Sunday, December 29, 2019

Essay on Persuasion Speech / Eating Local Ann Arbor

J Anderson COM 101 Persuasive Speech – December 1, 2010 Introduction: Specific Purpose: To persuade our audience to buy and eat organic local meats and produce not only for their health and protection from chemically and genetically enhanced foods but also to sustain and help our local community and economy. Attention Grabber: Today I would like to speak on a topic that is very close to all of our hearts,..That being our pockets and our stomachs, you may ask yourself what do I mean by this? I’m talking about your health, Food and $. Tied together these things help to†¦show more content†¦This is like taking the DNA from a chicken and combining it with the DNA of a potato, don’t get me wrong I like to eat chicken and potatoes (visual aid) but this is not right. These seeds are then planted and grow. According to the FDA the food and drug administrant. The food these plants produce has been proven to cause cancer and other health problems in lab animals. People have been eating food produced this way since the early 1990’s, most folks don’t even know this exists. What might it do to us? a. Conventional farmers use chemical fertilizers made from fossil fuels that they mix with the dirt to make plants grow. They do this because they have stripped the soil from all its natural nutrients from growing the same crop over and over again. b. Next the more harmful chemicals, Pesticides and herbicides that Farmers spray on produce to kill bugs and weeds. When it rains these chemicals seep into the ground or run off into our waterways poisoning our water. c. Then the distributors irradiate our food trying to make it last longer so it can travel thousands of miles from where its grown our supermarkets. (Transition: How can we make a change? How can you make a difference?) II. Well folks it’s easy and has been around for along time. You just have to look. I live in downtown Ann Arbor and there is a movement for this thing that is becoming more popular by the day. The term for thisShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Teaching Culture in the Foreign Language Classroom9379 Words   |  38 Pagesculture should constitute an integral part of the English language curriculum. To begin with, language is a social institution, both shaping and shaped by society at large, or in particular the ‘cultural niches’ (Eleanor Armour-Thomas amp; Sharon-ann Gopaul-McNicol, 1998) in which it plays an important role. Thus, if our premise is that language is, or should be, understood as cultural practice, then ineluctably we must also grapple with the notion of culture in relation to language. Language isRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesAttempts 304 SKILL ANALYSIS 310 Case Involving Power and Influence 310 River Woods Pl ant Manager 310 SKILL PRACTICE 311 Exercise for Gaining Power 311 Repairing Power Failures in Management Circuits 311 Exercise for Using Influence Effectively 312 Ann Lyman’s Proposal 313 Exercises for Neutralizing Unwanted Influence Attempts 314 Cindy’s Fast Foods 314 9:00 to 7:30 315 x CONTENTS SKILL APPLICATION 317 Activities for Gaining Power and Influence Suggested Assignments 317 Application Plan and EvaluationRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesPolitics? 430 Point/Counterpoint Power Corrupts People 436 Questions for Review 437 Experiential Exercise Understanding Power Dynamics 437 Ethical Dilemma Corporate Spying 438 Case Incident 1 Delegate Power, or Keep It Close? 438 Case Incident 2 The Persuasion Imperative 439 xvi CONTENTS 14 Conflict and Negotiation 445 A Definition of Conflict 446 Transitions in Conflict Thought 447 The Traditional View of Conflict 447 †¢ The Interactionist View of Conflict 447 †¢ Resolution-Focused ViewRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 Pagesand Dawn, Robert and Sally) and their children (Ryan, Carly, Connor and Lauren). C.F.G. â€Å"We must not cease from exploration and the end of all exploring will be to arrive where we begin and to know the place for the first time.† T. S. Eliot To Ann whose love and support has brought out the best in me. And, to our girls Mary, Rachel, and Tor-Tor for the joy and pride they give me. Finally, to my muse, Neil, for the faith and inspiration he instills. E.W.L Preface Since you are reading this

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Physics of Bicycles Essay - 978 Words

Physics plays a vital role in all that we do, whether we are aware of it or not. The sport of bicycling is no exception to the physical laws of Mother Nature. Friction is a resistive force that always acts in a direction that is opposite to the motion of a body. Frictional forces are dependent on two components; the coefficient of friction and the normal force. Friction = ( µ)(n) There are two different types of frictional coefficients, static and kinetic. The coefficient of static friction is the frictional force that must be overcome before any motion commences. It is caused by the minuscule contact points between our tires and the riding surface (There is frictional losses present in every mechanical connection on the bike†¦show more content†¦The difference between tires might be hard to distinguish but the variation between terrains is pretty easy to differentiate. Riding on the sidewalk is noticeably easier than riding among boulders! This is due to the greater amount of friction between the ground and the tires. The wind plays a big part in the forces affecting a bicycle and its rider. The air flow over a rider and their bicycle is far from smooth. Wind resistance, sometimes called drag, is caused by the atmospheric flow around the rider, wheels, and frame and can produce a relatively large frictional force especially at higher speeds. At higher speeds this resistive force can be approximated by: R=1/2DÏ Av2 Where Ï  is the density of air, A is the cross-sectional area of the riderbike, v is the velocity, and D is the drag coefficient. There are basically only two ways to reduce drag. The first method is to reduce the overall cross-sectional area. The can be accomplished by using a bicycle that is specifically designed to put the rider into a more aerodynamical position, as seen in figure 2. Reduction of the drag coefficient is also an important factor in decreasing the resistance. 