Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Is That Ethical? Italian Cruise Disaster Sparks Leadership Questions

    By David Mielach | LiveScience.com – Thu, Jan 19, 2012

    By now everyone has heard the story of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship and its captain, Francesco Schettino, who has come under fire for abandoning the ship as it was sinking.  Although the saying is, "the captain should go down with the ship," many people are not exactly sure of the ethical consequences of the situation.  

    While many people will have different responses to this particular episode, the sinking of the Costa Concordia has raised the interesting question of what is a business leader or owner's ethical responsibility to his or her customers and employees when facing a life-threatening or dangerous situation?

    According to Ann Buchholtz, professor of leadership and ethics and research director at the Institute for Ethical Leadership at Rutgers Business School, leaders must ensure safety to employees and consumers, regardless of the situation.   

    "Safety from harm is one of the basic rights of consumers," Buchholtz told BusinessNewsDaily. "In fact, we are approaching the 50th anniversary of the 'Consumer Bill of Rights' that President Kennedy introduced in a speech to Congress (on March 15). The first, and arguably the most basic right, is the right to safety – 'to be protected against the marketing of goods which are hazardous to health or life.' Of course, the use of any product or service entails some degree of risk, but what happened to the Costa Concordia passengers is beyond the pale."

    "When someone possesses a right, there is a corresponding duty, and in this case the leaders had a duty to protect the safety of their customers," Buchholtz said.

    "Is That Ethical?" is a BusinessNewsDaily series in which we examine the ethics of business and acknowledge the ethical dilemmas businesses face every day.

    This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Reach BusinessNewsDaily staff writer David Mielach at Dmielach@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @D_M89.

     

