...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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...The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster was a preventable disaster that NASA tried to cover up by calling it a mysterious accident. However, two men had the courage to bring the real true story to the eyes of the public and it is to Richard Cook and Roger Boisjoly to whom we are thankful. Many lessons can be learned from this disaster to help prevent further disasters and to improve on organizations ethics. One of the many key topics behind the Challenger disaster is the organizational culture. One of the aspects of an organizational culture is the observable culture of an organization that is what one sees and hears when walking around an organization. There are four parts to the observable culture, stories, heroes, rites and rituals and symbols. The first one is stories, which is tales told among an organization’s members. In the Challenger Space Shuttle incident there were mainly four organizations thrown together to form one, Morton Thiokol, Marshall Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center and NASA Headquarters. All of these organizations had the same type of stories to be told. At Morton Thiokol, they talked about their product and their big deal, which they received from NASA. At NASA, it’s members retold stories of the previous space missions and being the first people to have landed on the moon. Second are their heroes. At Morton Thiokol, their heroes might have been the founders of the organization or it’s top executives like Charles Locke or Jerry Mason. At NASA, their...
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...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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...Boning Zhao INBU 5310 Dr. 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...
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...companies should forego such conduct “even when the conduct is legal.” (Mayer, 2007) Consumer Demand It can be argued that consumer demand can directly impact how companies make business decisions. Consumer demand can dictate the production of goods, which can cause companies to look towards the bottom line in order to maximize profits while minimizing cost. This can lead companies to make decisions that fall into an ethically grey area. Ethical Perspectives Ethical decision making can be guided by each individual’s ethical perspective. While each perspective has its own strengths, it also has its own weaknesses. Examining the business decisions resulting in the Challenger disaster in 1986 through a behavioral ethics perspective, analysts are able to demonstrate that ethically ambiguous decisions plague companies to this day. At the time, NASA was notified by the contractor that there was statistical information that the temperature could affect the O-Rings. NASA asked for a managerial decision regarding the launch instead of an ethical decision. There are many factors that businesses need to take into account when making decisions from perceptions, biases, and available facts to blind spots and rhetorical fallacies. If companies “realize the power of these…forces and identify [their] blind spots,...
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...seconds into flight, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart. Millions of people watched in horror as seven highly trained astronauts lost their lives in the destruction of the multimillion dollar space shuttle. This catastrophe was a result of the failure of simple O-ring seals manufactured by Morton Thiokol. Beginning in 1977, experimental tests had shown that the O-rings, at certain temperatures, failed. These findings were downplayed by the engineers at Morton Thiokol. As the launch of the shuttle neared the O-rings were still labeled as “Critically 1”, meaning a malfunction could result in the destruction of the Challenger and loss of life. During a teleconference the night before the launch, engineers discussed their concerns with managers. NASA ignored...
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...Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 128–142, 2004 ß 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. www.organizational-dynamics.com ISSN 0090-2616/$ – see frontmatter doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2004.01.002 Lessons in Organizational Ethics from the Columbia Disaster: Can a Culture be Lethal? RICHARD O. MASON ‘‘Houston We Have a Problem.’’ A Message Never Sent or Received. On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia, on its way to its landing site in Florida, blew apart in the skies of East Texas. Its seven-member crew perished. The $2 billion ship was lost; some destruction occurred on the ground, and considerable cost was incurred to recover debris scattered over several states. The disaster sounded an eerie echo from the past. Seventeen years earlier the shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into flight due to an O-ring malfunction. All seven crewmembers were also lost. And, about 11 years before that, the cabin of Apollo 1 burst into flames on its pad. Three crewmembers were killed. Within a day, as NASA policy requires, an internal investigation team of six ex officio members was formed. Harold Gehman Jr., a retired admiral who was NATO supreme allied commander in Europe, was appointed to chair it. A veteran of several military investigations, including the bombing of the U.S. Cole, Gehman, in an initially unpopular move, broadened the inquiry to include the agency’s organization, history and culture. Sean O’Keefe, NASA’s administrator, was incensed that the investigation...