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Its more or less circular flight path comes from the interaction of two physical phenomena: the aerodynamic lift of the arms of the boomerang and the spinning boomerang’s maintenance of angular momentum. Briefly put, the airfoil at the boomerang’s forward rotating edge provides more lift than its rearward rotating edge. This elevates one side of the boomerang. The spinning object maintainsRead MorePhysics Of Angular Momentum Project1044 Words   |  5 PagesKathleen Murphy 6/16/17 Walker Physics of Angular Momentum Project Angular Momentum: The Physics of Spinning Although many know the physics of â€Å"spinning†, not many people are aware of how angular momentum explains the physics of rotation. Now it is true that all objects have a momentum, a product of mass and velocity. But similarly, the inertia of rotating objects is called angular momentum. When a direction is given to a rotational speed, we call this rotational velocity, and its vector is rotationalRead MoreWhy I Am A Nurse1163 Words   |  5 Pageswas a statement from Diana, which was â€Å"when you finalize with your work there is always room for improvement†. How many times in our lives have we completed something and was satisfied with our work? In my life I have done many projects like from physics to chemistry projects which each I have received an A for the work I have done but it isn’t the grade that I am thinking of when I look at my project I only see the flaws of my projects and keep think of things to improve on and make it better. AnythingRead MorePhysics of Boomerangs638 Words   |  3 PagesUsually made of wood and they were banana shaped; both arms were carved into curved surfaces. Typically 3 ft long and weighing 5-10 lbs. they were effective hunting tools. When thrown, boomerangs traveled parallel to the ground as far as 650 ft The physics of a Boomerang can be broken down into three simple reasons: 1. A boomerang has 2 arms or wings, similar to airplane wings, which created lift. 2. In flight, the top rotates in the directions of the boomerang and the bottom rotates in the oppositeRead MorePhysics Of Applied Psychology And Counseling Centre1621 Words   |  7 Pagesof working of a bicycle, where mechanisms were explored through pre-task confidence, post-task confidence and overconfidence. Since people tend to give socially desirable responses while answering such kind of questions a BIDR scale was implemented in order to study the level of social desirability of the participant. It is expected that subjects tend to overestimate their ratings prior to the task, however after they come across the technicalities of the working of the bicycle during the experiment;Read More What is an expert? Essay example1560 Words   |  7 Pagesintroduced the notion that an someone requires 10,000 hours of experience and practice for reasonably complex domains to have the possibility of being an expert. Most people seem to agree with that assessment. In order for someone to become an expert in physics, music, chess, psychology, mathematics, baseball, etc. takes many hours, even years, of hard work and practice. ***Keith Ericsson in viewing the development of expertise argued that the most important factor, perhaps even necessary and sufficientRead MoreThe Wright Brothers1522 Words   |  7 Pagesclaims the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulates a flying machines surfaces. They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice. Growing Up The Wright brothers were two of seven. Their father was MiltonRead MoreThe Contributions of Isaac Newton Essay1128 Words   |  5 Pagescollege to obtain a Law Degree. He paid his way through the first three years of college by waiting tables, cleaning rooms for the faculty and wealthier students, and doing odd jobs. During these years he became very interested in Mathematics, Optics, Physics and Astronomy. It was when he started to read about parallelograms and geometry that he changed his mind in getting a Law Degree. In his fourth year of college he was elected a scholar, which guaranteed financial support and helped him succeed. IsaacRead MoreAlbert Einstien: The Smartest Man in History Essay898 Words   |  4 PagesEinstein helped create the scientific world we all know today. He is one of the worlds most famous scientists. Not only that, you may know Albert Einstein as the man with crazy hair or the man on the bicycle. Whatever you remember of him, he will always go down as one of the smartest men in history. Albert Einstein has forever changed American history. In this essay, you will read about Alberts early life, family and marriage, his miracle year, his scientific career and theory of relativity, US

Friday, December 13, 2019

The Effect of AIDS in America Free Essays

Boom! The virus hit us all like a giant atomic bomb. Where did it come from? Why is it spreading? Why is it killing us all? These are a few of the many questions that arose during the first few years that the AIDS virus hit America. The AIDS virus has been a deadly disease ever since the first few cases were reported. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of AIDS in America or any similar topic only for you Order Now After the first few reports of the AIDS virus, maximum precautions were taken, but the virus still spread. That was then, and now we are not preventing it. Since we†ve tripled our efforts to contain the virus, our results have not shown any impact in the amount of cases. That leads one to suspect that education of the virus is being emphasized in the wrong way to our society. For the America to conquer this virus, more education needs to be placed in the hands of African-Americans, children, and homosexuals. Anyone can be infected with the AIDS virus. This disease does not discriminate. People of all genders, race, ages, and nationalities are at risk (Internet). One of the problems resulting with the disease is that African-Americans, along with others, think that they are immune to this deadly virus. They believe that in America, it is a white gay disease. Although it originated in Africa, since white Americans brought it overseas, they are the only people who can get the disease. At least that is what African-Americans think. We as the ordinary people of the United States need to take education action. We need to show African-Americans that this is not some sort of Gods punishment on American white people. In our television ads, news articles, or any other way we distribute information about AIDS, we need to include the simple fact that this deadly virus does not discriminate. I believe that this will help lower the amount of African-American AIDS cases that we have in America. I believe that another problem facing the uninformed