ETHICS

CONTENTS
Introduction
How do we use ethical theories
Ethical Relativism
Can consequence justify an action?
Egoism
What constitutes a moral point of view
Act and Rule Consequentialism
What would you do in the following situation?
What constitutes a right action in Consequentialism
Limitations:
Utilitarianism
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832 )
Utilitarianism of Bentham
J S Mill (1806-1873 )
Rejection of Intuition
• Limitations:
Non-Consequentialist theories
Divine Command Theory
Scriptural Command Theories
Natural Law Ethics
Categorical Imperatives of Kant (Deontological Theory of Kant)
Virtue Ethics
Aristotle’s Theory of Virtue
Use of reason
Virtue
Judging an action as morally correct or wrong
Love and Friendship
Evaluation
Introduction
Sources of Ethics in India
Dharma
The concept of Rta
Divergence in perspectives
 Upanishads
Manusmriti
Bhagavad Gita and Ethics
Concepts
1. Atman
2. Brahman
3. Doctrine of Karma
4. Transmigration of Soul
5. Supreme Goals (Purusharthas)
6. Sva-dharma
7.Varnaashrama-dharma
8. Hindu Rites - Samskaras
Evaluation
Buddhist ethics
Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path
Three maxims of Eight-Fold Path
The Pancha-Mahavratas
Meritorious Deeds in Buddhism
Differences between Buddhist Ethics & Western Ethics
Evaluation
Jaina Ethics
vratas (oaths in Jainism)
Tri-Ratnas (The Three Gems)
Indian Ethics in Modern and contemporary period
Raja Ram Mohun Roy
Principles of Brahma Samaj
Function of religion
Swami Dayananda Saraswati and the Arya Samaj
An Ethics Supporting Hindu Nationalism
INTRODUCTION
Traditionally, ethics has investigated the problem of values as they relate to human
conduct- questions of right and wrong, good and evil for instance.
Etymologically the term “ethics” correspond to the Greek word “ethos” which means
character, habit, customs, ways of behaviour, etc.
Ethics examines the meaning of value terms like obligation, good, virtue and morality to
clarify our moral discourse and to understand moral judgments. and it is an attempt to
determine moral principles on which we are justified in living our lives.
Ethics thus can defined as the systematic study of human actions from the point of view
of their rightfulness or wrongfulness, as means for the attainment of the ultimate
happiness.
To choose our own individual values we need to philosophize. This task of
philosophizing on values is the subject matter of Ethics. It also involves the justification
of these values and guidelines.
Ethics is also called “moral philosophy”. The word “moral” comes from Latin word
“mores” which signifies customs, character, behaviour, etc.
Ethics is therefore the study of morality. Morality consists of standards that an individual
or a group has about what is right and wrong.
Ethics is also theoretical and practical.
It is theoretical in as much as it provides the fundamental principles on the basis of which
moral judgements are arrived at. It is practical in as much as it is concerned about an end
to be gained, and the means of attaining it.
BRIEF HISTORY OF ETHICS IN THE WEST
Ethics is as old as humanity. The first ethical precepts were certainly passed down by
word of mouth by parents and elders, but as societies learned to use the written word,
they began to set down their ethical beliefs.
In the Western Philosophy, the history of ethics can be traced back to the fifth century
B.C with the appearance of Socrates.
As a philosopher among the Greeks his mission was to awaken his fellow humans to the
need for rational criticism of their beliefs and practices.
Socrates, in demanding rational grounds for ethical judgements, brought attention to the
problem of tracing the logical relationship between values and facts and thereby created
ethical philosophy.
Plato’s theory of forms could be seen as the first attempt at defending moral realism and
offering an objective ground for moral truths
From the Republic on through the later dialogues and epistles, Plato constructed a
systematic view of nature, God, and human from which one derived one’s ethical
principles.
His main goal in his ethical philosophy was to lead the way toward a vision of the Good.
Aristotle’s ethical writings (i.e. Eudemian Ethics, the Nicomachean Ethics, and the
Politics) constitute the first systematic investigation into the foundations of ethics.
The medieval period was dominated by the thoughts of Christian philosophers and
theologians like Augustine and Thomas.
In St. Augustine, the most prominent philosopher of the early medieval period, ethics
became a blend of the pursuit of earthly well-being with preparation of the soul for
eternal salvation.
Thomas Aquinas brought about a true reconciliation between Aristotelian science and
philosophy with Augustinian theology.
The renaissance and enlightenment brought about new ideas and theories. The
development of commerce and industry, the discovery of new regions of the world, the
Reformation, the Copernican and Galilean revolutions in science, and the rise of strong
secular governments demanded new principles of individual conduct and social
organization.
Some of the modern philosophers who contributed to the great changes in ethical
thinking were Francis Bacon, René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz, Benedict de Spinoza, John Locke, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart
Mill and Friedrich Nietzsche.
Further developments in ethical thinking in the west came with Karl Marx and Sigmund
Freud.
HOW DO WE USE ETHICAL THEORIES
All the theories mentioned below have their own faults or limitations, but each of the
theories prompt us to pay attention to an important aspect of moral decision making.
These theories can serve as conceptual frameworks that lead us to intelligently pay
attention to all of the different facets of a moral situation and to investigate all of the
complexities of moral behaviours and relationships.
Philosophers raise cases that tend to break a theory down to test its strength and
limitations. This does not mean that theory is invalid or useless, even the most ardent
critics of some of the theories of ethics point out that these theories have a value.
Failing to grasp this perspective could easily lead to conclusion that ethical theories
are meaningless or worthless. We are confounded with moral decisions every day of
our life and to find answers to them may not be easy but it is not impossible.
The fundamental worth of studying and understanding ethical thought is not to find a
theory that can make decisions for us. Instead, the aim is to find conceptual tools and
theoretical frameworks that can shed light on the many and various aspects of our
moral lives.
ETHICS AND RELIGION
Ethics has no necessary connection with any particular religion.
However, it is sometimes argued that without God or religion, ethics would have no
point.
Although belief in God or religion can be an added reason for our being moral, it is
not necessary to relate it to God or to any religion.
The fact that ethics exists in all human societies shows that ethics is a natural
phenomenon that arises in the course of the evolution of social, intelligent, long-lived
mammals
Critics of religion such as Marx and Nietzsche saw religion as a profound source of
social conformity, as a means of maintaining the status quo and keeping people
confined to their existing social and economic positions
IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING ETHICS
Today, more than ever, the importance of ethics is felt at every sphere of human
living. The power of traditional religions to inspire moral conduct continues to
decline.
1. The study of moral philosophy or ethics can deepen our reflection on the ultimate
questions of life.
The study of ethics helps a person to look at his own life critically and to
evaluate his actions/choices/decisions.
2. Study of moral philosophy can help us to think better about morality.
Moral philosophy can help us to clarify our moral positions when we make
judgements.
Whether we choose to act or to refrain from acting, we are in either case
making a choice.
Every decision or choice we make we do so for reasons.
3. Study of moral philosophy can help us to sharpen our general thinking processes.
Ethics becomes inevitable as by nature human being is a ‘social’ being, a
being living in relationship with other fellow beings and with the nature
around.
Consciously or unconsciously all of us are every day making moral decisions.
ETHICAL RELATIVISM
One of the main challenges that Ethics faces is the idea of Ethical relativism.
Ethics is the not the only way to study morality. Sociology, Anthropology, psychology,
and other social sciences also deal with the subject matter of morality.
But these subjects study this from a descriptive or factual angle. In other words, these
look at how people behave and what they believe in.
For example: A sociologist would explain the polyandry practiced by the Todas tribes of
the Niligiris. S/he would not try to prescribe a point of view why this practice is desirable
or undesirable for other people.
Both ethics and social sciences deal with cultural norms and moralities in different
societies.
Despite the differences in approach, both understand the diversity of views that exist
between different community. The Todas for instance allow polyandry while for some
societies this is taboo (forbidden or unthinkable).
It becomes difficult to analyze such diversity with one set of views, hence some social
scientists adopt a view known as cultural relativism.
This view holds that different communities have different moralities on what is wrong
and what is right, all of which are valid. Some take this to the next extent by claiming that
there is an ethical relativism.
This is a philosophical view which states that morality is contingent on situation.
The opposite of the above perspective is known as ethical absolutism. Absolutists
maintain the same ethical principles are applicable to everyone, everywhere at anytime.
This view concentrates on the duty side of ethics, that one must do their duty no matter
what. Ethical relativism denies the existence of such single, universally, applicable moral
standards and duties.
However, this view is not without its critics. Certain things have been accepted as wrong
no matter which culture we are dealing with, for instance; slavery, torture, etc. For
example: Some societies may believe that the World is flat, and other societies will
believe that it is round. Here, the second society is more advanced and the first society is
clouded by ignorance.
Granted, the example points to scientific facts and not moral theories, but ethical
relativism divides humanity and negates comparison. China has always protested against
accusations of human rights abuse by the West by claiming that Human Rights is a
western perspective.
Although many objections to ethical relativism imply that it is mistaken, it cannot be out
rightly rejected. A fundamental point that this theory is making is the we should be
tolerant of the moral beliefs of others. A similar example is that of the theory of
Anekanatavada of Jainism which says that reality is multifaceted and truth is relative.
CAN CONSEQUENCE JUSTIFY AN ACTION?
Consequentialism can be defined as;
Of all the things a person might do at any given moment, the morally right action
is the one with the best overall consequences. (Internet Encyclopedia of
Philosophy)
It is based on two main beliefs:
The act is justified as right or rejected as wrong based on the consequences or
results.
The more positive consequences an act gives, the better it is.
There are three main types of Consequentialism, they are;
1) Utilitarianism: Utilitarianism is a part of Consequentialism that justifies an
action on the basis of utility.
2) Hedonism: people should maximize happiness no matter what.
3) Negative Consequentialism: states that those actions which cause the least
harm are the right ones. Instead of looking at the greatest happiness of the greatest
number, this looks at the least harm for the greatest number.
EGOISM
This theory believes that we should consider only the consequences for ourselves.
Ethical egoism believes that we act morally when we act in a way that promotes our own
best long-term interests.
Hedonism is the ethical philosophy which holds that only pleasure is worth having for its
own sake.
The ancient Greek philosopher 'Epicurus' argued people should live so as to produce as
much pleasure as possible.
This statement by Epicurus is misunderstood as a 'sanction' for doing everything.
Therefore, the definition of pleasure must be made certain and understand that all egoists
are not hedonists.
Epicurus associate pleasure with 'sober thinking’ rather than mere sensual gratification.
He says pleasure consists in freedom from bodily pain and mental agitation.
While preaching pleasure, he reminded of the problems of excess self-gratification.
He identified simplicity and moderation in living as major goods because they carried far
greater advantages for the present as well as the future.
Some egoists identified pleasure with knowledge, power and rational self-interest.
Abraham Maslow's (famous in Public Administration and Management) concept of self-
realization or self-actualization comes close to this concept.
In the Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle stresses on a life of reason to enable harmonious
development of all the functions of the human brain.
Evaluation
The biggest problem with the theory is the fact that self-interests of two or more could be
conflicting.
For instance: Leaders X and Y belong to two different political parties, and both want to
become the prime minister. According to Egoism both will try to defeat the other and
present themselves as worthy of becoming the PM. Here, there is no moral ground to
suggest to base a judgment on either of the candidates. So, it becomes ideal to reject or
not reject either of the candidates. There a moral view point is untenable with Egoism.
WHAT CONSTITUTES A MORAL POINT OF VIEW
This consists of three main characteristics
1. The ideal observer is impartial or unbiased
2. The ideal observer has full knowledge of the facts in the situation she/he judges
3. The ideal observer can imaginatively identify with any person in the given situation
ACT AND RULE CONSEQUENTIALISM
Act Consequentialism
Act Consequentialism: is measuring the ethical consequences of every single act. If it
increases happiness or pleasure it is good.
Act Consequentialism looks at every single moral choice as a new one . According to it,
a particular action is considered as good if it has better consequences than an alternative
action.
Advantage:
It allows for change in situation and sees every action as new. Hence it is flexible
Disadvantage:
Since it keeps changing there is no standard to follow and a moral life will
become vague.
Judging every action is a process that takes time and so is not practical.
It increases uncertainty in a society and a social life would become impossible as
our lives are based on certain assumptions on how people behave.
Rule Consequentialism:
It is used since it is practically impossible to measure the ethical consequences of every
single act. In its place, Rule Consequentialism creates certain rules that are taken from
generalizing the consequences of certain acts. By following the rules, one automatically
increases happiness.
Definition:
An action is morally right if and only if it does not violate the set of rules of
behaviour whose general acceptance in the community would have the best
consequences--that is, at least as good as any rival set of rules or no rules at all.
(Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy)
Whether acts are good or bad depends on moral rules and these are chosen solely on the
basis of their consequences
The rules that should be adopted are the rules that would produce the best results if they
were adopted by most people.
Advantage:
Useful for real life: Since there are rules and standards to follow, individuals as
well as the society could find it easier as they don't have to measure each and
every action for consequences.
Disadvantages:
Does not factor in individual scenarios as decisions could change according to the
situation and time.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IN THE FOLLOWING SITUATION?

WHAT CONSTITUTES A RIGHT ACTION IN CONSEQUENTIALISM

For example: Killing is wrong, because it causes a lot of bad consequences. No type of
act is intrinsically bad - not even killing - it depends on the result of the act.
There is a murder of a prominent person in the city and the domestic help is held. The
only witness is another maid of the prominent person. You are the judge deciding on the
case. A mob comes on to the streets demanding justice and asking for death penalty to the
domestic help. The domestic help's house is torched, the entire locality has to flee the
place in fear of more riots. Through your enquiry of witness you come to know that the
maid had held a personal grudge against the domestic help. However, a day before your
judgment on the case, you visit your dying friend, who tell you that he was the one who
killed the man and not the domestic help. As a judge, it is legally untenable to punish an
innocent man. But the mobs outside are adamant that he be punished.
Act Consequentialist: You would punish the domestic help and hide the truth because it
would cause the mobs to go silent and be happy. You are killing an innocent man to save
thousands of innocent lives from the riots.
Rule Utilitarian: As a Rule utilitarian, you would not punish the domestic help because
you are following the rule that 'We should never punish the innocent', which is a rule
framed after experiences which show arbitrary punishment doesn't cause any good. This
rule has the best consequences for the society.
LIMITATIONS:
It is difficult to predict what the actual consequences will be for an act
People have different standards of what constitutes as good or right. Different
cultures have different notions what it claims to generally accepted rules. Hence
the qualitative and quantitative differences are increased.
What constitutes happiness and desire is difficult to explain, experiencing these
emotions are easy but evolving definitions are difficult. (they are subjective). It is
difficult to figure out the consequences of promoting one rule over the other.
Time period of consequences is another factor. While it might be sensible to shift
to CFL lamps for instance, but the chemicals used in it (Hg mostly) could be bad
for the environment in the long run.
Ignores intention of an action. We do not know if the person was forced to think
it or was autonomous (like Kant's ethics) to do the act.
It can be inconsistent with human rights. Since, it can mean sacrificing the
individual freedom for the collective welfare, it can be used to justify the
suppression of certain rights.
Distribution of happiness or equity is ignored. A simple maxim of 'the greatest
happiness to the greatest number' will ignore extreme cases like extreme
deprivation or poverty or social exclusion of a group (if needed).
UTILITARIANISM
Utilitarianism urges us to look beyond the immediate pleasure an action produces for
oneself. It says we should also consider the beneficial and harmful consequences that our
actions will produce for others now and in the future.
JEREMY BENTHAM (1748-1832 )

Bentham was a philosopher of Ethics as well political and legal theory. He was born in Great
Britain and was an influential thinker of his times. With the development of modern science
and rationality, attempts were made to bring a similar level of specificity and certainty to all
aspects of human life. Bentham's work reflected this development as his work on Ethics was
an attempt at quantifying our pleasures and pain to decide rationally which was an agreeable
behaviour or action. His major contribution was his work titled ' An Introduction To The
principles of Morals and Legislation' which was published in 1789.
UTILITARIANISM OF BENTHAM
• Bentham like Locke was a utilitarian philosopher.
• He considered only pleasurable experiences as good and pain as evil.
• An act is decided as morally correct if the action results in more of pleasure than
pain.
• If the consequences of an action are pleasurable then that action is considered as
good.
• This becomes the rule or framework on which an utilitarian will look at all actions
that he or others undertake in a society.
What is Pleasure?
• Pleasure is the enjoyment of different activities or the fruits of the activity; like a
pleasant smell or happiness, etc.
• Jeremy Bentham stated that as human beings we have only two masters we obey:
pain and pleasure. These two alone decide what we do and what we have to do.
• The principle of utility is defined as the framework that which looks at an action as
increasing or decreasing pleasure of those affected by the action.
• Those affected by an action could be a single individual or a whole nation,
depending on the action.
• Utility is a quality of an action or an object (say a chocolate bar) that provides
pleasure and avoids pain
Hedonistic Calculus
• How do we quantify pain and pleasure? In the utilitarian approach Bentham defined
seven dimensions:
I Intensity (Power or intensity of the pleasure)
N Nearness ( with the time of action and the result)
D Duration (extent of pleasure)
F Fecundity (happiness is followed by happiness )
P Purity (Whether action is a mix of pleasure or pain or
 pure pleasure)
E Extent (No. of people affected
C Certainty (An action will always give happiness)
• Two actions which give the same extent or intensity of happiness are considered as
equivalent by Bentham.
• This led him to say that " Prejudice apart, the game of push-pin is of equal value with
the arts and sciences of music and poetry". (Or personal preferences aside, if the
happiness from a game of push-pin or darts is equal to that of music or poetry in terms of
duration, intensity of pleasure, then they are equal).
His theory like Aristotle's focussed on goal or the final ends we aspire to. In the utilitarian
approach of Bentham it is the results or the final result of achieving the goal that really
matters. This is a small divergence from Aristotle who believed that activity is as
important as the goals.
For example:
The act of studying to pass an examination is important for Aristotle, while in
Utilitarianism that act will only have an effect if the person passes the examination
resulting in a happiness.
Bentham believed our pleasure and pain could be accurately calculated and in doing so
avoid the pitfalls of pain and lead a pleasurable life.
Bentham believed that calculations could be made using the 7 dimensions.
For example:
The practice of Manual Scavenging practiced in parts of India even today can be
considered as wrong since it is not a pleasurable activity to those involved, hence
reduction of utility.
Utility to those who are benefited by it is the same utility that is gained by adopting the
modern technology which will have longer extent and intensity.
Hence, between a choice of manual scavenging and adopting modern cost-effective
technology, the option according to Bentham's utilitarianism will be the latter.
Problems
However, Bentham's approach is not free of problems.
Concerns will arise for example when trying to compare the Intense happiness of two
people with little happiness of hundreds of people. How do we know that they are equal?
Issues such as this limit the scope of Bentham's enquiry to a specific set of actions that
we could compare.
Uses:
 • We find similar approaches to Bentham being used in policy analysis like the cost-
benefit approach and using proxy values to calculate Environmental factors. For
example; Let us say that there is a new dam that is being constructed across a river in the
hills. The value of hills and a river could be calculated by the extent of money people of
the area are willing to accept as a compensation. Here, the assumption (lets us ignore
how correct or incorrect the assumption is) is that people will accept that sum that will be
satisfactory to them (no matter how high or low)
Evaluation:
• Measurement of qualitative values is often difficult, and measures of quantify
dimensions like 'beauty of a mountain' etc are fraught with issues. However, the process
by itself is valuable since it shows clearly the values that can be beneficial and those
which are negative. This certainty and clarity is a boon while making decisions.
• For Aristotle, people should look for the middle way. For example the choice of
courage is a middle path between cowardice and foolhardiness. When tackling a lion, a
gladiator does not go at it with bare hands or run away from the battle. The tact and
intelligence with which the gladiator takes on the animal is a reflection of ideal courage
• In the utilitarian approach people minimise and maximise. Unlike the Aristotelian
approach of using virtue to tackle uncertain events, Utilitarian approach of Jeremy
Bentham is aimed at reducing uncertainty and focus on clearly predicting which is better.
J S MILL (1806-1873 )
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher and was also a celebrated Economist. He
wrote his famous essay titled 'Utilitarianism' in 1861. His work was a development or an
improvement of the works of Jeremy Bentham.
Mill's Utilitarianism does not say that it is moral for people simply to pursue what makes
them personally happy.
J.S. Mill regarded morality as that which brings the best state of affairs, and the best state
of affairs is the state with the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of
people.
Looking at one's own happiness at the cost of social happiness is immoral under this
framework.
Mill's struggle with Bentham's utilitarianism is apparent by that fact Mill disagreed with
Bentham's unemotional approach to calculate happiness.
However, Mill never rejected utilitarianism as a moral theory, and he continued to use
Bentham's framework of pleasure fulfilment throughout his own writings.
Mill defined utilitarianism as a theory based on the principle that "actions are right in
proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse
of happiness."
Mill's claims
Mill's utilitarianism is actually made up of three claims:
1. The morally right action is the one that maximizes collective good of the society.
2. What is good is the happiness of individual humans (and other sentient creatures).
3. Happiness consists in pleasure and the absence of pain.
Mill and Bentham
Mills further refined Bentham notion of pleasure and pain by saying happiness was
pleasure and pain was the absence of it.
He added that pleasures and pain can differ in quality and quantity, pleasures of intellect
are higher than plain or base pleasures (for example happiness from making a new
invention is greater than eating food).
Quantity of pleasure was the difference in degree of pleasure (having an ice cream vs.
eating marigold biscuits).
Quality of pleasure was the kinds of pleasure (intellectual or basic pleasure).
Without this distinction our pleasures would be the same as an animal, but the higher and
lower pleasures shows that morality could be in fact derived from them.
Mill believed "Socrates dissatisfied" was superior to "a pig satisfied" because intellectual
 pleasures, including the Greek virtue of contemplation of wisdom and beauty, were of a
higher value than bodily pleasures (eating, drinking).
Therefore, utility is not calculating the psychological feeling of happiness but involves
understanding the nature of the happiness also. A single standard cannot be used to
measure utility as Bentham had hoped for.
Bentham's comparison of pleasure from a game of push-pin and reading poetry would be
considered as a erroneous belief by Mill.
Mill stated that Utilitarianism was harmonious with our social life and nature. If everyone
in the World was a Utilitarian, people will accepts the standards of behaviour without any
specific effort.
Mill's Utilitarianism states people want or desire happiness, even when they are looking
at intrinsic value of an act or say a purchase of a good they are trying to feel happy.
The feeling of justice is in fact based on utility, and that rights that humans have exist
only because they are necessary for human happiness.
REJECTION OF INTUITION
Mill rejects the idea that we know right from wrong intuitively, arguing instead that we
must judge our actions by their consequences.

Instead Mill says that through inductive logic and practical experiences we can decide
what is moral and what is immoral.

We know what is good by reflecting on our desires. The only way to know of a thing is to
see whether it is visible, similarly, the only course of action we must do are those which
are desired.

Mill has been criticized for being an 'inconsistent utilitarian' because an judging action's
intrinsic worth or seeing something as desirable is an intuitive action.
• LIMITATIONS:
A major issue with utilitarianism is human fallibility and incomplete knowledge which
leads to faulty predictions of expected utility.
Predictability in social situations is difficult and many actions with the right
consequences intended will fail.
NON-CONSEQUENTIALIST THEORIES
This basically means that morality of actions depend on factors other than the end results
of an action.
DIVINE COMMAND THEORY
As the name suggests, this is a theory that states that we should do always as the will of
God.
There are two main types of divine command theories; those which hold that God's
commands are found in sacred scriptures and those that hold that God's commands are
found in human nature.
SCRIPTURAL COMMAND THEORIES
These state that we ought to obey God's laws because in doing so we will promote our
own or the general good.
The theory states that the sole justification is following the laws of God and does not
promise any fruits of action.
Morality here is independent of what any individual thinks or likes and what any society
happens to sanction.
God establishes the moral laws which are universally binding on all and are eternally
true.
These are found in religious scriptures listing out what are sanctioned and not sanctioned
by God.
Evaluation
There are many scriptures in the World claiming to have God's laws and his command.
Despite similarities, there are also obvious differences among them. How does a person
judge which is better by God's command?
Circular logic of arguments: If God commands something because it is right, then
something is right because God commands. If something is right because God commands
so, then anything God commands is right. Should God command cruelty-then cruelty is
also right.

