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CEO speeches and safety culture: British Petroleum before the Deepwater Horizon disaster

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  • Amernic, Joel
  • Craig, Russell

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between leadership language and the safety culture at British Petroleum [BP] prior to the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The discursive construction of important aspects of safety culture in a large, risky, global company such as BP is a central feature of the CEO’s role. Using a social constructionist perspective, we conduct an interpretative close reading analysis of the speech of BP’s [then] CEO, Tony Hayward, at the Annual General Meeting of BP on April 15, 2010. We also analyse the transcripts of 18 other speeches Hayward delivered before the Deepwater Horizon explosion. We find that the language used contributed rhetorically to an ideology of economic efficiency and cost control, in a manner that was inconsistent with an enduring safety culture. We highlight important insights that close reading analysis of the narrative in CEO speeches can provide to help understand a corporation’s ambient safety culture.

Suggested Citation

  • Amernic, Joel & Craig, Russell, 2017. "CEO speeches and safety culture: British Petroleum before the Deepwater Horizon disaster," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 61-80.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:47:y:2017:i:c:p:61-80
    DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2016.11.004
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    1. Yun Gil Choi & Keun Tae Cho, 2020. "Analysis of Safety Management Characteristics Using Network Analysis of CEO Messages in the Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-18, July.
    2. Hald, Julie & Gillespie, Alex & Reader, Tom W., 2024. "Problems in dealing with problems: how breakdowns in corrective culture lead to institutional failure," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 122814, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Matilal, Sumohon & Adhikari, Pawan, 2020. "Accounting in Bhopal: Making catastrophe," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    4. Jesper Haga & Fredrik Huhtamäki & Dennis Sundvik, 2022. "Ruthless Exploiters or Ethical Guardians of the Workforce? Powerful CEOs and their Impact on Workplace Safety and Health," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(3), pages 641-663, May.
    5. Martins, Adelaide & Gomes, Delfina & Oliveira, Lídia & Caria, Ana & Parker, Lee, 2020. "Resistance strategies through the CEO communications in the media," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).

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