part of ordinary American society, is the fact that our children do not know enough about this deadly disease. Over 25,000 AIDS virus cases were reported involving children last year (Internet). Children can aquire the AIDS virus in two different basic fashions. For one, they can attain the deadly virus through a blood transfusion. Second of all, they can aquire the disease through being born into it. The only thing e can do for the children who need to have a blood transfusion is continue our blood screening medical advances, and continue the support of the doctors that make these medical advances. For the children who are born with the disease, well, we cannot do anything for these children exept treat them for the AIDS virus. These children were effected with the virus because of the fact that there parents did not take the proper safe sex precautions. Us ordinary people need to promote the education of parents about safe sex, and promote the education about safer blood transfusions. We need to make extra emphasis on this education because our children our the future of American society. Homosexuals these days seem to laugh in the face of danger. They laugh at oppressors,haters, and the AIDS virus. They believe that America has made so many medical advances, that they no longer need to worry about attaining the virus. They also believe that wearing a condom these days is a challenge to their manhood (Cunningham 703). Homosexuals were the original targets of the AIDS virus, as well as being labeled as the perpetrators of the disease in America. Ordinary society needs to continue the education of homosexuals by emphasizing that it still effects them as much as anyone else, if not more. The AIDS virus has swept through America like a giant sandstorm. We all know the basic facts about the virus, but all of us seem to be avoiding the statistics. AIDS still effects us as much as it always did, if not more. We as the ordinary society of America, need to push the proper forms of education about the deadly virus. We can no longer just sit around, let it take over our country, and just be satisfied with knowing the basics. We need to take imediate action. How to cite The Effect of AIDS in America, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Comparison and Contrast of Switches and Bridges

Question: Discuss about the Comparison and Contrast of Switches and Bridges? Answer: Introduction Network bridges and switches used as data link layer in the OSI (Open System Interaction) model. Both of these have similar functionalities, however switches are considered as more superior devices than bridges in terms of network performance. This particular report has used to explore the intelligence functions of switches and bridges in network traffic flow activities. Specific performance of these devices will be analyzed in a comparative way by paying attention to the data transmission method, traffic management control, error recovery system and network performance. The Layer(S) Used in the OSI Model Figure 1: OSI Layers (Source: Bari et al., 2013, pp-915) Network Switches: Network switch always operates at the second layer of the OSI model and provide proper connectivity between the LAN clients. Data link layer allows the users access the network medium, as well as provides the means to check the errors of the system and other basic functionalities of the network (Chowdhury, 2013). This network layer consists of Ethernet, token ring switches, NIC (Network Interface Cards) and bridges which allows the network switch to access the system for sending and receiving messages. Figure 2: Operations of Network Switch (Source: Gebali, 2015, pp-100) Network Switch uses MAC address of the network interface card. This MAC address of data link layer in OSI model helps to address, forward and filter traffic, so that network congestion can be reduced at larger extent. The Ethernets offers a physical address to that data of devices such as switch can be sent on the network (Huang Kemp, 2016). This layer with networking software management system has error detection capabilities. Bridges: This also operate in the data link layer of OSI model. This network bridge connects two parts in the same network and reads the destination address for each Ethernet packet and token frame with maximum efficiency and speed (Ortiz et al., 2013). Figure 3: Operations of Bridges in Data Link Layer (Source: Tate et al., 2016, pp-55) The data link layer offers reliable transmission of data frames between the adjacent nodes of bridges. With the implementation of CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check), data link layer performs the errors detection functions and control management system. Bridges with high data link control applications of this layer facilitates best communication over multiple links. Intelligence of Switches and Bridges In order to measure the intelligence of switches in OSI model, it can be stated that it can effectively built a network and links all the network devices to forward data and information. In layer 2 of OSI model, switches read the MAC address and build a table to forward the packets (Wang et al., 2013). The application of switch only receives messages from the connected devices and transmits those messages only to those particular devices for which the message was made. This facility makes the switch more intelligent than other components of the network. In the modern Ethernet LANs, switch plays a significant role. Switch has redundant power circuits that can operate in power fails situation also. On the other hand, bridges have high performance functionalities which are used to improve network performance by maintaining traffic and signals. Bridges can read the messages of the outermost section of network to check the path of going messages. This helps to reduce traffic flows in the network system as it does not sent all the packets through the network management system (Ramanathan et al., 2012). But efficiency of bridges is lesser than the switches as it can only read the messages of the outermost section of network hardware. Bridges also do not allow connection of several networks with various architectures. Data Transmission For increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of traffic management network performance, the switches plays a crucial role. Primarily, switches are used to break one single system into several subdivided systems and for that reason, the repeater limitations and the distance are resumed (Pagan Short, 2014). Then the same segmentation