NATURAL LAW ETHICS

This theory in Western Philosophy was first adopted by the Stoics (founded by Zeno). It
believes that there is a kind of universal order that God has established and that humans
can discover this.
In this theory, it is believed that the human mind has a natural tendency to believe what
we discover is true, to reject what is false, and to suspend beliefs that we are not sure of.
The morally good person is a person who lives according to the basic natural tendencies.
God made the human nature and if we live according to this nature we become really
human beings.
 The classic proponent of this belief is the Christian theologian/philosopher St. Thomas
Aquinas.
Aquinas held that because God created the universe, the laws that govern it are laws that
God imposed on it.
Aquinas believes that morality arises when our reason and rationality becomes aware of
the 'natural inclination' that he built into us.
Whatever we are naturally inclined to do is good, and those activities which we are not
naturally inclined to is bad.
Thinking about these inclinations, we can figure out what specific qualities or tendencies
that God commands us to follow with regards to order in society, quest for knowledge,
and happy family life.
Example: Suicide is going against the basic inclination of the need to live which is given
to all human beings. Therefore, suicide is a violation of God's command.
What about abortion? The question is slightly more complicated as it deals with the
question 'at what stage do we consider a baby to be alive or human' and also 'the right of
the woman'.
However, the recent case of Savita Halappanavar could be analyzed with this theory.
Aquinas introduces a 'principle of double effect' to deal with situations that can produce
one or more effects.
Aquinas argued what matters is one's intention.
If the intention in the case was an abortion because the person did not want the
child, it would be wrong in Aquinas' perspective.
However, if the abortion was to save the mother and there was no chance but to
do it, then the abortion was an unavoidable side-effect of preserving the good of
one's life.
Evaluation
It is obvious that Natural law is less controversial than the Divine Command theories. In
fact, the existence of a natural law do not need the pre-supposition of God.
Critics point out that natural inclinations can produce negative effect. Children for
instance can often desire things that are bad for them. Similarly, some adults could have a
natural inclination for the evil.
Natural rights theory brings to the forefront many issues including sexual violence.
Morality of a sexual act in this theory would not rely on the fact that it can lead to
procreation.
Instead a sexual act is morally wrong only if it destroys a concrete instance of a basic
 human good.
For example: Child molestation is wrong because it destroys the psychic functioning of
the child. Similarly, rape is wrong because it destroys the psychic functioning of an adult
victim.
CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVES OF KANT (DEONTOLOGICAL THEORY OF KANT)
Immanuel Kant believe that a person should decide for himself the moral laws he will
follow.
Kant called this ability to decide for one-self 'autonomy of the will'.
Utilitarian theories say that our desires for pleasure or for happiness should decide what
is right or wrong for us.
In the case of divine command theories, there is no autonomy as you are following the
will of God. In the case of utilitarian theory, you are doing things under the sovereign
masters of pleasure and pain. So both divine command theories and utilitarian theories
are heteronomous.
The individual does not have the complete will or freedom (or autonomy) to do what
he/she wants to do without any fear.
Kant argues that nothing is good in itself (or intrinsically) except a 'good will'. We might
have a lot of desirable qualities like intelligence, rationality, etc but these would only be
desirable if the motivation or will to use them is good.
What is Will?
Will, according to Kant, is the ability of human beings to make decisions and act on the
basis of reasons. These reasons were called as 'maxim'.
A good will is a will that chooses to perform an act because it is a moral duty and not
merely because the act is for one's own good or gives us pleasure.
What is a maxim?
A maxim provides the basis for judging whether a will is a moral duty. One chooses to do
an action because it is the way all human beings ought to behave.
Kant asks us to imagine that the laws of nature force everyone to follow the maxims that
we act on. If we know that the act we plan to perform is not something that everyone will
do then we should not do it.
Therefore we must act as if our maxims (or rule) would always become universal laws of
the nature.
For example: A person is forced to borrow some money and knows he cannot repay the
amount, but he also knows that without a promise to repay, nobody is going to pay him.
Therefore, he adopts a maxim, 'When I need money, I will borrow it and promise to repay
 even when I know I will never do so'. This maxim cannot adopted, for it were, then people
will make promises that they will never keep and promises would not exist. Therefore,
this maxim is not a universally acceptable one.
Another example: Mukesh is a billionaire and lives in a neighbourhood surrounded by
the poorest of the poor. It is possible for Mukesh to help all the families in the
neighbourhood without having too much of a financial strain on the resources. He
however accepts the state of the poor and their lives as something of fate and God given.
He says 'As a billionaire and a responsible citizen I would not steal their money or envy
their fortune. But I do not want to add to their well-being or help them in their need.' If
this thinking is adopted by all then human race will still continue. Although this could be
a maxim, one could not will it to become a universal law of nature. We know that we
might need the help of others throughout our lives and we will need the concern and love
of others.
Categorical Imperative
Kant believed that there is just one command or imperative that is categorical - that is
necessary without any regard to its end or other factors.
It states that we should do something only if we can will the maxim, or general rule,
governing our action becomes a universal law.
Therefore, a person should never do something unless
1. it is possible for everyone to do it
2. the person is also willing to have everyone do it
Going back to the example of broken promises: Since it is not possible for everyone to
make promises and break them when it is convenient, it is wrong for us to do so.
Kant's categorical imperative says that it is wrong to make personal exceptions for
ourselves.
Kant points out that there are certain actions that are wrong, not because others cannot do
it, but because we do not want everyone to do it.
For example: It is possible to live in a World where there is racism and caste based
discrimination. In this case we ought to ask ourselves are we willing to be discriminated
against on the basis of our race, skin colour or caste. The answer is no, and therefore this
is not a World that we want. Although it is possible to construct a World where this is
rampant, it would be wrong to do so.
Kant believed that there is only one true categorical imperative, one which could be
posited in many ways. Two of them are as follows.
Every person has a fundamental human dignity that is invaluable and beyond any
 price.
It is wrong to use people or to manipulate them without their consent for our own
selfish desires. (We should not treat people as objects to satisfy our desires).
Morality requires that we always give others the opportunity to decide for
themselves whether or not they will join our actions.
To respect a person as an end is to respect the capacity to freely and
knowingly choose for herself/himself what she/he will do. (Respect
another's freedom and consent). To treat a person as a means is to use the
person to achieve our personal interests.
For example: Lying is wrong because it involved doing something to a
person without their consent.
Kant is not saying that we should never use people for our own ends, but
only that we should give them the choice in the matter.
For example: When you are taking an autorickshaw, you are using the
driver as a 'means' to reach your house. The auto driver however is doing
it for money and has given the consent here.
Kant brings forward the idea of previous consent. Here, the auto driver
has given previous consent to be treated as means to reach your
destination.
In similar manner, a murderer awaiting punishment has given previous
consent to the act, since he knew that murder would lead to punishment.
Evaluation of Kant's theory
1. Duties frequently conflict and Kant does not provide an obvious method to solve
conflicts. Eg: I promised my friend no to tell the teacher that he did not come to class
because he wanted to go for a movie. When the teacher asks why my friend did not
come, I will be forced to lie (which is against a rule that I keep) or I will be forced to
break my promise.
2. The acts that Categorical imperative say are always wrong may not be always correct.
Lying to save one's life or saving another from pain cannot be seen as an act which is
wrong.
3. Kant failed to distinguish between persons making no exceptions to rules and rules
having no exceptions. The second makes it impossible for us to adapt to the practical
limitations of rules (like the examples given above).
Despite the obvious limitations of Kantian approach, the idea of moral obligation and
duty by Kant is commendable.
It is not easy to discredit his theory as his ideas about moral duties, autonomy, good will
and consent have ensured that deontology of Kant remains an alternative to
Consequentialism.
VIRTUE ETHICS
Ethical theories discussed above with the exception of Buddhism deal with principles
or rules that define the actions we are morally obligated or have a moral duty to
perform. This applies to Utilitarianism as well as Kantian Ethics.
Some philosophers consider this approach to be wrong and say this would not help in
resolving the fundamental differences that exist among these approaches.
There has been a renewed interest in Aristotle’s theory of Ethics, which the
supporters believe is a forgotten part of morality that earlier ages recognized.
Moral life. these philosophers, suggest is not just a matter of acting on moral rules
which are vague.
It is about becoming a good person and cultivating morally desirable qualities or
virtues such as honesty, courage, compassion and generosity.
Instead of trying to discover universal rules about which we will inevitably disagree,
ethics should try to identify the characters traits or ‘virtues’ of the morally good
person and explain how to develop and acquire these traits.
Ethics should not emphasize doing but being; it should look not only at how we are
obligated to act, but also at the kind of human being we ought to be.
ARISTOTLE’S THEORY OF VIRTUE
In the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle, he wrote that human beings can be happy
only if they fulfil the basic human purpose or ‘function’.
Aristotle believed that humans are meant to act with reason. Or that, humans are only
happy when they use reason in various circumstances of life.
USE OF REASON
In the case of emotions, actions and desires both going to excess and falling short are
vices.
Reason helps us to find a middle path between two extremes and brings order in to
our lives.
Through using reason in our daily life we develop virtues which are key to happiness,
and thereby act as humans are supposed to act.
VIRTUE
Virtue is the ability to be reasonable in our actions, desires and emotions.
For example: Temperance or restraint is an ability to respond to pleasures in a
reasonable manner.
We are not born with such abilities, but acquire them by training in communities.
These qualities are acquired in the youth by responding to situations in a reasonable
manner. We become virtuous by being trained to act virtuously in appropriate
situations until it becomes a habit.

JUDGING AN ACTION AS MORALLY CORRECT OR WRONG

In Aristotelian Ethics, a behaviour tends to produce a virtuous character, then it is
morally right; if it produces a vicious character, then it is morally wrong.
Our moral character is developed through the actions we choose, and our character in
turn influences the actions we choose.
LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
The ability to love and befriend others is an essential component of moral life and
human life in general according to Aristotle.
Aristotle said even though a friendship can be established between two individuals
based on pleasure and utility, true friendship is based on two people's mutual
recognition of goodness of the other.
For Aristotle, Love is central to friendship; and he distinguishes three types of
friendship according to three types of love
Philia: is a kind of brotherly love that is involved in friendship. It is a
deep mutual liking between friends and family.
Eros: is a kind of intensely passionate attraction that one may feel
towards another person or thing such as music or a beautiful car.
Agape: is a kind of love that could be compared to Judeo-Christian concept
of God's love to people. Agape is not passionate like eros, or brotherly
love like philia. God does not love people because they are good; instead,
God's love makes people good. Agape is creative insofar as it creates
goodness in the one who is loved.
Aristotle defined 'a friend as one who wishes good to his friend and who does what
is good or seems good for his friend and wishes to spend time with his friend.
EVALUATION
Virtue approach reminds us of several things that rules approach neglects
1. Virtue approach emphasizes the character traits of morally good person and the
development of these traits, whereas the principles approach neglects character and
focuses instead on one's duties and obligations
2. Virtue approach reminds us of the importance of community and early training,
which the principle approach approaches ignores. A person's characteristics
according to Virtue approach are generally developed by training within a
community.
3. Ethics reminds us of the importance of ideals of character. Ideals of character are
ideas we have of what the ideal person is like and the virtue that the ideal person
displays. Ideal people like Buddha, Jesus, Joan of Arc, etc have inspired millions to
cultivate the virtues they exhibited in their lives
4. Virtue approach encourages us to look closely at aspects of our moral lives that are
almost ignored by a principles approach. For example; the virtue approach easily
incorporates an analysis of such important and essential aspects of human life as
friendship and love. It helps us to understand how such traits such as caring and
concern can be developmentally related to a person's progress through the various
stages of life.
There are also difficulties that this approach faces. The main problem being the
following;
Virtue ethics does not help answer the kind of moral questions that people most
frequently ask.
For example: In a case where a patient is declared as brain dead, the patient's
relatives are asked whether to pull the life support off. In such a case, the question
asked is 'what should I do?' and not 'what should I be?'. The virtues qualities like
honesty, courage, compassion etc are not useful unless we know what purpose they
are being used for or what consequences are there from the action. Here, an ethic
based on principles rather than moral virtues can help in making a decision.

