to integrate themselves with her, ended up being punished with blindness. The interesting thing about the character of the fa ther was that in the story he remains alive whereas in the two films he dies, but in this one even though he is alive he still is very mean to Ashputtle, and treats her as a servant after her mother dies. In the first film "Ever After", the characters include, Danielle Debbarberack= Cinderella, the stepmother, and stepsisters (both good and bad), the prince, king and queen, the evil servant who betrays the king and queen, and the father. The character of Danielle was portrayed as a "modern" women of the 16th century, who is as independent as she was beautiful. But even with all her trials and tribulations she manages to fulfill all of her dreams. The prince is an important character in this film also. He plays the role of a spoiled prince, who does not desire the life or the marriage that he was destined for, and when he finds Danielle he falls in love, then rejects her and then ends up with her in the end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In t... ...k and maybe get a little insight into their souls? "With his new wife were brought two stepdaughters? Their faces were beautiful and lily white, but their hearts were ugly and black as coal?" Some of the exact differences between the different versions include, the fact that in the story we see that after the mother dies the father is still alive but he stays alive throughout the story and does not love his daughter the same as the other two girls. Whereas in the Disney version the father dies and that is when the stepmother and the two stepdaughters start to treat (Cinderella/ashputtle) differently. In the movie ?Ever After? we see that the father also dies and again that is when the evilness in the family comes out. A few other differences that were discussed include the differences in the prince's portrayal, in one version he was outgoing and honest, and in another he was very shy, and reserved but very dedicated. I found that all of the versions were interesting in their own manner and I wish that I could have discussed the hundred or so more tales from different areas of the world. If you enjoy fairytales then this is one that you will be sure and want to check out.

Macbeth/Theme Essy

Takierra Garth Block 50 March 13 2013 (Macbeth/Theme Essy) In the begging where it started off with three creepy witches cackling as they were discussing when they'll meet again, and decide to hook up â€Å"When the hurly-burly's done, when the battle's lost and won. â€Å"(line 3-4) The implication is that they've been up to something really bad. They let the audience in on their plan to meet some guy name Macbeth. And then cut to post-battle, where we learn that this Macbeth has been kicking serious tail in battle so much that King Duncan has decided to give him the title Thane of Cawdor.He's prancing home on a dark and stormy night after defending King Duncan in battle with some skilled enemy-disemboweling. Understandably, he's feeling pretty good about himself. The witches then call out to Graymalkin and Paddock, or spirits that serve the witches. All three witches start to say, â€Å"Fair is foul and foul is fair†(line10-11) before going back about their business. Just then, him and his good friend Banquo run into three bearded witches who rhymingly prophesy that Macbeth will be named Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. Just as Banquo is curious about his knowing what he will become.And then they begin to say â€Å"lesser than Macbeth and greater but not so much happy, yet much happier thou shalt get kings. Though thou be none†. (line 65-68) And what they mean by that is he will be fortunate than Macbeth and be father to a long line of future kings of Scotland though he will not be king himself. The next thing we know, a guy named Ross shows up to say that, since the old Thane of Cawdor turned out to be a traitor and is about to have his head chopped off and displayed on a pike, so Macbeth gets to take his place as Thane of Cawdor then that takes care of the first prophecy.His ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth, prods him into acting like a man and killing King Duncan when the poor guy comes to Macbeth's castle for a friendly visit. When Macduf f finds the king's dead body, Macbeth kills the guards and conveniently accuses them of murdering the king. King Duncan's two sons, Donalbain and Malcolm, find out what happened, then they ends up leaving out of Scotland so they can't be murdered too. Macbeth is now named king of Scotland. Now Macbeth starts to worry about the witch's prophecy that Banquo's heirs will be kings.Macbeth's not about to let someone throw him off the throne so, he hires some hit-men name Fleance to take care of Banquo and his son. Banquo is murdered, but Fleance escapes. As Banquo and Fleance live, his mind is full of scorpions. Lady Macbeth states that everybody dies, which may be a warning to Macbeth to cool it, or may be a self-reassurance that everyone has to go sometime, so her husband might as well murder their friend and his kid. At a park near the palace, the two murderers are joined by a third.Only a bit of light remains in the sky. Banquo and Fleance approach on horseback and dismount to walk t he mile to the palace, as usual. Banquo starts up with a friendly conversation and is promptly stabbed. While being stabbed, he encourages Fleance to run away and eventually take revenge. In the meantime, the torch has gone out, and Fleance takes advantage of the darkness to escape. With Banquo dead and Fleance on the run, the murderers head off to the dinner party to report the half of the job they've done.

