Saturday, November 1, 2014

Conflict Issues and Special Topics of Invention in Engineering

A Point of Conflict in Engineering
A lot of conflict arises when it comes down to inspections.  Just like a college student during cleaning checks, there can be a lot of tension when an inspector comes to visit a large power plant.  Even small imperfections in some equipment can be costly.  However, some of these imperfections, if left unchecked, can be catastrophic.  Thus, the conflict is between money and level of risk.

Topics of Invention in Engineering
Imagine a small power plant company, called EnergyGive, has a monthly safety inspection performed by one of their engineers, Bob.  EnergyGive has been struggling financially the past year, so it has implemented budget cuts.  Bob is performing one of his inspections one day when he observes some small cracks forming in the base to one of the power generators.  These cracks will cost a lot to repair.  He may say something to this extent to his superiors:

          “We have been under compliance for the past several inspections.  This month I have observed possible issues that can impede future success.  There are small foundational cracks forming at the base of Generator D.  In order to remain under compliance, these cracks need to be addressed as soon as possible.  If nothing is done, these cracks can propagate and cause equipment failure.  I have investigated the reparation costs, and it would be prudent to address this issue in a timely manner before those costs increase.”

Analysis:

Bob made sure that his superiors understood the advantages of repairing the cracks.  In this context, it was crucial that he present himself in a deliberative manner to help encourage action.  He emphasized the future problems that could arise using an antecedent/ consequence common topic of invention.  Additionally, he refers to compliance, which is following prescribed standards set by governmental agencies, in connotation to law.

2 comments:

  1. I loved your reference to cleaning checks as I was a resident assistant for the freshman my first year here at BYU. I never thought in terms of rhetoric or topics of invention at that time, but thinking back I now see that the analysis you did here was similar to my situation as an RA.

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  2. Comparing the inspection to a BYU cleaning check really made the scenario relateable. I think it would have been difficult to describe with out your use of metaphor. Nice work.

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