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...regardless of what the code of ethics says. The decision itself will influence the surrounding matter. Many universities around the world especially in USA focus on engineering ethics and it is a mandatory course for students to become engineers. Is this influencing the student’s future decisions? If it actually does, then why not all countries are convinced with it? I mean an engineer is an engineer with the same expectations and ethics whether he was from USA or Japan or France. For instance, in 2000, the U.S Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) took an explicit step by stating in its criteria that engineering programs must always demonstrate that their students have an understanding of both professional and ethical responsibility. On the other hand, France doesn’t require or even consider engineering ethics in its curriculum. There are always influencing factors that revolve around an engineer and his decision wouldn’t be upon ethics or a code. For one to gain the title engineer, he or she must be a professional practitioner of engineering. One must be competent in dealing with the application of scientific knowledge, mathematics and have the capability to develop solutions for any emerging technical, societal and commercial problems. In the United States of America, a National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) was mandated in formulating the rules that would ensure a proper code of conduct or ethics if maintained by the professional engineers. As...
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...Business Ethics Dirty To The Core Seandel Gibson Business-Law Professor- Mr. McLamore June 11, 2012 Business Ethics Abstract Ethical behavior isn’t an act but a habit, just as good health requires cultivating the habits of getting enough sleep and eating wholesome food, Aristotle believed that right action was the result of developing good moral habits. In a business context, this means training and, at the deepest level, something we call “corporate culture.’ Although Ethical management is being given a higher priority by many management teams, a wealth of evidence reveals that managers are still unclear about how to institute strategies and systems that encourage ethical conduct and help create a moral corporate culture. Many managers have opted for the simple route of promulgating rules and instructing everyone to follow them. Not only is this approach providing ineffective in today’s decentralized business environment, it also denies employees any chance to become part of the ethical fabric of the organization. Business Ethics Corruption is defined by transparency international as the misuse of public power for private gain. It takes many forms and can be intensely damaging...
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...Major Essay Engineering is a very diverse field consisting of many different disciplines, methods of education and cultures. What is similar across all disciplines of engineering is the desire to design and create technology that will benefit humanity. In particular civil engineering is concerned with the design and construction of large scale infrastructure such as dams, bridges, roads and railway. Mostly all civil engineering projects have a significant impact on the public and the environment. It is therefore necessary for engineers to make morally responsible decisions that will result in the most positive outcome for the public and environment. Three concepts that must be analysed by engineers to ensuring a positive outcome are: safety, environmental impact and cultural consideration. A number of cases will be presented to illustrate the complex nature of engineering decision and to offer potential ways in which morally responsible engineers should act. Engineering requires a high level of knowledge and expertise. As well as having a high level of technical knowledge, engineers are required to make important moral decisions which may have significant future impacts. A morally responsible engineer is an engineer who goes out of their way to make sure they are doing their job to the best of their ability. This not only includes applying their skills to make an effective product, but making sure their end product has a positive impact both on the users and the environment...
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...Pacific Island that is facing hardship and has many challenges that need to be met in order for the residence to grow. They have asked A & E disaster corporation help in the process. The company I work for will determine how it will build this disaster stricken country. We will identify the problems; define criteria, goals, and objectives. In this paper I will discuss the problems that we will encounter during the decision making process and how to resolve them. I will also discuss organizational processes, human resources, and ethics within the company. Decision making is important for A& E Recovery Corporation and there are many tools, techniques, and knowledge that can apply when making choices on decisions and alternatives. Within two weeks of finishing my degree in business management, I was hired at A& E Disaster Corporation as an assistant to director of strategic planning. The director of strategic planning is Alex. The company requires me to travel for my first assignment. Upon arriving in Kava I noticed the community was a mess. I meet my supervisor Alex; he told me that Kava was in great need of assistance. I have identified the following problems. The island is located in the path of many potential natural disasters that threaten the infrastructure, crops, and livelihood of the people. The disasters include hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, and even H.I.V. The population is also a problem; fifty percent of the population is under fifteen...
