Book contents
- Scapegoating
- Scapegoating
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Introduction
- 1 Forms and Types of Scapegoat
- 2 The Scapegoat as an Instrument of Organizational Rationality
- 3 Corporate Scapegoating: The Costa Concordia Accident
- 4 How to Spot Organizational Scapegoats
- 5 Organizations and Law: Inquiry Logics and Policies of Blame
- 6 Conclusions
- References
- Sources
- Index
3 - Corporate Scapegoating: The Costa Concordia Accident
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2023
- Scapegoating
- Scapegoating
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Introduction
- 1 Forms and Types of Scapegoat
- 2 The Scapegoat as an Instrument of Organizational Rationality
- 3 Corporate Scapegoating: The Costa Concordia Accident
- 4 How to Spot Organizational Scapegoats
- 5 Organizations and Law: Inquiry Logics and Policies of Blame
- 6 Conclusions
- References
- Sources
- Index
Summary
Chapter 3 is dedicated to the reconstruction of the case of the Costa Concordia accident, which occurred on January 13, 2012, off the west coast of Italy, near the island of Giglio, and presents an analysis of the scapegoating process that involved the ship’s captain. Sailing very close to the coast, the Costa Concordia foundered on a rock. The impact tore open a gash in the ship, allowing in water which put the engines out of action. After traveling a short distance, the ship ran aground near the island, listing over onto its side. Out of over four thousand people on board, thirty-two died. The dominant view of this case from the judiciary, the media and public opinion, was that the ship’s captain was the main and, in fact, almost the only, figure responsible for the accident and for the inadequate management of the emergency. This book challenges the conventional interpretation of the accident, providing a revised history of the event and at the same time putting forward a different explanation.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- ScapegoatingHow Organizations Assign Blame, pp. 56 - 135Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023