How far were the forces opposed to civil rights responsible for the failures of the civil rights movement in the 1960s?

Historians argue how far the forces opposed to the civil rights were responsible for the failures of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. The CRM was a social movement attacking racial and social discrimination against Black Americans in the southern and northern states. By 1960 the southern states was desegregated. The problems faced in the south were different to those of the north. The southern states suffered from legal inequality â€Å"separate but equal† whereas the North suffered from social inequality, unemployment and sanitation/ ghettoisation making it hard to find a blame for the situation, as the discrimination was not obvious.This caused an outburst of radical civil rights groups to emerge such as Black power and the Black panthers. Some argue that it was the forces that opposed the movement such as the local police/ white backlash that caused the failures as it was noticeable like the police being unfair. Others argue that it was the civil rights groups themse lves that led to the failures of the movement in the 1960s. Some argue that it was the government that led the movement to fail.By 1960 the movement had achieved so much in the south; desegregation in all public places and the Voting Rights Act had been passed, 1962. The movement could not go further as so much had been achieved with the help of the government. For the movement to request for more would have been pushing the boundaries. The problems in the north were intangleable and deeply rooted; only the government could have solved it by pumping money into the economy. The government resisted regardless that â€Å"1 in 10 Americans had an income under $5000 a year for blacks this was 1 in 3† .This led to the failures of the movement as the government didn’t fund the movement allowing it to not progress. On the other hand, it could be said the failures of the movement was down to the state government not the federal government due to the white resistance that they a llowed. â€Å"Four well dressed students sat in â€Å"white only† area in Woolworths refusing to leave unit served, 2nd day 23 students, 4th day 400 students†.Although they were not acting in a violent manor and were protesting peacefully the â€Å"police frequently arrested the protesters  for breaking the law but ignored the white people who attacked them†. This supports the idea of the local police allowing the movement to fail because they treated the campaigners unfairly, arresting them while protesting peacefully. The Vietnam War is another factor that led to the failures of the CRM. Johnson planned a ‘great society scheme’ to speed up desegregation schools education act 1965. â€Å"However the escalation of the Vietnam War made this impossible†. USA became increasingly involved in Vietnam taking Johnson’s concentration of the CRM.This led to the failure of the campaign because the movement was only successful when king was wor king with Johnson. However Johnson now had more important issues to deal with; king made matters worse when he spoke out against the war. At the start he was reluctant to do so, but felt compelled as it went against what he believed in. In 1967 King found it ironic that â€Å"when it came to the recruitment paper and firing line black soldiers were suddenly equal â€Å". This contributed to the failures of the movement as it lost the support of the federal government.In addition the war took time and money that was meant to help improve the northern states; â€Å"0. 5 million was spent on killing a Vietnamese solider but only $35 was to help each poor person† . This meant that there was no money for the FG to fund the CRM as it was being spent on the war; resulting in the CRG to protest against the war as they didn’t see the need of supporting it when the government wasn’t supporting them. This led Johnson to oppose the movement because they were protesting ag ainst decisions that he had made. In 1961 the freedom ride took place.It involved, CRA taking the bus from New Orleans from Washington DC to test the integrated state law they were â€Å"attacked by white mobs who included members of the KKK, the young riders were stoned and beaten with clubs, bicycle chains and baseball bats† . This highlights the evidence of opposed forces causing CRM to fail as the white public brutality attacked them. In 1963 the Birmingham campaign took place bull Connor police chief â€Å"set dogs and fire hoses on the demonstrators, 1300 children were arrested in two days. The lack of strong leadership was also led to the failures of the movement.MLK was not successful with his campaigns in the north as he was with the south. He was from the south and educated therefore the people of the north could not see him as a leader to represent their voice and opinions as he hadn’t experienced what they had. â€Å"people would say white rioting ‘ MLK would be ashamed of you’ and they would reply MLK who? † this led to the failure of the movement as MLK was not looked up to as a leader his existence in the north was not important allowing the movement to fail as there was no clear leadership due to lack of support.MLK had lack of authority such as Los angles because of his tactics. MLK believed in ‘non-violence’ due to his Christian background whereas the majority of the north wanted to use violence. This led the movement to fail as there was disagreement with the way things should be done. Kings expectations of solving the problems in the north were ambitious this was highlighted in the outcome of Chicago freedom movement rally in 1966; â€Å"only 30 000 people attended rather than the 10,000 king had expected† .This showed the broken unity of the CRM movement as for it to have been a success the cites needed to get together like they did in the south. Malcolm X, another leader that strongly influences the movement was completely against kings ideologies. He was from the north, uneducated and had been to prison unlike king and therefore represented most of the black men in the north. He was against integration and argued that it would create a new form of slavery. â€Å"He described that the march of Washington was nothing but a circus with clowns and all organised by a bunch of uncle toms.