BP Amoco Case Group 1 AM Edits - 2250 Words

BP/Amoco Merger Case Group 1 Keshavaraja Alive Stephen Felkins Therese Jackson Andrea Marrical Eric Weiss Executive Summary Prior to the merger between BP and Amoco in 1998, both companies had very similar operating characteristics and performance. Both companies engaged primarily in the same three businesses and experienced close to the same percentages of revenue and percentages of operating income for each of those businesses. A key difference however waswere that BP concentrated their operations predominantly in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe whereas Amoco concentrated their operations heavily in the United States. Furthermore, before 1992, BP experienced drastically declining†¦show more content†¦Again similar to exploration and production, Amoco operated solely in the United States. Both BP and Amoco had a very large number of retail outlets in which the companies sold petroleum products to, 8,200 and 9,300 outlets respectively. However, uUnlike exploration and production activities however, refining and marketing activities accounted for a large percentage of revenues, 81 and 63 percent respectively, but only a small percentage of company operating income, 21 and 19 percent respectively. Realizing that this segment was not very profitable in comparison to exploration and production, BP made the decision to reduce its interests in refining and marketing. The third business that both BP and Amoco separately engaged in prior to the merger was the production of petrochemicals. BP had operations for this segment more widespread than the others and distributed to over 60 countries. Amoco, on the other hand, concentrated heavily in the United States staying consistent with the other two businesses. Revenue percentages for petrochemicals were very low for both companies, but operating income percentages were as well; 7 and 11 percent respectively for BP and 16 and 16 percent respectively for Amoco. There are a few differences in the pre-merger incentive programs for executives at BP and Amoco. Prior to the merger, the compensation of Amoco executives was much

American Education Vs. Chinese Education Essay - 1426 Words

American Education vs. Chinese Education Each country has its own kind of education, and education always plays an important role in affecting students’ life and study on many aspects. Having received ten years of education in China and two years of education in the U.S. I would like to compare and contrast a few significant aspects of these two different kinds of educations. Knowing that no two education systems are the same, the differences between American education and Chinese education allow countries to take the essence and discard the dross through learning from each other so as to improve their own current education systems. â€Å"Positive† encouragement vs. â€Å"Negative† encouragement American teachers and parents hold different points of view in terms of the way of encouragement from Chinese teachers and parents. In the U.S. teachers and parents are very kind that they often encourage students in a positive way. That is, if I do poorly in a test, they would say, â€Å"Hey, don’t be frustrated. You will do well in the next test!† If it is in China, the scenario would be: â€Å"Don’t dream to hang out with your friends during weekend until you do well in the next test! This kind of scenario is quite familiar to me. The last time that this situation occurred to me was just less than three years ago when I was a high school freshman in China. Here’s the thing: I got 95 out of 100 in a history exam and was so prepared to be praised and even awarded by my parents as soon as I gotShow MoreRelatedThe Himalayas As A Barrier For The World898 Words   |  4 Pagesthousand years, separating civilized development in China from the rest of the wor ld. (China kept much to herself until about two hundred years ago. Then the British, using gunpowder invented by the Chinese, forced the door to China wide open to the West, starting the most humiliating chapter in Chinese history). 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I do not like it and as far as I know, a lot of Chinese students hold the same idea like me. I asked several Chinese graduate students who are now studying in US if they are satisfied with their elementary and middle school year’s study, or say, do they think those studies benefit their future life. Their answers are all negativeRead MoreEssay Chinese vs American Culture821 Words   |  4 PagesSarah Gonzalez Chinese Culture VS American Culture It doesn’t matter what kind of ethnicity you are, or how you were brought up. Everyone is deeply rooted in their own culture. â€Å"Culture† has a different meaning to everyone. Comparing American culture to Chinese culture we will find many different meanings to the word â€Å"culture†. 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Ethics Notes Chapters Free Essays

