Based on the response to Hurricane Katrina, what is the relationship between inefficiency and ethical behavior for leaders?
Hurricane Katrina was the most disastrous and deadliest storm that brought a new face to the United States disaster preparedness. The hurricane was not only noteworthy for its damage but also its revelation on inefficiency of decisions made by the public organizations and their ethical behaviors. Emergency managers are inclined to work according to their ethical responsibilities of preparing and responding to disasters in ways that protect all the vulnerable people, including the poor and disadvantaged. The inefficient decision-making among the leaders as well as their ethical behaviors had several impacts on certain groups during the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina (Lee, 2016). The minorities, especially the Hispanics, immigrant workers, African Americans, and low-income earners suffered most. Besides the difficult ethical issue, there were also administrative failures in the allocation of resources between the higher-income earners and lower-income earners. In some cases, the upper and middle classes were left to fend for themselves as the emergency teams focused more on the poor.
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How could the response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster have been more effective, and thus more ethical?
The response to Hurricane Katrina could have been more effective, and thus more ethical if better decisions were made by the leaders and emergency managers. Regardless of the advancement of technology in enhancing emergency preparations, important decisions are necessary during the most critical times. Comprehensive knowledge of the impacts of inefficiency and unethical behaviors during a catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina would have helped the managers understand what was needed (Lee, 2016). The response would have also been more effective if there was a greater inter-organizational and intra-organizational cooperation that would have ensured that all the parties are ethically sound and the disaster is dealt with appropriately.
In considering the BP Oil Spill, what circumstances would ethically justify a government or private company in restricting information made available to the public during a disaster?
The 2010 BP oil spill that occurred at the drilling platform of the Gulf of Mexico resulted in monumental destruction to the wildlife and properties (Mills & Koliba, 2015). Before the rig sank, there was fire which burned for a day and a half. Due to the circumstances and ethical considerations around the BP Oil spill, the government and private companies had the authority of restricting information available to the public. Giving access to information regarding the oil spill would have compromised with the efforts for response to the disaster. Some news sources can also exaggerate information acquired, and this may instill fear among the people living around the area. The government can restrict information to the public due to the legal and moral obligations that individuals have towards the environment and wildlife (Mills & Koliba, 2015). Attempting to measure the damage of the spill is difficult and comprising with the state might cause suffocation and poisoning of the creatures.
At what point might other companies have an ethical right to intervene regarding environmental disasters?
It is ethically right for other companies to intervene when it comes to dealing with environmental disasters and safety regulations. The issue of climate change may require other companies to intervene, allowing more deals and techniques of handling disasters. Other companies also have an ethical right of intervening if the government or the private company is incapable of assisting the vulnerable people during and in the aftermath of the environmental disaster (Mills & Koliba, 2015). There is need for intervention if the disaster threatens the global climate. International communities are responsible for delivering lifesaving and environmental sustaining interventions in the event of a disaster.
References
Lee, A. J. (2016). Katrina: Collective Resistance. In Resilience by Design (pp. 91-120). Springer, Cham.
Mills, R. W., & Koliba, C. J. (2015). The challenge of accountability in complex regulatory networks: The case of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Regulation & Governance , 9 (1), 77-91.