†This led the movement to fail as there was no unity and support between the leaders. X believed that MLK strategies of ‘non-violence’ re-emphasised the stereotype of the weak and the defeat less black person. This led to the movement failing as there was a clash of belief and ideas in the way the CRM should go about solving the problems in the north. Others argue that it was the emergence of the radical groups such as Black power and the Black panthers that hindered the movement through their actions. The black power was a radical group and became known in 1966 th ey believed in self defence.For some black power meant no integration and for others it mean and advancement in society for black people. The black panthers was founded 1966, it was an all black group and its aim was a revolutionary transformation of America. They used X as their role model. They wanted to improve the conditions of the northern ghetto and black liberation. They came up with a camping called ‘patrol the pigs’ â€Å"to keep the police under surveillance and protect the African Americans from the abuse of the police power†. While officers would be arresting There were other factors that generally led to the CRM to fail.The groups were becoming radical and the violent -ness scared the American public. This caused the movement to fail as they didn’t want to support their violent movement and for the movement to have been a success the groups needed the support of the white Americans to a large extent. The explosion of â€Å"violence out in 196 5-1968 of long hot summers of rioting† due to a black man being arrested for drunk driving and then brutality attacked by the police resulted in this rampaged through the streets.By 1965 there was $40 worth damage by 1967 the total damage was $714.8million this led the movement failing greatly as it made the government oppose them largely as they can caused harm and damaged to the environment that the government now had to pay for. virtuous Overall the forces opposed to the civil rights movement were only responsible for the failures for the movement to a small extent in the 1960s. Some historians argue that if there wasn’t a white resistant there would have been no movement therefore the reluctance of the police and the federal government was needed to a certain extent to be able to highlight the problems suffered by the north.The failure of the civil rights movement was caused by the Civil rights movement groups themselves. They lacked strong leadership as MLK was not eh right leader to lead the northern states to freedom and Malcolm X was assonated. Furthermore they had a lot of disagreements within themselves and lost American support from due to their violent reactions, summer riots and the removal of the whites from the groups causing them to lose funding that they needed. Therefore the failure of the movement was caused by the violent radical movement that the groups had created themselves.

As You Like It Act Two Scene 1

Q. Comment on Act 2, Scene 1. Ans: this passage is an extract from Shakespeare play â€Å"as you like it† and this scene takes place in the Forest of Arden. The scene begins with the entrance of the exiled duke and lord Amiens who are dressed foresters. The change in clothing immediately signals to the audience a change in environment and is also a direct contrast to the previous act in which everyone is dressed as courtiers. The duke begins to talk about pastoral life which is a major theme in the play.He describes the advantages of forest life to be far greater then court life and the audience gets the feeling that life is far more easy going and relaxed in the country as opposed to the busy, eventful life they led in the court. The duke says ‘hath not old custom made this life more sweet. ’ But despite the romanticized nature of the duke’s description of forest life, it also has realistic references such as the ‘winter wind’ and the ‘p oisonous toad’.This passage also gives an insight into the duke’s character. The duke is able to look at the benefits of forest life after having lived in court and having been so unjustly exiled from it. This shows great patience, wisdom, and resilience on his part. His sensitivity towards those around him is highlighted when he says it distresses him that they hunt venison it its own land. The first lord then goes on to introduce Jacques despite his absence on stage.He recalls Jacques’s exaggerated and dramatic response to the dying deer and how he begins to moralize the abandonment of the deer by its herd. This over-dramatic nature of pastoral life is used as comic relief to balance out the drama that took place in court life, and to an extent its innocence which is shown by the fact that the great tragedies taking place in the forest is dying venison. This in turn highlights the more evil and tragic nature of court life where you have scheming and murderous brothers.On a larger scale, this scene also presents a contrast between the two brother duke Frederick, and duke senior. In act 1 duke Frederick is shown as a self-involved, paranoid, and power-obsessed character who lacks the generosity, forgiveness, and wisdom that his elder brother, duke senior possess. This scene in general provides an insight into duke senior’s character and presents a contrast between pastoral and court life while providing the audience with a break from the courts vices.

