...Challenger case study analysis Facts 1. Space shuttle challenger disaster leads to the death of its crew members 7. 2. NASA’S organizational culture and decision making process is a key contributing factor of the accident. 3. NASA managers had known contractor Morton Thiokol’s design of the SRB contained a potentially catastrophic flaw in the o-rings since 1977. 4. NASA disregarded warnings from engineers about the dangers of launching posted by the low temperature of that morning. 5. The ROGER”S commission offered NASA 9 recommendations that were to be implemented before shuttle flight resumed. 6. The o-rings had no test data to support any expectation of successful launch in such conditions. 7. Challenger was originally set to launch from Kennedy space center in Florida at 2:42 EST Jan 22. 8. Launch was delayed 1st to Jan 23 then 2nd to Jan 24, 3rd to Jan 25 due the bad weather at the TAL site in Senegal. NASA decided to use Casablanca as TAL site but it wasn’t equipped for night landings so they had to move it to the morning to Florida. 4th to Jan 27 9:37 as of unaccepted weather at Kennedy space center and5th to Jan 28 as by problems with the exterior access hatch. 9. Delayed 5 times shows lack of good decision making and management of NASA’s managers. 10. Morton Thiokol is the contractor responsible for the construction and maintenance of the shuttle’s SRBs. 11. Rockwell international is the shuttle’s prime contractor. ...
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...The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster American History Semester 2 Term Paper By: Dhiren Reddy The space shuttle Challenger disaster was a very important event in our countries history. It was a terrible accident which gave it kind of infamy of being a failed space mission. People see an explosion and don’t think twice about the tremendous amount of work, over the years, and the number of aspects that went in to the mission. These included the extreme pre-launch training that consisted of strenuous physical exercises and hundreds of hours of reading and studying, the work NASA put in after the explosion to prevent any incident of this kind from happening again, and finally what actually took place on launch day. All of these thing were...
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...You may have heard of the Challenger explosion but have you heard of the Columbia disaster. This disaster happened due to human error and cost the lives of 7 people. This disaster changed the course of spaceflight for the future because of how bad it was. The first main key moment is on January 16 ,2003 space shuttle Columbia took off from Kennedy Space Center. 81 seconds into the flight a piece of insulating foam from the bipod attaching Columbia to the external tank broke off and hit Columbia’s left wing at around 540 mph and went unnoticed by NASA. NASA then informed the Columbia crew once they found out and said it was nothing to worry about. The second key moment of this event is while they were in space for sixteen days...
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...Re: Case Study Memorandum Subject: Roger Boisjoly and the Challenger Disaster: Disloyal Employee or Courageous Whistle-Blower? Facts: The focus of this case study is on Roger Boisjoly's attempt to avert the launch of the Challenger and his act of employee loyalty to set the record straight despite the negative outcome. Boisjoly was employed with Morton Thiokol Inc. as an engineer and an expert in rockets. During an examination of the Challenger (STS 61-C), Biosjoly and the Seal Erosion Task Force discovered a problem with the hot-gas blowby or ignited fuel which came from joint leaks and the O-ring convincing the team that it was not safe to launch until the problem was fixed. Boisjoly notified his boss in writing of what was found. Despite what Boisjoly informed his boss, NASA went ahead and did the launch. Predictions came true when a catastrophic explosion resulted from the failed O-ring seals and the Challenger and the crew was lost. President Reagan appointed a commission to look into the devastation and found that the interviews given by senior management of Morton Thiokol and Boisjoly and a fellow engineer contradicted eachother which lead Boisjoly to believe that senior management was trying to cover up what had happened. Boisjoly and his fellow coworker were reprimanded for telling the truth about what really happened. Eventually, Boisjoly resigned from his position due to psychological strain and a hostile working environment. Ethical Issues: Disloyal...
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...The Challenger Disaster: And My Interpretation of the Ethical Flaws The Challenger disaster was not only a disaster in terms of the destruction of the spacecraft and the death of its crew but also in terms of the decision-making process that led to the launch of the investigation into the "causes" of the disaster. The decision to recommend for launch was made by lower-level management officials over the objections of technical experts who opposed the launch under the environmental conditions that existed on the launch pad at the time. Furthermore, the lower-level managers who made this decision both NASA and contractor personnel, chose not to report the objections of the technical experts in their recommendations to higher levels in the management chain- of-command to proceed with the launch. Finally, it seems that the lower-level managers had also received out-of-the-ordinary pressure from higher levels of management to proceed with the launch on time. The investigation began with an effort to determine the technical causes of the explosion of the Challenger. Initially, the decision-making process leading to the launch was not considered by investigators. This suggests that the initial purpose of the investigation was not concerned with ethical issues or issues of responsibility. As the investigation proceeded information appeared that suggested that NASA had been aware of the risk of explosion under the environmental conditions that existed for the Challenger...