INDIAN ETHICS
INTRODUCTION
The origin of 'Ethics' in India is closely intertwined with the religious scriptures and the
social divisions of the society.
We see that the morality in Indian Ethics is based more on beliefs, customs and traditions
in the ancient religions.
The earliest of the religion was the Vedic or the Brahmanical religion, followed by
Buddhism and Jainism.
Indian ethics is thus an indispensable part of Hindu religion and other religions of Indian
origin.
The caste duties of the ancient Hindus were given in the Dharmasastras. These were used
as means to regulate the social life in the community.
Morality thus became an institution like Music or Arts for people to follow in their life.
The society in the early period one which concentrated on spirituality and was keen of
understanding the differences between the higher faculties of human life and the basic
animal demands.
The human soul was considered as a non-material entity that was close to Brahman (or
co-existing) with it.
Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism are united in the fact that they deal with a life beyond
death (or death as we perceive it to be).
The doctrine of Karma and Dharma are essential to understand the ethical positions
different religions or ideas take in India.
Hindus regarded the human soul (inner being) as an eternal entity co-existing with the
Supreme Being.
The Buddhist adopted a theory of non-self which they tried to justify using ideas like
Pratityasamutpada and Kshanikavada (refer material on Indian philosophy to know
more).
All the three religions believed that human soul goes through a series of births, rebirths
and reaps the benefit or fruits of actions.
Since the human soul is always in touch with the material body, it performs actions and
deeds while keeping in mind the divine laws.
The soul reaps the benefit by doing action according to the divine laws or has to undergo
the cycle of birth and rebirth if the actions are bad.
Thus to liberate oneself, one must know how to distinguish the right from the wrong and
look for ultimate happiness which is the fruit of karma.
SOURCES OF ETHICS IN INDIA
The primary sources of Ethics in ancient periods were the Vedas and the Smritis. The
smritis included the Dharmasastras like Manusmriti (said to be written by the Hindu law
giver Manu).
Among the two, the Vedas have a special place, and if there is a conflict between the two,
the Vedas override the Smritis.
Other than Vedas and Smritis, the Srutis and the action of famous people, reason all
played a major role in deciding morality in ancient times.
Other sources of morality had value to the Indian system, though the primary sources
were considered as special.
The very concept of Indian morality is both authority based and social reasoning based.
The conscience of an individual also is considered as an important test of morality,
something later philosophers like Gandhi, Aurobindo utilized to understand and judge a
morally correct action.
Reason as an ideal in deciding morality had an important position in Jainism and
Buddhism.
In these religions, one must not blindly follow the precepts but must determine and
qualify the precepts as worthy of following.
Buddha says that when we are in doubt of the Four noble truths, by questioning and
reflecting on them we could remove the doubts.
Later philosophers like Vivekananda relied on reason to a far greater extent than ancient
thinkers.
DHARMA
The word 'Dharma' can be considered as the Indian term for both morality and ethics.
Dharma has got so many different meanings, but generally it is known as duty.
The word Dharma is derived from the root word 'dhr' which means to hold together.
Dharma is the principle which ensures stability and growth in the society.
Dharma is the power that maintains society, it makes the grass grow, the sun shine, and
makes us moral people or rather gives humans the opportunity to act virtuously.
In the Vedic sense, Dharma can be understood as being the highest truth and power.
Vedic Dharma placed emphasis on following rituals and sacrifices mentioned in Vedas
and the Dharmasastras.
These rituals and sacrifices differed between castes and age groups (Varna-asrama-
dharma).
In addition to this, a set of virtues and norms were identified as being universal in
application.
Thus, Hindu idea of Dharma has two connotations;
Performance of rituals and duties according one's own caste (Varna-asrama-
dharma). Here, the rituals overpower the moral connotation of duty.
Practice of moral virtues and norms which are universal in their application
(Sadharana-Dharma)
THE CONCEPT OF RTA
The early beginnings of Indian ethics can be traced back to the earliest Veda, the Rig
Veda.
One of the primary ethical concept that exists in the Rig Veda is that of 'Rta', which is
the unifying order or moral law that encompasses or pervades all things.
'Rta' is the moral order of the universe that regulates the concept of Dharma and Karma.
Rta in simple words controls and coordinates the universe and everything in it.
The concept Karma signifies that there is a uniform moral law, governing the actions of
man and the rewards and the punishments appropriate to their actions.
Performing one's duty or Dharma presupposes that there is a moral order which
distinguishes morally correct action, this moral order is Rta.
DIVERGENCE IN PERSPECTIVES
UPANISHADS
The Vedic idea of complete devotion to God and following rituals and sacrifices was not
accepted by the Upanishads.
The highest goal of life in Vedas was happiness found in submission to God, while in
Upanishad the liberation was found in cessation of the bondage of cycle of birth and
rebirth and understanding the inner essence of the soul.
Upanishads claimed the Vedic sacrifices were useless for achieving individual moksa or
liberation.
The Upanishadic ethics is primarily atman- centric and intellectualistic.
According to this, one is not supposed to worry about any social or moral obligation but
rather about seeking individual liberation.
It could be argued by some that this philosophical individualism weakens the values of
social morality.
Later thinkers like Vivekananda argued that individual liberation and social obligations
were intertwined.
For the Upanishads, the identification and the realization of the self with Brahman (or the
Supreme) is very important.
The oldest Upanishads say that the perfect sadhu is a saint who burns evil away and he is
free from evil.
Upanishad say that a wise man can never sin. Wisdom automatically causes the sin to
cease and if one acquires it s/he removes the evil from his/her past life.
MANUSMRITI
The scriptures of Manu and other Dharmasastras are the main sources for Hindu ritualism
and social morality.
While the Upanishad laid emphasis on the individual path to liberation, the Manusmriti
gave emphasis to social stratification and social duties.
The duties of a man were decided by the time (yuga) and place of being (desa). The
duties differed by the varna (class) and the stage of life (Asrama)
In addition to this, ten cardinal virtues or merits were considered as universally applicable
(Sadharana-Dharma), these are;
endurance, patience, self-control, integrity, purity, and restraint of senses,
wisdom, learning, and truth, absence of anger or non-violence.
BHAGAVAD GITA AND ETHICS
The Gita says that actions are to be performed with the realization of Brahma-jnana (or to
understand Brahman or the Supreme reality).
It says that one acquires this jnana by devotion, renunciation of material life and self-
surrender to the Supreme truth.
Realizing Brahma Yoga is not only for morality but also for eternal happiness and bliss.
Thus Brahma Yoga is more than Ethics, it is an end in itself.
By detaching oneself from the desires we escape the cycle of desires and bondage that
signifies the temporary life.
Thus to remove this desire and bondage we must liberate ourselves. This is only possible
by the complete surrender to God or the realization of the true nature of Brahman.
One of the most important teachings of the Gita is to 'perform actions without looking at
the fruits of the actions'.
Thus, the scripture lays emphasis on Karma Yoga (performing detached actions and
meditation) and Jnana Yoga (revealing the true nature of Brahman) for the liberation of
oneself. However, the Gita considers Karma Yoga superior to Jnana Yoga.
Karma Yoga is defined as the method of realizing Brahman through mediation focussed
on God, and performing one's duty without attachment to the fruits of the duty.
This act of performing one's duty through detached action is termed as Nishkama Karma.
The rule of detached action can be considered as the maxim of Gita, and essential to
attain Moksa.
Apart from the Vedas, Dharmasastras, and the Gita, the epics of Ramayana and
Mahabharata, the itihasas serve as repositories of moral codes and laws. They contain
practical course of actions for ethical behaviour in the society.
CONCEPTS
1. ATMAN
Atman means 'eternal self'.
It is often referred to as 'spirit' or 'soul' and indicates our true self or essence which
underlies our existence.
Atman is a spiritual being rather than a material being.
The Hindu philosophy lays a strong emphasis on this spiritual notion, and thus promoting
a detachment from the material world (which it considers as transitory).
Thus in the world, the atman or the spiritual being has a human experience, rather than a
human being having a spiritual experience.
2. BRAHMAN
Brahman refers to a power beyond the universe.
Brahman has commonly been translated into 'God' but the two ideas are not the same.
Brahman is the power which upholds and supports everything.
In the Hindu schools of philosophy, there is difference in perspectives to what the
Brahman is, some identify the Brahman with an external entity (like Madhava's Dvaita)
and consider it encompasses everything including the self (like Sankara's Advaita).
Most perspectives point out that Brahman pervades everything although Brahman itself is
not worshipped.
A specific manifestation of Brahman worshipped is called as the Ishvara (God or Lord).
Although there are multiple Gods in the Hindu faith depending on the tradition, all
believe that there is an absolute reality that creates, sustains and destroys the universe.
Thus the supreme reality being unlimited, can have unlimited forms and expressions.
For detailed exposition on the Brahman and God refer to Advaita, Visistadvaita and
Dvaita in the Indian philosophy material.
3. DOCTRINE OF KARMA
The doctrine of Karma is found in the three major religions of Indian origin (Hinduism,
Buddhism and Jainism).
Karma is the cosmic cause and effect that regulates the samsara (the cycle of birth and
rebirth).
The accumulated moral energy of a person through their character, performance of duties
decide what they are in their next life.
The following are the types of Karma mentioned in the Hindu works;
 1. Sanchita Karma, or the karma accumulated due to past actions (Imagine that a
person was a village leader in his past life. The past actions that he had done as a
village leader is Sanchita Karma)
2. Prarabdha Karma, or the part of Sanchita Karma which causes the present birth.
(The present life of the person is as a learned guru who is on the path to liberation is
possible by the past action as a benevolent village leader)
3. Kriyamana Karma, or the present wilful actions or free will. (What the guru chooses
to do, for example imparting knowledge to his pupils or restraint of his desires would
constitute his wilful actions)
4. Agami Karma, are the immediate results caused by our present actions. (Just like
water quenching the thirst, spreading knowledge to the pupils causes a temporary
bliss and inner peace for the guru in quest for the final liberation).
What Karma remind us is that the consequence of an action and the action are not
independent of each other.
There is a definite cause-and-effect relationship in the World that we cannot deny. Or 'As
you sow shall you reap'.
By reforming ourselves and perfecting ourselves we might one life or one day reach the
ultimate reality of the Brahman.
Our actions therefore must be always geared to achieving eternal bliss and happiness.
4. TRANSMIGRATION OF SOUL
The theory of transmigration of soul is closely intertwined with that of the concept of
Karma.
The theory says that our soul is blessed and holy in itself, but by mistaking the material
body to be real we attach ourselves with temporary actions and desires.
This causes our soul to be entangled with the Samsara (the cycle of birth and rebirth).
Through an infinite cycle of birth and rebirths, and following one's duty, the soul finally
understands its blessed position and understand the reality of the Brahman.
The goal of liberation (moksha) is to make us free from this cycle of action and reaction,
and from rebirth.
5. SUPREME GOALS (PURUSHARTHAS)
According to ancient Hindu scriptures, the Purusharthas are the four values that give
meaning to human life.
They are;
1. Dharma: Living one's life by fulfilling duties expected of a human being. This might
range from virtuous duties like respecting elders to helping others.
2. Artha: Artha refers to getting rich and prosperous. It also means to use the profit and
wealth for the personal well-being.
3. Kama: The Hindu scriptures laid emphasis on non-religious values like Kama along with
realization of truth.
Kama refers to the desires that could vary from bodily pleasures to the yearnings
of the spirit.
The concept of Kama might seem to contradict the other values espoused in the
Hindu ethics, but the enjoyment of Kama in a regulated way is related to the
spiritual goal of human existence.
The sanction of Kama is not an unlimited one, and the code prescribes only a
healthy attachment to Kama to fulfil the desires.
4. Moksa: The first 3 purusharthas are treated as instrumental values that indirectly help
with the achievement of the Parama Purushartha -which is the highest value of human
life.
The Parama Purushartha is the Moksa. Moksha is the ultimate liberation of the
soul and is given different names like mukti, apavarga, kaivalya, and nirvana.
6. SVA-DHARMA
Svadharma, Sadharana Dharma and Varnasharam Dharma
Dharma can be interpreted as acting virtuously. But acting virtuously does not
mean precisely the same for everyone; different people have different obligations
and duties according to their age, gender, and social position.
Dharma is universal but it is also particular and operates within concrete
circumstances.
Each person therefore has their own dharma known as sva-dharma.
Svadharma literally means the dharma of the individual that allows him to be his
best.
For example: What is correct for a woman might not be for a man or
what is correct for an adult might not be for a child.
Svadharma is made up of three gunas, the satva(purity), rajas (virility) and tamas
(darkness).
These three gunas differ in proportion from person to person, and thus each
person have their unique duties or responsibilities or 'own dharma'.
This unique dharma is decided by Karma, or actions in the previous birth.
Example of Sva-dharma:
The importance of sva-dharma is illustrated well by the Bhagavad Gita.
 The warrior Arjuna asks Lord Krishna whether he should fight in the
battle. Arjuna is afraid of killing relatives and teachers as he says it is
wrong.
Krishna assures Arjuna that this particular battle is righteous and he must
fight as his duty or dharma as a warrior.
Arjuna's sva-dharma was to fight in the battle because he was a warrior,
but he must fight with detachment from the results of his actions
(Nishkamakarma) and within the rules of the warriors' dharma.
Krishna goes on to further stat that if he did not act according to one's
own dharma, then it is wrong and will be adharma.
Because of differing levels of purity between the castes, everyone cannot be
expected to meet the same standard of social behaviour.
However, the duties of the different members of the different varnas and asramas
interact and support each other.
Svadharma is distinct from Sadharana-Dharma which is applicable to everyone.
Dharma from at least the second century BCE, as seen in the Laws of Manu, was
applied to normal social life and came to mean all one's obligations by which one
fits in with nature and society. This became the system of varnasrama-dharma.
There are common moral obligations for everyone and these are known as
sadharana-dharma, dharma pertaining to everybody.
Brahmanic doctrine says one must follow one's Sva-dharma at all times even if it
means breaking the rules of sadharana-dharma. Therefore, like in the Bhagavad
Gita, the soldier must fight because it is his dharma.
However, the Vedantins, Jainism, and Buddhism taught that the rules of
sadharana-dharma always overrule those of Sva-dharma.
7.VARNAASHRAMA-DHARMA
An important idea that developed in classical Hinduism is that dharma refers
especially to a person's responsibility regarding class (varna) and stage of life
(ashrama).
Varna
The justification for the caste system in Indian ethics remains a controversial
issue. One's caste is determined by profession, both in theory and practice.
It is also debatable whether the Varna and the Jati (caste) are the same concepts or
distinct ones. In ethical doctrines, the term Varna takes precedence over Jati.
According to the scriptures, there are four varnas, they are;
 1. Brahmins - the intellectuals and the priestly class who perform religious
rituals
2. Kshatriya (nobles or warriors) - who traditionally had power and were
kings.
3. Vaishyas (commoners or merchants) - ordinary people who produce,
farm, trade and earn a living
4. Shudras (workers) - who traditionally served the higher classes,
including labourers, artists, musicians, and clerks
People in the top three classes are known as 'twice born' because they have been
born the first time through a physical birth and secondly through initiation in
which boys receive a sacred thread as a symbol of their high status.
In the early Vedic period, one's varna was not decided by the birth, rather was by
the guna that the person had.
A person with Sattva guna became a teacher of scriptures and thus became a
Brahmin.
By the later Vedic period one's varna came to be decided by their birth.
Thus a Sudhra (the lowest class) was denied the right of second birth or the sacred
thread (Upanayana).
Severest punishments were prescribed and carried out, if a Sudra even dared to
recite or had a chance to hear the Vedas.
Hindu ethics regarding varna-dharma is still a contested and controversial moral
and social code.
Stages of Life (Ashrama Dharma)
The twice born traditionally could go through four stages of life or ashramas.
The ashrama system is as follows:
1. Brahmacarya - 'celibate student' stage in which males learned the Veda
2. Grihastha - 'householder' in which the twice born male can experience
the human purposes (purushartha) of responsibility, wealth, and sexual
pleasure
3. Vanaprastha - 'hermit' or 'wilderness dweller' in which the twice born
male retires from life in the world to take up pilgrimage and religious
observances along with his wife
4. Sanyasa - 'renunciation' in which the twice born gives up the world, and
in the total renunciation of the physical world seeks moksha (liberation)
or develop total devotion to God.
 Correct action in accordance with dharma is also understood as service to
humanity and to God.
A man should pass through these stages regularly and no man should enter any
stage prematurely.
This succession is regarded as so important for the due development of the
Jivatma, and the proper ordering of the society.
The idea of Ashrama claims that those who follow this path, addressing one’s
eternal dharma will transcend other lower dharmas and reaches the para dharma,
the ultimate dharma.
8. HINDU RITES - SAMSKARAS
Sacrifices and performing rituals form the central theme of the Brahmanical
religion and philosophy.
The sacrifices not only please gods but also feed them. Through them the sins are
also reduced.
The most important Samskaras are Birth-Ceremony, naming ceremony, the first
feeding of the child with solid food (rice) in the sixth month, beginning of
knowledge, Initiation by a teacher, Marriage, Funeral Rites.
Ritualism in Brahmanical religion was looked down upon by Buddhism, Jainism,
and other schools of Indian philosophy with the exception of Mimasikas.
EVALUATION
The diversity of perspectives that is present in the Hindu religion and the Ethics shows
the complexity of arriving at a moral position that holds for the past, present and the
future.
The ethical codes prescribed centuries ago may not be in harmony with the modern
values that we espouse today.
Even reformist and revivalist in the Hindu traditions understood the weakness of these
ideas.
Hence, we need to choose those aspects of Hindu-religio culture, which are most in
harmony with our modern values and we also need to frankly reject other ideals, which
are not in harmony with modern values. (Note: This is one perspective, you could argue
with another perspective).
BUDDHIST ETHICS
Buddhist ethics cannot be considered a divine command theory as Buddhist does not
believe in God that issues commands (rather Buddha was silent about God).
Buddhist morality judges an action good or bad basing on the intention or motivation
from which it originates.
If a person performs an action out of greed, hatred, delusion, his action is considered to
be bad.
On the other hand, if he performs an action out of love, charity and wisdom, his action is
good. Love, charity and wisdom are known as the “the three Good Roots.”
In Buddhism a person’s first duty is to cleanse him of the mental defilements of greed,
hatred and ignorance.
Buddhist emphasis on ethical behaviour can be generalized in two ways;
1. Voluntary actions are considered supremely important because, according to
moral law of causation (karma) they determine our destiny
Classical Buddhism understood this as the law of successive rebirths -
what you do this life will determine what you will be in the next life.
Contemporary Buddhism says that this doctrine of Karma is in terms of
present human life - your later stages of life are decided by actions in the
earlier stages.
2. Ethics is considered as a parent of wisdom, without a life of virtue and ethics you
cannot reach your true potential and your wisdom will be partial.
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS AND THE EIGHT FOLD PATH
The basic doctrine of Buddhism are the four noble truths (refer the material on Indian
Philosophy)
1. Life to death, every aspect of life involves suffering (temporarily it may be
avoided by youth, health, riches)
2. We suffer because we desire or crave for things or pleasure
3. Release from suffering is only possible by release from this craving
4. Craving can be ended only by following the noble eight-fold path.
The eightfold path (Ashtanga-Marga) that Buddha tells are the following;
right understanding, right thought, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood,
right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration
The first two are to help us develop wisdom, the items 3-5 urge us to practice
virtue and avoid vice, and the rest asks us to practice meditation.
THREE MAXIMS OF EIGHT-FOLD PATH
To enable us to follow the eight-fold path, we follow three maxims and these are;
1. Cease to do evil
2. Learn to be good
3. Purify our mind
Buddhist ethics is not listing out a set of rules or commands as in some other religions.
Instead of a blind obedience, these virtues are supposed to understood through our own
thought and action.
THE PANCHA-MAHAVRATAS
In addition to this, the Buddhist school of Ethics adopt the Panchamahavratas (The Five
great oaths) from Jainism. These principles enable us to live a practical life devoid of
excessive desires and pain. They are;
1. Refrain from harming living things: This involves understanding the value and
sanctity of life of any being. King Asoka's edicts mentions the principle of
ahimsa not only protecting human beings but also other living beings. By
abjuring violence we will have new respect for ourselves and others that
permeates our thinking and acting.
2. Refrain from taking what is not given: This helps in developing a similar
respect for the owner of the non-animate objects that the first principle gives to
the living things. It says that do not accept anything (even alms) without being
offered. Therefore, the scope of the principle is wider than merely stating that
 stealing is wrong.
3. Refrain from misuse of the senses: This is mistook as a percept against bodily
pleasures. However, that is only a part of the principle. We must refrain from
excesses of food, sex, etc. Buddha is not asking us to become ascetics, but only
saying that our senses must be enjoyed but not abused.
4. Refrain from wrong speech: Lying, gossip, hurtful talk, etc are included in this
principle. By avoiding wrong speech we establish a link between right thought
and right action.
5. Refrain from drugs, alcohol or other things that cloud the mind: This
principle is to understand the value of meditation. Whatever that clouds the mind
will reduce our ability to understand the truth wholly. Through avoiding these
vices we can cultivate healthy thinking and clearer mental vision.
The five precepts are expressed in the first maxim of Buddhist thinking of 'Cease to do evil'.
These precepts are the groundwork for the later maxims like 'Learn to do good'. Therefore,
the principles by itself would not help us reach the final goal of nirvana.
MERITORIOUS DEEDS IN BUDDHISM
Buddhist literature talks about 'things that ought to be encouraged' and 'things that ought to be
discouraged'. Among these the three most important meritorious deeds are as follows;
Danas: is the wholesome state of giving. This is not merely charity but developing a
willingness to give whenever the need arises.
A charitable person should not make other people feel indebted to him or use charity
as a way of exercising control over them. He should not even expect others to be
grateful.
The Lord Buddha proposes Universal Love or “Metta”. By this, Lord Buddha invites
one to cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings.
Metta can be translated into 'loving kindness'. This asks us to develop a state of mind
wherein the joys and sorrows, the well-being and the problems of others are
important to us as our own. Metta seeks to destroy the difference between 'us' and
'they'.
Transference of Merit: Buddhists believe that when we do good actions the benefits
are not only for ourselves but also for everyone in humanity. Therefore our actions
are not personal but universal.
Other meritorious deeds include (total 10 in number): Morality, Mental Culture,
Reverence or respect, Service in helping others, Preaching and teaching the Dhamma,
Listening to Dhamma, Straightening one’s views.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BUDDHIST ETHICS & WESTERN ETHICS
1. Difference in emphasis on rules and commandments: The principles of Buddhism as
pointed out earlier should not be seen as laws that ought to be followed. Rather they are
invitations that help us to realize morality for ourselves.
2. Emphasis on the individual: Buddhist ethics lays stress on each individual to follow their
way to understand reality and truth. The principles are guides for the individuals on this
journey.
3. Final emphasis on Enlightenment: Buddhists works are not intent on describing one act as
immoral and another as moral. The final result of enlightenment is what really interests the
thinkers in this field. For example; Buddhism is not saying bodily pleasures are wrong, but
since it leads us astray from the idea of enlightenment, it could be misleading for it.
EVALUATION
Buddhism calls for tolerance in the world today so that peaceful co-existence among the
people can be possible.
The Buddha’s advice is, “Let us live happily not hating those who hate us. Let us live free
from hatred among those who hate us. Let us live happily and be free from ailment"
The idea of peaceful co-existence brought forward by Buddhist ethics has relevance in the
World even today.
One might disagree with certain aspects of the path to liberation, but Buddhism offers a
pragmatic middle path to the extremes prescribed by some other religions.
JAINA ETHICS
Like Buddhism, Jainism also rejects Vedic ceremonialism and sacrificialism
It takes ahimsa to be the most important ethical virtue and consequently denounces the Vedic
sacrifices.
The ideas of Ahimsa and strict penance from Jainism was influential in Gandhian formulation
of a non-violent struggle for our independence.
In the observance of ahimsa, Jainism surpasses even Buddhism, prescribing a strict devotion
to the asceticism and renunciation of material world.
In the observance of ascetic rituals also, Jainism goes further than Buddhism especially in the
case of monks.
The pancamahavrtas and triratnas form the ethics of Jaina tradition.
VRATAS (OATHS IN JAINISM)
To be a dutiful believer, every Jain must take the oath that makes them act ethically.
The Vratas in Jainism mainly consists of the following five;
Ahimsa (non-violence)
Satya (truthfulness)
Asteya (not stealing)
Aparigraha (non-acquisition)
Brahmacarya (chaste living)
There are two types of Vratas, they are;
Mahavrata: the 5 great vows followed by Jain monks and nuns. This prescribes
the strictest abstinence from violence, sex, non-vegetarianism, stealing, etc.
Anuvrata: the lesser vows followed by Jain lay people. These are less strict
version of the great vows. Anuvrata allows for some leniency do business,
farming, etc which have to be done in a detached manner.
The lay Jain Code (code for ordinary Jains) also contains two sets of additional codes,
they are as follows
The three Gunavratas (Subsidiary Vows)
1. Limited area of activity
By this vow a lay Jain restricts the extent to which they travel, so as to reduce
the area in which they may do harm.
2. Limited use of resources
We should limit use of things like food and clothing using only what we need.
3. Avoidance of pointless sins
Thinking or speaking badly of other people.
Being inconsiderate, self-indulgent.
Reading, watching or listening to immoral material.
The four Siksavratas (Vows of Instruction or Discipline)
1. Meditation vow
One should meditate in one place for 48 minutes each day.
2. Limited duration of activity vow
One should restrict certain activities to specific times.
3. Limited ascetic's life vow
One should regularly adopt the life of a monk for a day.
4. Limited charity vow
One should give to monks, nuns and the poor.
TRI-RATNAS (THE THREE GEMS)
Liberation of the soul is achieved by following the three jewels of Jain ethics.
Right knowledge, right faith and right conduct are known as Triratnas – or the three gems of
Jainism. The first two are closely intertwined.
1. Right knowledge is the detailed cognition of the real nature of who we are (self) and what
we not are, which is free from doubt, error uncertainty etc.
It can be obtained only by studying carefully the teachings of the omniscient
Tirthankaras or teachers who have already obtained liberation (Kaivalya) and
therefore are fit to lead others out of bondage.
This means having an accurate and sufficient knowledge of the real universe (what
constitutes the universe and the real nature of the bondage).
2. Right faith does not imply that one must blindly follow the Tirthankaras (including
Mahavira). But one must have the right attitude of respect towards truth.
By studying the teachings of the Tirthankaras with the right attitude we can discover
the true path to liberation.
This involves avoiding preconceptions and superstitions that get in the way of seeing
clearly.
Right Faith enables us to see the truth from the untruth, and hence can be also termed
as the Right Perception.
3. Right conduct is the third indispensable (samyag-caritra) condition of liberation. It is this
that enables one to stop the influx of new karmas and also to eradicate old ones. It consists in
the control of passions, senses, thought, speech etc.
Right conduct enables man to liberate himself from bondage and is similar to that of
Buddhism, only more rigorous.
Jaina philosophy believes that karma are atoms from the material world that enter our
soul and pollute it. The more Karma that enters, the more attached we become to the
material world.
To attain the liberation (Kaivalya) we must stop this influx of karma, and
subsequently also reduce the past Karma.
INDIAN ETHICS IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
• The rise of western education and enlightenment values like liberalism, universalism,
and humanism influenced a growing number of Indian thinkers and reformers during the
18th and the 19th century. Two of the most prominent among them were Raja Ram
Mohun Roy and Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
RAJA RAM MOHUN ROY
Raja Ram Mohun Roy's main aim was to eradicate the social evils that persisted in his
time and to create a humanistic society of universal brotherhood.
This he tried to do by rediscovering the harmony and unity of all religious strivings of
mankind
His Western education and deep understanding of the wisdom of the East put him in a
position to understand the need to combine both.
He supported the introduction of the Western system of education while his deep study of
the Indian culture did not make him appreciate the materialism of the West.
Raja Ram Mohun Roy's major concern with the existing social order was the fact that the
Hindu religion had come under the complete dominance of the priests.
The priests were interested in keeping people ignorant, and fed them with false hope of
rewarding after life.
They commercialized religion by introducing costly ceremonies and offerings to the
images of gods
Practices like child marriage, sati, caste system were vehemently opposed by Raja Ram
Mohun Roy.
The social system and the compartmentalization of societies according to castes resulted
in mutual hatred and discontent.
PRINCIPLES OF BRAHMA SAMAJ
The fundamental principles of the Brahma Samaj, founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in
1828 are:
There is a monotheistic God, the creator and the saviour of our world. The God is
a spirit with infinite power, wisdom, love, justice. He is omnipresent, omnipotent,
eternal in nature.
Roy disagreed with the idea of Polytheism and stated that there was one God for
all religions and humanity.
The soul of a human being cannot be destroyed and is capable of moral
development, the soul is responsible to God for all its actions.
A human being happiness consists of worshipping God in spirit and truth in this
life and the next.
True worship is love of God and trying to work towards carrying his will
throughout our life.
No idol shall be worshipped as God, and God alone is infallible.
 Serve to mankind is the greatest way to serve God.
The Brahma Samaj gave respect to all religious traditions of the World as it believed truth
was to be found in all the scriptures.
Roy was a humanist and believed by uniting elements of all major religions he could
unite mankind.
Apart from the spiritual aspect he was well interested in the social and ethical aspects of
religion.
He declared that in its purity Hinduism could not be different from other religions.
FUNCTION OF RELIGION
He believed that religion must inculcate knowledge, love of God and sympathy for his
own fellowmen.
It must inculcate human feelings and soften the general attitude.
Raja wanted to provide a rational basis for religion while condemning all irrationalities.
He wanted everyone to assess the rational character of religious doctrines and reject those
which contrast the rational test.
Religious irrationalities and conflicts according to him were due to ignorance. By
revealing the true nature of this divine knowledge a greater appreciation of a united
mankind would develop.
He condemned religious sanctity attached with social evils. His practical work mainly
revolved around the following issues.
Removing the Caste System
Many of the early followers of Roy came from the Brahmin caste, who wore a sacred
thread around their body to signify their caste superiority. From the 1850’s onwards the
renunciation of the sacred thread came to symbolise this break with tradition. The
equality of all men was fundamental to the Brahma-samaj.
Sati and Child Marriage
Roy and the Samaj fought against the social evils like child marriage, sati and selling of
female children and all other inhuman practices in the name of religious sanctity.
In spite of an organised opposition from the Dharma Sabha, Roy and the Samaj played
instrumental role in abolition sati by supporting the colonial administration in enacting a
law.
In addition to this, Roy and the Samaj played important role in raising issues like widow
marriage, saving of upper caste unmarried women, women’s education.
SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI AND THE ARYA SAMAJ
The teachings of Swami Dayanada Saraswati and the Arya Samaj show a revivalist trend
to the social and religious movements in the 19th century.
The revivalist tradition that Swami Dayananda came from suggested an inner reform of
the Hindu religion while projecting a revival of ancient traditions and knowledge of the
land.
He believed in inculcating unity and friendship among all the Hindus for the benefit of
the nation.
To do this he adopted the cause of cow protection, as it was seen an important issue by
different sects of the Hindu religion.
Instead of giving religious or scriptural support for it, Dayananda instead pointed out that
the cow was an economic utility. He said ' A dead cow could feed only a dozen but a
living cow could feed a thousand.'
Dayananda's work did not stop at just trying to unite the people on common platform in
the name of cow protection or gau raksha.
He wrote a bhasya (exposition) of the Rig Veda, prior to him the last great Bhasya was
written by Sayana in the 13 century.
He believed the Vedas were infallible and all sources of knowledge originated with the
Vedas.
For Swami Dayananda, the Vedas contained everything from Science and technology to
morality and ethics.
He believed that the Vedas literally contained all the wisdom of god; and hence was
universal in nature.
Dayananda's bhasya was to counter the dominant perspective of Vedas by leading
German Indologists like Max Muller and Griffith. The 19th century had seen a spurt of
interest in oriental traditions of India and the East by Western scholars.
He rejected the view that Vedas prescribed a henotheistic view (supported by Indologists
at the time) and instead said that the Vedas supported a monotheistic view.
In addition to this his bhasya was to be the basis of a clear reference work for Vedic
interpretation by Arya Samaj members.
AN ETHICS SUPPORTING HINDU NATIONALISM
Dayananda is one of the chief figures of Indian nationalism who began as career as a
British loyalist.
In a remarkable transformation; Dayananda emerged as one of the paramount figures of
nationalism in Modern India.
Initially Dayananda had supported the British rule in India pointing out the benefits the
rule had brought with the introduction of western education and knowledge.
However, the bias with which the British treated the Indians as compared to other
Europeans infuriated the swami. Even the so called just laws discriminated the whites
from the locals.
Dayananda attempts to unite all cutting across sectarian and caste lines was another
feature of his ingenious attempt in constructing the idea of nationalism.
Dayananda's perspective of speaking of Hindu knowledge and tradition kept out other
religious communities from his path of unity.
In spite of this, Dayananda's vision of uniting the Hindus were not based on a blind belief
of scriptures, but it was to understand the value of the past and bring these valuable parts
in the modern life. Therefore this path espoused revivalism with renovation.
He was man of principle and felt strongly about his beliefs. Often these beliefs went
against the religious orthodoxy of the Hindus and religious leaders of other communities.
The practice of Shuddi movement to reconvert people in to the Hindu faith earned him
the ire of other communities.
Dayananda supported issues like women's education and western education along with a
greater appreciation of the past.
But the strong views of Dayananda meant that he could not appreciate other perspectives
as some other thinkers did during his time.
He even rejected the Bhagavatam, Puranas and Brahmanas while holding on to the
infallibility of the Vedas (even considering it to be a treasure trove of science).
ETHICS OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
Swami Vivekananda was a pioneer of the rationalist movement in modern India, in the
spheres of Ethics and religion.
His ideas tries to give a coherent, rational perspective of Vedanta which was practical in
nature.
According to him the central point of Vedanta is that of unity in diversity, not that of
barren unity.
Unlike Sankara, he did not reject the universe of Advaita as outright illusory.
Through his philosophy he tried to integrate the Advaita vedanta with the ideas of
Buddhism and Ramanuja.
Swami Vivekananda's emphasis on action and performing duties led his Vedanta to be
called as Practical Vedanta.
The practical teachings of Vivekananda are full of activism and humanism.
He believed that all is Brahman; the jiva is none other than Siva; every creature is God
himself in particular mode of name and form.
The heavenly bodies, plants, animals and man are different forms of the manifestation of
Brahman.
He thus believed every human being had the potential of being divine and perfect.
Vivekananda's notion of Brahman was not an indeterminate one, he accepted the reality
that was perceived and the reality of Brahman in everyone.
He attempted to give a concrete shape to Advaita Vedanta by applying it to life
Vivekananda's approach was to make Vedantic theory applicable in life, for he believed
truth could never remain in theory.

