Introduction
Texaco, an oil company of American origin was founded in Beaumont, Texas. The flagship product of the company is its fuel, known as “Texaco with Techron”. The company also owns another brand of motor oil, Havoline. The company has used technology in order to expand its business empire. The company has been in the business of oil exploration and extraction in various regions of the world. As such, the company has used different technologies in order to pump oil from deep seated sources in the earths crust.
The use of such technology causes environmental degradation to a great extent. This has been evidenced in some of the areas where the company has oil explorations, like in Ecuador. The company in in the spirit of corporate social responsibility should execute measures to rehabilitate the environment. However, this has not been the case and the company has been implicated in various cases of environmental degradation. To this end, this paper will present a report on corporate social responsibility of the company with special focus on technology and business.
Statement of the problem
For over two decades, the company extracted crude oil from the Ecuadorian rainforest. This ecosystem is home to many indigenous people an an earth’s gem of biodiversity. Before leaving the ecosystem, the company extracted over a billion barrels of the coveted crude oil. The company left a colossal mess of oil spills, toxic waste pits and poisoned communities. In more perspective, the company spilled over seventeen million gallons of crude oil, used up over twenty billion gallons of waste water with heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other toxic materials. The environmental degradation was so extensive evidenced by the over two and half million acres of forested land that was used in the construction of roads for transporting oil.
Besides these issues, its operations had devastating effects on the people living in the Amazon River basin. Many diseases like headaches, cancer, respiratory diseases, malnutrition, stomach ailments and skin diseases surfaced in the local communities that were affected by the operations of the company. Yet, even in the face of all these issues, Texaco refused to clean up the environment or compensate the people who were affected by the operations of the company. This demonstrates the height of unethical behavior and corporate irresponsibility evidenced by outright lack of concern for human rights, public health and global environment.
A moral Analysis of the Issue
The total disregard of human rights, public health and global environment is not moral putting it at best. According to Kantian ethics, one is not supposed to use another person as a “means” but as “ends” ( Makkreel & Luft, 2010). This was not the case for Texaco oil company in Ecuador. It is true that the company used the natives for most of its labor force. It is also true that the company offered the Ecuadorians numerous opportunities in terms of subsidies and supplies. Even so, the company used the natives to self destruct. Where the company could have cared about the health of its workers, it did not. The workers were mere means to extract the crude oil. Their health concerns and those of the general environment were not taken into consideration.
There is a lot that the company could have done to alleviate the issue. In the spirit of corporate social responsibility, the company ought to have embraced the need for sustainability and environmental conservation. Compensation for the people that were affected by the operations of the company was due. People have dignity and this should not be violated by anyone or any entity. Secondly, the company should have instituted measures to clean the toxic wastes before releasing them into the environment. This not only prevents public health related issues but also helps conserve the environment.
Policy Recommendations
Texaco company can turn this around in its subsidiaries and future operations. In order to do this, the company needs a corporate responsibility policy. It is recommended that that the policy stipulate the measures the company will take towards environmental conservation. This is in the view that in oil exploration and extraction, accidents like oil spills might happen. When these are unavoidable, it is important for Texaco to have stipulated measures of cleaning up the environment. It is recommended that the company includes in the policy measures towards compensation schemes for individuals who might be affected by its future operations. These measures should also include strategies to prevent public health problems and violations of human rights.
Conclusion
Exploration of resources deep in the earths crusts comes with its fair share of expenses. Since all businesses are profit driven, sometimes companies might overlook environmental and health concerns in order to maximize on the profits. However, corporate consciousness is required of companies. Through the ideals of corporate social responsibility, companies are going to uphold morals and ethics in its operations. Texaco company has a lot to do in terms of corporate consciousness. The trail of environmental degradation the company has left behind is undeniable. However, through the recommendations on matters of policy, the company can make steps towards corporate social responsibility.
References
Makkreel, R. A., & Luft, S. (2010). Neo-Kantianism in contemporary philosophy. Bloomington, Indiana University Press.