separates the traffic and which in turn lessens the collisions thereby optimizes the network congestion. On the other hand, bridges use two Ethernet networks so that data can be transferred from on network to another network. By the use of bridge system, networks are divided into several parts so that transmission of data can be handled precisely (Chowdhury, 2013). Bridges are used for segregating data by distinguishing them into two streams which can effectively decrease the traffic flow and increase the control over data transmission system. Traffic Management Switches with multiple ports used in the local networks to isolate the data flow for the improvements of performance (Mehta et al., 2012). Switches are more superior than bridges and with high sped functionalities help to minimize the traffic congestion problems. Bridge is the device that is used to connect and pass packets between several network segments. This can be used to analyze the incoming packets and forward each packet. By this bridge can improve the performance of network management system by minimizing the collision chances and reducing unnecessary traffic (Boutaba et al., 2013). This application of bridges divides the traffic into several segments and filters the traffic flows based on the MAC address. Network Performance By two basic operations switch improve the performance of the entire network. At first, it receives data frame from input media and sends this to output media. By the second operation, maintenance of switching applications can be done by switching tables and switch builds (Gebali, 2015). The Ethernet switch allows the users to communicate over the virtual circuits, so that efficiency of the network bandwidth can be increased. Bridges can join two networks of several media platforms and always try to keep te networks data free, so that congestion can be minimized and improvements of network can be increased. Error Recovery In the case of error recovery, the LAN switches can be used which comprises of two different architectures including store-and-forward and cut-through. The store-and-forward switch analyzes and acquires the overall packet before transferring it to the destination source (Bari et al., 2013). The cut-through switches, on the other hand, review the address of the destination before moving it to the target part. According to the error recovery in the network design, the bridges can be used to disallow packets from particular systems and it is used to lower the bandwidth utilization. The bridges are unable to maintain the integrity of data transmission when they receive errors. When there is an error in a single frame then that frame is not correctly transmitted (Ortiz et al., 2013). At that moment, the bridges don't allow the option of retransmission. When the bridges become congested, the frames are discarded for making the traffic smooth. Appearance of Switches and Bridges in a Network In a network design, a switch is a network device which chooses a circuit or path for transferring a data unit to the next destination. Figure 4: Appearance of Bridge and Switch in Network (Source: ) Bridges, on the other hand, helps to establish connections between local area networks (LANs) using the same protocol. Conclusion After the analysis of the report, it can be concluded that the switches operate on the second Open System Interconnection (OSI) layer known as the data link layer. The functions depending on the 3rd layer of the OSI model consist of routing between the networks and VLANs. The bridges work at the Data-Link Layer of the Open System Interconnection model and are used to connect similar or dissimilar local area network segments which operate at the data link layer. The switches in a network optimize the network congestion while the usage of bridges can make the traffic smooth. Switches appear at the gateway levels or backbone of a network while the bridges appear at the nodes of a local area network. References Bari, M. F., Boutaba, R., Esteves, R., Granville, L. Z., Podlesny, M., Rabbani, M. G., ... Zhani, M. F. (2013). Data center network virtualization: A survey.Communications Surveys Tutorials, IEEE,15(2), 909-928. Chowdhury, D. D. (2013).High speed LAN technology handbook. Springer Science Business Media. Gebali, F. (2015).Analysis of Computer Networks. Springer. Huang, K., Kemp, M. F. (2016).U.S. Patent No. 9,237,034. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Kizza, J. M. (2013). Computer Network Fundamentals. InGuide to Computer Network Security(pp. 3-41). Springer London. Mehta, A., Mehta, K., Ramanathan, R., Sankaran, K., Ramakrishnan, R., Shenoy, S., Krishna, G. (2012).U.S. Patent No. 8,125,928. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Ortiz, G., Uemura, H., Bortis, D., Kolar, J. W., Apeldoorn, O. (2013). Modeling of soft-switching losses of IGBTs in high-power high-efficiency dual-active-bridge DC/DC converters.Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on,60(2), 587-597. Pagan, F. C., Short, J. E. (2014).U.S. Patent No. 8,713,641. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Pandey, V. (2012).U.S. Patent No. 8,265,075. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Ramanathan, R., Mehta, A., Ramakrishnan, R., Krishna, G., Chaganti, S., Sankaran, K., Grandhi, J. (2012).U.S. Patent No. 8,295,291. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Tate, J., Beck, P., Ibarra, H. H., Kumaravel, S., Miklas, L. (2016).Introduction to storage area networks. IBM Redbooks. Wang, A., Iyer, M., Dutta, R., Rouskas, G. N., Baldine, I. (2013). Network virtualization: Technologies, perspectives, and frontiers.Lightwave Technology, Journal of,31(4), 523-537.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

The Impact of Technology on Teenagers free essay sample

