Applying Films on Environmental Cases to Discuss Corporate Response and Ethics

Abstract

Famous environmental claims implicating well-known corporations have already been reviewed by several publications, such as "Corporate Crime and Violence" (Russell Mokhiber, 1988). Such publications may not eventually achieve to either stress or even imply to a broader audience the relevance of passionate human feelings amid complex communication and ethical issues underlying investigation cases of environmental accidents and damages. Actually, an appealing debate may be triggered more quickly and easily after the participants have watched scenes and heard dialogues, as if the audience had witnessed a real event. Under these circumstances, a group may discuss and fix better some messages on human relationship and information management related to environmental claims. These issues are specially significant when it is challenging to identify successfully who caused a pollution or an environmental accident so as to sue the guilty and to settle an appropriate compensation. Eventually, ties between corporations and the government may account for attempts to delay or clog a reasonable outcome.

These issues are even more relevant after the hefty BP oil spill during the second quarter 2010 and the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant radioactive leakage beginning in March 2011 after an earthquake followed by a tsunami. Both cases raised the awareness of the difficulties to immediately stop two major leakages, besides evidencing managerial troubles and government lethargy.

Thus, the purpose of this article is to discuss the plots in the films "A Civil Action" (Steven Zaillian, 1998), "Erin Brockovich" (Steven Sonderbergh, 2000), "Fast Food Nation" (Richard Linklater, 2006) and "The China Syndrome" (James Bridges, 1978), as well as in the 1882 play "An Enemy of The People" by Henrik Ibsen. Similarities and differences are explored, as well as the challenges to carry out those investigations and the lessons that might be inferred from the steps taken to unravel them.

This information is also used to apply the IEA Communication Model, which has been used in several fields of knowledge. Moreover, this work also explores the idea of using wellknown films to stimulate participants to get personally involved with stories which are indeed famous case studies based on real situations. Although scientific papers traditionally quote academic articles and reference books, a new research trend may deem valid to carry out research by quoting well-known films and notable documentaries, which may be easily obtained as DVD or Blu-ray. Such approach may also ease the relationship between academics and those practitioners who tend to shun a priori hypothetical discussions of intangible issues or conceivable cases.

Therefore, the contents of this work may be useful for professors and facilitators fostering discussions with students or environmental specialists, as well as entrepreneurs and managers willing to assess better those issues related to environmental management and law enforcement. The debate may also comprise how corporations abiding environmental and social responsibility should respond to unfortunate environmental causualties.

This paper was presented and published in the conference proceedings of EnEPQ2011 ANPAD - Encontro de Ensino e Pesquisa em Administração e Contabilidade), 2011, João Pessoa / PB, Brazil, 2011

Keywords: Environmental management, Sustainability, Socio-environmental and Corporate Ethics, Corporate risk management, ESG

JEL Classification: G38, K32, J50, L20, M14, Q01, Q50, Z30