British Petroleum and The Delay of Maintenance Case Analysis

British Petroleum, now known as simply BP, is a multinational oil and gas company that is headquartered in London, England. On March 23, 2005, a series of massive explosions devastated one of the largest British Petroleum refineries located in Texas City. The blast rattled windows in downtown Galveston, 20 miles away and was even felt in Houston, 35 miles distant. Reports indicated that 15 people had been killed and well over 150 were injured, many of those seriously burned.A BP spokesperson addressed the media by explaining how the explosion had occurred while an â€Å"isomerization unit of the plant was being brought back on stream to full production after having been shut down for annual inspection and repair† (Hosmer, 49). As the families of those killed in the explosion mourned their losses, BP pledged to a â€Å"long and intensive investigation to determine the cause of the explosion† (Hosmer, 49). These promises were cut short when accounts of prior problems at B P refineries began to present themselves.Reports revealed that a year ago from the day of the most recent explosion, a blast occurred at the same processing unit of the Texas refinery. No deaths or injuries resulted, but a U. S Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation indicated violations of 14 standard operating procedures. Furthermore, merely a week prior to the Texas City explosion, BP was reported to have settled a large lawsuit claiming that their company had failed to; properly maintain huge storage tanks and improperly falsify the maintenance records of those very storage tanks.A far more condemning report in the September of 2005 found hundreds of safety violations related to a venting system at the isomerization unit, seen to not have been working properly. As a result, the OSHA imposed a probationary period, in which, BP had to request permission from the agency to start up old isomerization units, report all accidents and injuries, and hire outsi de professionals to review all refinery safety programs and procedures. BP began accepting wider responsibilities and planned to spend more than $1 billion on improving maintenance procedures.However, the company began to lose its credibility as yet another study revealed that the same isomerization tower that had leaked flammable gases to cause the deadly March 23 explosion, had leaked those same gases not once before, but eight times (Hosmer, 59). Two separate accounts of whistleblowing helped the OSHA conclude that BP’s lack of maintenance and worker training was a result of their continual demands to reduce fixed costs, which of course, the senior officials of BP denied.Stakeholder Analysis In a case that involves such environmental destruction, fines, lawsuits and more importantly, the loss of human life; a wide variety of stakeholders are affected. The first primary social stakeholder is of course the central company to the case itself- British Petroleum, consisting of all its officials and executive members. To commence, since BP is the party being sued for the massive explosion at the Texas City refinery, it has a tremendous amount of stake in the case.BP possesses a high interest in this situation, as it is their reputation and profits that evaporate with all of the proceeding lawsuits and investigations. In the same way, they possess high power because they have the full authority and financing to regularly maintain their production facilities and sufficiently train their staff. Referring to the typology of stakeholder attributes, it is clear that BP has high power, high legitimacy, high urgency and a close proximity in this case.As mentioned earlier, BP attains a great deal of power because their decisions are the root cause of the problem. The fact that BP is the defendant in all its major lawsuits, and has so much at stake gives it high legitimacy. Not only that, but the situation for BP is very urgent as the majority of their facility is d amaged and unable to produce any profits for the company. BP definitely possesses close proximity to the case, with their facility and management all situated at the explosion.All of these characteristics prove BP as a definitive stakeholder that can be harmed through the bad publicity; countless lawsuits, fines and investigations; damage to multi-billion dollar refinery; and loss of profits. The only possible benefit for BP in this pool of harms is that this explosion gives them an opportunity to rebuild the refinery with new, safer technology that abides standard operating procedures. BP claims that the massive explosion is a result of highly complicated chemical processes and even places blame on its employees for â€Å"operational mistakes†.The government agency OSHA thinks otherwise, and imposes their legal right to a probationary period on BP and its operations. BP thinks they are in no wrong, but they are denied the right to appeal for a shorter probationary period as the delay of proper maintenance is confirmed as the cause of the destruction (â€Å"csb. gov†). Moving on, another primary social stakeholder affected by the explosion of the Texas City BP refinery, is the employees and managers of the facility itself. Many employees working in the facility have lost their lives and suffered life-threatening injuries.For this reason, their interest in the situation is very high as their health and well-being is placed in jeopardy. In addition, due to the explosion, these workers are unable to earn wages to support their families. These employees have very limited power because they have no control over the decisions made by BP to properly maintain their facilities. Consequently, the employees and managers of the BP refinery have low power, high