The Impact of Technology on Teenagers As technology advances, so do teenagers, and the rest of the people from all around the world. Technology has made a huge impact on today? s society and teens have shown to be the most interested on the topic. We live surrounded by technology, we can find it everywhere and in all shapes and sizes, these amazing gadgets seem to be changing constantly. Technology takes place in our daily life and also infers in the way we talk, the way we dress, what we listen and watch.It ahs a lot of positive impacts on today? s youth, because in some way it brings people together, it increases social activity with social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Skype and many others that connect us to the rest of the world. The internet offers young people a lot of great opportunities and access to an amazing amount of information, which is very useful because it helps, both, teachers and students to get a better education and information, also the process of sharing is faster and easier. We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Technology on Teenagers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Internet helps people to fasten openness, work on their self-confidence, and greater sense of ease, and comfort while dealing with others. On a teenager’s life music is a massive and really important factor, and the way you can carry your music wherever you go to, is simply amazing. Music is very influential, it can get people in a better mood and it’s a really clear thing that it’s also motivational, on the other hand you can notice that the some lyrics are very relatable to the modern teenager, and so tis creates a bond between you and society.Technology isn’t always that good. Teens spend almost the whole time on the Internet and this has created an overuse. Some people say Internet makes close people be apart, and the distant people get closer; I agree with this somehow, I think Internet is one of the greatest inventions that has hit our society, but it also breaks the whole experience of human intercourse.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Organization Behavior and Management Space Shuttle Challenger

Organization Behavior and Management Space Shuttle Challenger Space Shuttle Challenger Orbiter History The Challenger was initially referred to as the STA-099. The shuttle was built to work as a test vehicle for the Space Shuttle program and was named after the HMS Challenger, which was a British Naval research vessel. The HMS Challenger sailed in the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Pacific Ocean during the 1870’s.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Organization Behavior and Management: Space Shuttle Challenger specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When the Challenger was built it underwent intensive vibration and thermal testing for a year. NASA awarded Rockwell, a Space Shuttle orbiter manufacturer, a contract in 1979 to build the Challenger by converting the STA-099. The Challenger arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in July 1982, and it became the second orbiter to be operation in the center. The Challenger had been designed to be a historic craft and many were optimistic it would outlive the rest. The Space Shuttle took its maiden flight on April, 1982 for the STS-6 mission, which saw the first ever space walk in the space shuttle program. The EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) was done by Astronauts Donald Peterson and Story Musgrave. This lasted about four hours and it was also during this mission the first deployment of a Tracking and Data Relay System constellation was done. After completing nine successful missions, on January 28, 1986 the Challenger was launched on the STS-51L and after a mere 73 seconds it exploded killing all the seven crewmembers (NASA, 2011). This paper will look at the SHUTTLE 51-L MISSION, the organization that was involved in the Challenger project, the mechanical failure of the Space Shuttle Challenger, the organizational behavior and management shortcomings that contributed to the disaster and finally make organizational behavior and management changes that can be adopted to prevent a reoccurrence of the same disaster. D iscussion NASA Program As the Challenger Space Shuttle progressed, there was an increase in the demands being placed on NASA and this resulted to an increased risk of disaster (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990). The NASA team had a false sense of security having carried out 2Kramer, James, 1987 missions, which had been successful. Prior to the launch, there were many wrangles within NASA, and managers were working in a place with heavy overload and turbulence (Kramer James, 1987). The management at NASA was characterized with a disease full of decay and destruction (Kramer James, 1987 p.14).Advertising Looking for case study on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There was lack of a formal DSS program at NASA initialized before the launch for the shuttle operations. There were strong indications that decisions were being made through satisficing and short cuts. There were lots of compromise and operations were great ly affected. NASA was accused of having semi-uncontrolled decision making as they tried to satisfy the needs of the military, scientific community, industry and this led to the space shuttle being declared operational even before the development stage of the shuttle had been completed (Kramer, James, 1987). Decision making at NASA was done by default as there lacked DSS. The organizational structure at the program was political and manipulations were done to meet requirements of the political power. When the Reagan Administration declared the Space Shuttle â€Å"operational†, many employees at NASA lacked motivation and left with the impression that decision making on the project should be made by the political administration (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990). Employees began being complacent and safety of the shuttle was highly compromised, as they tried to keep the shuttle on schedule and satisfy the clients. This presents the situation at NASA prior to making the decision to launch the space shuttle (Dunbar Ryba, 2008). SHUTTLE 51-L MISSION (Challenger Flight) The 51-L mission was the 25th mission that NASA was going to undertake in its STS program. Shortly after launching the Challenger on 28, January 1986, the Challenger exploded mid air, destroying the vehicle and killing the entire seven crew members on the mission. This mission was aimed at deploying a second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite as well as the Spartan Halle’s Comet Observer. The mission was also going to be the first time there were observers or passengers participating in a program called NASA Teacher in Space Program ((Dunbar Ryba, 2008). S. Christa McAuliffe was one of the crew onboard and she was going to conduct live broadcasts that were going to be broadcasted to schools throughout the world (Dunbar Ryba, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Organization Behavior and Management: Space Shuttle Challenger specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The destruction of the Challenger and the loss of life had profound impact