Union Carbide Corporation and Bhopal
Questions
1. Who is responsible for the Bhopal accident? How should blame be apportioned among parties in- volved, including Union Carbide Corporation, UCIL, plant workers, governments in India, or others?
2. What principles of corporate social responsibility and business ethics are applicable to the actions of the parties in question?
3. How well did the legal system work? Do you agree with the decision to try the lawsuits in India? Were victims fairly compensated? Was Union Carbide sufficiently punished?
4. Did Union Carbide handle the crisis well? How would you grade its performance in facing uniquely difficult circumstances?
5. Does Dow Chemical Company have any remain- ing legal liability, social responsibility, or ethical duty to address unresolved health and environ- mental claims of Bhopal victims?
6. What lessons can other corporations and coun- tries learn from this story?