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...The success of modern business is apparent, but recently there is much concern in the business-and-society literature and in the general press on whether business fulfils its social role responsibly. Business ethics, corporate social responsibility and corporate governance movements have been developed in recent decades as responses to a growing sense of corporate wrongdoing. This paper attempts to explain why the three movements seem yet to have generated little in the form of widely accepted prescriptions for improvement of business behaviour to the satisfaction of the “constituents” of business, i.e. the major stakeholders. Without denying the usefulness of any of the three movements, the paper suggests that there are weaknesses in all three, especially concerning the way they conceive modern business operation. To this end business pluralism, responsive codes of practice and re-examination of the assumptions (conditions) of business operation could be helpful. In the business literature there is a major strand that celebrates business strength and seeks formulae for success. This strand was manifested in the Scientific Management tradition dating from Frederic Taylor’s work in the early twentieth century (Taylor, 1911) and continued through the Human Relations studies of Elton Mayo that sought to find growth through taking care of the “people dimension” (Roethlisberger and Dickson, 1939). The tradition was further developed following the publication by Peters and Waterman...
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...theme of this work is that managers constantly adapt to the social environments of their organisations in order to succeed. In such contexts, they have no use for abstract ethical principles, but conform to the requirements of bureaucratic functionality. What implications follow for the ethical leader in business? Jackall found that managers assess their decisions against contextual criteria. Essentially, managers try to gauge whether they feel “comfortable” with proposed resolutions to specific problems, a task that always involves an assessment of others’ organisational morality and a reckoning of the practical organisational and market exigencies at hand. The notion of comfort has many meanings. When applied to other persons, the idea of comfort is an intuitive measure of trustworthiness, reliability, and predicability in a polycentric world that managers often find troubling, ambiguous, and anxiety-laden. Such assessment of others’ organisational morality is a crucial aspect of a more general set of probations that are intrinsic to managerial work. (p.13) Jackall notes that power in corporations is centralised at the top in the person of the CEO, while ‘responsibility for decisions and profits’ is pushed down the line as far a possible (p.17) This has ethical implications. The displacement of responsibility for decisions onto subordinates takes the burden from senior managers and the person at the top. Too much knowledge is a dangerous thing for a CEO. It’s much better to have...
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...CASE – 1 INTERNATIONAL CASE: MCDONALDS’S – SERVING FAST FOOD AROUND THE WORLD Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in1955. He offered a limited menu of high-quality, moderately-priced food served in spotless surroundings. McDonald’s QSC&V (quality, service, cleanliness, and value) was a hit. The chain expanded into every state in the nation. By 1983 it had more than 6,000 restaurants in the United States and by 1995 it had more than 18,000 restaurants in 89 countries, located in six continents. In 1995 alone, the company built 2,400 restaurants, and by 2001 it had more than 29,000 restaurants in 121 countries. In 1967, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant outside United States, in Canada. Since then, international growth has been accelerate. In 1995, the “Big Six” countries that provide about 80 per cent of the international operating income are: Canada, Japan, Germany, Australia, France, and England. Yet fast food has barely touched many cultures. The opportunities for expanding the market are great, as 99 per cent of the world population are not yet McDonald’s customers. For example, in China, with a population of 1.2 billion people, there were only 62 McDonald’s restaurants in 1995. McDonald’s vision is to be the major player in food services around the world. In Europe, McDonald’s maintains a small percentage of restaurant sales but commands a large share of the fast-food market. It took the company 14 years of planning before...
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...ENGINEERING ETHICS Concepts and Cases This page intentionally left blank F O U R T H ENGINEERING ETHICS Concepts and Cases g E D I T I O N CHARLES E. HARRIS Texas A&M University MICHAEL S. PRITCHARD Western Michigan University MICHAEL J. RABINS Texas A&M University Australia • Brazil • Japan • Korea • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, Fourth Edition Charles E. Harris, Michael S. Pritchard, and Michael J. Rabins Acquisitions Editor: Worth Hawes Assistant Editor: Sarah Perkins Editorial Assistant: Daniel Vivacqua Technology Project Manager: Diane Akerman Marketing Manager: Christina Shea Marketing Assistant: Mary Anne Payumo Marketing Communications Manager: Tami Strang Project Manager, Editorial Production: Matt Ballantyne Creative Director: Rob Hugel Art Director: Cate Barr Print Buyer: Paula Vang Permissions Editor: Mardell Glinski-Schultz Production Service: Aaron Downey, Matrix Productions Inc. Copy Editor: Dan Hays Cover Designer: RHDG/Tim Heraldo Cover Image: SuperStock/Henry Beeker Compositor: International Typesetting and Composition c 2009, 2005 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution,...
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