PRACTICAL VEDANTA
1. Universality in diversity:
The three major schools of Vedanta; Advaita (of Sankara), Visistadvaita (of Ramanuja),
Dvaita (of Madhava) are three steps in the spiritual development of a man.
Rather than contradicting each other on the nature of Brahman, these three theories
supplement each other.
According to Vivekananda Advaita is the complete truth and Visistadvaita and Dvaita are
partial truths.
The Brahman or Absolute could be reached by referring to it in different forms or names
(like a specific God or Goddess)
The philosophy of Vedanta is universal as its truths apply to the whole of mankind in
general.
2. Impersonality:
The theory of Vedanta is not based on an individual or an incarnation. The principles of
Vedanta are not based on the lives of the first thinkers, it has its own base. Its eternal
principles depend upon its own foundations.
Swami Vivekananda believed that Vedanta was based on principles and built on a solid
foundation while all the other religions were based on lives of certain individuals (like
Buddha in Buddhism)
Vedantic theory lays emphasis on truth and not an individual or his life.
3. Rationality:
Vedanta and Science are in congruence with respect to the methodology and the truths.
The rational conclusions of Vedanta are based on methods of deduction and induction
from religious experience.
For example: The Vedanta presupposes the oneness of the whole universe which is in
line with the Scientific thinking (This point is debatable, nevertheless, Swami
Vivekananda believed Science and Vedanta were not at loggerheads).
Vivekananda firmly believed in this oneness of humanity. He believed that by accepting
this oneness we can love others as we love our self. Thus loving your neighbour is as
natural as caring about ourselves.
Through the application of Vedanta to political and social life, the society will achieve
the spiritualisation of democracy, socialism, liberty, equality and fraternity.
Vedanta did not subordinate faith to reason; intuition or inspiration are accepted as a
higher faculty than reason.
The truth that one receives from intuition have to be substantiated, explained and
systematized by reason.
4. Optimism:
Optimism is the final outcome and message of Vedanta.
It promises infinite potential in every man, saying that perfection is not independent of a
human being.
It recognizes wo/man as a strong, and divine. Vedanta bestows a sense of sacredness and
dignity that is not found in other theories.
It teaches that man is essentially divine.
Vivekananda says “Vedanta is a strength-giving- religion and man making education”.
"The people of India are incurably religious. They are not ignorantly religious but
intelligently religious."
5. Humanism:
 Vivekananda wanted his practical Vedanta to be of use to humanity as a whole.
The masses should be our Gods. Service to man is service to God
One should perceive Siva (God) in every Jiva(soul).
"We should serve not Narayana in the temple but Lame-Narayana, blind-Narayana,
hungry Narayana and have not Narayana."
Vivekananda says, “first food then Brahman. It is sin to teach Vedanta to the poor”
He says that he is not interested in Moksha(liberation) till everyone else is liberated.
Ignorance, blind faith and lack of education were stumbling block to achieving humanism
and progress.
He asked all Indians to serve the poor, starving and oppressed millions as this was the
only way to see God.
RELIGION OF VEDANTA
Swami Vivekananda was intensely spiritual and religious man.
Unlike others, he though religion was experience based and not dogma based.
Vivekananda saw the Western and Eastern ideas of mind and body as being diametrically
opposite ideas.
While the West saw man as a body with a soul, the East saw man as a soul with a body.
He distinguishes true religion and institutional religion. According to him true religion is
personal religion.
The rituals, beliefs and communions can only initiate a man and make him conscious of
God.
To realize God, one must go beyond this and personally experience the spiritual essence
in all of human kind.
The best form of religion is to see Shiva represented in living men and especially in the
poor.
Religion is the highest expression of love and devotion, beauty.
Religion is not about believing in a certain path or belief, but rather is the constant desire
for spiritual realisation.
Abandoning or renouncing the worldly life by going to caves or monasteries is like
running away from responsibilities and thus do not constitute religion or spiritualism.
Religion should teach strength to the poor and the downtrodden. Religion should be the
gospel of strength and activism.
We must do our bit to ensure the wishes and happiness of the entire humanity is fulfilled
Vivekananda was quick to point out this devotion and love was not sentimentality.
Religion was distinct from something like emotion, since emotion is short lived.
By mixing social customs with religion, we have created a notion of religion that is
similar to attachment for dresses or material things.
Vivekananda was not interested in ritualistic religion and openly criticized cults like
Tantra. He said that mysticism was also to be assessed with great care.
The object of religion was not create cults or create aura around mysterious phenomena
but to make a better humanity.
He prefers to believe in a God who gives bread in this world than to a God who gives
undying bliss in heaven.
A religion which teaches only renunciation is useless.
Similarly, man is often shown in some religions as a miserable sinner, feeble and
powerless.
For him, man himself is the true abode of divinity. Vivekananda thus goes away from
glorifying God outside man.
Religion is not found in books or social customs. It consists in realisation and is a
perfectly natural and normal element of human life.
All religions vary in important details. They differ from the point of view of mythology,
rituals, social values, and philosophic traditions. Yet Vivekananda says, “The religions of
the world are not contradictory and antagonistic. They are but various phases of one
eternal religion”.
Ideas of Vivekananda speak of a man who was keenly aware of the need for spirituality
which was useful for human progress.
The practical vedanta espoused by him has much relevance. One could debate with some
of the ideas (for example Vivekananda consider a selfless mother to be an ideal woman),
but one cannot disregard his genuine effort and passion for creating a better nation.
ETHICS OF MAHATMA GANDHI
Gandhiji's basic idea of ethics was a comprehensive integration of the West and the
Indian ideas. From the Indian tradition he adopted the idea of Ahimsa or non-violence
and from the west ideas of Civil Disobedience from the works of Henry Thoreau.
Gandhiji understood that values that are needed for a moral life are universal in nature
and that these values had an intrinsic worth.
He was a deeply religious man, with knowledge of major religious scriptures of most
religions.
He was influenced primarily by Hinduism, but also by elements of Jainism and
Christianity as well as writers including Tolstoy and Thoreau, Gandhi developed the
satyagraha ('devotion to truth'), a new non-violent way to redress wrongs.
He regarded education as the light of life and the very source from which was created an
awareness of oneness.
Gandhi believed that the universality of ethics can be achieved through education, and
that this will help in the national integration.
Today Gandhian values have special significance for national integration.
Communal harmony has become essential for national integration and hence Gandhi gave
it the highest priority.
Gandhiji understood that this was not possible in a single day or year, he instead called
for Gandhiji patience, persuasion and perseverance for attainment of peace and harmony.
In addition to this, he taught us the value of labour as a levelling social factor and went
on to claim that all forms of labour was equal in dignity and worth.
He always believed that a nation built on the ethical foundation of non-violence would be
able to withstand attacks on its-integrity from within and without.
Gandhiji wanted to narrow the gap between the haves and the have-nots was since it was
as essential for national integration as inter-religious record.
Gandhiji wanted to ensure economic equality and social justice to remove the decades of
social evil and discontent that existed in his time.
Nelson Mandela, De Klerk, Martin Luther King Jr were influenced by his teachings. So
were His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi.
SOCIAL SINS
Gandhiji described seven social sins:
Politics without principles.
Wealth without work;
 commerce without morality;
education without character;
pleasure without conscience;
science without humanity;
worship without sacrifice.
AHIMSA OR NON-VIOLENCE
Ahimsa was the fountainhead of his philosophy and it was from this ideal that he
developed a plan of action through Satyagraha (Truth Force).
He used it to fight not only colonial rule but social evils such as racial discrimination.
Among the techniques used were peaceful demonstrations, hunger strikes and civil
disobedience.
This became at once a potent means of collective struggle against social and economic
injustice, the basis of a decentralized economy and decentralized power structure, and the
guiding principle of one’s individual life in relation both to nature and to other persons.
Non-violence doesn't just mean not doing violence; it's also a way of taking positive
action to resist oppression or bring about change.
SATYAGRAHA
He took the religious principle of ahimsa common to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism
and turned it into a passive tool for mass action.
This he termed as Satyagraha or 'Truth Force'.
Gandhi was firm that satyagraha was not a weapon of the weak stating that "Satyagraha
is a weapon of the strong; it admits of no violence under any circumstance whatever; and
it always insists upon truth."
Gandhi did not think that non-violence was a tool for those who were too scared to take
up arms (an accusation that was sometimes made):
To his critics he replied in the Young India by stating that "My non-violence does not
admit of running away from danger and leaving dear ones unprotected. Between violence
and cowardly flight, I can only prefer violence to cowardice. I can no more preach non-
violence to a coward than I can tempt a blind man to enjoy healthy scenes."
Non-violence in Gandhi's thinking was a tool that anyone could (and should) use, and it
was based on strongly religious thinking.
He said, "Truth, purity, self-control, firmness, fearlessness, humility, unity, peace, and
renunciation - these are the inherent qualities of a civil resister."
AN IDEAL SATYAGRAHI
The following was a set of instructions that Gandhi had given to Satyagrahis in his
 newspaper the Young India in the 1930s.
A satyagrahi, i.e., a civil resister, will harbour no anger.
He will suffer the anger of the opponent.
In so doing he will put up with assaults from the opponent, never retaliate; but he
will not submit, out of fear of punishment or the like, to any order given in anger.
When any person in authority seeks to arrest a civil resister, he will voluntarily
submit to the arrest, and he will not resist the attachment or removal of his own
property, if any, when it is sought to be confiscated by authorities.
If a civil resister has any property in his possession as a trustee, he will refuse to
surrender it, even though in defending it he might lose his life. He will, however,
never retaliate.
Non-retaliation excludes swearing and cursing.
Therefore a civil resister will never insult his opponent, and therefore also not
take part in many of the newly coined cries which are contrary to the spirit of
ahimsa.
A civil resister will not salute the Union Jack, nor will he insult it or officials,
English or Indian.
In the course of the struggle if anyone insults an official or commits an assault
upon him, a civil resister will protect such official or officials from the insult or
attack even at the risk of his life.
RELIGION AND GANDHI
There is no denying the fact that Gandhiji was deep rooted in his cultural and religious
traditions.
Gandhi said that we can say God is love, but he felt that the word love is used in many
ways and can be ambiguous.
Therefore, Gandhi preferred to say that truth is God rather than God is truth, because the
former proposition expresses a belief that even the atheists share.
In the religious context Gandhi emphasized that communal harmony has to be based on
equal respect for all religions.
Gandhi’s basic axiom was that religions are all the same since the scriptures of all
religions point to a similar path.
Equality of religions is one of Gandhi’s cardinal beliefs. This is because Gandhi held the
following to be true.
The true nature of God is unknowable or beyond our comprehension
Through the scriptures and divine work we find divine revelation and different
 responses to God from us.
Centrality of the law of non-violence enjoined by all the religions
Errors and imperfections are found in all religious
All religions are in a constant evolution towards understanding a higher truth and
hence are only partial realities.
EVALUATION
Gandhian Ethics played a pivotal role in the independence movement. Unlike other
philosophers, Gandhi was a man of words and actions. He tried to practice whatever he
was trying to preach.
Gandhiji never claimed to be a perfect human being, but was always striving to be one.
His approach might seem harsh or extreme to some, but the idea of ahimsa and non-
violence not only influenced this country but the entire World.
In the silent and peaceful protests around the World, Gandhi remains an inspiration, an
individual with firm conviction of non-violence defeating his opponent without ever
raising arms.
SARVAPPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN
S. Radhakrishnan was a teacher, a philosopher and the Second president of India.
His ideas concentrated on the ancient knowledge of the land while making them relevant
for the modern period.
He says that men by nature are value seekers. They strive for truth, beauty and goodness.
However, since life is transitory, man is not satisfied with the fragments of happiness (as
there in continuity in them or a base to them).
He says man is trying to find some consistency and meaning to his existence so that there
is an ever lasting peace for mind and spirit.
Radhakrishnan believed that moral values like non-violence, renunciation and suffering
are necessary for the development of his personality.
Renunciation here means the rejection of the worldly desires and not the rejection of life
in the world.
He understood philosophy as a means to deal with the practical problems of unhappiness
and discontent than abstract speculations.
We are not contemplating the world from outside but are in it and the present chaos in the
world can be traced directly to the chaos in our minds.
We cannot have peace of mind until we know what perfection is and the permanent truth
as opposed to the temporary life.
SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION
Radhakrishnan tried to give a spiritual interpretation to the modern theory of evolution.
He maintains that human the higher product of evolutionary process when compared to
other beings.
Humans exists for a higher purpose and through a spiritual evolution of human being
there will be a revelation of the truth.
The Indian systems of thought believe in the power of the human mind to lead us to all
truth.
Our ordinary mind is not the highest possible order of the human mind. It can rise to a
level almost inconceivable to us.
The purpose of ethics is also to effect right relationship between the individual and the
society.
To undergo this evolution, we must get into contact with reality, outward by perception,
inward by intuition, and by means of intellect interpret and understand it.
Intuition is not anti- intellectualism, but is rather using the intellect for positive purposes.
 Intuition is not only perfect knowledge but also perfect living
Human’s nature changes in two ways.
First, there are the natural or mechanical changes due to the environmental and
inherent causes
Secondly there is the ethical and spiritual change which is conscious.
Morality and intuition enables human to rise to a higher plane.
RELIGION
His concept of religion transcends all kinds of creeds and dogmas.
It is a universal religion, which fulfils the aspirations of humanity.
He respected all religions and emphasized the religious nature of human
His philosophy is the philosophy of growth and progress of human’s spiritual personality.
FINAL AIM OF HUMAN BEING
He conceives that human can attain one’s higher destiny by becoming one with God
through knowledge and intuition
The total perfection is possible for human only when the human race as a whole is
liberated, only when all released souls become one with the Infinite.
Human can develop one’s moral nature by cultivating love for one’s fellow beings.
We must cease to identify ourselves with the separate ego shut up in the walls of body,
life and mind.
Human is not a puppet at the hands of fate.
The emergence of self and not the self- conscious mind is the basic desire of nature.
ETHICS OF AMARTYA SEN
Amartya Sen is a celebrated Economist and a Philosopher.
He is famous for his Capabilities Approach which serve as the base for modern Welfare
Economics.
FUNCTIONINGS AND CAPACITIES
Sen proposes that people’s well-being should be evaluated on the basis of their
‘capability to achieve valuable functionings’.
Functionings refer to the number of ‘doings’ and ‘beings’ that a person manages to
achieve in life
Basic functionings include nutrition, life expectancy, health and education
Complex functionings include self-respect, social recognition and political
participation.
Capabilities refer to the extent of freedom that a person has in order to achieve different
functionings.
A fasting priest and a starving child have the same functioning since both do not eat.
However in terms of capabilities, a fasting priest is doing out of choice, but the child has
no freedom to do so.
CAPABILITIES APPROACH
The capability approach is a freedom-centred approach.
The capability approach differs from two other prominent approaches - Utilitarianism and
Liberalism of John Rawls (an American philosopher).
Utilitarianism still plays a major role in policy making decisions. Utilitarian calculus is
followed in many cases when pursuing developmental projects such as building huge
dams, establishing industries and sometimes even initiating large-scale deforestation
In contrast Rawls' theory is based on a belief that everyone has an inviolable rights
founded on justice that even the welfare of society cannot over-ride. Rawls' theory is
close to Immanuel Kant's deontology with some differences.
Rawls gives two principles of ensuring justice in the society.
His first principle of justice is about civil and political rights, including freedom
of speech and freedom from torture and arbitrary arrest, be given absolute priority
Rawls, in his second principle tries to balance the demands of efficiency and
justice: while society’s offices and positions should be available to everyone in an
open competition, in order to keep social inequality within manageable
proportions special attention has to be paid to the needs of the worst off in
 society.
Sen acknowledges Rawls to be a great moral and political philosopher particularly for
advocating a non-utilitarian political philosophy.
Yet, Sen thinks Rawls’ theory to be limited from the point of view of human capabilities:
it does not go far to capture human diversity and some inequalities that undermine
effective justice delivery in society.
Sen says that human beings differ from one another in a number of ways. Some of them
are as follows.
Personal characteristics like age, state of health, sex, genetic differences
Environment and social conditions we live in
Social and political participation
For example: A child suffering from cerebral palsy would need more resources than an
able-bodied child.
Thus to ensure welfare, we require engage with some social, economic and political
practices and structures
Since Rawls’ theory works with the assumption of a liberal society with citizens having
more or less equal capacities, Sen points out, inequalities and disadvantages arising from
human diversities are either postponed to be settled by legislative or judicial procedures
or at the most relegated as issues falling in the domain of charity.
Sen looks at development as freedom because he wants the goal to be wider than,
numerical measure of GNP and because he wants us to be able to then pursue that idea
systematically, to ensure it is brought about.
LIVED FREEDOMS
The problem of development lies as much in what we classify as wealth and how we go
about promoting that as it does in poverty.
Instead of supporting a set of freedoms or rights as necessary for individual freedom,
Amartya Sen is lookin at real, lived-in freedoms, or what are often called "capabilities":
freedoms of opportunity and not just of theoretical rights.
What use are political freedoms on paper, what good is this freedom when the person
who should enjoy it are blocked by 'unfreedoms' of malnutrition, and exposure to natural
hazards.
This idea has not been addressed by practitioners and politicians who are more concerned
with addressing perceived needs instead of actual needs.
Sen's ideas cannot be placed on the intellectual right or left according to the conventional
perspectives.
 The ideas are clearly inspired from liberal traditions beginning with moral sentiments of
Adam Smith, but the interpretation that Sen gives is path breaking and inspired many to
relook at the idea of progress of humankind.

ETHICAL CONCERNS AND DILEMMAS IN

GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS
ETHICAL CONCERNS AND DILEMMAS: MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE

Viewing ethics in this light indicates that people are faced with choices requiring them to
make decisions enabling them to lead an ethical life within the context of their
relationships with others. This suggests that people can be placed in ethical dilemmas.

An ethical dilemma arises from a situation that necessitates a choice between competing
sets of principles.

An ethical dilemma can be described as a circumstance that requires a choice between

competing sets of principles in a given, usually undesirable or perplexing, situation.

Conflicts of interest are possibly the most obvious example that could place public sector
leaders in an ethical dilemma.

Other types of ethical dilemmas

Public servants find themselves in dilemmas that include conflict between: the values of public
administration; justifications for the institutions; aspects of the code of conduct; personal values
and supervisor or governmental directive; professional ethics and supervisor or governmental
directive; personal values and professional ethics versus governmental directive; blurred or
competing accountabilities; and the dimensions of ethical conduct.
ETHICAL CONCERNS AND DILEMMAS IN GOVERNMENT (PUBLIC SECTOR)

1. Administrative discretion

2. Corruption

3. Nepotism

4. Administrative secrecy

5. Information leaks

6. Public accountability

7. Policy dilemmas

1. Administrative Discretion

Public officials are not merely executors of public policy. They make decisions pertaining to the
lives of people. The promotion of general welfare depends to a large extent on the use or abuse
of administrative discretion.

It is true that within the rules and regulations laid down by legislation and within the prescribed
procedures, there is ample opportunity for the public official to use his discretion. The problem is
that the selection of one path of action from among several alternatives is often made on the
basis of personal preference, political or other affiliations, or even personal aggrandizement,
thereby disregarding known facts and thus the possibility of rational decision-making. It could
well be that all the prescribed rules, regulations and procedures are adhered to but that the
discretionary choice may be viewed as unethical or even corrupt.

2. Corruption

A majority of officials uphold the high standards required by public office and are devoted to
promoting general welfare. The ethical standards of public officials are, however, directly related
to society as a whole. If the public accepts that in order to secure an expeditious response from a
public official some pecuniary or other incentive is necessary, and the official accepts the
incentive, then the standards of ethical conduct of officials and the public are in fact in harmony
from the point of view of the public.

The ethical dilemma that faces the public servant with regard to corrupt practices as result of
private interests primarily concerns his reaction to the situation.

3. Administrative Secrecy

An area, which lends itself to the creation of situations and actions, which could prove to be
major ethical dilemmas, is the secret conduct of public business. This is especially so because
secrecy can provide an opportunity to cover up unethical conduct. Secrecy is an ally of
corruption and corruption is always practiced in secrecy.

4. Nepotism

The practice of nepotism (the appointment of relations and/or friends to public positions, thereby
ignoring the merit principle), may lead to the downgrading of the quality of the public service.
This disrupts the esprit de corps and trust and results in corrupt administration, owing to the
ability of a select few to impair control measures on account of their personal relationship with
the policy-maker, and by reason of their not being easily dismissed or replaced by others.

5. Information Leaks

Official information is usually of sensitive nature and disclosure of such information can lead to
chaos, corrupt practices or, for some individuals, improper monetary gains. Leaking official
information at a date prior to the public announcement thereof is a violation of procedural
prescriptions and can be an ethical dilemma.

6. Public Accountability

Since public officials are the implementers of public policies, they ought to be accountable for
their official actions to their superiors, the courts and the public. It is nevertheless, possible for
them to hide behind prescribed procedures, the cloak of professionalism and even political
office-bearers.
POLICY DILEMMAS

Policy makers are often confronted by conflicting responsibilities. They have specific loyalties to
their superiors, but also to society. They have freedom to act on behalf and in the interest of
others, but they must also be answerable to others - their superiors and society – for their actions.
ETHICAL CONCERNS AND DILEMMAS IN PRIVATE BUSINESS INSTITUTIONS

Code of conduct is a name given to a set of principles and rules that govern the way social
institutions should behave toward their stakeholders and the way stakeholders (especially
employees) should conduct themselves towards the institution and each other.

A code is just one of the many sets of directives to which organizations and individuals are
subject. Companies are subject to legislation that prescribes conduct.

In terms of content, codes are usually statements about ethical conduct such as acting with
integrity and respecting the rights of others, but they also can prescribe behaviour that is more
procedural in nature such as the way a dispute resolution mechanism will operate when someone
is accused of a violation of the code. Sometimes a distinction is drawn between codes of ethics
and moral codes. The former are said to relate to organizational life whereas the latter applies
more to society, culture and religion. This is not a particularly useful distinction because the line
between them is frequently crossed. For example, multinational corporations often need to
address cultural norms when prescribing appropriate behaviour in foreign cultures. Finally, the
entities that adopt codes vary greatly. Businesses establish codes, but so do organizations in the
public sector. Professions such as engineering, accounting, medicine and law have codes.
ETHICAL ISSUES OF EMPLOYEES

Making long phone calls at the company’s cost. Some organizations provide a refund for
the phone bills of the employees, especially if the employee is dealing with a job,
whichinvolves using the telephone. Taking advantage of the fact and making personal
phone calls is unethical.

Taking home the company’s assets. Some employees pocket tools and stationery such as
staplers, pins, papers etc. to use them at home.

Taking excessive leaves beyond the allowed number is a breach of ethical code. It not
only leads to losses for the company but also brings you a bad name.

Improper usage of machineries. Some employees make use of office computer and
printers for personal uses such as taking lengthy print outs, heavy downloading and even
unnecessary net surfing etc. i

Taking advantage of the travel benefit. These are applicable to employees who have to
constantly be on the move such as the marketing personnel. More than ethical codes,
common sense can tell you not to use this for personal benefits!

Breach of rules and regulations of the company. Accepting terms and conditions are
usually done as a part of joining procedure. Violating any of these rules may leads to
undesirable issues between the company and you. Failing to maintain the privacy policy
of the company is another sort of breaking of rules. Each company has its own privacy
policy. An employee is entitled not to give out the company’s data and other particulars
to another company/competitor.

Offensive communications. Employees are not allowed to use offensive language in the
office. But anything that goes on beyond company walls cannot be taken into
consideration.

Working for multiple organizations. An employee cannot work in more than one place
simultaneously – literally and ethically.
ETHICAL ISSUE OF EMPLOYERS

Favouritism: This means that the employer may favour a particular person with regard to
promotions and bonuses and evidently neglect other eligible employees. This conduct is
considered highly unethical on the part of the employer.

Sexual harassment is not legal/ethical/moral whether in the workplace or out of it.

Harassing an employee sexually, or refraining from taking action against those who are
involved in such offences, is strictly forbidden.

Terminating an employee without any notice. In some cases, for reasons like budget
management, companies opt for mass retrenchment to reduce the number of employees.
Such steps should be undertaken after prior indications and notice of at least a month or
two, so that the person can find another job. Notice periods must be served to avoid
confusion.
ETHICAL ISSUES OF EMPLOYEES

1. Conducting Personal Business on Company Time

Because employees tend to spend so much of their weekday hours on the job, they often are
tempted to conduct personal business on company time. This can include setting up doctor's
appointments on company phone lines, making vacation reservations using their employer's
computers and Internet connections or even making phone calls for a freelance side business
while on company time.