legitimacy, high urgency and a very close proximity to the case.To further explain, their measure of low power is the result of their position on the BP ladder. They simply carry out the orders enforce d by BP officials such as cutting â€Å"costs by 25 percent† (Hosmer, 53), without paying much attention to the consequences. They also possess high legitimacy with their life and loss of employment at stake. Their urgency is high as they are unable to earn wages and must resort to external sources of income to provide for their loved ones. Also, those injured in the incident must seek medical attention very urgently.Lastly, the employees clearly have close proximity as they work and reside in the vicinity of the facility that has been damaged with the blast. This combination of attributes deems the managers and employees a dependent stakeholder, which is reliant on the BP officials to carry out their will. These members of the case have virtually no benefit from the explosion. Due to the dangerous working conditions and BP’s high expenditures on the explosion, they are harmed with a possible risk of injury or death and potential job loss.Prior to the accident, these s takeholders were denied the legal right to an adequate training regime, which may have been a factor in the blast as stated in an interim report issued by BP (Hosmer, 50). The workers of BP were also denied their legal right to a union, further addressing their lack of power and independency in the case. Finally, a third stakeholder affected by the massive blast of the BP refinery is the U. S Government, but more specifically, the federal agency OSHA (Occupation Safety and Health Administration).Unlike the others, this secondary social stakeholder has a public or special interest stake in the case that is more indirect. The OSHA has a tremendous amount of power and interest given that it is in their authority to ensure BP’s business practices align with the standard operating procedures and provide safe work environments for the citizens of their nation. This secondary stakeholder can also be classified as a definitive stakeholder due to its high power, high legitimacy, high urgency and close proximity to the case.To elaborate, the OSHA has issued lawsuits, fines, investigations and even a probationary period on the practices of BP and will continue to do so until the proper production requirements are met, giving them tremendous power. They possess high legitimacy and high urgency as it is in their right to prevent any future incidents that could lead to the loss of human life and mass environmental damage, in the shortest possible time period. Clearly the U. S government, with all its branched locations, has close proximity to the accident and all key stakeholders involved in the case. Though the OSHA may benefit from showing positive involvement (i.e. investigation reports, fines etc. ) in the eyes of the public, the incident may actually decrease other countries’ investing interests. As touched upon earlier, the government has exercised their legal right to issue fines, suspensions and in-depth investigations. Through this extensive process a nd help from the media, the OSHA has been able to bring the amoral actions of the BP Company to the public’s eye, concluding that; regular maintenance of the production facility would have been enough to prevent the immense explosion. Define the Complete Moral Problem State the moral problem in a â€Å"complete† question form.Is it ethically permissible for the BP Company to ignore and delay the maintenance requirements of their Texas City refinery given that: 1) the massive explosion caused 15 deaths and over 150 life-threatening injuries; 2) the employees, managers, local communities and environment are placed in a volatile situation; 3) it is one of the largest refineries located in the United States; 4) BP settled a large lawsuit claiming that it had (1) failed to properly maintain huge storage tanks and (2) improperly falsify the maintenance records for those storage tanks† a week prior to the explosion (Hosmer, 50); 5) the same isomerization tower that leak ed the flammable gases to cause the March 23 explosion, had leaked those same gases eight times before; 6) a blast had occurred at the same gas processing unit of Texas City refinery a year prior to the March 23 explosion; 7) they were charged millions of dollars by the OSHA after finding hundreds of alleged safety violations in their facility; 8) they falsely pledged to a â€Å"long and intensive investigation to determine the cause of the explosion† (Hosmer, 49); 9) they were trying to cut costs by 25 percent after realizing an after-tax profit of $15. 7 billion? Characterize the Moral Problem Why is this a moral problem? According to Hosmer, a moral problem is a situation â€Å"in which the firm’s financial performance and social performance are in conflict† (Hosmer, 55). To further elaborate, a moral problem can present itself when a company disregards the needs and rights of its stakeholders in the pursuit of profit and financial reward. These are the situa tions when some individuals or groups to whom the organization has some form of obligation, such as employees and customers, are going to be harmed while others will be benefitted.In considering the issue involving the explosion of the Texas City refinery, it is clear to see that BP disregards the rights of its employees, managers and local communities by continually operating â€Å"rusty, unsafe and unmaintained systems† (Wolf), in order to cut costs and reap a greater financial reward. We can clearly see the direct relationship between the parties that have been harmed and denied their rights, as compared to those that are benefitted and profit from this decision, ultimately