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...Risk Quantification 7. How did NASA decide what is or is not an acceptable risk? NASA identified and evaluated hazards through a formalized hazard reduction process as described in the NASA Handbook, NHB5300.4. The process required that hazards be determined for probability and credibility. In order to ensure that the standards within NHB5300.4 were adhered to, a Senior Safety Review Board was established for overseeing the risk assessment process. The process allowed for a certain amount of risk to be allowed as long as it was acceptable. To determine whether or not a hazard was an acceptable risk, NASA used a Safety Classification System, which was a qualitative system rather than a quantitative system. This was due to the high cost associated with gathering enough data to be able to use a quantitative system. A quantitative system would also have created additional paperwork due to the technical requirements for a space shuttle. However, a quantitative system should have been developed and utilized. The risk classification system NASA used consisted of five levels, as seen below. 8. What was NASA’s risk response plan? NASA was able to transfer and reduce some of its risk, however, due to the scope of the program, they were also forced to retain some of the risk. One key aspect to this approach to risk response is the need for a solid control plan. NASA did not have a complete control plan, which cased a lot of issues as the shuttle development program...
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...1- Abdulla Abdulrahman U00018181 2- Mohammad HHH U00018254 3- Majid Ahmed U00014400 4- Saud Al Qassimi U00018888 5- Abdulla Al-nuaimi U00031505 Introduction:- In the business world, communication is a major thing. And this communication is traded in the form of messages. Messages can be oral or non-oral like written and typed messages. There are two types of messages, first is positive and the second is negative. In our project we are going to talk about the second type which is the negative messages. We are not only going to talk about the negative messages itself. We will talk about the strategies of delivering bad or negative news. Besides, we will give some solutions and methods to make the bad news seem good or accepted. What is the negative messages ? What are the strategies or plans to deliver the negative news or messages? What is the direct plan and the indirect plan and when should we use one of them ? And, how to deliver a bad news ? All of these wonderings and questions will be answered and clarified in this report. “ To be agreeable while disagreeing – that’s an art “ Malcolm Forbes Negative Messages:- Negative message is delivering bad news or any message to which the reader and listener or any type of receivers will have an unpleasant emotional reaction. A message is classified as negative when: * The main point is negative. * The receiver will be disappointed or angry. Besides,...
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...must perform under a standard of professional behavior that requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct” (NSPE). Corporations have ethical responsibilities to their employees, customers and the communities they reside, as do the employees. The role of responsibility in the Challenger disaster...
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...Picture this, in 10 to 20 years the first human mission to mars is launched and the largest space travel breakthrough since the moon landing is occurring, the catch is no one is able to watch. This magnificent event is shrouded in darkness and censored, for with such an astonishing voyage comes many risks, although the reward for viewing such a feat would be life changing. In Ronald Regan’s famous speech “Challenger” and History.com’s article labeled “Challenger disaster” we learn about the horrendous event that took place in American history, but we also get a frame for just how important this event was and still is to this day. “I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's...
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...Rubina Mahsud Topic 3: Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Business Practices in IM context Companies can no longer ignore social responsibility and ethical behaviors. Many organizations prioritize tangible goals over other factors, especially social responsibility and ethics. However no matter internal or external stakeholders care about how their behaviors effect on society. For the corporations who look for the tangible goal without considering social responsibility and ethics in narrow perspective, they may declare that they want to be efficient and productive, however, their behavior will cause destructive consequences. In Roger Boisjoly and the Challenger Disaster: The Ethical Dimensions, the tragedy caused by the agency who was more concerned with deadline than safety. In order to launch the Challenger on political timing, NASA selectively ignored the safety issues and therefore denied the warnings. “When profitability governs decision-making, the selection of goals and the means chosen to pursue them tends to be myopic1. Reference: 1. Kenneth E. Goodpaster, conscience and corporate culture. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. page 29 2. Michael, Porter(Dec 1, 2006). Strategy and society: the link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility, HBR 3. Williams, S. L. (2011). Engaging values in international business practice. Business Horizons, 54(4), 315-324. 4. Matthews, J. B. (1982). Can a corporation have a conscience? Boston: Graduate...