2. Taking Credit for Others' Work

Employees often work in teams to create marketing campaigns, develop new products or fine-
tune services; yet rarely does everyone in a group contribute equally to the final product. If
employees single out their co-workers in a negative light, it could foment resentment. The same
thing could happen, however, if all employees accept equal praise even though only a select few
did the real work. The best way to resolve this ethical dilemma is to not let it happen. Team
members should insist that all employees perform specific tasks to help complete a project.

3. Harassing Behaviour

Employees often don't know what to do if they see one of their co-workers harassing another
employee either mentally, sexually or physically. Employees may worry for their jobs if they
attempt to report a superior for harassment. They may fret that they'll be labelled a troublemaker
if they report co-workers who display inappropriate behaviour toward other employees.

The best way to resolve this ethical dilemma rests with the staff members who develop the
company's employee handbook. It is their job to include specific language that spells out that an
employee won't be punished for reporting the harassing behaviour or inappropriate actions of
their co-workers.

Case 1

A freak accident occurs at a chemical factory with a previously exemplary safety record,
and a man dies. An investigation into the causes of the accident recommends measures to
 prevent similar accidents happening in the future. However these changes would be
prohibitively expensive to implement. The CEO faces the choice of closing down the
plant with the loss of hundreds of jobs, or allowing the plant to continue with changes in
procedure which reduce the risk but do not eliminate it entirely.

The above case is an example of incommensurable outcomes.

A dogmatic response would be to say that no value, however great, could be put on a
man's life. However, if that principle were to be put literally into practice, daily life
would grind to a halt. Even if only one person a year died in a car accident, all private
transport would be banned. So, while we pay lip service to the belief that a human life is
beyond measure, in practice decisions are made which are inconsistent with that belief.

Case 2

An investigative reporter gets whiff of a story about corruption in a blue chip corporation
concerning a board member who accepted a free holiday from a company negotiating a
multi- million Rupee land deal. The Chairman has already spoken to the board member
concerned, who immediately offered his resignation. Luckily, the deal has not been
finalised and no harm has been done. On the telephone the reporter asks the Chairman if
there is any truth in the rumour. An admission will send share prices tumbling. The
chairman can admit the truth, or give aninnocuous explanation designed to throw the
reporter off the scent – a 'white lie'.

Case 2 is an example of a clash between principles and consequences. As a matter of

moral principle, it is always wrong to tell a lie. However, in real life there comes a point
where the price of telling the truth is one that we are not prepared to pay. The classic
example is the one of the axe-carrying murderer who asks, 'Which way did he go?' Any
response other than the literal truth is a lie. One's moral duty is to tell the truth,
irrespective of the consequences. However, few would embrace that extreme conclusion.

Case 3

A human resources manager at a laboratory equipment manufacturer is faced with a

difficult decision regarding one of the more senior members of the workforce. Only two
years away from retirement, the man works with great care and dedication but his work
rate has declined to the point where other workers are beginning to complain. Loyalty to
the company dictates that the manager makes the best decision in the company's interests,
and let the man go. An alternative, more humane course of action would be to move him
to a section where his lack of productivity will be less likely to be noticed.
 Case 3 is an example of a dilemma, which arises as a result of a conflict of roles. A
manager, just as much as a doctor accepts certain duties and obligations as definitive of
one's role. No one is forced to be any of these things. We freely take up our vocation and
identify ourselves with what we do. But a human being is more than just a role. The
manager is also a responsible citizen, a loyal spouse and caring parent, a decent human
being. These roles carry particular obligations, which have the potential to clash. The
dogmatic response, 'Loyalty to one's company overrides all other obligations in all
circumstances,' is simply unacceptable.

For each person facing such a decision, there is a unique cut-off point but no one can say
in advance exactly where this is. We have to make a choice, and so we act. We can offer
reasons for our decision, but in the face of the impossibility of making a meaningful
comparison between the alternatives any decision is ultimately made 'without reason'.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE- CONCEPTS, UTILITIES AND APPLICATION IN

ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE.

Emotions are linked to behaviour, such as seeking comfort, helping others, attacking, fleeing,
and reproducing. Such behaviours help us survive and adjust to changing conditions. Emotions
can have negative effects. “Stage fright” in sports can spoil performances.

Hate, anger, fear and contempt, disgust, disrupt behaviour and relationships. But emotions are
important for survival. As social animals, it would be impossible for humans to live in groups,
defend one another and cooperate in raising children, without positive emotional bonds of love,
caring, and friendship. Emotional expressions or outward signs of what a person is feeling are
another ingredient of emotion.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS THE PRACTICE OF:

Using emotional information from ourselves and other people.

Integrating this with our thinking.

Using these to inform our decision making to help us get what we want from the
immediate situation and from life in general.
CONCEPT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and express our emotions to meet the
requirements of day-to-day living, learning, and relating to others. It is important to use
emotional intelligence, because it helps you to:

1. Solve problems by using both logic and feelings.

2. Be flexible in changing situations.

3. Help other people express their needs.

4. Respond calmly and thoughtfully to difficult people.

5. Keep an optimistic and positive outlook.

6. Express empathy, compassion, and caring for others.

7. Continuously learn how to improve ourselves and the organization.

8. Enhance our interactions and communications with other culture people.

TWO ASPECTS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

1) understanding ourselves, our goals, intentions, responses, behaviour and all;

Howard Gardner describes these two aspects of intelligence as intrapersonal intelligence– being
intelligent in picking up what is going on inside us and doing what we need to do about it; and
interpersonal intelligence– being intelligent in picking up what is going on in other people and
between other people and doing what we need to do about it

2) understanding others and their feelings.

ELEMENTS THAT MAKEUP EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE:
PERCEIVING EMOTIONS:

1. The foundation of emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive emotions in ourselves and
others.

Emotionally intelligent people recognize quickly if they are angry, or envious, or feeling guilty,
or depressed

This is valuable because many people have disruptive emotions without being able to pinpoint
why they are uncomfortable.

Emotionally intelligent people have empathy. They are good at “reading” facial expressions, tone
of voice, and other signs of emotion.
USING EMOTIONS

1. People who are emotionally intelligent use their feelings to enhance thinking and decision-
making.

2. Emotions can be used to promote personal growth and improve relationships with others.

3. People who are emotionally smart share the good news with others that comes in their way.
Almost always, doing so strengthens relationships and increases emotional well-being.
UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS:

1. Emotions contain useful information. E.g. Anxiety is a cue that something is uncertain.

2. People who are emotionally intelligent know what causes various emotions, what they mean,
and how they affect behaviour.
MANAGING EMOTIONS:

1. Emotional intelligence involves an ability to manage our own emotions and those of others.

2. People who are emotionally intelligent have an ability to amplify or restrain emotions,
depending on the situation.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

There are certain emotions like joy, interest, contentment, love, and similar those are pleasant
and rewarding. They open up new possibilities and builds up our personal resources. There is a
natural tendency that people enjoy positive emotions while treating negative emotions as misery.
Negative emotions are associated with actions that probably helped our ancestors save their
skins: escaping, attacking, expelling poison. Negative emotions can also be valuable and
constructive. For example, persistent distress may motivate a person to seek help, mend a
relationship, or find a new direction in life
MIXED MODEL OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

The mixed model was most famously described by Daniel Coleman, and is widely accepted and
used model for EI. It involves a range of competencies which are broken down into skill sets and
which together form the picture of a person's level of EI.
GOLEMAN'S EL COMPETENCIES

SELF-AWARENESS: In Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman says that self-awareness—the

ability to recognize a feeling as it happens—is the keystone of emotional intelligence. Self-
awareness is clarity about our feelings and thoughts. With awareness comes the ability to make
better choices.

Emotional Sell-Awareness

Accurate Self-Assessment

Self-Confidence

EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT: Handling our own emotions so that they don't interfere but facilitate:
having the ability to delay gratification in pursuit of a goal; recovering well from emotional
distress: translating our deepest, truest preferences into action in order to improve and succeed

Self-Control

Trustworthiness

Conscientiousness

Adaptability

Achievement Orientation

Initiative

SOCIAL AWARENESS : Sensing what others are feeling; being able to understand situations from
others' perspective: cultivating relationships with a diverse range of people.

Empathy

Organisational awareness
 Service orientation

SOCIAL SKILLS: Handling emotions in respect to relationships with other people; able to read the
intricacies of social interactions: able to interact in social situations well; able to use this skill set
to influence, persuade, negotiate, and lead.

Influence

Leadership

Developing Others

Communication

Change Catalyst

Conflict Management

Building Bonds

Teamwork and Collaboration

Goleman includes these set of emotional competencies within each construct of EI. Emotional
competencies are not innate talents, but rather learned capabilities that must be worked on and
can be developed to achieve outstanding performance. Goleman posits that individuals are born
with a general emotional intelligence that determines their potential for learning emotional
competencies.
IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is important than IQ, since EQ helps us to understand our life, our
values better. Various tests and scientific evaluations have proved that having better Emotional
Intelligence lets us make healthy choices in every aspect of life. Emotional Intelligence is a
group of traits or abilities which relate to the emotional sides of life.

1. Know your emotions: Emotions are powerful reactions. Some are highly aware of their
emotional side of life, and others are completely unaware to their emotions. If one is not aware of
his emotions how can he make a moral judgment? It is also found that the same kinds of people
are low in expressiveness. Expressiveness means showing our expressions through facial
expressions, body language, and other gestures. Lack of expressiveness hurts in terms of
interpersonal relationships since, other people will find it tough to decipher the inner world of
that person. Hence, being aware of one’s emotions is a must.

2. Managing emotions: We try to manage our emotions in our everyday Life. It is like regulating
the nature, intensity and expression of concerned emotions. For example, if we don’t clear an
examination, we try to remain calm before our parents, nevertheless, the emotions running
behind our face is not good. Managing emotions is very much important for our mental health
and for keeping our interaction with others efficient.

3. Motivating ourselves: To get something special in our life, one thing that matters most is self-
motivation. Motivating oneself to work hard and be on right direction is one of the main aspects
of Emotional Intelligence. This aspect gives surprising results for any individual.

4. Recognizing and influencing others’ emotions: This relates to the ability to understand others
exactly. It is to recognize their mood and the emotions at any point of time. This ability is very
much valuable in practical settings. Sometimes, understanding others’ mood and emotions
exactly can tell whether it is the right time or not to ask for a favour.

5. Handling relationship: Handling relationship is the most important point of strong

interpersonal relationship. When relationship is handled very well then the person’s life has
become successful. Some people make a total mess of their interpersonal relationship. A person
with high EQ will always handle relationship in optimum way.
SKILLS REQUIRED BEING EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT

Self-Awareness: Emotionally intelligent people are aware of how they feel, what motivates and
demotivates them, and how they affect others.

Social Skills: Emotionally intelligent people communicate and relate well with others. They
listen intently and adapt their communications to others’ unique needs, including diverse
backgrounds. They show compassion.

Optimism: Emotionally intelligent people have a positive and optimistic outlook on life. Their
mental attitude energizes them to work steadily towards goals despite setbacks.

Emotional Control: Emotionally intelligent people handle stress evenly. They deal calmly with
emotionally stressful situations, such as change and interpersonal conflicts.

Flexibility: Emotionally intelligent people adapt to changes. They use problem-solving to

develop options.
ADVANTAGES OF DEVELOPING OUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ARE:

Improved relationships

Acting with integrity

Reduced stress levels

Improved career prospects

Improved communication with others

Feeling confident and positive

Respect from others

Better empathy skills

Learning from mistakes

Increased creativity

Managing change more confidently

Fewer power games at work

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

EI AND LEADERSHIP

Leadership is a process of social interaction where the leader’s ability to influence the behavior
of their followers can strongly influence performance outcomes. Leadership is intrinsically an
emotional process, whereby leaders recognize followers’ emotional states, attempt to evoke
emotions in followers, and then seek to manage followers’ emotional states accordingly.

Leaders increase group solidarity and morale by creating shared emotional experiences. The
ability of leaders to influence the emotional climate can strongly influence performance. EI is a
key factor in an individual’s ability to be socially effective and is viewed in leadership as a key
determinant of effective leadership.

Emotionally intelligent leaders can promote effectiveness at all levels in organizations. The EI of
the leader plays an important role in the quality and effectiveness of social interactions with other
individuals.

A big part of being a leader involves being credible, or honest and trustworthy. Being credible
helps us to earn respect from others. People also listen to someone who they feel has their best
interests at heart.

In emotional-intelligence terms, one earns this trust by using empathy. If a person is empathic,
one is more likely to gain the cooperation of others because they show concern about others
welfare. If someone acts in a self-serving or callous manner, people are more likely to avoid the
person. As part of the strategy for getting people to follow, one should try working towards
winning over them.

Self-regard: Having high self-regard means that one has a good understanding of his strengths
and weaknesses. Acting on this understanding requires that you have good self-knowledge and
effectively strike a balance between being confident and being arrogant. People are more
comfortable helping others who demonstrate the right amount of humility.

Optimism: People find optimism and happiness attractive attributes. People are more likely to
cooperate with someone who’s optimistic.

Happiness: Happiness, like optimism, attracts people. When we’re happy others are more
pleasant to be around. Being happy add to “likability” factor
It can also be contagious. Everybody likes to be happy, and being around happy people
contributes to one’s own happiness.
ROLE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN ADMINISTRATION
EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT ADMINISTRATOR

Emotionally intelligent leaders are centered and grounded. The people around them see them
as having a stable mood, even when things get tough. Such leaders aren’t erratic or extremely
unpredictable in their behaviour, and they tend to possess these traits:

Have high self-regard: The good leaders have high self-regard. Leaders who claim to know it
all tend to be poor leaders. Good leaders know their strengths and capitalize on those strengths,
as well as know their weaknesses and fill the gaps with people who have strong skills in these
areas.

Maintain balance in life: Good leaders also seem to know how to balance their personal and
work lives. They tend to avoid burning out by managing their time well. Traditionally, most
leaders and aspiring leaders believed that in order to be a successful leader, one needed to be a
workaholic. However, if a person can manage his own life well — including stress, home life,
fitness, and diet — then he has a better chance of managing the workplace well.

Model the way: Successful leaders say what they want to accomplish and get it done. The leader
needs to walk the talk if he wants others to follow. In emotional intelligence terms, this practice
involves assertiveness and independence. People who are assertive have no difficulty expressing
their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Also, people who are independent listen are to and take in
the advice of others, but in the end, make their own informed decisions. Independence implies
taking action in order to carry things out.

Inspire a shared vision: As a leader, one must convince others that he/she understands others
needs and have their best interests at heart. Inspiring a shared vision requires a good deal of
empathy and optimism. Our optimism gives our vision a positive and desirable flavour so that
others want to share in it. Our empathy ensures that we hit the right chord in terms of what others
want to see and hear from us.

Challenge the process: An emotionally intelligent leader Strive for change. Look for
opportunities to improve and grow. Also, experiment and take risks. One of the key emotional
intelligence skills that are needed in order to challenge the status quo is flexibility. Flexible
people are more likely to try new things, take risks, and face new challenges without fear.

Enable others to act: Success requires a team and because leaders, by definition, require
followers. Leaders can empower others in a variety of ways. He enables others by fostering
collaboration and building trust. Successful leaders share power, delegate well, and do what’s
necessary to help others perform. In terms of emotional intelligence, there is a need of good self-
regard and interpersonal skills to enable others to act. In order to build successful relationships,
you need the skills to engage and relate to others in a meaningful way.

Stay composed under pressure: Good leaders don’t flare up or lose control under difficult
circumstances

Encourage the heart: The relationship of this practice to emotional intelligence is the most
evident. A key component of this practice involves recognizing the contributions of others.
Rewarding people for their participation goes a long way in motivating them to be part of our
team. Leaders who encourage others not only need to know how those people feel but need to be
capable of building relationships with them, as well. Socially responsible behaviors embody this
ability to care about and contribute to others.
CONCLUSION

EI is essentially about attitudes and feelings, it follows that if aspects of our EI change, then we
change as people. If a person improves his attitudes towards flexibility, this will also impact on
other areas of his life. By developing EI, it is not just the social image that will improve, but also
experience changes with the family and friends in just about any situation the person face.

CASE STUDIES

1. A plane with 200 passengers on board has been hijacked by terrorists. The plane is
grounded in a country in which a number of the hijackers’ associates have been imprisoned
for acts of murder committed ruthlessly in that country and in others. The hijackers
demand the release of all these prisoners, and state that they will exterminate all the
passengers if this is not done. To show they mean business, they shoot the youngest
passenger, a child of 6, and drop her body onto the concrete. What should the authorities
do? The hijackers are known to have enough weapons to blow up the plane; 200 innocent
people could die; but by acceding to these demands, the authorities could be giving the all-
clear to similar potential hijackers throughout the world. On what principle should the
solution be determined?

Answer

Ethical Issues involved

• Whether to listen to the Hijacker

• Passenger Safety

• Release or not to release Prisoners.

• To risk life by lying to the Hijackers

Options Before the government

Try and fight the hijackers

Obey the hijackers

Try and play smart by fooling them

Disobey the hijackers outrightly

Consequences of the Actions

The Government will take the decision to let the prisoners free will wait for the last
possible moment, in order to make sure that there’s no third option.

It’s not certain that the hijacked plane will actually be blown.

These things are never certain. However, let’s assume a case in which it’s very likely
whatever the hijackers say is true. Catastrophic loss of life will occur if we don’t listen to
them.

The people in the plane therefore look like they’re doomed whatever decision is made
that they will be left to die.

Another reasoning would favour the first option, because not releasing prisoners means
intentionally killing the passengers and thereby treating them as instruments in an
operation to keep the prisoners

There’s an issue of human dignity here. People shouldn’t be instrumentalized.

So we have two options: Release the Prisoners and Save the people or just shoot the
plane.

The former is in the best for everyone, for the government should value the people inside
the Plane than Prisoners and make sure they are safely rescued.
2. You are a project engineer and assisting your project director along with his brother in
law, appointed on a contract basis, in developing a presentation that would get your cash
strapped PSU organization significant funding for a new power generation project from
central government as well as private investors. Now, when it comes to actual presentation
before government officials and private investors, director assigns his brother in law to
present the plan. As expected, this project plan gets approved with huge appreciation of the
suggestions you had added to the plan. On this, much to your surprise, project director
passes all the credit to his brother in law, for which he receives open adulation. Later, when
you question your director regarding this unethical behavior, he tries to convince you that
you, being a very bright engineer, would come across many other opportunities to prove
your caliber but this small favor would get his brother in law permanent appointment in
this PSU. What should be your future course of action?

1. You need to raise the issue in the internal grievance cell of your organization

2. You need to raise the issue because of following reasons-

Selection and promotion based on a criterion other than merit will promote nepotism in
organization. Inaction on your part could further enhance such situation in future also.

Moreover efficiency of organization depends on efficient and able members, thus the
same needs to be be incorporated in the organization.

Further utilization of resources depends on efficient employees.

If such an issue is disclosed in future among other employees, it may result in their
demotivation.

3. A convicted mobster decides to make a charitable contribution. He offers more than $1

million to a hospital to build a children’s wing. He will make the contribution if the new
pavilion is named after him. The hospital board accepts the gift, with that stipulation. Do
you think the hospital was right in accepting the gift?

Answer

Adhering to ethical standards in fundraising is especially important because the success of an

organization’s mission rests on trust: the trust of clients, volunteers, donors, and the community
served.
The Problem: Doing Good With Something Obtained Immorally

The conflict in this story stems from the strain between hospital's need for the money and the
money's being tainted and coming with a controversial string attached.

Some questions to ask yourself

How large was the majority in favor of this decision?

Were other potential benefactors approached and what were their responses?

Was the decision forced because without this money there would be no new wing?

Was the board approached or did it solicit this donation?

How do you respond to the criticism that the money is "ill-gotten" gains? How do you
think the public will react.

Apart from this the facts are also needs to be filtered through some general principles regarding
the uses and abuses of money, and the relationship between means and ends. It also presents a
problem of proportionality. What I mean is how much bad is done in the cause of doing how
much good.

Making the Best of a Bad Situation

In regard to the case presented here, there is no question about the origins of the money. The
donor is a convicted mobster and the money is tainted. Now he wants to take his money and
wash it by putting it to a socially acceptable purpose. The temptation to take it is great.

One approach could be

• If this mobster wants to put his money into helping children, then let him. Take the money, put
his name on the hospital and use the money to treat sick children, even save their lives in many
instances.
But you need to consider the effect of such action that is, will using something bad encourage
others to do bad things?

4. You are posted as a DM in a district. You come to know that a newly appointed BDO is
making commissions from developmental activities being carried out. Before taking action,
you plan to do some background check and come to know that this BDO is from a very
humble background and his relations are dependent on him. Moreover, he is funding the
education of their children. You also come to know that this BDO is pro-poor and has
implemented all BPL schemes with efficiency, wherever posted. Keeping these facts in
mind, what would be your course of action?

Answer

As a DM it’s your responsibility to maintain transparency and service orientation in

administration of district.

You need to hold a in-house inquiry to check the authenticity of information.

If the complaint holds true then it becomes your responsibility to hold the BDO accountable for
his actions.

In a public organization, means should justify ends; unfair means could never bring welfare.

Moreover in future if through RTI or through Media such information is disclosed or comes in
public, it will lead to distrust among public towards action of the administration.

5. BAASHA, a data analyst for a major casino, is working after normal business hours to
finish an important project. He realizes that he is missing data that had been sent to his
coworker Antony. BAASHA had inadvertently observed Antony typing his password
several days ago and decides to log into Antony’s computer and resend the data to himself.
Upon doing so, BAASHA sees an open email regarding gambling bets Antony placed over
the last several days with a local sports book. All employees of the casino are forbidden to
engage in gambling activities to avoid any hint of conflict of interest.

BAASHA knows he should report this but would have to admit to violating the company’s
information technology regulations by logging into Antony’s computer. If he warns Antony
to stop his betting, he would also have to reveal the source of his information. What should
BAASHA do in this situation?

Answer

In the given case study, BAASHA would have to choose between saving himself from trouble
and knowing that he is letting his coworker do something wrong, or else landing up in trouble to
correct a wrong that his coworker is committing.

One option is that he does not tell on Antony and himself. Another option is that he would tell on
themselves to get Antony and himself in trouble. Yet another possibility is that he may tell on
Antony, but try to clear himself.

If I were in this situation, I would keep to myself the information I found about Antony and
inform Antony that I accidentally observed him typing in his password. Then he would probably
change it. Since it was morally wrong of me to log into Antony's computer; therefore information
I found by doing something wrong should not be used to call someone else out on their wrong. If
I later overheard Antony talking about his gambling or found out a legitimate way, I would
report it then.

6. The mood at Vidya Mandir High School is tense with anticipation. For the first time in
many years, their basketball team has made it to the state semifinals. The community is
excited too, and everyone is making plans to attend the big event next Saturday night.
Vijay, the varsity coach, has been waiting for years to field such a team. Speed, teamwork,
balance: they've got it all. Only one more week to practice, he tells his team, and not a rule
can be broken. Everyone must be at practice each night at the regularly scheduled time: No
Exceptions. Ajith and Mohan are two of the team's starters. From their perspective, they're
indispensable to the team, the guys who will bring victory to Vidya Mandir. They decide—
why, no one will ever know—to show up an hour late to the next day's practice.

Vijay is furious. They have deliberately disobeyed his orders. The rule says they should be
suspended for one full week. If he follows the rule, Ajith and Mohan will not play in the
semifinals. But the whole team is depending on them. What should he do?

Answer
Everybody waited for so many years to get a right team to win the Championship and both Ajith
and Mohan are key players. The ultimate aim is to win the championship and without them it
would be difficult. But if Vijay doesn’t punish them there are chances that other students might
do similar things. Then the law he made won’t be valid.

One option is that the coach should ban them; the rules have to be the same for all children. Fair
play and sticking to the rules is the most important thing, it doesn’t matter if the team wins or
loses. The boys knew what they were doing, they shouldn’t have taken a risk like that.

