Lydia | UiTM SA | CPE680

1. Define whistle-blower. Do you regard Boisjoly (a character in the documentary) as a

disloyal employee or a heroic whistle-blower? Why?
A whistle-blower a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed
illegal, unethical, or not correct within an organization, to an authority. Evidently, Boisjoly
is a heroic whistle-blower because he felt morally responsible. He voiced out concern on
the things that he deemed unsafe and tried to warn the others about it.
2. Did Morton Thiokol treat Boisjoly fairly? Why, or why not? Explain.
With regards to how Morton Thiokol treated Boisjoly during the period before the launch,
he was, in my opinion, treated fairly – but only up to a certain point. A task force was
formed after they got his memo and included him in it. Besides that, he joined the final
conference before the launch and his opinions were heard. However, there will always be
company politics in organizations. In this case, the discussion between the managers
excluded Boisjoly and although he tried to explain further, he had no power to do anything.
Eventually, Boisjoly stopped voicing out and accepted the higher ups’ decisions.
3. Which specific parts of an engineering code of ethics (please refer to the BEM Code of
Professional Conducts) applicable to the situations faced by Morton Thiokol engineers?
3.1.6 A registered Graduate Engineer shall be objective and truthful in making
professional reports, statements and testimonies. He shall include all relevant and
pertinent information in such reports, statements, or testimonies, which should bear
the date indicating when the information was current.
3.1.7 A registered Graduate Engineer shall not express publicly technical opinions that
are not founded upon his competence and knowledge of the facts in the subject
matter.
3.2.2 A registered Graduate Engineer shall check or verify with due diligence the accuracy
of facts and data before he signs or endorses any statement of certification. He shall
not sign on such documents unless he has supervised, witnesses, or inspected the
carrying out of such work.
3.2.3 A registered Graduate Engineer shall bring to the attention of the Engineer or
Employer at the earliest possible opportunity of any instance where the work or
materials used are not in compliance with the specifications, drawings or conditio ns
of contract.
3.2.5 A registered Graduate Engineer shall not reveal facts, data or information without
the prior consent of the Engineer or Employer, past and present, except as authorised
 Lydia | UiTM SA | CPE680

or required by law or when the withholding of such information is contrary to the

safety, health and interest of the public.
3.2.6 A registered Graduate Engineer having knowledge of any violation of this Code of
Conduct or any law or regulation shall report thereon to the Engineer or Employer
and, where relevant, also to public authorities and cooperate with the Engineer or
Employer in furnishing such information or assistance as may be required.
3. Describe three different responsibilities (obligation, blame and role) and three basic
attitudes towards responsibility (minimalist view, reasonable care ad good works) by using
examples based on the videos shown.
Three different responsibilities:
Obligation
The formation of the presidential commission has an obligation or role which is to
investigate the incident thoroughly. This board consists of several specialists who were
trusted to use their knowledge and skills in ways that benefit the clients and public.
Blame
The Engineering Managers can be attributed or blamed for their wrongdoings because they
went against the advices and ignored the proofs from the other engineers.
Role
NASA knew the danger and had the power to stop the launch but did not do so. Hence, the
organization did not carry out their role as they should have and can be blamed for the
fatalities.
Three basic attitudes:
Minimalist view
The managers of Morton Thiokol had a minimalist view because they disregard the other
engineers’ views and saw the whole scenario from a management perspective instead of
considering it from both engineering and management perspectives.
Reasonable care
Marshall Space Flight Center took an initiative to reconfirm the safety of the launch and
asked about disagreements and comments from the other Morton Thiokol Engineers during
the conference carried out before the launch.
Good works
Roger Boisjoly went all out and investigated the problems, worked with the task force, and
told the truth during the presidential meeting. He carried out his job seriously and went to
great lengths to ensure the problem was known by all parties.
 Lydia | UiTM SA | CPE680

4. Aboard the shuttle for this flight was the first teacher in space. Should civilians be allowed
on what is basically an experimental launch vehicle?
No, civilians should strictly not be allowed on an experimental launch vehicle especially
without training as full-fledged astronauts. All scientific experiments are not without risks
and including unprofessional and untrained civilians in the experiments is impractical.