creating a conflict between financial and social performance. Thus, this issue is a moral issue. Define the kind of moral issue involved in the problem. To specify, the kind of moral issue present in the case is both a violation of justice and rights.In terms of justice, the OSHA, a branch of the U. S g overnment confirms that BP is in violation of fourteen standard operating procedures and hundreds of other safety violations. Moreover, a week prior to the explosion, BP settled a large California lawsuit as it claimed that it had failed to properly maintain storage tanks and improperly falsified the maintenance record for those storage tanks. With their decision to ignore maintenance, BP is breaking the federal law in order to increase profit and others are being harmed for it. Two cases of whistleblowing revealed that BP managers were ordered by senior officials to â€Å"cut costs by 25 percent† (Hosmer, 53).This is simply unfair for parties with close proximity to the case, such as the refinery staff, as they are unable to maintain a facility, which they know for certain, is dangerous â€Å"with its interrelated valves, controls, tanks, flares and alarms- found to not have been working properly† (Hosmer, 50). In terms of it being a rights issue, BP has violated seve ral positive legal rights and laws. For example, BP initially places blame of the Texas City explosion on its workers for â€Å"operational and supervisory mistakes† (Hosmer, 50). By making this claim, BP is violating the positive legal right to adequate employee training. Furthermore, these very individuals working inside the BP refinery are denied the positive legal right to a safe working environment. The massive blast is, as determined a result of BP’s ignorance of necessary repairs.Thus, BP is responsible for violating their employees’ positive legal right to work and provide for their families as well. Therefore, rights and justice are presented in this case. Due to the rights violated and lack of justice, this is definitely a moral problem. Determine the Economic Outcomes The concept of Pareto Optimality is key for determining the economic outcomes. Pareto Optimality refers â€Å"to a condition in which the scare resources of society are being used so ef ficiently by the producing firms, and the goods and services are being distributed so effectively by the competitive markets, that it would be impossible to make any single person better off without harming some other person† (Hosmer, 27).In order to achieve Pareto Optimality; all markets must be competitive; all customers and suppliers must be informed; and all costs must be included. In the case of BP’s Texas City refinery, the condition that states all internal and external costs must be included is violated. BP fails to recognize the costs necessary to maintain their facility, which results in the massive March 23 explosion. For example, when it was discovered that the same isomerization tower that leaked the flammable gases to cause the March 23 explosion, had leaked those same gases eight times before, all costs to repair the facility were ignored and operations were continued as normal.In addition, BP fails to include; the costs associated with the loss of employ ee wages caused by the destruction of the refinery; and the costs of tarnishing the health reputation of local communities. While BP does recognize the costs to mitigate their environmental impact and compensate for all victims, such expenditures only represent a small fraction of the total social and environmental damage caused by their operations. Also, all customers and suppliers are not informed of BP’s practices, thus, they are in violation of another Pareto Optimality condition. Hosmer explains that all parties â€Å"must be knowledgeable about the features of the products and standards of the company† (Hosmer, 8).BP does not disclose all information regarding their products and standards, in fact, generates corrupt documents in the process. This was evident when BP attempted to conceal a large California lawsuit, in which â€Å"they pleaded guilty to not properly maintaining, and falsifying the maintenance reports of huge storage tanks† (â€Å"dol. gov. com†). Without all necessary information, parties cannot make rational choices and express true preferences. In this situation, we cannot take the action that will generate the greatest profit for the company because this will definitely not generate the greatest benefit for society since all costs are not included and all information is not available.This moral problem cannot be solved economically or by applying Pareto Optimality because human-well being is still being jeopardized for a marginal profit to BP, even when an after-tax profit of $15. 7 billion is realized. Consider the Legal Requirements The law in a democratic society is the minimum collective standard that we hold people accountable to. In this case, the laws that must be obeyed by BP and its operations are the United States government regulations imposed on petroleum industries. In the time leading up to and following the devastative explosion, BP has failed to comply with a significant number of legal requir ements. In 2004, BP was cited for 14 alleged violations of standard operating procedures at their Texas City refinery.In September 2005, seven months after the explosion central to this case, the OSHA found hundreds of safety violations that it called â€Å"egregious and willful† (Hosmer, 50). Not only was BP in violation of their legal operational rights, they also denied their staff the legal right to a safe work environment. However, since the outbreak of BP’s actions, the U. S government has been active in ensuring that all legal requirements are met. Following the September 2005 report, the OSHA levied a record size fine of $21. 