Another option is that the coach should let them play in the match and they should be suspended
for a week after the game is over. It’s not fair that the other team members have to go without the
best players, they won’t win if the boys are not allowed to play. The dreams will be over.

Yet another option is that maybe the coach could just give them a warning. The coach should let
them play but he could warn them and put them on probation, if they break the rules again they
will get suspended from the school, but if they don’t they will have learnt their lesson.

I think coach should ban them for sure but that doesn’t mean that the team won’t win. It doesn’t
matter how good or important you are, the same rules should apply to all. There is no evidence in
the story that these rules were any less fair for these two boys. They are part of the team and so
they have entered in a relationship of trust and community with the other members on the team.
Unless there was a good reason for them to be late, they have let down the other members of
their team community and so I think they deserve to serve the agreed suspension.

7. You head the public relations department of the state’s largest bank. The department is
responsible for putting together a quality service recognition program. Your bank’s public
relations agency is designing the advertising specialty components for the program
targeting the bank’s 10,000 employees. Your spouse owns X Promotions, the largest
advertising specialty firm in the state. The company offers the best prices for large orders.
X Promotions has supplied products for a number of other accounts of the public relations
firm. This is the first time, however, that the public relations firm has used X Promotions
for a bank project. The public relations firm does not know that your spouse owns X
Promotions. You have not suggested the use of X Promotions. The public relations firm has
made its recommendations to you, including using X Promotions as the vendor for the
quality service recognition program. What should be your next course of action - with the
public relations agency, your management team and your spouse?

Answer
Following questions need to be asked:

Do I inform my bank’s management about the potential conflict of interest?

Should I ask the public relations firm to select another vendor?

Should I let the public relations firm pick the vendor? After all, I didn’t force them to
pick my spouse’s company. X Promotions did have the best price.

Building trust with the employeesis key in this case. Even though the use of your spouse’s
company would most likely result in a good and best price for the bank, letting the public
relations agency use the company to supply the components for the quality service program
would present a definite conflict of interest.

You should immediately notify the public relations agency not to use your spouse’s company as
a vendor for this and all future bank programs. You should explain that employees might
perceive a conflict of interest, and that the perception would damage mutual understanding and
credibility. The lack of trust by employees might be extended to the entire management of the
bank. The loss to your spouse’s company might be substantial, but you need to put the interests
of your employer and its employees before your personal interests. Even if you revealed the
conflict to your bank’s management team, and they approved the supplier, employees might still
perceive that you personally benefited from the bank using your spouse’s company as a supplier.
Avoiding the conflict would guarantee continued mutual respect between you and employees.

8. In an unexpected turn of events, you find a bag full of money. You somehow come to
know that this is black money, earned through unethical acts. Due to all pervasive
corruption, you are facing a dilemma on handing over the money to the administration.
You have a very close and honest friend who runs an orphanage. The orphanage is in a
very petty situation due lack of finance. To whom would you give the money and why?

Answer

The dilemma is the case is that the black money, if given to the administration, can be misused.
At the same time if it is given to orphanage than it can be best utilized. However, there are
certain negative consequence of this action too:
 It cannot be established as a rule. Because if everybody starts adopting such practices
there shall be lawlessness.

It is my perception that my friend will use fund for orphanage, but he may also end up
misusing it.

If I may not hand over the money to the administration, it may lead to a habit of not
abiding by the law.

It is public money and the government/administration is the final arbitrator for its planned
utilization.

If money is not handed over to the administration and it comes to their knowledge later,
then there could be legal repercussions for me.

Thus, I shall find out that what is the mechanism to deposit the money to the
administration. I shall try my level best that money is utilized for its intended purpose, in
the interest of the public exchequer.

9. You are the public relations professional for a housing developer. Your company’s next
project is a multi-family housing complex for middle-income families. While gathering
information related to the project, you find that land for the housing complex was the site
of a landfill. An EPA report shows very low levels of contaminants that are not life
threatening. You discuss this information with your supervising boss, who is not a public
relations professional, and request him to recommend ways to explain the landfill history in
promotional materials. Your boss tells you that the landfill information is not to be
included in the materials. He does not want this issue to be proactively discussed. What
should you do in this situation?

Answer

Ethical principles to guide the decision making process.

Enhancing the Profession -- To build respect and credibility with the public for the profession of
public relations. This principle requires that a member decline representation of clients or
organizations that urge or require actions contrary to this Code. Additionally, unethical behavior
would be to declare the product (in this case, land) safe without disclosing the EPA report.
Disclosure of Information – To build trust with the public by revealing all information needed
for responsible decision-making. This principle requires that a member be honest and accurate in
all communications.

Course of action

There is a potential for conflict between loyalty to the employer and the public’s right to know.
However, the value of independence helps resolve this conflict. You must convince your boss
that it is in the company’s best interest to acknowledge the history of the land. It is an
opportunity to explain all efforts to ensure the safety of the land being developed and future
monitoring. The reputation of the company will be enhanced by proactive communications.

If the EPA report becomes public under Freedom of Information Act, the failure to voluntarily
disclose this information could backfire against the developer and result in serious economic
losses.

Your reputation as a public relations practitioner depends on your skills to persuade your
employer to act in the best interest of the public.

10. You and Archana are the respective in-charge of two subunits in a government
organization, with both working under the General Manager Bala. Your organization
contracts out work to two private sector firms: Shreya Services and Vijaya Services. Both
of them are fully competent and have done good work.

Both you and Archana have encouraged Bala to spread the work between these two
contractors equitably to create some beneficial competition. But over the last 3 years, only
Shreya Services has received the larger contracts, which transcends the level of your
subunits and thus are out of your purview. Bala insists that Shreya Services has done fine
work and there is no need to change. He talks about continuity and proven performance,
and argues that stability serves the good of the department by reducing transaction costs
and thereby increasing efficiency.

Archana has argued for including Vijaya Services in the major contracts, not only because
it does good work but because it is a smaller firm that needs government contracts to get
well established. You believe that a combination of equally excellent performance and
compensatory justice for smaller firms that are struggling to compete, make Vijaya
Services even more deserving of a share in the big contracts. However, Bala is not willing to
budge from his seemingly unreasonable position.
Vijaya Services being a firm held by the minority community, you and Archana discuss the
possibility that Bala may be biased in consistently rejecting Vijaya Services out of hand for
the bigger contracts. The two of you try to find out an alternative explanation for Bala’s
conduct, but it is difficult not to interpret his actions as being motivated on communal
grounds.

Design an approach to address this serious problem of apparent inequity and perhaps
communal bias. Keep in mind that this is not just an isolated incident; it represents a
pattern of practice with potentially serious consequences for the organization and the
contractors and implications for cultural norms of the organization. List the steps that you
would take to address the problem.

Answer

The approach to deal with this serious problem of apparent inequity and communal bias can
include the following steps:

1. Define carefully and systematically the ethical problem we are facing. Is it communal bias or
unfair treatment for some other reason? Because the act of simply confronting the boss with a
charge of communal bias is not likely to elicit an honest response if he is biased in that way, we
will need to examine other evidence of communal bias in his conduct. Has he willingly hired,
encouraged, and promoted people of minority communities? Is there any other evidence of bias
in the incidences he tells or the way he favours people in the organization? If there is no other
evidence of communal bias, we may have no reason to believe it exists in this case.

If there are no good reasons to believe communalism is at work in the selection of contractors,
we will need to try to determine why he is consistently favouring Shreya Services. Is he
receiving kickbacks from Shreya? Does he have an old friend or relative who is in a key position
in that firm? Or is it something else? Does he just feel comfortable staying with a firm he knows
and trusts? In order to determine what is influencing Bala’s actions, we may need to talk
discreetly with others in the office who have been in the organization for a long time about his
relationship to Shreya Services. We may need to carefully talk with people we know at Shreya
and Vijaya Services about this by raising indirect questions. Eventually we may need to confront
the boss with our concern and ask him why he does not see the equity problem in excluding
Vijaya Services from the large contracts that he controls. We should always be open to the
possibility that he really believes what he espouses: that continuity and stability best serve the
good of the organization.
With a better focus on the nature of the ethical problem, we try to identify what we think is the
best course of action to address the problem. In this case, the facts show that Bala repeatedly
grants bigger contracts to Shreya and refuses to consider using Vijaya Services, even though it
performs well on smaller contracts. The principle at stake is equity and the possibility of Bala
being communally biased in his administrative alternatives. Is there a mechanism within our
organization to report our concerns? Is there a proper chain of events for documenting and
reporting such things? Is our first step to confront Bala directly? For each possible solution, we
must identify the probable consequences – both negative and positive. Ideally the positive result
would be for some of the larger contracts to be awarded to Vijaya. However, we must also
consider an end result that is negative. For example, we may be labeled as disloyal or
insubordinate if we report on Bala’s actions. Or our relationship with Bala may suffer, impeding
our ability to do well in our job and succeed in our agency. The next step is to find the most
fitting alternative, knowing that we will likely have to defend our actions and perhaps take some
blows to our self-image or our reputation among our coworkers. Once this is done, we can select
our alternative

3. With a course of action identified, we turn to a consideration of the organizational factors that
may encourage or impede what we are proposing to do. Is the organization so hierarchical that it
is difficult to deal with unethical decisions made above our level? Does the culture of the
organization support arguing with the boss when that seems to be required? Can one go around
the boss to the next person up the chain of command without destroying one’s career? Are there
dissent channels, either formally established to deal with problems of professional conscience or
set up with other purposes, that can be used to express concerns about perceived misconduct (for
example, a human resource department that might function as such a channel)?

4. Having developed an analysis of the organizational structure and culture, the next step is to
consider intervention strategies we might employ to make the organization more supportive of
the kind of conduct we have decided is consistent with the ethics of the public administrative
role. Much depends on how we have defined the ethical problem. If it is a matter of
communalism, we might try to get communal sensitivity training sessions established in which
the boss would participate. If it is not something that blatant, we might consider pushing for the
creation of a contract review committee within the organization to periodically look at all the
contracts awarded during a given period, examine the criteria, and assess the fairness of the
distribution of awards. Or we might decide the best way to handle problems of equity in
contracting is to avoid having any single person in charge of approvals and instead to rely on
collective decision making among top management. Beyond measures of this kind, we might
decide to recommend a thorough organizational development project to restructure the
organization, clarify its values, institute dissent channels, and create accountability arrangements
designed to check favouritism or tendencies to just do the same old thing because it is
comfortable to do so.

11. Mr. X is the engineering manager for the County Road Commission (CRC), with the
primary responsibility for county road safety. Along a given stretch of the road, many
people have died over the course of last 5 years by crashing into roadside trees. Many other
accidents have also occurred. Two lawsuits had been filed regarding the unsafe segment of
the road, but were dismissed because the drivers were exceeding the 45 mph speed limit.
Mr. X recommends that the road be widened, cutting down a large number of trees in the
process.

This leads to a protest by environmental groups and they file a petition to save the trees;
and instead educate people about following the road safety rules like speed limit etc. The
public sentiment is divided on the issue with no sight of a wide consensus. Discuss how Mr.
X should proceed at this point.

Answer

In discussion of this situation, one can try responding to the following:

• What do societal values require in this case?

• What do professional ethical standards require in this case?

Societal values:

A consideration of a variety of societal values would be relevant in this situation. For instance,
since society values human life, so this would favor widening the road and sacrificing the trees.

However, society also values environmental preservation, in which case a solution that does not
kill the trees should be found

Professional standards demand that efforts be made in improving the public knowledge regarding
the issue -this indicates that whatever decision is made, an effort should be made to educate the
public holistically on all the related issues.

Recommended action for Mr. X:

(1) First, hold a public meeting to inform the public about the decision you may have arrived at.
However, it should be noted that presently there may not be wide ranging consensus on the issue.
This is because the people who have presented the petition may not constitute the entire
population of the town. There may be a silent majority who hold a different view.

(2) One way to resolve the issue is to widen the road and remove trees from the right-of-way for
optimal safety.

(3) But the county should relocate the displaced trees to other public property (a park, etc).

12. You have just been appointed as a director of the city municipal corporation. A joint
director, much senior to you in age and about to retire in six months, is passionately
working on a very important urban planning project, successful completion of which would
earn him a lasting reputation for the rest of his retired life. A new lady Civil Engineer has
joined the corporation, having background from a leading premier institution in this field.
This has made the Joint Director (JD) so insecure that he constantly fears that she would
take all the credit. He has adopted a passive aggressive behavior towards her and is
disrespectful in his communication to her. The lady engineer feels embarrassed when the
Joint Director corrects her in front of other employees, raises his voice when speaking to
her and leaves no chance to humiliate her. She may also be intimidated by him since he has
had a long tenure in the office, has directly related experience in the functional area that
she is working in, and was also favored by the previous Director. She may be feeling that
she has no recourse in the matter. You are well aware of her outstanding academic and
career record in previous organizations but fear this one sided ego clash from the side of
the Joint Director would seriously compromise her much needed contribution in this
important project and also, her emotional well-being. Latest, you come to know that she is
planning to resign. How will you handle this situation?

Answer

Help the Joint Director understand that

She will not be allowed to walk away with the credit of his work and assure him that as
the Director you will ensure that he will be given due credit for his work as the Joint
Director heading the project given to him.

If because of him, she resigns and in the process puts a complaint, it might become a blot
on his career.
 He should rather help create a good team of subordinates, even after he leaves, who will
hold him in high esteem once he leaves and will be a good contribution from his side to
the Corporation.

The lady engineer has an outstanding academic and career record in previous
organizations and good potential and he should help her realize it and play a good
Mentor’s role as he is her senior and has directly related experience in the functional area
that she is working in. this is also his professional obligation in some sense.

That his behavior and attitude towards her is non-professional and unwarranted.

Make him realize how one sided ego clash from his side would seriously compromise her
much needed contribution in this important project which is also his last project and her
contribution instead could enhance the overall outcome getting him the final credit as,
after all he is in charge of the Project.

Such unprofessional attitude will also impact his efficiency and divert his focus towards
non- productive aspects.

Help the new lady Civil Engineer understand

How and why the Joint Director is passionately involved

Why and how she should get the JD into confidence by proving to be a dedicated and
supportive subordinate. By showing the professional respect to her senior and by being a
willing-to-learn subordinate she will satisfy the JD’s ego as a senior. This way she will
get lots of opportunities to learn from the JD’s experience.

That she can discuss the related dimensions one to one in advance, as a good and helping
subordinate, to avoid any in-public awkward situations.

That she can show better professionalism by being assertive when required but not
aggressive in reply.

That as the present Director, you will support her find her footing in the organization, if
she shows patience and professionalism in times of stress and even after the JD retires.
 That you are impressed by her academic and career record and it will help her go a long
way in the Corporation and that in career one needs to handle different types of stress.

That you will always help her in overcoming any troublesome situation and she should
not think of resigning, as it will not reflect well in her career record for quitting too soon.

Further make them interact more in your presence where you could balance and control the
situation as the senior most official by position, ensuring the desired outcome for the Corporation
and publicly also showing that you will take a just stand, encouraging both for their respective
efforts.

13. A state-of-the-art technology product is to be launched by a leading company on a

widely advertised date, simultaneously at different locations in the country, for the first
time. There is fantastic customer response and heavy bookings for the product

A big event is planned in Trichy for the launch to which a large number of dignitaries,
customers and media have been invited, thus ensuring extensive press coverage. The
manager’s career hinges on the success of the event and the launch.

Three days before the scheduled launch date, the manager’s deputy tells him that the
trucks transporting the product have been detained at the octroi post outside Trichy,
ostensibly for want of some documents, and the octroi inspector is demanding a bribe for
clearance of the consignment.

“Should we pay the bribe?” the deputy manager asks the manager. What should the
manager do? Discuss the course of action he can take. Keep in mind, that this is not an
isolated incident. These kinds of things happen a lot in the country where a bribe is
demanded for “quick solutions”. Discuss an approach, which can be followed in such
situations.

Answer

The deputy manager may face a number of ethical dilemmas that may complicate his decision.

Should the deputy manager do anything, legal or illegal, in order to ensure a successful
launch...? Or should he act within bounds of the law and ethical propriety...?
 Why has his deputy manager passed the ball in the manager’s court...? Such situations
must have arisen before. Is it a trap to test the manager’s honesty...?

The manager has many ethical obligations towards several parties.

He has an obligation to obey the laws of the land but as an employee he also owes a
degree of obedience to his superiors and an obligation to ensure the company’s success.
This conflicting two- fold obligation comprises not only business and commercial
success but also includes his duty to guard his company’s reputation, protect its interests
and see that it doesn’t fall foul of the law.

Finally, the manager has a duty towards himself not to compArchanase his own personal
conscience.

A holistic view of the ethical perspectives of concerned stakeholders involved in the ethical
dilemma will provide a solution. In the ethical situation analyzed here, in this case study, it
clearly suggests that in the long-term interest of the stakeholders involved, the manager should:

1. Decline to pay the bribe.

2. Apprise the top management of his decision.

3. Use the three days time available and try to resolve the issue in a proper manner, with the help
of the top management, intervention at higher levels and threat of counter-exposure if necessary.

4. Take customers into confidence to cater for the “worst case scenario”.

5. Ask the top management to promulgate a code of ethics, which clearly prohibits all types of
bribes and illegal payments.

Business is a cooperative activity whose very existence requires ethical behaviour, as any
unethical behaviour on the part of any stakeholder is detrimental to business interests. Business
cannot strive without ethics, so it is in the best interest of business to promote ethical behaviour
among all its stakeholders as well as within its larger society. When employees believe an
organization is ethical, they are more willing to contribute to the organization’s interests, as they
see managers’ leadership as legitimate and readily follow what their managers and supervisors
tell them to do. Thus, ethics is sine qua non for any business.
14. A junior member of staff has just returned to work after taking special leave to care for
her elderly mother. For financial reasons she needs to work full-time. She has been having
difficulties arranging proper care for her mother, which has led her to miss important
team meetings (usually taking place at the beginning of each day) and to leave the office
early. She is very competent in her work but her absence is putting pressure on her as well
as her overworked colleagues. You being her manager are aware that the flow of work is
coming under pressure due to this. One of her male colleagues is beginning to make
comments such as “a woman’s place is in the home”, and is undermining her at every
opportunity, putting her under even greater stress. How will you deal with the situation?

Answer

Fundamental Principles

1. Integrity: You need to be fair to all those involved and act in a straightforward manner.

2. Confidentiality: You have a duty of maintaining confidentiality to the staff involved.

3. Professional behaviour: How should you proceed so as not to discredit yourself, your
profession or the practice for which you work?

Consider not just who you should involve but also why and when. Do you have access to
appropriate staff in HR? Can you consult someone in the office in whom you can confide?

Possible Action

Check the relevant facts: Clarify staff procedures with the senior HR manager. Take legal advice
if required.

Discuss the matter with the staff member: Suggest a more flexible approach to team
meetings – do these always have to be in the morning? Working from home may be an
option for the junior staff member, if possible.

Remind the male member of staff about proper conduct and how such behaviour may
 amount to harassment and he might have to face legal problems along with the chance of
spoiling company’s reputation.

Throughout, you must be seen to be acting fairly: both towards the junior member of
staff, who is responsible for her mother’s care, and towards other members of staff.

15. Consider that you are working in an organization. The Chairman of the organization
has made it a practice even in good times to have his senior executives fire ten percent of
their subordinates once every three years, and those at lower levels to do the same. “It’s all
about performance. Some think that it’s cruel or brutal to remove the bottom 10 percent of
our people. It isn’t. It’s just the opposite. What I think is brutal and false kindness is
keeping people around who aren’t going to grow and prosper”, argues the Chairman. Do
you agree with his views? Substantiate.

Answer

There have been instances in the history of corporations where the “rank and yank” system, such
as the one adopted in General Electric, has worked well. Jack Welch, who was the Chairman and
CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001 has been one of the most vocal proponents of
this system. He even gave a vitality model described as a “20-70-10” system. According to this
model the employees can be divided into three categories: the top 20 per cent, the middle 70 per
cent, and the bottom 10 per cent. While the “top 20” per cent of the workforce is most
productive, the vital 70 per cent work adequately. The bottom 10 per cent is non producers and
should be fired.

However, there are certain limitations and drawbacks in adopting this model and indiscriminately
firing the bottom 10 per cent of the so-called “non producers”. Firstly such a kind of forced
ranking undermines team work. It can encourage employees to engage in destructive and
wasteful game-playing designed to ensure that they get credit, or others don’t. It can also result
in lower productivity, inequity and skepticism, negative effects on employee engagement,
reduced collaboration, and damage to morale and mistrust in leadership.

Also, firing employees for performance would be quite a tough thing to do – because it has real
human consequences, and because it is an admission of management failure, particularly if the
employee is someone the manager hired in the first place. There may also arise certain kind of
morale problems among the employees from what can be referred to as “forced ranking”.

Further, there’s also a methodological flaw in such a “rank and yank” system. It’s based on a
classic bell curve, wherein a vast majority of people will invariably fall somewhere in the
middle. Even if one could identify the bottom 10 per cent, firing them would just give us a
different bottom 10 per cent. The moot point where does this end?

Still further, a forced ranking can only work if there are clear objective performance criteria
already in place. This is because without clear performance standards and expectations, the
decision on who is in the bottom 10 per cent would be left up to individual managers, whose
judgments can either become or at least perceived as political and unpredictable. Thus firing the
bottom 10 per cent would seem to be a quick fix solution to a situation where managers are not
doing their jobs properly and the problems that the organization may be facing. Just ranking
people without a specific idea of the basis for the ranking can hardly tell us anything about
whether, or how well people are meeting an organization’s goals, and hence is best avoide

16. In a state in India, government officials are regularly denying poor, illiterate workers,
their statutory minimum wage under a government scheme ensuring a minimum level of
employment for them. The actual quantity of work done is being routinely under
measured. False entries in employment registers with bogus names, is enabling project
foremen to pocket the payments. Other malpractices including inflated estimates for public
works projects, use of poor quality materials, and over billing by suppliers are being
followed. What can be done to resolve this problem? List the measures that can be taken to
plug such loopholes.

Answer

Measures that can be taken:

Develop and enforce transparency safeguards and a methodology of muster roll

verification: Some of the methods can be pro-active disclosure of muster rolls, regular
maintenance of “job cards” etc.

Few imaginative ways of muster roll maintenance can be taken up. For example, each
labourer has to enter her signature or thumbprint in the muster roll every day by way of
marking attendance. This ensures not only that the muster roll is available for public
scrutiny at the worksite, but also that large number of people actually see it every day.

Different methods of payment can be set up. For example, paying through post offices.
This is an example of the “separation of payment agencies from implementing agencies,”.
This system virtually removes any incentive the implementing agencies have to fudge
muster rolls, since the payments are beyond their reach.
 Institutionalized social audits, involving routine verification of records through
participatory processes is one of the best method that can be utilized to plug the
loopholes. With social audit, transparency can be built-in the scheme that can take care of
poor quality material, over billing and inflated estimates. This is because it is ultimately
the “user” who is enforcing the accountability.

17. You are posted as a District Collector in one of the districts in India. It has been
brought to your notice that a structure has been built by few members of a religious
community on the public land without getting due permissions. In keeping with the
guidelines of the Supreme Court of India, disallowing the construction of any permanent
religious structures on public land, you are contemplating its removal. However, the
leaders of the community in question have requested you to permit the structure saying
that it is for the period of month long religious festival only. Moreover they say that there is
no other religious place nearby where community members can celebrate their festival.
Your seniors and the political leader of the area also support their views. However you are
skeptical that after the festival is over, it may not be easy to remove the religious structure
from the public land due to the involvement of community members at large.

What will you do in such a situation?

Answer

1st Approach

Firstly, leaders of the community should be persuaded that though District Administration fully
respect the values and customs of their religion but due strict guideline administrators have to
suffer from penal action if structure is not removed.

Second, if leaders do not agree, then the matter should be discussed with the superiors that are
there any authority which can give such permission. If it is not possible, then he should remove
the structure.

