HGS Environmental and Engineering Dinner Meeting

Interactive Application of Business Ethics in the Geoscience Profession by John E. Jordan, Jr.

November 13, 2024

Location: Los Tios restaurant located at 9527 Westheimer RD, Houston.
Social 5:30 p.m., Dinner 6:30 p.m., Presentation 7:30- 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $35 Pre-registered members; $40 non-members & ALL walk-ups
To guarantee a seat, you must pre-register on the HGS website and pay with a credit card.  You may walk up and pay at the door if extra seats are available.  Please cancel by phone or email within 24 hours before the event for a refund. Online & pre-registration closes Wednesday, at 5:00 p.m.

Grey Areas: Interactive Application of Business Ethics in the Geoscience Profession

Most large oil companies require their employees to have yearly ethics training which is often broad and dry.  State licensees are also required to have one hour of ethics training every year; this talk will fulfill that requirement.  Although I do not have a degree in philosophy or jurisprudence, I have been an international explorationist for more than 35 years and therefore I am aware of many situations where individual or business ethics are tested. I have been giving ethics lectures for last ten years.  In the beginning, I gave a lecture introducing the theory of philosophical ethics and explored the difference between moral compass and ethics and how this relates to business ethics. The following year, I reviewed this model and then applied it to our industry with LIVE feedback from the audience via polling technology. This year there will be a brief review of the Business Ethics Model, a review of the SIPES/AAPG code of ethics/conduct and how it fits with the TBPG code of ethics.  I will focus heavily on examples where our business ethics are tested.  I need to hear from YOU to make this experience more meaningful!  Please submit ethics examples you have encountered in your career to me at (John.Jordan.062255@gmail.com) to be considered for use in the lecture.  Examples will be anonymous, and the situation will be modified, but the issue will be the same as submitted.  Using the examples, the audience will provide immediate anonymous digital feedback while we discuss Business Ethics focusing on making sound, consistent and ethical decisions.  Come and join this entertaining and spirited discussion about the “grey areas” and make sure to bring a phone that is capable of texting. I will provide all participants with an Education certificate upon request.

Speaker: John E. Jordan, Jr.

John E Jordan, Jr. is a Past President of the AAPG Division of Professional Affaires (DPA), Past President of the Houston Geological Society (HGS) and a licensed geoscientist in Texas. He is a retired Project Geophysical Advisor who has worked for several Fortune 500 oil companies in California and Texas. Prior to joining Anadarko in 2007, he worked at Kerr McGee, Noble Energy, Arco, and Chevron. During 35+ years in the oil industry, he has worked deep-water and onshore projects from Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico to the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America. John is a graduate of Wright State University where he received both a BSc and an MSc from the College of Science and Mathematics majoring in geology and geophysics. He does not hold degrees in philosophy or jurisprudence but enjoys lively debate on most any subject.