4 million on BP. Also imposed, was a three-year probationary period in which BP â€Å"had to request permission from the agency before starting up old refinery units and report all accidents and injuries, regardless of cause, to the agency on a regular basis† (Hosmer, 51).Now, although the OSHA was able to bring some positive change , there are still problems with the law relevant to the case. Initially, the aforementioned government agency lacked adequate information to impose the necessary regulations upon BP that would force them to maintain their facilities properly. Due to the fact that BP was falsifying their maintenance reports and managing to stay clear of the media, it was not until a series of in-depth investigations after the Texas City incident that the OSHA was able to reveal the company’s maintenance fraud. The legal information observed in this case tends to lag behind the necessary regulations and moral standards of society, proving that the law is flawed by lengthy delays.Due to the missing adequate information and lengthy delays, simply obeying the law will not solve the moral problem. The government takes action after investigating the cause, which is not up to par with society’s needs especially when human well being is being jeopardized. Even with federal regulations in place, in 2006, BP caused â€Å"the largest oil spill on the North Slope of Alaska† because their major pipeline â€Å"was found to have been poorly maintained, to be badly rusted, and to require total replacement† (Hosmer, 52). BP is operating against the law, even though they possess adequate information on their social and environmental consequences. The government regulations such as the $21.4 million fine as observed in the case, are â€Å"much more a minor matter for BP, [who] had reported an after-tax profit of $15. 7 billion† (Hosmer, 50). Thus, the law cannot be used to solve this moral problem as BP is both lawful and immoral. Evaluate the Ethical Duties In order to propose a solution to a moral dilemma as such, it is crucial to analyze the ethical duties of BP and the various ethical theories that apply. First, the principle of Personal Virtues comes in to play. It implies that one should â€Å"never take any decision or action that is not open, honest and truthful, and one that you would feel proud to see widely reported† (Hosmer, 99). It is clear that BP’s actions have directly violated this principle.Their decision to knowingly delay the maintenance of their problematic facility without informing many key stakeholders is definitely not open. BP also settled a lawsuit in which they â€Å"falsified the maintenance records for storage tanks† (Hosmer, 50), which is neither honest nor truthful. The key stakeholders in the case, such as the management of the refinery have not been open, honest and truthful, thus, cannot be proud of their decisions. This is seen in a two cases of whistleblowing where a manager of the Texas City refinery â€Å"claimed that he had been ordered to cut costs by 25 percent in early 2005† and another BP executive â€Å"had been directed to keep his maintenance expenditures low† (Hosmer, 53).Since both of these members of the BP Company were â€Å"laid off† following the press release, it is clear that BP did not want the leaked information widely reported. Therefore, BP violates the principle of Personal Virtues. Moving on, the theory of Utilitarian Benefits is one that takes an instrumental approach, assigning costs and benefits to an outcome. It states that one should â€Å"never take any decision or action that does not generate greater benefits than harms for the society of which you are a part† (Hosmer, 99). Based on the classical version of theory, from which, actions are judged solely in terms of their consequences, BP is in serious violation. Their decision to ignore maintenance requirements and operate under dangerouscircumstances leads to a massive blast that has virtually no benefits for the society, other than the fact that BP is provided with an opportunity to rebuild a safer, more secure facility. This benefit is very minute so we can assign it a 4 out of 10. Diametrically, the aforementioned decision creates numerous harms to society such as; 15 deaths and over 170 injuries; major environmental damage; loss of jobs and much more. Being of such importance, it is only fitting that we assign these outcomes with higher values such as 10,8 and 7 out of 10, respectively. Adding up the scores for the benefits and harms, we clearly see that the harms outweigh the benefits, thus, there is overwhelming evidence to infer the Utilitarian Benefits principle is violated.Furthermore, the principle of Universal Duties implies that you should â€Å"never take any decision or action that you would not be wiling to see others, faced with the same or a closely similar situation, be free and even encourage to take† (Hosmer, 99). In the case of BP, their actions directly defy the categorical imperative of the Universalizability Principle, which implies that you should act only according to the maxim you are willing to universalize. If BP universalized their behaviour of ignoring maintenance requirements in oil refiner ies or their disregard to employee safety and well-being, several catastrophic industrial incidents could occur causing deaths, injuries, environmental damage and an overall decrease in the quality of life.In fact, universalizing this behaviour would be self-defeating as the lack of clean water and resources would hinder the growth of petroleum industries. Looking at the Respect version of the categorical imperative, it is clear that BP is once again in violation. The principle explains how one should use humans â€Å"always