If such solution is not available, then he should check whether it is possible to limit the number
of people attending the festival, based on law and order administration available and with the
help of leaders of the community? If it is possible, then he can allow them to take up the festival
because structure can be removed later if number of people involved is not much. If it is not
possible, then he should remove the structure.

2nd Approach

Community activities can be taken up on a government land but proper permission needs to be
taken so I will ask to that community to take requisite permission in written manner.

As a district officer it is my responsibility to maintain law and order and peace in district and
also to ensure sentiments of community is not hurt. Therefore to maintain such balance
permission will be granted till festive month but after that demolition will be carried out under
municipal act, following proper procedures and discussions with influential and important
members of religious community such that peace would not be disturbed.

18. Consider the case of a religiously orthodox couple in Wonderland. Their son is dying of
cancer and needs a bone marrow transplant. While the doctor is devoted to reducing pain
and preserving life, the parents refuse permission to let the doctor give the necessary bone-
marrow transplant. In their view faith alone does the healing and moreover, permitting the
treatment would endanger the child’s life because it would issue from lack of faith. The
doctor is dismissal of these ideas and puts off all treatment until the parents agree for the
transplant. While the clashes between these two worldviews continue, the child dies. Should
the parents now be tried by the law for criminal neglect? Was the doctor also being
stubborn and betraying weakness, or is he just being a doctor? Has he violated his code of
ethics too?

The principle of autonomy is one of the four guiding principles of medical ethics, the others
being beneficence, non-malfeasance, and justice. It means that patients have the right to decide
what is done to their own bodies. For minors, it is the parents decide for them. What happens
when parents refuse a treatment that their child’s doctor recommends?

While the faith of the parents should be respected, any possibility of a miraculous cure based on
their religious faith should be entirely left out of account. In the given case, it was a near medical
certainty that the child would die without treatment; and the only effective treatment was
probably a bone marrow transplant.

If the doctor believed that the parents were not acting in the child’s best interest, he should have
gone to the court and tried to convince the judge that the court should take temporary custody of
the child and allow the treatment. Another way for the doctor was to try persuading the parents to
accept medical care. He could have even discussed passages from the holy books of various
religions (and probably even theirs), which talk about healing and even prayed with them, as a
sign that he also respected their faith. He could have made them believe that he was not opposed
to their beliefs per se, and was not negating the power of their God, and in fact was a part of it. In
the process he could have tried to balance their view on faith and science and told them to keep
praying for their child, while he gives him the requisite treatment. It was important that he tried
to appreciate their point of view, rather than dismissing it altogether.

In such a situation it was important to balance the practical obligations of providing medical care
while adhering to doctors’ ethical obligations to report such cases to the police and the courts. To
this limited extent the doctor violated his code of ethics and abdicated his responsibilities. He
was also being stubborn and betraying weakness.

The doctor’s decision on bone marrow transplant decision was made on the basis of medical
knowledge and experience, evidence and reason. Though by definition, a faith based miracle
defies medical science and all known experience and reason, it was important that the parents be
made to realize that they were simply engaging in child neglect. Assuming that there are
adequate laws on child neglect, the parents should be tried and penalized in some way under the
same.

However, it must also be kept in mind that even parents, who are blinded by religious faith and
miracles, love their children. They would have loved to have their child survive, but they
believed in healing with prayer. It is unlikely that they were harming the interests of their child
intentionally; it’s just that they had a strong faith that others don’t share.

The doctor should not have made a rash decision when faced with a family refusing medical
care, despite how he felt about the family’s religious beliefs. If he would have approached them
in a more humanistic way and with compassion, compromise was much more likely. Finding
common ground with parents about religious views would have helped in developing a
compatible care plan and maybe saved the child. It was important for the doctor to guard against
his frustrations, which held him from working with the family in saving the child.

Thus both the doctor as well as the parents has to share the blame for the child’s death. While the
doctor violated his code of ethics and was being irresponsible, the parents are guilty of child
neglect. Both could be tried and probably penalized in different ways.

19. You have performed a competent piece of consulting work for Kumar Industries and
the CEO of Kumar Industries invites you to his company's New Year Eve party, where he
hands you an envelope marked “Happy New Year” and murmurs, “To be opened at New
Year. It is just a small token of appreciation.” You get back to your office and open the
envelope: inside are hundred crisp, new one thousand rupee notes. Your office mate, an old
hand at the game, says: “Keep it. A few companies do it around here. He'll just ask you for
some information from time to time about other companies that use our services-nothing
like industrial espionage, you understand, just a general sense of how things are going with
rivals, what's most on their minds, that sort of thing. It's not as if you're going to be asked
to reveal patented secrets or the contents of files marked confidential.” Do you keep the
money? Or do you risk offending a client valued by your company by returning the
money? Does the fact that the money is direct, not negotiated by agent to whom you pay a
sum of money for the service, make a difference and if so, how?

Answer

A gift is something of value given without the expectation of return; a bribe is the same thing
given in the hope of influence or benefit. In this scenario I need to enquire about my
organization’s policy on gifts and hospitality. I will notify my line manager or another
appropriate person if I suspect that I have been offered a gift or hospitality with corrupt intent or
relationship will be influenced. If so, this is a bribe. In this scenario principle of integrity need to
be apply where In line with the global professional and ethical standards you should always act
with integrity. This means being open and transparent in the way you study and work. It also
means being honest with others and never trying to hide the facts or purposely deceive those to
whom you have a professional responsibility.

20. You are the director of a unit in a regulatory agency that is charged with monitoring
the use of potentially harmful commercial chemicals. Geeta, a junior project manager
under your supervision, is responsible for studying a broad-spectrum insecticide that is
used not only in agriculture by small food- grain farmers and cotton farmers, but also in
the livestock sector as an animal spray. She has been assigned to determine whether this
product should be removed from the market. At a social event, Geeta met a man named
Siddharth, who she later learned was the Mumbai representative for the insecticide
manufacturer. After meeting Siddharth several times, she became rather fond of him and
wanted to pursue the relationship further. However, Geeta realized that their professional
roles created a potential conflict of interest for her, and she decided to tell you about the
situation. She intended to continue seeing Siddharth and said she considered herself
mature enough to maintain a separation between her professional and private lives. Geeta
insisted that her feelings for Siddharth would not influence her judgment in any way; in
fact she and Siddharth had never even discussed the chemical in question. What would you
do in such a situation? While you evaluate the alternatives available to you, what are the
moral codes and maxims that come to your mind as reference points for arriving at a
decision?
Answer

In this case the ethical situation is not much clear. Has Geeta done anything that represents a
breach of professional ethics? Because of her relationship with Siddharth, it might well be
difficult for her to maintain objectivity in discharging her duties. But perhaps it might not be.
People differ in their ability to manage tensions of this kind. And what is your responsibility? Is
it more important to avoid even the appearance of unethical conduct within your organization or
to support an employee’s right to freedom in her private life? Should Geeta be trusted until her
behaviour demonstrates otherwise? Examine your alternatives and arrive at a suitable conclusion.

21. Mr. X worked in the human resources department that was interviewing applicants for
a top job in a widget company. After reading many applications, one stood out way ahead
of the others. Then he realized that he knew the applicant, Mr. Y. They had hung out
together when they were teenagers. Mr. Y had been a wild kid and once was arrested for
shoplifting and the possession of drugs. Mr. Y had completed mandatory counseling and, as
far as Mr. X knew, Mr. Y had straightened out his life and had done well during the last
twenty years. Mr. Y hadn't indicated in his application that he had once been arrested and
Mr. X feared that the company would never hire someone with a police record, no matter
how minor or how long ago the offence was. Do you favor Mr. X revealing the information?

Answer

In this case, principle of integrity applies. In line with the global professional and ethical
standards you should always act with integrity. This means being open and transparent in the
way you work. It also means being honest with others and never trying to hide the facts or
purposely deceive those to whom you have a professional responsibility. So Mr. X need to tell
the company and let them decide what is the best for company's interest. Moreover in above case
Mr. Y has already committed a crime by not disclosing all the information to company regarding
his arrest or conviction so this also need to be taken into account where it is reflected that above
person in future could distort the facts for his benefit.

22. Imagine that you have been recently appointed as the head of the accounts department
in a municipal corporation. Soon after you assumed your duties, you discovered that a
clerk in your department was falsifying the payroll account by continuing to carry the
names of some employees who have already been terminated. When the clerk picked up the
payroll, he would pull out those cheques, endorse and cash them and keep the money. You
have no difficulty in recognizing that this clerk is not only involved in unethical conduct
but is also clearly violating the law. In this situation, the following two options are available
to you. Which amongst these two would you choose as your response? Give logical
arguments in the support of your answer.

Answer

I will proceed with the formal charges and prosecution because of the following reasons.

Any organization cannot sustain without public trust. There may be short term gain
without it.

The clerk should get fair and free chance to defend himself. He might get smaller
punishment then loosing the job. Thus, organization will not loose an employee.

My image in my subordinates will be strengthened that I believe in justice and fair play.
Thus my authority and leadership will be enhanced.

If I fire him quietly, he becomes a mean to achieve the others’ goals.

I cannot expect that any situation might arise where I do not get a fair chance to defend
myself.

23. X is an excellent student and has always been at the top of his class in your College. In
his senior year he got selected to MIT. In February, his Internal Assessment is due. X did
his research and was writing his paper, he was using some web sites for some last minute
help. He has already written much of the paper, but he finds an essay on his topic that fits
perfectly. He cuts and pastes some part of the topic. You notice the change in the writing
style and then check the web for plagiarism. Should you give the student a zero and report
the situation to the guidance counselor and principal so that they may communicate the
infraction to MIT?

Answer

If we look at the problem then X was a brilliant student. As he has always been at top in his class
and achieved a remarkable eligibility for higher studies in MIT, we can say he was very
hardworking also. He completed his research but at last moment he took someone else’s work
and passed them off as his own.
Now we have three options. First option is we should give X a zero and report the situation to the
guidance counsellor and the principal. As per rules he will then communicate the infraction to
MIT. Second option is, considering it is a special situation, teacher can reduce the punishment.
We should ask the student to rewrite the paper and can deduct certain marks from his final
grades. Third option is we can call a meeting with certain higher officials for this matter. We can
present this case in front of them and let them know our opinion i.e. punishment should be in
such a way that student’s future would not get affected.

24. You are judging a high profile case of a rich businessman who is accused of holding
back money of numerous investors in the country. You are facing tremendous pressure
from politicians and an industrial lobby, asking you to be lenient towards the businessman
as he has created close to a million jobs in the country and his bad reputation will be
disastrous for the economy. The following are some suggested options. Please evaluate the
merits and demerits of each of the options:

A. Ask the senior judge to transfer you from the case.

B. Ignore all the pressure tactics by various groups completely.

C. Increase the duration of the court hearing to soothe down the pressure.

D. Hold the case in abeyance and ask for an inquiry report from the regulatory body.

E. Ask the media to stop reporting the case with such fanfare.

Also indicate (without necessarily restricting to the above options), what would you advise,
giving proper reasons.

As the options have been already provided to the students, it is expected out of them to clearly
spell out the reasons for supporting certain option. It should reflect their competence to
understand the situation and act with prudence. Every option has some pros and cons. It is
important to reflect the ‘values’ cardinal to you while choosing an option.

Answer:
On analysing the merits and demerits of the options provided in the question, we understand that:

a) By asking the senior judge to transfer myself from the case would ensure that I would not face
public pressure, scrutiny from media and industrial lobby; It would relieve me from the position
of dilemma and I could look after other cases in better manner.

But by doing so, I shall be escaping from my duty. It would lead to dereliction of duty; besides if
everyone facing similar situation desires similar steps, it would lead to a situation of chaos where
one will not be willing to take the duty assigned to him.

b) By ignoring the pressure tactics by various groups completely, we can focus on the merits and
demerits of the case in an objective manner. It will ensure neutrality in decision making and help
in setup a benchmark for further judgements. However, saying so is easier than doing so. There
will be relentless pressure from various groups citing issues like it will harm the economy of the
country, it
could lead to loss of employment for many people, it may cause safety issue for the judge
himself and his family may face little harassment too.

c) By increasing the duration of court hearing to soothe down the pressure, the court can fetch
more time for itself to analyse the case. Besides, it will provide enough time to the aggrieved
parties to strengthen their case both for and against the issue. Also, with time pressure from
people will reduce and it will help in taking the best possible decision in the matter. But by
taking such step, it would be a case of delaying justice and it is firmly believed that justice
delayed is justice denied. Also, there is no certainty that pressure will not mount back at the later
date of hearing. Along with it, the professional integrity of the judge will be questionable and it
could set wrong precedent for future in the country which is already reeling under the burden of
large number of pending cases in the judiciary.

d) By holding the case in abeyance and asking for an enquiry report from a regulatory body, the
judge will get expert opinion on the matter which can help in taking an objective and better
decision. It will also serve to reduce public pressure. However, it has its own costs. It would
delay the judgement and may cause trouble in making the judgement if the enquiry report
provides a completely different overview. Also, there could be comparisons drawn from the
conclusion of the enquiry reports and the courts judgment, if both don’t match.

e) By asking the media to stop reporting the case with a fanfare, the pressure from public can be
subdued to a certain extent. Many parties who are not directly related to the case will reduce the
pressure on the court. But doing so, there could be concerns of judiciary trying to tame down
media's right for freedom of speech and expression and may lead to rumours of some misdeeds
behind the settings. Also, it would be against the basic theme of transparency and accountability,
which are the backbone of any public office. Thus, it may reduce the public faith in the judicial
system of the country.

On analysing the possible options, the best step possible, which can be taken, is that the judiciary
should ask for setting up the enquiry committee in case, if the matter is requiring some expert
knowledge on some topics, under consideration. Based on the reports and other facts available
with the judge, proper judgement should be taken based on the merits of the law without any
pressure from any external source.

25. Lisha Gupta is the environmental compliance manager for a small plastics
manufacturing company. She is currently faced with a dilemma on whether or not to spend
money on a new technology that will reduce the level of a particular toxin in the wastewater
that flows out from the back of the factory into a lake.

The factory's emission levels are already within legal limits. However, Lisha knows that
environmental regulations for this particular toxin are lagging behind scientific evidence.
In fact, a scientist from the university had been quoted in the newspaper recently, saying
that if emission levels stayed at this level, the fish in the lake and rivers in the area might
soon have to be declared unsafe for human consumption.

Further, if companies in the region don't engage in some self-regulation on this issue, there
is reason to fear that the government — backed by public opinion — may force companies
to begin using the new technology, and may also begin requiring monthly emission level
reports (which would be both expensive and time consuming).

But the company's environmental compliance budget is tight. Asking for this new
technology to be installed would put Lisha's department over-budget, and could jeopardize
the company's ability to show a profit this year.

The following are some suggested options. Please evaluate the merits and demerits of each
of the options:

1. Lisha should focus on her company’s financial performance and profits and forget the
environmental issue as the compliance budget is already tight.
2. As the emission levels of the company are within legal limits, Lisha should wait for new
governmental regulations first and only after that should think about taking any action.

3. Lisha should proactively report the matter to the higher management and ensure proper
measures are taken but still profits of the company should receive the utmost priority.

Also indicate (without necessarily restricting to the above options), what would you advise,
giving proper reasons.

Answer:

1. The only merit in this option is that company will be able to keep up its financial performance
and retain its profits.

But this option will represent short sightedness on the part of the company. First of all, as is
already mentioned above, the government may step in and make environmental regulations
which may be much harder to comply with resulting in severe financial costs in terms of both
men and material. Besides environmental issues are complex and if the problem is not tackled in
its initial stages, it may reach the tipping point, assume gigantic proportions and may not be
solvable later. So, the decision may back fire on the financial front itself negating the above
merit.

Secondly, if the people get affected due to the rising levels of toxin then a lot of ill will would be
generated about the company. There may be public protests which will further hamper the
interests of the company both in financial terms and loss of good will of its customers.

Thirdly, this action by the company will represent abdication of its responsibilities towards the
society. A company is not a closed system and it depends on its environment for certain inputs
and also affects the environment through its outputs. So, it is necessary that it realizes its
responsibilities towards the larger society as well.

So, w.r.t. this option, the demerits clearly outweigh the merits. Hence it is not a good decision.

2. In this option, the decision may be right legally but not ethically. The purpose of laws is to
regulate and guide people’s behavior in a direction which is socially acceptable. But ultimately
laws can never take care of all kind of possibilities and also need to be regularly updated. Hence
being legally correct does not always means ethical conduct.

With the merits and demerits of this case being same as discussed above, the above decision may
stand on the legal front. But on ethical front it does not take care of the larger society and hence
it is not preferable.

3. In this case, the concern showed by the company towards its externalities is appreciable.
Reporting the matter to the higher management will bring the issue to the forefront and promote
healthy discussions on the topic. The company can start by taking small steps which may not be
much costlier and prepare the ground for combating the problem before it assumes gigantic
proportions. The company can start consultations with the government or public which will
highlight its concerns and generate a lot of good will for the company.

Besides it will be only practical for the company to give its finances higher priority as it affects
the sustainability of the company. If finances get affected, it may shift the focus of higher
management completely towards the finances with the environment issue getting completely
sidelined during later stages when it will become more dangerous and wanting. Being able to
manage the profits would also send a signal that prudent financial management and
environmental concerns can coexist.

One way is that company can take certain steps under its Corporate Social Responsibility. It will
on one hand help in creating goodwill for the company and on the other hand not adversely
affect the company’s finances.

Recommendation

The only other option left apart from the above mentioned ones is that company devotes its
complete attention to the environmental issue without thinking about profits. But that decision
may affect the sustainability of the company and may have repercussions as discussed in the
second last paragraph of option three.

So, I will prefer option three as it takes care of both the issues at hand and presents a solution
that is in line with both financial and ethical requirements of the company. It shows pragmatism
and far sightedness on the part of the company.

26. Sahu has heard from his manager that their organization will be downsizing; it could be
as little as 5 percent or as much as 30 percent. However, the supervisor told Sahu that
"we're all under strict orders to keep it quiet" so that the agency's best employees will not
seek other jobs.

Mohan (one of the finest professionals in Sahu's unit), upon hearing the downsizing
rumors, told Sahu that he was sure that he could get another job at a new business if a
reduction in force occurred. However, openings at the new business will close soon. Mohan
asked Sahu, "Will there be layoffs?" and "Should I get another job now?"

a) What are the options available to Sahu?

b) Evaluate each of these options and highlight which option you would have preferred,
giving reasons for the same.

Answer:

The dilemma in the above case is between the loyalties of Sahu towards his seniors and his
responsibilities towards the welfare of his juniors or team mates. Various options available to
him are:

1. Inform Mohan about the downsizing: This course of action will be advisable on the grounds
that Rohan will be telling the truth and also following his responsibility of taking care of his unit
members. But at the same time the action will be strongly against the professional ethics an
employee should follow. It will be betraying the trust of your seniors.

Besides Sahu himself does not have any concrete information. All he has heard is in the nature of
informal communication. The scale of downsizing is also not clear. May be it is very less and as
Mohan is one of the finest professional, he may not be in danger at all.

So, this course of action is not advisable.

2. Tell Mohan that he does not have any information regarding layoffs: This action will be
completely in consonance with the professional ethics with Sahu keeping the trust and loyalty of
his superiors. But it will not be right on the part of Sahu to keep his unit members completely in
dark and giving them no time to look for alternatives which may be necessary for their career
continuity. Some like Mohan may completely miss out their existing opportunities resulting in
hardships.
So, this course of action, though professionally correct, is also not desirable as it may cause a lot
of trouble to Sahu’s unit members.

3. Talk to the senior management regarding keeping unit members informed: Apart from
the above two options, one thing Sahu can do is talk to his superior about the necessity of
keeping the employees informed about the current scenario. He should try to persuade his
superiors to take employees into confidence by telling them that finances of the company are
strained and austerity measures may be taken. But none of this is final as of now and there is no
need to worry. Besides this is the time that company needs the best performance of all its
employees so that they can get out of current economic problems. Also that the company stands
by its best employees and nobody will be given any unfair treatment. If any drastic measures are
necessary, due time will be given to them to make alternative arrangements. Further those who
stand with the company in these tough times will be suitably rewarded.

This may lead to certain employees looking for alternate jobs but that will be in the interest of
company itself because it will help in identifying who are the most committed ones which the
company actually needs right now. More importantly it will save the company from the ill will it
may have to face if the layoffs are done suddenly without any prior information. Sudden
restructuring may also result in even good employees looking for other opportunities as they will
be suspicious of their future prospects as well as uncertainties in the company’s HR policy.
Besides, less talented but faithful and committed employees are always better than talented but
less committed ones, especially in the times of crisis.

Preferred solution

We will prefer the third option as it presents a solution by keeping everybody informed about the
ground realities and giving everybody a fair say in the entire process. It ensures that nobody is
kept in the dark and everybody can decide according to their preferences. And based on the
reasoning above, it may cause certain problems in the short run, but in the long run it will be the
correct decision.

27. Mr. Shivaji assigns a research problem in a high school calculus class. The problem is
quite difficult and will require collaborative time and effort of a team. Mr. Shivaji divides
the class into groups of four students, gives them instructions, and tells them when the
problem will be due.

Paramesh’s group has an initial meeting and decides to divide up the work and then
collaborate the information. Sarah, one of Paramesh’s group members, offers to write a
particular section of the paper based on some great information she found on the Internet.
The other members of the group, including Paramesh, divide the remaining work and
proceed with their respective research.

One week before the project is due, Paramesh finds out that Sarah has chosen to “copy and
paste” most of her paper from the Internet source. Paramesh picks up on Sarah’s
plagiarism and knows it is wrong, but he needs an “A” on this research problem in order to
pass Calculus. Paramesh confronts Sarah and asks her to redo her paper without
plagiarizing, but Sarah claims she is too busy with her other class work. She assures
Paramesh that Mr. Shivaji will never discover the plagiarism, and that if he does, she will
take complete blame for it.

Paramesh finds himself in an extremely uncomfortable position. He feels partly responsible

for the plagiarism because he is a part of the same group and he knows about it as well.

The following are some suggested options. Please evaluate the merits and demerits of each
of the options:

1. Paramesh should forget about plagiarism as it is a common practice and ultimately he is

not the one who did it.

2. Paramesh should highlight the issue to the whole group and then decide after taking
everybody’s advice.

3. Paramesh should talk directly to Mr. Shivaji and leave it to him to take the right course
of action

4. Paramesh should himself redo the work of Sarah and then submit the paper.

Also indicate (without necessarily restricting to the above options), what would you advise,
giving proper reasons.

Answer
1. The only merit in this option is that Paramesh may be able to get an ‘A’ on this research
problem and pass calculus. But that is also not certain because there is no guarantee that Mr.
Shivaji will not find out about plagiarism himself. And if he finds out than, even if Veenna
confesses to her mistake, he will punish the entire group.

On the other hand Paramesh accepting plagiarism as a common practice will be very harmful in
his future career. It may result in development of a habit for such unethical things which may
create bigger issues in his further career. Ignorance of these small things at early stages of life
tends to create a propensity for such acts in later stages of life.

Also it will not be correct for him to let one of his classmates indulge in such unethical practices.
As a friend and classmate, it is his responsibility to stop her from doing such things even if it
involves some confrontation. It is necessary to stop her from doing such things as early as
possible.

So based on the above discussion, this option is not acceptable at all.

2. Telling everybody will be the right course of action because if plagiarism gets caught, then
everybody will have to face the consequences. Since task is assigned to the group, everybody
will be held responsible for the unethical conduct. It may generate some ill will about Paramesh
in Sarah’s mind. But Paramesh being part of a larger group has a greater responsibility to think
about everybody.

Besides, bringing the issue into light will also be in the interests of Sarah as well. Telling others
may also put some extra pressure on Sarah. This peer pressure may force her to accept her
mistake and rectify it.

Overall it will only be fair to inform everybody about the issue so that nobody is kept in the dark.

3. Telling Mr. Shivaji directly will save Paramesh from any humiliation later. It may also result
in him being forgiven for coming out with the truth. But it will also mean Paramesh abdicating
his responsibility towards the entire group for self-interest and self-preservation. Paramesh
should first talk about the issue with the group. If the group fails to agree on a particular course
of action or decides to hide the issue then only Paramesh should talk to Mr. Shivaji directly.