on the society and the way it viewed the Space program and particularly NASA. As this paper will discuss, the tragic decision that was made to allow the launching of STS 51-L was as a result of long term contributing factors that were further increased by bad or weak organizational behavior and management strategies. The outcome of this tragedy caused loss of life, resources and made people to mistrust the space program. Although the accident of the Challenger was blamed on the hardware failure of the SRB â€Å"O† ring (known as Solid Rocket Boost), the decision that was made by the management was also flawed. The decision was based on faulty organizational behavior and management and this was further aggravated by the mismanagement of initial information that suggested the launch be postponed (NASA, 2008). Other factors that besides organizational behavior and manag ement played a major role in contributing to the accident occurring. They included the demand NASA was getting from the political ruling class to deliver and launch on the scheduled day (NASA, 2008) The process of proving to the American people and the political system that there was need for a reusable space shuttle had begun in the 1960s. The Challenger was one of the ways that this could be proven and thus a lot of pressure and expectation was put on the program. Unlike the previous missions such as the Apollo, the Space Shuttle was going to be used in space operations without having a defined goal (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990 p. 3). This presents the first contributing factor in the Challenger’s accident. Without a defined role for use, the Challenger was going to be used as a utility vehicle for space operations and thus there lacked a strong support for the project, both financially and politically. In order to gain favor and political support for the project, the Challenger was sold and presented to the political elites as a quick payoff (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990 p. 8). The project also gained support by predicting that it could be used by the military as a means that could be used to enhance the national security. To the industry, it was sold as a commercial opportunity, where companies could offer clients an opportunity to visit space. Many scientists in the program told the American public that the Challenger Shuttle was going to be an American Voyage that was going to have great scientific gain (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990 p. 10). To the world, the Challenger project was sold as a partnership that was going to include the ESA (European Space Agency) as well as a means that was going to improve the relations between nations and bring together people of different nationalities, sex and races by serving as crew members during missions (McConnell, 1988).Advertising Looking for case study on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The process that was used to gain support in the economic, social and political arena for the space shuttle can be cited to be the second contributing factor that resulted to the accident (McConnell, 1988). There was use of heterogeneous engineering, which means that the engineering and management decisions in the project were structured in ways that were going to be appealing to the political, economic, and organizational factors rather than being structured into a single entity mission that was aimed at achieving specific goals (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990 p. 9). When the Space Shuttle became operational, it was faced with many operational demands from many people. It had to live up to the promises that had been given by NASA. This placed a lot of pressure on the management team as they tried to coordinate the needs of the military, political elites and the scientific community. The political pressure was to provide a space vehicle that was going to be reliable and could be reused. It w as also supposed to be difficult to achieve this as it was going to hinder the ability of creating an effective system for integration and development. It was also going to be infeasible to create a management support system that could cater for the diverse requirements. There was also a low moral within the NASA employee, which was created during the Reagan Administration when the shuttle was given the green light for operation even when the development stage had not been completed (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990). The American Congress expected that the Shuttle program was going to be financially self supportive after billions of dollars had been used to go to the moon (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990, p. 15). With this lack of support from Congress, NASA adopted and operated as a commercial business instead of a government program. It can therefore be concluded that the environment of the program prior to launching had been one mucked wih conflict, short cuts and managerial stress (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990, p.15). Mechanical failure of the Challenger Before the launching date, concerns had been raised about the integrity of carrying on with the launch when the temperatures were as lower than those expected for optimal performance. On a previous mission, 51-C, it had been noted that the booster joints were covered with soot and grease after launching on a cold weather. Tests were carried out in the laboratory on the effect of low temperatures on the O-ring resilience. It was recommended that they be replaced by steel billets and this would have meant a redesign of the field joint. By the time of the accident, the steel billets were not ready. Engineers at Alan McDonald made a presentation that detailed on the effects the cold weather was going to affect the booster performance. This was necessary because the temperatures of the launching date were expected to be lower than 350F. After the concerns were raised a meeting was convened and various heads and engineers attended. The pe ople in attendance included, engineers, top management of Marshal Space Flight Center, Kennedy Center, and Morton Thiokol. The meeting was called to discuss on the effect the cold weather was going to have on the mission especially the boosters’ performance. Engineers gave a clear presentation that argued that the cold weather would have a major effect on the joint rotator and the O- ring seating. The test carried out had only gone to a low of 530 F and this presented a problem of the unknown (Rogers’s, 