as an end and never as a means only† (Hosmer, 96). The BP Company uses their employees as merely a means to an end by ordering them to carry out duties within the refinery. Given the numerous risks present in the workplace, the workers are treated as objects with very little care and value, useful only in achieving the company’s aim. BP does not abide with the both aspects of the categorical imperative; therefore, it violates the Universal Duties p rinciple.Another ethical duty worth evaluation is the principle of Distributive Justice. This theory mentions that moral standards are based on the primacy of a single value, justice, and that â€Å"everyone should act to ensure a more equitable distribution of benefits and burdens†, because this promotes individual self respect, essential for cooperation (Hosmer, 100). This theory, unlike the others, is hypothetical and teleological. If we were to conduct a thought experiment, whereby we imagine ourselves in the original position behind the veil of ignorance, it is clear that BP’s actions violate the Difference principle. Behind the veil of ignorance, we are unaware of our socioeconomic status.However, we are in the original position, which means we are interested in ourselves and those that who we care about to succeed; thus, we would want benefits and burdens to be distributed equitably, as we do not know which party we belong to. The least advantaged members of the society include the workers of the BP refinery since they earn low labour wages, taking orders from BP managers and senior officials. With BP’s decision to ignore the gas leaks, rusty pipelines and delay future maintenance of their refinery, high proximity employees are placed in a very volatile situation. They can very possibly encounter life-threatening injuries or death.BP’s actions fail to benefit the least advantaged members of society, which is unfair. Consequently, BP is not acting in their right moral duty. Moreover, the decision to delay maintenance destroys the BP refinery and does not provide the workers with increased employment (or any employment for that matter). Due to the facts outlined, the social and economic inequalities created through BP’s amoral actions are not justified. By means of a though experiment, it is evident that an equitable distribution of benefits and burdens is one that benefits the least advantaged members of society. The fi nal ethical duty is Contributive Liberty or Libertarianism.In the same way, it explains that moral standards are based on the primacy of a single value, which is liberty, and that â€Å"everyone should act to ensure greater freedom of choice† as this promotes market exchange, essential for social productivity (Hosmer, 100). Applying this theory, it becomes clear that BP’s actions are in violation with this principle. A few stakeholders, such as employees have their negative rights violated with the explosion, as they are unable to work and earn wages in a dangerous facility lacking maintenance repairs. More importantly, they are not ensured greater freedom of choice because even though they can see the flaws located in the refinery, they must proceed with the instructions from management. In the same way, the management is also denied a freedom to maintain the facility as they are ordered to â€Å"cut costs by 25 percent† or otherwise, risk losing their position s.By suppressing the freedom of these two stakeholders, BP is liable for the massive blast which shuts down the supply of BP petroleum and gas products; ultimately, obstructing efficient market exchange and violating the principle of Contributive Liberty. Propose and Defend a Solution After determining the economic outcomes, considering the legal requirements and evaluating the ethical duties, it is appropriate to make my recommendation. My proposed solution to BP’s moral problem is to make its most disadvantaged stakeholders better off and implement an ‘Employee Workplace Evaluation Program’ as a part of BP’s regular operations. It is important to note that this case has already been â€Å"solved† legally through BP being sued, fined and placed on a probationary period, however, it does not help the moral situation as the law cannot solve anything morally.BP is already mitigating its environmental impact through financial compensation, but my solut ion involves them to start by personally apologizing to each and every family they have harmed through the explosion of the refinery. Next, BP needs to work with local communities to provide long-term health care, food and other services to those families that have either lost or suffered an injury to an earning loved one. In my opinion, this is the least a multi-billion dollar oil corporation can do to begin righting its amoral actions. The second step in my solution entails BP implementing an Employee Workplace Evaluation Program or EWEP, with overview from government authorities (OSHA).This will give the workers inside BP facilities an opportunity to report on various aspects of their job such as; the safety of the equipment; specific work instructions from their boss; any hazardous occurrences (regardless of magnitude); all of which, are relevant to the cause of the March 23 explosion. With the use of an EWEP, all information is openly available, honest and truthful from the emp loyee’s perspective, thus conforming to principle of Personal Virtues. The solution also holds true for Utilitarian Benefits as the benefits of helping families recover from devastation and ensuring the future safety of employees, greatly outweighs the harms. Finally, by providing employees with the freedom of speech, BP will be able to align with the principle of Contributive Liberty and create more secure and productive work environments.