Storm King Mountain

CASE STUDIES

FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008

Storm King Mountain

This case study defiantly shows another side of the problems organizations are faced with. While reading other cases over the semester we have looked at many different types of tribulations companies and organizations have had to deal with, but I believe that this one has some varying consequences for the events that took place.

After reading what had happened to the firefighters at Storm King Mountain I was troubled by the events that happened after their deaths. The fact is that these men were firefighters who put their lives on the line to protect the conservation of forests and also the protection of those who could have been in danger. While during the mourning of their deaths their families had to endure speculation that it was their fault they were killed is in my mind very wrong.

The first two questions that the book asks us to consider. One being why do I think the public demands an investigation and to assert blame quickly and is it an American culture ordeal. The second question asks do I think that organizations should perform their own investigations. Both of these questions to me have direct relation to this case and further more are important questions to address to better captivate the ethical judgments made by the people involved whether reporters, the firefighters and their families, and the organizations involved.

For the first question I think that the most important reason why the public wants a statement a quickly is possible is closure and understanding. When events or actions take along time to resolve people start to mistrust the situation and develop hostility towards those not giving information. What I mean by this is that people want to know what to know everything so that they can make conclusions and resolve unsettling happenings much like ones that involve the death and tragedy of the firefighters. The same type of situation occurred during 9/11 when people didn’t know what...