1989). Thiokol provided NASA with information concerning the launch and thought that the low temperatures were going to affect the O-rings to a point they were going to be ineffective. The mission had been cancelled previously due to the cold weather and NASA was not ready for another cancellation (Kramer, James, 1987 p.23). Although information had been provided by a GDSS from another company showed that the O-rings were going to work under the predicted weather, engi neers from Thiokol were skeptical about the data they had inputted into the GDSS. This meant that NASA was relying on a GDSS that had flawed information (Kramer James, 1987). At this juncture, NASA asked for a definitive confirmation or rejection of the planned launch from Thiokol. The representatives from Thiokol responded by recommending the launch be delayed until the temperatures were favorable. NASA continued to pressure Thiokol to change their minds and NASA level three managers is reported to have retorted to the representatives, â€Å"My God, Thiokol, When do you want me to launch, next April?† (Kramer, James, 1987, p.7). It was after this that Thiokol representatives asked to be given time to rethink their recommendations. An engineer with Thiokol was asked to stop reasoning as an engineer and start thinking as a manager, which suggests that the group was placing organizational needs in front of safety of the shuttle. Thiokol representatives returned to the GDSS an d recommended that the launch be done as planned. When NASA asked if there was any objection to this no one from the GDSS objected. During the launch the O-ring were severely affected by the cold weather and this mechanical failure caused the accident and the eventual loss of the crewmembers (Kramer, James, 1987). Critical analysis of the organizational behavior and management shortcomings that contributed to the disaster The environment, organizational behavior and management which NASA and its developers operated in gave a large margin for human error. However, Thiokol and NASA had a chance to avert the accident during the GDSS meeting before the launch. The organizational behavior and management fallings can be attributed to the accident. First, the team especially Thiokol had prior knowledge that the O-ring was going to be affected by the cold weather months before the launching. However, the primary goal of the project was to meet the launch date. NASA warned about the problem , but it downplayed it. This presents the first element of the mismanagement of information and bad organizational behavior that resulted into the accident. Any suggestion and proposals of the launch-taking place were met with positive support from the management while all suggestions of delays were shot down without taking into consideration the risk involved in carrying out the launch (Turban, 1988). Third, there was a strong feeling among the people involved in the project management to live up to the promises made. Despite the fact that Thiokol engineers were skeptical about the planned launching, their management went ahead and agreed with the other members of the GDSS to continue with the launch (Turban, 1988). Fourth, there was bad organizational behavior and management on the part of Thiokol, because they agreed with the other teams although their engineers were telling them to stop the launch (Priwer, Philips, 2009). Fifth, all people involved in the top management of the project were afraid of how the political elites and the public would react if another cancellation was done. In the previous one year the launch had been postponed six times. Many in this group were starting to rationalize that if they had succeeded in the past they were as well going to succeed this time (United States Congress, 1986). Finally, the group as stated before was working with flawed data and even when Thiokol engineers began to question the integrity of this information, nobody took action. People in the GDSS meeting who were proposing that the launch be delayed were unwelcome and therefore the management had its mind made on the launching date. During the meeting, it was seen that NASA representatives were at times assertive and intimidate the other players to a point where they disregarded warnings given. The meeting is also faulted as a bad organizational behavior and management, because it was easy to downplay the personal opinions held by each member. Instead of th e speaker conversion, the meeting should have been held at a place where all members were present and maybe the outcomes would have been different. The GDSS failed the point where Thiokol asked to be given five minutes to conduct a private meeting. Before this point Thiokol had maintained that the launch should be cancelled, but after the private meeting it changed its mind. Conclusion The failure of the spaceship Challenger can be blamed on the organizational behavior. NASA has a variety of risk avoidance system. Their aim is to ensure that the missions are safe. NASA is one of the smallest federal agencies and operates under a strict budget of US$ 15 Billion (NASA, 2010). This removes any flexibility during risky situations. This agency has been known to be dependant to their history for decision making. Since their establishment in 1958, their main aim was to beat the Soviet Union spaceflights. Though their budget keeps being cut, they still stick to their mission. The cut costs made NASA realize that they could include the private business sector. This increased their pressure for success, which was also coming from the government. They had to research and develop the operations with limited time. NASA Budget in billions of American Dollar (NASA, 2010) The normalization of deviance is another short coming on the management of the NASA. This is a term, which is used to explain the way sometimes some technical flaws are not scrutinized by the various safety bodies over time. This is because they are both expensive and time consuming. Due to the pressure to produce, it is seen as absurd to spend resources on problems, which are not a risk (Launius, 1992). The postponing of the launch can be because of many reasons. Maybe the problem was the O-rings significance was not considered so much hence the problem with it was a minor one to them. The other reason would be, because the president was using the flight as a reference in his speech or maybe it was because of the much pressure, which was being exerted by both the private sector and the government. Recommendations Failures can happen no matter the safety