    21 comments

    • jack
      jack  •  4 mths ago
      It is not just about ethics. The captain of the ship is given authority over the passengers, similar to an aircraft captain. As a trained and licenced ship captan he has actal responsibilities. Maritime laws, etc. This would be similar to police or firemen getting paid all year then as soon as something happened everone just resigns and says everyone for them selves.
      • Shelby
        Shelby 4 mths ago
        As if most of our government employees have not been doing that already, and then wanting their lifetime pensions as well.
    • Grant
      Grant  •  Conway, Arkansas  •  4 mths ago
      It's not about ethics; it's about honor - and it always has been.
      • Gettorix
        Gettorix 4 mths ago
        Yep. Also, this article is comparing a business manager to a ship's captain. If I'm at Kmart and there's a fire, I'm out the door, don't care what instructions the manager may have for me. On a ship, however, the Captain has the power and the responsibility of a head of state. When I was in the Navy, I never would have even considered taking any action in an emergency that was different from what the Skipper had in mind. It wasn't blind obedience, it was because I knew he was wasn't getting to safety before I or anyone else did. The Captain of any ship is held to a higher standard of honor and responsibility than any other type of manager.
      • il3dogs123
        il3dogs123 4 mths ago
        I agree, the ship belongs to the captain at that time, he is in control of everything concerning the ship and therefore it's his duty to make sure all passengers are taken care of not just in good times but in all. There's a matter of honor, I agree and it's evident this man has none.
      • larry b
        larry b 4 mths ago
        Good points Gettorix. I don't know if they are still doing it, but to be equivalent can the store manager at Kmart marry a couple?
    • yogi
      yogi  •  4 mths ago
      He also said he tripped and just happened to fall into a life boat while helping people get into the life boats!!! YA RIGHT!!!
      • W. k. Hulett
        W. k. Hulett 4 mths ago
        No No No, what really happened was the people in the boat Helt on and pulled him into the lifeboat. He's just saying he tripped so people won't blame them. LOL
      • yogi
        yogi 4 mths ago
        LOL!!!
    • Flounder 111
      Flounder 111  •  Hastings, Minnesota  •  4 mths ago
      It is apparently the law that the captain may not leave the ship until he is the last person to do so. So ethics is not the issue. He certainly must have known the law and of his obligations under the law. If he broke the law, he should be given a fair trial, and punished if convicted.
    • FrankB
      FrankB  •  4 mths ago
      He was reckless and irresponsible when he put his ship and all aboard in jeopardy by steering a course to purposely make a very close pass near the island. He had a duty to everyone aboard to see that they made it safely off his crippled ship. He failed his primary duty at so many levels that it is obvious he was not in any way qualified to undertake such a responsible positon.
    • BRYANN
      BRYANN  •  Guatemala City, Guatemala  •  4 mths ago
      He had a responsibility to the crew and the passengers and he abandoned the responsibility.
      This action is unforgivable As a Captain, he abandoned his responsibility and then should pay the consequences for his action. He demonstrated no honor.
    • facefind
      facefind  •  4 mths ago
      The Captain from the Andrea Doria did not leave till the ship was empty, he deliberately
      scuttled the boat...worth far more money than this one, to save the passengers lives,
      not save money. This is the only similar case I know of...but that Captain called for
      all available help, he knew how many souls he had aboard, and he directed the evacuation
      of those people....this mess is not ethics it just plain lazy and self saving.
      • codkilla
        codkilla 4 mths ago
        look up Captain Kurt Carlson - Flying Enterprise
    • facefind
      facefind  •  4 mths ago
      Ethics and doing the job correctly...reading the transcript of that radio conversation,
      he's asked repeatedly...how many aboard? How many women and children? He's asked
      to take control over the evacuation of the passengers, by getting back on the boat. Not once
      is anything said to how many people, are they in the life boats, or in the water, does he
      think he's got people trapped aboard...the Captain just whines he's directing things from
      the life boat...we all can see he was saving his own neck along with some members of
      the crew.
      I don't know much of Maritime law or the correct procedure when you're in such a
      situation, but...I would be telling the Italian Coast Guard, its a May Day situation, the
      boat is going over, people in the life boats and water...lots of women and children,
      imminent loss of life and danger...send all available help. Life boats won't deploy because
      of the listing weight locking the mechanisms...(I had thought that was fixed years ago).
      The only urgent thing he says...is he's staying in the life boat directing things from it.
      What is he directing...he's pointing and waving at people? Hang him high for this mess.
    • Shelby
      Shelby  •  Cicero, Illinois  •  4 mths ago
      The captains actions were the same as most U.S. politicians. He needed to take care of himself first, or he would not have been able to help anyone else. Even if he was on shore waving hand signals that could not be seen or understood by the passengers he was working in their best interests. Kind of like some of the laws congress writes for the public.
    • Robert L
      Robert L  •  Imperial Beach, California  •  4 mths ago
      There is a far stretch between 'business owner' and a ships captain. A ship at sea is not at all similar to a Starbucks at the mall, and the peril ( as we have seen) to passengers and crew is ever present.
    • Molly
      Molly  •  4 mths ago
      He isn't just the boss or manager of a customer service business, you idiot article writer. He's the CAPTAIN of a ship! It's an entirely different set of responsibilities.
    • codkilla
      codkilla  •  New York, New York  •  4 mths ago
      all chould read about Captain Kurt Carlson - ships name was Flying Enterprise
      he set the standard on ethics
    • whitfang
      whitfang  •  4 mths ago
      The 25yr old girlfriend/translator/dancer/hostess said that the captain was responsible for saving thousands of passengers... that's not the point. As captain, you are supposed to save ALL of them, and NOT put them in danger in the first place! She is claiming that only 40 (possibly) dead out of 4,200 is a good percentage.
    • snurd
      snurd  •  Norton, Virginia  •  4 mths ago
      i always thought the captain went down with the ship because he would be responsible for its demise anyway and kinda of like falling on ones sword...
    • Retsyn
      Retsyn  •  4 mths ago
      Thank you, David Mielach, for telling us WHAT EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS.
    • L
      L  •  4 mths ago
      He is better alive than dead for the investigation.
    • L
      L  •  4 mths ago
      As a human being he also has the right to live when the danger is over. Dying with honor in this situation is just stupid.
      • Molly
        Molly 4 mths ago
        He's the captain of the ship. He has responsibilities to the passengers. If he didn't want that, he shouldn't have become captain.
      • Robert L
        Robert L 4 mths ago
        When the danger is over, yes, there is no point in staying aboard the ship. But this guy bailed when there were still over a hundred passengers on board.
      • Alana B
        Alana B 4 mths ago
        As a human being, if he couldn't stand the heat he should have had a different job.
    • Wildly Amused
      Wildly Amused  •  4 mths ago
      Berlusconi of the Sea.
    • Zeus
      Zeus  •  Portland, Maine  •  4 mths ago
      Honor? Responsibility? Wake up! Those concepts went out the window somewhere between WWII and the Korean War!
    • Socialist Atheist on Food ...
      Socialist Atheist on Food ...  •  4 mths ago
      Very quaint---this term "ethics" being bandied about in the year 2012. It's like suggesting that men start dueling or jousting again. America is embarking on a wave of Social Darwinism---and it's going to make Dickensonian England look like fairyland.
     Post a comment
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

    News For You

    Loading...