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...Q1. How would you characterize the broader context surrounding the January 1986 teleconference? What impact might that have on the group’s decision making process? The Challenger Launch decision on January 28th 1986, proved to be one of the crucial decisions ever made as it lead to one of space science's most talked about disasters. The Challenger launch project was faced by a major financial constraint owing to the ongoing Vietnam War. Thiokol won the contract to build the SRBs since they asked for a lower emolument that their competitors and also provided an innovative modular design for the SRBs that would ease the transportation. There were many reasons NASA was pressured to launch, one being the need to launch the 51L space shutter without any delays so the launch pad could be restored in time for the next mission. Also, any delay in the mission would only result in negative publicity through the media. Under such pressurised circumstances, NASA and Thiokol could not look in the right direction and lacked consensus. So, communication breakdown was perhaps the major contributor in the decision making process here. It is evident that Thiokol was not prepared for the Teleconference since it did not have all the necessary statistical inputs required to arrive at a conclusion. This lead to an internal communication failure within Thiokol. The primary factor for such a communication failure was the lack of structured data and no proper way of seeking the data. Apart from this...
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...Those powerful words President Reagan closed his speech with were “slipped the surely bonds of earth to touch the face of God” (Lucas, 2012, p. 365). One day we all will do the same “for it is appointed unto to man once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27 KJV). We all will surely leave this place and where we go from there is entirely up to us. We have a choice. We can choose life and live forever in the presence of God seeing Him just as He is, or eternally separated from Him with no hope to ever touch the face of God. References Lucas, S. (2012). Speaking on special occasions. In The art of public speaking (12th ed. (pp. 359-369). New York, NY: McGraw -Hill Education. Reagan, R. (1986, January 28). Challenger: President Reagan’s Challenger Disaster Speech [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa7icmqgsow ...
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...The Chronicles of Generation X: The History, Influential Events, and My Personal Experience Kareem E. Murray COM/172 3/11/2015 Dr. Debra Geiger If you ask anybody about Generation X, nine times out ten people will think you were talking about an X-Men or Wolverine cartoon. In comparison to the X-Men, we have been stereotyped as being frustrated, cynical, hopeless and unmotivated slacker. This subject is more realistic than those lies and titanium claws society want to put on my generation. In a class of our own, you will get a better understanding of Generation X through its history, the influential events and my personal experiences have sharpened such a diverse generation that will always stay on top. Generation X or Gen Xers consist of 50 million members born between 1965 and 1977, from the past generation of the Baby Boomers. In a time where the single most anti-child phase in American history began. In the early 1960's the birth control pill became widely available, and in 1973, abortion was legalized (Coupland 1991). These are two factors that are said to have contributed to the generation small numbers. Compared to Baby Boomer numbers at 76 million and Millennial at 80 million according to Jeff Gordinier in his book, How Generation X Got the Shaft, But Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking (Gordinier 2009). Robert Capa, a photographer for Mangum magazine, was the first person to use the phrase "Generation X". Using it to describe the people who grew up after...
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...on January 28, 1986. Seventy-three seconds into the flight, the space shuttle exploded in midair due to hydrogen leakage caused by faulty O-ring seals. Along with her six crew members, Resnik died in one of the worst space disasters in history.] (Cohen 2009)4. Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first American female to walk in space. She is the fifth woman worldwide to fly into space. Sullivan flew three space shuttle missions during her 15 years on NASA. One of the flights Sullivan was in became the first flight to include two women. Sally Ride and Kathryn D. Sullivan were the two women in the STS-41G flight. During the STS-41G mission Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. The first mother in space was Anna Lee Fisher, she flew in the second launch of the space shuttle Discovery as a mission specialist. Fisher had said, "I wanted to make a statement that, 'yes I had a child, but I’m committed to this and I'm going to be here…” She was already assigned...
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...of the world. He took the oath of office repeating the words. He then continued to state that things in the United States were going to change no matter what including the hardships. He insured the people of the United States to feel comfortable and to face their challenges head on. He stated he supports freedom and opposes aggression. He wanted the people to help each other instead on bashing each other. He wanted the people to feel like they had a new chance to accomplish the things they wanted to. In his speech he united the people, insuring them they were not divided. He then mentioned that he would own up to the responsibility he has been giving rather than turning and hiding from it. In Ronald Reagan’s speech the Shuttle “Challenger” Disaster Address, he spoke very respectfully stating how sorry he was to the United States and to the kids watching. He wanted his speech to allow people to mourn rather than feel left in the open. He spoke respectfully of every name of those who were lost, thanking them for their devotion and dedication to the mission. He then assures the people who were watching as well as listening that the space programs work would not go, unrecognized. This happening was a devastating day...
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