systems applied. Though the cause of the failure was technical, the organizational failure caries a huge part in it. There are numerous things that NASA can do to avoid these types of organizational failures ever happening (Lewis, 1988). One of them is the Hierarchical power. Some of the managements personnel at the high posts have no interest in the hierarchy. Some of them would rather not make decisions that would jeopardize their work. The congress, a body of the NASA which offers regulatory oversight, has no desires to jeopardize the central district of NASA through their decisions. These are huge obstacles to the changes that should be made in the organizational behavior and management. They should create a way in which the engineers can have the ability of by passing the hierarchy and bureaucracy before launching unsafe missions . If the engineers had had their way during the Challengers disaster, the O-rings would have been replaced or the launch postponed. Though these activities would be very costly to NASA, it would not be as expensive as losing the crew and the vehicle (United States Congress, 1986). The bureaucratic procedures should be sometimes be exempted from getting some data. This is because hunch or intuitions which the engineers might have may take a long time to be researched on and analyzed (Hall, 2003). References Dunbar, B. Ryba, J. (2008). Kennedy Space Center. Web. Hall, J.L. (2003). Space Policy. Columbia and Challenger: Organizational failure of NASA. Berkley: University of California at Berkley. Jarman A. Kouzmin, A. (1990). Decision pathways from crisis. A contingency-theory simulation heuristic for the Challenger Shuttle disaster, Contemporary Crises. Kramer, C. James A. (1987). The Space Shuttle Disaster: Ethical Issues in Organizational Decision Making. Michigan: Western Michig an University Press. Launius, D. (1992). Toward an Understanding of the Space Shuttle: A Historiographical Essay. Air Power History, Winter. Lewis, R.S. (1988). Challenger; the final voyage. New Yolk: Columbia University press. McConnell, M. (1988). Challenger: A Major Malfunction. London: Routledge. NASA (2010). Kennedy Space Center. Web. NASA. (2008) Spacelink Challenger Press Release. Web. NASA. (2011). The Mission and the History of Space Shuttle Challenger. Web. Priwer,S. Philips,C. (2009). Space exploration for dummies. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons. Rogers’s commission. (1989). Report Of the President Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. Washington DC. G.P.O Turban, E. (1988). Decision Support and Expert Systems, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. United States Congress. (1986). Investigation of the Challenger Accident; Report of the Committee on Science and Technology, House of Representative, Ninety-Ninth Congress, Second Session. Washington: U.S. G .P.O.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

American History - 'Reconstruction succeeded in reintegrating the Essay

American History - 'Reconstruction succeeded in reintegrating the union, but the attempt to grand civil rights to the country - Essay Example The presidents that assumed office thereafter continued with the same trend though they were more sympathetic to the white South. The Republican Radicals were not happy with the presidential Reconstructions hence decided to take over the mandate themselves through the congress. Although congressional Reconstruction was moderate it managed to secure some civil and political rights for the blacks especially through the push of Republican Radicals. The issue of most contention during this period was the social rights which most of the Americans believed should be earned through hard work and not through legislations. In the end, the question that needs to be answered is; were Reconstruction goals achieved? This paper will argue that although Reconstruction succeeded in reintegrating the union, the attempt to grant civil rights to the country’s black population was already lost by 1877. This is because although Black rights were afforded through the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the US constitution and the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875, much of it was reversed by the Jim Crow laws with the blessing of the Supreme Court. The terror groups such as Ku Klux Klan, Red Shirts and White League also did not give opportunity to the blacks to enjoy their rights. This was further worsened by the union of Northerners and Southerners at the expense of black rights. 100 years after the end of slavery, racial inequality still persisted and continues to haunt Americans to date. Abraham Lincoln in his inaugural speech stated clearly his plans for Reconstruction of the South even before the war had ended. By 1863, the confederates had already accepted defeat and were waiting to be reprimanded by the Union. However, civil the war ended in 1865. Lincolns Reconstruction was very moderate and lenient. In December 1863 he made a proclamation of amnesty and Reconstruction granting pardon to those who took oath to support the constitution of United States and the Union of s tates.1 He also established provisional governments which were to be under executive control. The only individuals exempted from amnesty were those who aided in the rebellion especially confederate army and navy. Conspicuously missing in oath-taking, voting and holding office in the new governments were the blacks. This is despite his declaration that â€Å"the restoration of Rebel states to the union must rest upon the principle of civil and political equality of both races†.2 This clearly indicates that the intention of Reconstruction from onset was the unity of the union while the black rights were relegated to the background. The emancipation proclamation of 1863 freeing all slaves had given hope to the blacks that their condition would improve but this was just rhetoric. According to Kenneth Stamp a great historian, Lincolns hope was to persuade a great mass of blacks to leave the country although his views had changed by 1865 when he was assassinated. By this time, he b elieved blacks could become integral part of American life.3 He faced his death due to his insistence on abolition of slavery especially in the south. After him came Andrew Johnson in 1865. The reign of Johnson was filled with many gains as well as losses. Many Republicans had high hopes that he would deliver the promise of racial equality and punish the rebel states. His hatred for the South planter class was apparent and in