Law for Business 12th Edition by James Barnes,Terry Dworkin,Eric Richards

Exercise 4

One of this country's richest commercial fishing areas was devastated by a massive oil spill when an oil tanker, the Exxon Valdez, ran aground. The ship's captain had been treated for alcoholism and returned to work. After the oil spill, his blood test showed a high level of alcohol in his blood. Following the wreck of the tanker, Exxon announced that, even after treatment, known alcohol and drug abusers won't be allowed to return to so-called critical jobs such as piloting a ship, flying a plane, or operating a refinery, although they will be given other jobs. Exxon Chairman Lawrence Rawl defended the new policy by stating: "Even with close follow-up, there are certain things you can't have people do." United Airlines, on the other hand, has a corporate policy of regularly returning pilots to the job after they have received treatment for alcoholism. It believes that not reinstating them would be short-sighted because such a policy would discourage alcoholics from seeking help. Profit maximizers base their arguments against the social responsibility model on several grounds. Specifically, describe the criticism of social responsibility revealed by these conflicting approaches to the alcoholism problem.