Exportation of Risk: The Case of Bhopal
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman - Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
Biological Systems and Agricultural Engineering Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular Engineering Engineering Ethics Environmental Engineering General Engineering, Engineering Science |
| Special Topic(s): |
History of Technology |
| Learning Resource Type: | Teaching - Case Study |
| Media Type: | WWW |
| Author(s): |
Deena Murphy-Medley
Organization: Online Ethics Center Collection |
| Description: | Case studies from the Online Ethics Center of teh National Academy of Engineering. It begins: "The twenty-first century brings new and complex technologies into the industrialized world. The risks that these bring have been exported to developing countries, which often lack the infrastructure to support and maintain these new technologies safely. Economically, developing countries offer multinational corporations a competitive advantage. Companies based in countries such as India offer cheap labor and low operating costs, but little incentive to promote environmental ethics, safety procedures and community investment. Firms typically find it more economically advantageous to avoid compliance and pay the penalties than to meet statutory safety or environmental requirements, if they exist.1 This case examines the December 1984 catastrophe at the Union Carbide Plant in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, in India. This case is evaluated from the standpoint of exporting risk from industrialized to developing countries. The case, which includes comparisons with Bhopal's sister plant in Institute, West Virginia, considers the moral responsibility for preventing such tragedies on the part of multinational corporations, the governments of the industrialized nations where they are head quartered, and the governments of developing countries where they operate. The moral responsibilities of engineers and scientists working for these organizations are also considered." |
| Rating: |
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| Related Resources | |
| Is Component of |
The Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science |
| References |
International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal |
| Usage Tip | |
| Related ABET Criteria: |
(f) Understand professional and ethical responsibility (h) Understand global, economic, environmental, and societal context |
| Use of Resource: | Case study |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
| Interactivity Level: | Very Low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | November 2007 |
| Platform/Format: | WWW |
| Cost: | Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.onlineethics.org/CMS/enviro/EECS/Bhopal.aspx |
| Metadata: | IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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