Exxon

Review the Exxon Valdez case presented in Chapter 6 of your textbook. Apply this case to the following questions:

* What is the meaning of the term "responsibility?"

* Is a manager responsible only for the activities he/she directly oversees, or is he/she responsible for the conditions that mold those activities?

* If he/she accepts credit for the successes that come from those conditions, then should not he/she accept blame for the failures?

The term responsibility means being accountable for your actions. It also can mean being accountable for someone else’s actions especially in business and especially when there isn’t a good training regiment in place. It means not going to work drunk like the captain was on the Valdez and was noted by the Coast Guard (Hosmer, 2011). Responsibility means being dependable when things in life don’t go smoothly and people such as your kids or family members look to you for guidance.

A manger is responsible for what they manage. In other words a lower level manger of the company that supervises loading a barge shouldn’t be held responsible for a cleanup crew. However, a good business should be having manager meetings where all mangers help each other get better simply by giving examples of what happens in their own department. The Captain however is responsible for everyone but it’s hard for me to say a lower level manager would have the have duties and responsibilities. A company Mission Statement would help to incorporate everyone not only during their daily duties but also in crisis situations.

Good managers know how to identify failures and use them to help improve conditions. There are many ways this can happen in the military you have after action reviews. AAR’s happen after every event and points out strengths and weaknesses. It is a dynamic way to learn for both leaders and troops alike. In the civilian world I think meetings highlighting what the company does well and not so well would have the same...