Ethics, and Human Behavior Ethical issues exist in all areas of criminal Justice system (from passage of laws to punishment) Criminal Justice professionals have discretion Legislators: In making laws Police: In enforcing laws Attorneys and Judges: affecting Justice process Correctional Professionals: affecting offenders lives What do criminal Justice professionals have in common? Power to make decisions duty to enforce the law obligation to provide â€Å"due process† and â€Å"equal protection† for all commitment to â€Å"public service† Goals of the study of ethics -Brawled Become aware of and open to ethical issues Begin developing critical thinking skills Become more personally responsible Understand coercive element of the Justice system Develop wholesales (the ability to explore with ones heart as well as ones mind) Defining Terms morals The judgment of behavior as right or wrong. Ethics The study and analysis tot what constitutes g * The two words are often used interchangeably. Or bad conduct. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics Notes Chapters or any similar topic only for you Order Now Meta-ethics Technical investigation of the meaning of ethical terms, as well as how ethical statements can be verified. Normative ethics Definition of right conduct and moral duties. Plied ethics Application of ethical principles to specific issues or fields. Professional ethics Examination of the behavior of certain professional groups. Duties Moral obligations that one must carry out to be considered ethical. Supererogatory An act that goes beyond duty and is not required to be considered DOD or moral. Imperfect duties General obligation with no specific acts. Honesty Health Family Financial success Beauty What else are values? Are some more important than others? To be Ouagadougou or immoral,behavior must involve: human acts of free will detecting others Inventory of Ethical Issues Individual or Other Employees backstabbing and lack of support gossip sexual or racial harassment lying to cover up blame taking credit for others’ work Organization and Employees sexual or racial harassment by supervisors discouraging honest criticism or feedback arbitrary or unfair decisions inadequate compensation inadequate training unrealistic or inappropriate demands putting employees in unnecessary danger By the Individual and Organization work ethic (days work for a days pay) petty theft of supplies or cash overtime abuse gifts and gratuities falsifying reports misuse of sick days arsenal use of supplies or equipment Morality and Behavior Even when people know what is right, sometimes they choose to do wrong?why? Criminology Psychology Other fields seek to answer this question Are people fundamentally good or fundamentally bad? Thinking Point Omar Thornton of Connecticut walked into his employer, Hartford Distributors, for a hearing concerning his possible termination. During the meeting, Thornton pulled out a pistol and shot ten of his coworkers, killing eight, before turning the gun on himself. What caused Thornton to carry oh t this minority act? Was he born intrinsically bad? Was he a good person that had a tragic turn of circumstances that forced him into a criminal act? Morality = Law ? Ethical Issues and Dilemmas Decentralization of soft drugs? Sex-offender registries? Death penalty? Mandatory DNA testing? Three-strikes legislation? Racial profiling? Steps for Clarifications Dilemmas Review all the facts. Identify relevant values of all parties. Identify all moral issues. Identify most immediate moral issue. Resolve the dilemma. CHAPTER 2: Determining Moral Behavior Ethical Systems Deontological Ethical Systems Teleological Ethical Systems Ethical Formalism According to German philosopher Emmanuel Kant: ill (motivation) is the only thing that is intrinsically good. Duty is required behavior. It is self-imposed and necessary to morality. The Categorical Imperative Ethical Formalism: Imperatives Categorical imperatives Are absolute. Are based on good will. Determine morality. You must not lie. Criticisms of Ethical Formalism Utilitarianism leered Beneath An action’s morality depends on how much it contributes to the overall good of society. Humans are hedonistic. They seek to maximize pleasure and avoid pain. DOD for the greatest number On April 20th, 2010 a British Petroleum offshore rig exploded killing 11 employees ND causing one of the largest oil spills in modern history. Investigators soon located the faulty alarm systems. The alarms did not alert because they had been intentionally disconnected close to a year ago. BP had the alarms turned off in order to allow employees to sleep without being interrupted by false alarms thus creating a better functioning workforce. If the alarms were enabled, the rig would have automatically entered shut down mode, virtually eliminating the oil spill. Was Up’s original â€Å"act† inherently good? Bad? Did they have a duty to act one way or the other? Criticisms of Utilitarianism Religion People hold different opinions about which religion is the â€Å"true† religion. People within a religion often disagree on how to interpret its principles. Religious controversies are often difficult to resolve. Natural Law Criticisms of Natural Law How can we determine what is natural law versus man-made law? What are the â€Å"natural† laws of morality? The Ethics of Virtue Aristotle True virtue is the median between extremes of character: the golden mean. People develop moral virtues through practice, Just like any other strength. Daemonic: living the â€Å"good life† Six Pillars Josephs Institute) Trustworthiness : Honesty, sincerity, loyalty Respect : Golden Rule Responsibility : Being accountable Fairness : Equality, impartiality, and due process Caring : Altruism and benevolence Citizenship : Duties of citizenship Criticisms of Ethics of Virtue Basically assumes a good person will make a good decision. Little help for people facing dilemmas. The Ethics of Care Western ethical systems focus on issues like rights, laws, and universalism. Ethics of care?nurture, meeting needs Criticisms of Ethics of Care Criticisms of Egoism Violates universalism. Logically inconsistent (for everyone to try and maximize self interest). Enlightened egoism is not too different from categorical imperative or golden rule. Other Methods epithetical Decision Making The imperative principle directs a decision maker to act according to a specific, unbending rule. The utilitarian principle determines the ethics of conduct by the DOD or bad consequences of the action. The generalization principle is based on this question: â€Å"What would happen if all similar persons acted this way under similar circumstances? General Principles federation Making Obtain all facts (including the effects of prospective decisions). Evaluate whether odd be comfortable with your decision appearing on the front page (in public view). Consider one’s principles to be like a formula – applicable in all situations. Relativism Ethical Relativism Moral sys tems are products of an individual or group. If people believe different things are good and bad, how can you define what is good? Situational Ethics: A compromise between relativism and absolutism There are basic principles of right and wrong. They can be applied to ethical dilemmas and moral issues. They may call for different results in different situations. 1. Treat each person with the utmost respect and care. . Do one’s duty or duties in such a way that one does not violate the first principle. Summary of Ethical Systems Ethical formalism: What is good is that which conforms to the categorical imperative. Utilitarianism: What is good is that which results in the greatest utility for the greatest number. Religion: What is good is that which contorts to God’s will. Natural law: What is good is that which is natural. Ethics of virtue: What is good is that which conforms to the Golden Mean. Ethics of care: What is good is that which meets the needs of those concerned. Egoism: What is good is that which benefits me. How to cite Ethics Notes Chapters, Papers