4. First of all, doing all the work himself may not be feasible at all for Paramesh. As mentioned
in the case study, the problem is huge and needs collaborative effort. Secondly it may be in short
term interests of Sarah, but in the long term it may become problematic for her. As discussed
earlier, plagiarism may become a habit resulting in grave consequences.

28. A terrorist group states that it has concealed a nuclear bomb in Delhi. The authorities
have captured the leader of the group. He says that he knows the location of the bomb. He
refuses to reveal the location. Torture is guaranteed to produce the information needed to
ensure the diffusal of the bomb.

a) Is it ethically acceptable for the authorities to have him tortured to find out
where the bomb is and thus save thousands of lives?

b) Suppose instead of catching the leader, the authorities have captured his 16 year
old daughter. She is refusing to cooperate with the authorities. In your opinion is it
morally justified to have her tortured to acquire necessary information and save
thousands of lives?

Arguments in favour of torture

The principle of utilitarianism can applied to say that torture will be justified in this case. Since,
thousands of lives are at stake, it is necessary to exhaust all possible options. Torture can produce
the information which will help in saving the lives of the people. Further, since the person who
has been caught is behind this plot and is not innocent, he shouldn’t expect to be treated as any
other citizen. He has committed a crime against society; therefore torturing him cannot be termed
as violation of his rights.

Arguments against torture

According to deontological reasoning, consequences do not play any role in determining the
moral worth of an action. Lying is always an immoral act no matter what the consequences may
be. Similarly, according to this reasoning (propounded by Kant) torture will always be immoral
since human life (of the terrorist) is being considered merely as means. The inviolable nature of
human dignity belies any justifications for torturing the ticking bomb terrorist.

The situation becomes more complex in the second scenario. It is hard to adhere to the utilitarian
conception in the second case. In the first case, since the terrorist has committed a crime, one
could justify torture. However, the girl has done no wrong and it becomes difficult to justify
torture in this case. She has had no role in the activities of her father. Her only crime is that she is
not cooperating with her authorities. Further, being a juvenile she cannot be held totally
accountable for her actions.

Thus even though one might support torture in the first case, it is not possible to adhere to the
same position in the second case. The girl and her father are separate beings. The girl is innocent
whereas his father is not. This fact cannot be ignored while examining the moral justification of
torture.

29. You are in a supermarket with your younger brother. Your brother draws your
attention to a young child stealing food packets from the counter. He looks needy and he is
taking advantage of the crowded store which the owner fails to manage in peak hours. The
owner has a reputation of being a greedy and mean person. What will you do and why?

The values involved in the above case are “Honesty and Integrity” vs. “Empathy”. The answer
should justify why you have weighed one over the other. Also consider that this will be a lesson
for your younger brother to remember.

This innocuous looking situation, is infact an intricate one. Not only does the young needy boy
have to be handled with utmost empathy, also the value of truth, honesty and integrity be taught,
not only to the boy but also to the younger brother. Inaction, in this situation would be a huge
disservice to both these young boys, as they would be deprived of a very crucial lesson of life.

The best solution, in my opinion would be to instruct the younger brother to approach the boy
and tell him that what he did was wrong and should return the stolen packets, else he may be
caught and punished, if not today, then some time in future. It would then be prudent to approach
the boy myself and help him in whatever way I can—be it a meal this time or any small help that
I can possibly give him. Bringing the issue to the notice of the shopkeeper may be dangerous, as
known for his greediness and meanness, he may try to punish the child that can scar the child’s
psyche for life.

30. During your election duty you caught hold of a vehicle full of cash. On inquiry, it was
revealed to you that the vehicle belongs to a very popular politician of the region and even
the exit polls are predicting his victory. The politician calls you up to release the vehicle.
You try to approach your senior to seek advice but can't reach him.

a) What are the options available to you?

 b) What course of action will you take?

Answer
This is an administrative challenge wherein the student is judged on choosing ‘sense of duty’
over ‘political pressure’. The answer must clearly reflect the students logic and reason for
choosing certain course of action after weighing it over its pros and cons.

The election officer is under tremendous pressure from a popular politician who is interfering in
his duties. This situation depicts an administrative challenge where the officer has to find a
suitable way out to perform his actions without challenging the politician’s authority.

The following course of action is in front of him:

As the officer’s senior is not approachable the onus of decision making lies on the officer itself.

a) Directly refusing the politician to accept his orders

As a subordinate it is the duty of the officer to obey his superiors in administrative setup, but
until the commands do not deviate him from his sense of duty and consciousness. As the
politician has asked him to perform an action away from his line of duty, refusing him will show
his uprightness and honesty. However, this abrupt and rash behaviour can create ripples in the
organization which can disrupt its working at such crucial time.

b) Accepting politician’s orders.

Blindly accepting politician’s orders will show the officer in bad light in front of his juniors as
well as public. Not only has the officer to perform his duties honestly but also has to make sure
that the organization’s public image should not be tarnished. Also it is important to boost up the
morale of the subordinates to perform the action with clear conscious; otherwise it will
encourage malpractices in the organization.

c) The best course of action would be to explain to the politician that the money caught during
the raid has been deposited in the government security and only a written order can help him
retrieve the money packets. Also reason with the politician that it is very difficult to save oneself
from ‘media glare’ and any such act will tarnish the image of the politician as well as the
organization at large.
31. You are a young DM in a district, which is seeing rapid mushrooming of private Drug
de-addiction centres. The centres are known to function in an unethical manner and their
business model involves a specific consideration for cases of relapse victims. Although these
centres charge at high rates, they are known to give families of addicts hope and
institutionalisation of addicts has ensured maintenance of law and order, not seen in
neighbouring districts.

Analyse the following options for their positive and negative impact on the various
stakeholders of the society.

(a) Shutting down of the private rehab centres altogether

(b) Petitioning the higher authorities to deploy funds for opening up of government centres

(c) Setting up a medical team to delve into the matter more deeply and acting only after
their report

(d) Letting the centres function in the same manner as earlier

Answer:

The drug de-addiction centres appear to be providing a respite to the family of the addict and
society at large is saved from the security threat that these addicts may pose in form of thefts,
robberies, etc. However, it is important to see that the addicts are themselves victims who fall
into the trap of addiction and need help from families and society at large

Therefore, a blanket ban on the rehabilitation centres as suggested in option (a) will do much
harm than good. With families and relatives having nowhere to go and being largely unaware,
the society would be doomed to suffer from economic and psychological stress due to burden of
addicts and a situation of lawlessness can erupt.

The government centres, as suggested in option (b) is a welcome step as these centres will
provide a model for other private centres. Additionally, public opinion will be created on
improved methods practiced in government centres and they would demand the same from
private counterparts.
Inaction, by merely waiting for the medical report as given in option (c), can have serious
repercussions. This is indirectly encouraging the malpractices performed by private centres,
blinding ourselves to the massive challenges of poor treatment and indirectly promoting the mal-
practices as performed by the mushrooming private de-addiction centres.

Letting the centres run unhindered, as in option (d) would be running away from the moral and
occupational duty of the administrator

It is important to attack the root cause of the problem by providing awareness and education
about the hazards of the drug problem alongside encouraging creation of government centres in
the medium term. Additionally, strict norms of medical support need to be instituted, both in
government and private centres. It is equally important to work in parallel towards eradicating
the cause of the problem by deploying a medical expert team.

32. Samatha had a job at the local mall as an employee at Play-Around. The Play-Around
has different Play equipment and a little kid section. Her job included working the front
desk, making sure that people paid as they entered, also informing them of the rules of
Play-Around, hosting birthday parties, and watching the children.

One rainy Saturday when Play-Around was particularly crowded, a mother and her
mentally disabled son came to Play-Around. Play-Around does not discriminate and all
children are allowed on as long as they meet the height requirements. However, adults are
not allowed on the Plays because they are not covered by Play-Around’s insurance. The
mother was informed about the rules verbally by Samatha as well as by the posted lists of
rules.

This woman disregarded the rules and chose to follow her son onto the Plays. This is
dangerous and against the rules because there is the possibility that an adult could slip and
fall, and if either she or another child got hurt due to her actions the insurance would not
cover it. This woman believed that her son needed special attention and constant
supervision.

When it came to Samatha’s attention that the woman was on the inflatable, Samatha told
the mother that she would have to get off, however, her child could stay. The woman
responded by yelling at Samatha, telling her that her child had every right to be on the
inflatable as any other child. Samatha agreed and reminded the woman that she had not
told the child to get off but only the mother herself. The woman then responded by saying
that she had to stay with her son in order to help him.

The following are some suggested options. Please evaluate the merits and demerits of each
of the options:

1. Samatha should refer the matter to the manager of the Play-Around.

2. Samatha should make it clear to the woman that either she should move out or she has to
force her son out as well.

3. Samatha should make an exception considering the special needs of the child in question.

Also please indicate (without necessarily restricting to above options), what you would like
to advise, giving proper reasons.

Answer
1. The merit with this option is that this will be the right course of action from procedural
standpoint. Since she is not responsible for making or interpreting the rules but only following
them, informing the above authorities means following the right protocol. Another merit with
this option is that it will bring the entire issue in the eyes of top management. This may result in
framing of certain exceptions considering special needs of disabled people resulting in long-term
solution of the problem.

But the problem with this attitude is the general lack of awareness and affirmative action
regarding the differently abled or disabled people. The physical agony of these differently abled
people is further aggravated by the apathy of government and society towards their needs. Hence
some empathy and equity on the part of society is necessary to remove this feeling of alienation
among them. The same argument applies to Samatha as well. So her treatment of differently
abled people with the same yardstick as for normal children is not ethically justified. Even the
constitution allows and emphasises affirmative action for the welfare of differently abled
sections of society.

2. The above arguments are applicable in this case as well. The only difference in this case is that
Samatha is being proactive about her duties and herself taking initiatives so that rules of play-
around are followed. While her earnest and sincerity regarding her job is appreciable, but once
again this shows her apathy regarding the special needs of disabled people. Besides the
possibility of a permanent solution if the case is reported to higher management is also
eliminated in this case.

3. The merit in making an exception is that it shows awareness, empathy and compassion on the
part of Samatha towards needs of disabled sections of society. Such affirmative action will
generate a lot of goodwill regarding the play-around in the eyes of the mother of the disabled
child. This will assure her that society understands and is concerned about the special needs of
her children.

But the demerit lies in the fact that first of all it will be against the rules of the play-around.
However the bigger concern is that if some accident happens, then not only it will be dangerous
for the mother and her child but also result in Samatha losing her job and being blamed for
carelessness.

Advice: Aristotle has said – ‘treating unequals equally and equals unequally will create further
inequality’. So, Samatha should display empathy and compassion regarding the needs of the
disabled children. Though Samatha should not compromise on the safety of the children or the
mother in any case, but she should try to help them by may be guiding them towards less
dangerous equipment or section where the child can enjoy with her mother without any harm.

And Samatha should ensure that she highlights the matter in front of top management so that a
long-term solution regarding the needs of differently abled children is devised.

33. Ravina recently completed her B.Com and was extremely excited to be hired for her
dream job working for a Public Sector Bank. During her initial days, she began to notice
that funds from grants were being mismanaged and misallocated. Some of her co-workers
were also using bank property materials, including cars, for personal business.

However, Ravina was most shocked by the hiring practices she witnessed at the office.
Applicants to the jobs were supposed to take exams that were invigilated by bank
employees. Ravina began to notice that the invigilators were allowing applicants to cheat on
the tests because the applicants had already been chosen for the job. Many of these pre-
chosen applicants were friends of current employees.

Ravina reported what she witnessed to Mahesh, the Branch Assistant Manager, who was
second-in- command to the Branch Manager. Mahesh told her, “You heard nothing, you
saw nothing, and you say nothing.” Ravina was absolutely shocked; not only by the
corruption, but that it was deliberately being swept under the rug.
Ravina I was in a dilemma. She really needed the job to pay off loans, and she loved the
actual content of the work she was doing. She was also concerned that it would look bad to
leave her first job out in less than a year, as well as tarnish future chances to work in a
government organization. On the other hand, she felt extremely uncomfortable in her work
environment due to the culture of corruption.

1. What are the options available to Ravina?

2.Evaluate each of these options and choose the option you would adopt ,giving reasons.

Answer
Ravina is caught in a typical dilemma where she doesn’t want to leave the job but cannot see
such a work environment embroiled in corruption too.One should point out how overlooking this
matter would mean a lot of loss to public exchequer and inefficiency in the working of the bank.
As Ravina was unsuccessful in her attempt to bring out the matter to Mahesh, her approaching
the Branch Manager to report the issue seems the most appropriate option in such a situation.

Some of the options available to Ravina are:

a) She can ignore the matter and proceed in her usual way as this does not impact her
directly and any action taken would adversely impact her personally

b) She should report the matter to Branch manager and bring to light how she was told
to keep the matter under wraps.

c) She can resign from the job as taking either of the first steps would not leave her
satisfied and in a comfortable situation

d) Become a whistleblower. She can bring the matter to the notice of someone in the
vigilance department overseeing the functioning of the bank as it is public money after
all that is being squandered through such activities.

Option a) As per the rights/duty, fairness and common based approach it is Ravina’s duty to
uphold the integrity of the banking system. The money that is being squandered away is public
money and therefore any such activity is hurting the public interest in the long term.
Additionally, the faulty hiring practices would greatly impact the working of the bank and bring
down its efficiency and effectiveness further hurting the interests of the public and the society at
large. It would be unethical to ignore the matter for the dire consequences it might have on the
organization in future.

Even though ignoring the matter would save Ravina from the trouble of getting into any
controversy and help save her job but as discussed above it would not be healthy in the long run
for either the organization or even Ravina.

Option b) because of the following reasons: Virtue approach: integrity and honor are two virtues
that one should embody and help promote. One must ask myself what is the highest state of
character one can aspire to? One obviously recognizes the virtue of honesty and merit. Likewise,
one should push himself/herself to think about the values one should live up to, those being
integrity and promotion of merit in this particular case. Therefore, the most appropriate option
seems to reporting the matter to the branch manager.

Option c) Resigning from the job does not seem a feasible option considering the fact that
Ravina has to pay off her loan and any such action would not show well on her CV and have an
adverse impact on her career. It would save Ravina the trouble of getting into any kind of
problem with regards to the conscience but it would put her in a great trouble as she would be
out of job and would put her and her family’s livelihood at stake. Morover, such an action would
mean running away from the situation and punishing oneself for the fault of others.

Option d) Even option D seems like a possible option but whistleblowing is a double edged
sword and should only be explored once all the possible options have been exploited. It may be
possible that if the matter is brought to branch manager’s attention, he/she may take a strict
action against those embroiled in such activities. Proceeding to blow whistle on the matter
without exploring this option may be taking an action in haste and puts the reputation of the bank
in a danger.

34. You have been appointed as a General Manager in a Public Sector Undertaking, a new
chemical plant for which is to be designed and then constructed. Your responsibilities
included hiring the staff for this new plant, ensuring a safe design and then starting the
plant up after construction.

During your previous experience you had noted that a new type of technology could be
used in the plant in place of conventional technology employed in public sector plants till
now. The new technology is less expensive and has more safety features. You have
convinced the project designer to employ this new technology.

This is a unique technology and only one manufacturer provides it. After this technology
has been specified by the designer and purchased, the salesman of concerned company
visits you and invites you to a lavish party in a foreign land with air tickets. You have not
known the salesman, Jayesh, prior to the visit. You had also no direct purchasing
responsibilities; you had just wanted the new technology for better safety in the plant.

1. What are the options available to you?

2.Evaluate each of these options and choose the option you would adopt,giving reasons.

This is a classic case of ethical dilemma involving gift taking. Any decision taken in this regard
should keep the interests of the organization and public above personal interests. Options
available in this situation are:

1. Accept the gift from the supplier as it hardly amounts to be a case of bribery and the
action was performed without any prior knowledge

2. Accepting the gift after bringing the notice to a senior in the organization

3. Refuse the gift from the supplier in a polite manner, clearly bringing out reasons as how
even though it may be legally fine but ethically wrong to accept the gift

4. Refuse the gift and bring the matter to the notice of a senior in the organization,
demanding a blacklisting of the supplier for any future transactions.

The first thing to notice about this case is that it is not a paradigm case of bribery. In fact, it is not
a case of bribery at all. We might define bribery as remuneration for the performance of an act
that is inconsistent with the work contract or the nature of the work one has been hired to
perform. I did not act contrary to my obligations to the employer, and in fact I acted in
accordance with my obligations. Furthermore, the gift, was given after my recommendations
concerning the valves and (we shall assume) without any prior knowledge and expectation of the
gift. But any such action of taking gift may have a number of moral implications. Such an act
may also be problematic for the organization in the long run. Some of aspects including the
arguments for and against accepting the gift have been presented, students can use them as a hint
to arrive at their own answers.

Arguments against taking the gift:

1. The size of the gift is morally troubling.

2. Knowledge of the gift could influence others to buy from the supplier, even if his products are
not the most appropriate for them. This might operate as a kind of bribe-ahead-of-time for other
people in my plant or in other plants, even if I had no idea I would be offered a trip. They might
say, "If we buy from this supplier, we can expect a nice gift."

3. In morality, one of the important questions to ask is whether you would be willing for others
to do the same thing you did. If every salesman offered gifts to people who bought--or
recommended the purchase of--his products, and every purchaser accepted the gifts, the practice
would of course become universal. Our first reaction is to say this would neutralize the influence
of the gifts. You could expect a bribe from somebody, no matter whose product you
recommended. Thus I might have been offered a nice trip by whatever valve salesman made the
sale. But this begins to look like extortion if not bribery: a salesman has to offer something to
even have his product considered. Furthermore, smaller companies might not be able to offer the
lavish gifts and so might not have their products considered. This would harm the competitive
process. Furthermore, the gifts would probably tend to get larger and larger, as each salesman
tried to top the other one. Thus, the general acceptance of the practice would have undesirable
consequences.

Arguments for taking the gift:

1. As already pointed out that my action cannot be an example of accepting a bribe in the true
sense of the term. In order to be a true bribe taker, I would have had to make his decision
because of supplier’s offer. Since the trip was offered after my decision and I did not know about
the trip ahead of time, the trip could not be a bribe in the true sense.

2. My company may stand to benefit from the personal relationship between me and supplier It
may make it easier to get replacement parts for the valves and to get other types of service from
supplier’s company.

3. Professional life should have its "perks." Business and professional life involves a lot of hard
work. Foreign trips and similar amenities add spice to life that is important in terms of job
satisfaction and productivity.

35. You have been studying for the past two weeks for your final exam in the college. Your
grade in the class is much lower than it should be, and your father has warned you to
improve it or there will be consequences. So declining invitations for parties, restricting
you time with friends, and spending hours in the library, you have done a lot to prepare for
this exam.

On the exam day you sit next to a mutual friend of yours that lives on the same floor in the
hostel. Talking with him before the test begins, you notice that this friend has hidden a
cheat sheet at the top of his backpack.

Ordinarily, you wouldn’t be concerned about it; however, the professor has already
announced that only limited students would pass the exam. Even if everyone does really
well, the professor will divide up the grades to make sure there’s a limited amount of A’s
and B’s.

1. What are the options available to you?

2. Evaluate each of these options and choose the option you would adopt, giving
reasons.

Answer
One faces a tough situation of personal morals and values which go against cheating and the
other of losing a friend and being branded a complaint monger. Students carefully need to take
all the options into account giving due weightage to the fact that inaction on one’s part to report
the cheating may not only jeopardize one’s own chances but also the chances of many other
deserving candidates in the class.

Some of the options available are (list is not exhaustive):

a) Ignore the incidence and treat it as a one off, as my friendship is at stake

b) Approach my friend after the class and warn him/her about the action

c) Report the incidence to the teacher and not keep it to myself

The first option is invalidated as ignoring the incident will not only be against the greatest good
for the greatest number of people , as opined by utilitarian approach but would also depict
characters of cheating, and deceit which would not be in consonance with either your own
characters or the character of your friend in the long run.
Further, ignoring the incident on your part, and not confronting your friend may lead to a
slippery slope, where it might only act as an invitation for further and heightened crimes.

The second option might seem to be a viable approach, confronting your friend for his act, but it
goes against the principles of Right/duties, fairness and common good. Being a member of the
class, I have a responsibility to protect the integrity of the grading system. By letting my friend
cheat, I am allowing the greatest good to diminish because the class average will be distorted as a
result, affecting a lot of students. Though it might hurt my friendship, I should at the very least,
anonymously report my friend in order to preserve and promote the greatest good.

The third option is the most viable. I would report it to the teacher and not keep it to myself. This
will not only help in exemplifying the virtuous characters of integrity and honor but will also
help in correcting the characters traits of my friend which might help him in the long run.

I must ask myself what is the highest state of character I can aspire to? I obviously recognize the
virtue of discipline and handwork, as evidenced by my preparation leading up to this test.
Likewise, I should push myself to think about the values I should live up to, those being integrity
and honor in this particular case.

Further, Just because it is my friend who is cheating, doesn’t mean that her friend is exempt from
immoral behaviour. If I knew a girl that I disliked was cheating, would I be more motivated to
report her? Since all people are seen as equal, I should not hold my friend to a different standard.

I could either confront her friend directly, or warn her that I will be reporting her to the
professor. I can respect my friend’s dignity by providing her with transparent options. Either
way, I cannot allow the disparity in grades be perpetuated if I can help it because the issue of
passing the test is important to everyone and not just my friend. They are all trying to obtain a
passing grade, not just my friend. It is unfair and hence unethical, for me to tip the balance in her
favor.

36. Lisha and Ryan are two employees of Kishore’s organisation. One day the two were
talking in the hallway about the employee benefits program. Ryan, who has had some
recent financial trouble, explains to Lisha how the benefits program has a loophole that
will allow him to receive some financial assistance that he really needs to help pay health
care costs for his mother. Kishore overhears the conversation. Later, Kishore is
approached by her supervisor who says he heard a rumor that some people were taking
advantage of the company benefits program.
1. What are the options available to Kishore?

2. Evaluate each of these options and choose the option, which you recommend Kishore to
adopt giving reasons.

Answer:

Options available to Kishore are:

1. Do not tell supervisor anything.

2. Disclose the entire incident to the supervisor.

3. Tell supervisor that she had also heard the some rumors and the loop holes in the
program but not tell him about the specific incident. Also confront Ryan and tell him that
higher management is already alert about the issue.

Evaluation of options:

1. Not telling anything will be a violation of professional integrity. This will make Kishore also
an accomplice in the ethically wrong act of using the loophole to derive undue benefits. Besides
Ryan also needs to be stopped from using such tactics as he may develop a habit for such things
resulting in bigger problems later. So, the option is not advisable at all.

2. Disclosing the entire incident will be legally correct and in line with professional and
organisational ethics. But being a part of the organisation, Kishore has also some responsibility
towards her colleagues and their special needs. She should at one hand try to help Ryan
regarding her mother’s condition and at the same time stop him from using unethical tactics.
Since disclosing the entire incident to the supervisor is bound to result in severe condemnation of
Ryan, this option is also not very desirable.

3. This option provides a good middle ground as it will bring the matter to the knowledge of
higher authorities and result in plugging of the loop holes so that the incentives of its misuse are
minimised. At the same time it will also stop Ryan from resorting to any unethical practices in
vulnerable circumstances.
Opinion: I will recommend option three as the right course of action for Kishore. What I will
further recommend is Kishore making a case before her supervisor regarding the inability of
current family benefits program of the company to satisfy its employees needs. No program can
be perfect and there will always be possibilities of finding loop holes and misuse. The right
course of solution is to devise the program in such a way that it satisfies the needs of the
employees and they are not forced to search for loopholes. This will help in finding out a long
term solution resulting in a win-win situation for both the company and its employees.

37. You are a young reporter who has unearthed the case of the government secretly
pledging gold to a foreign country. Reporting of the said activity would trigger a downward
spiral for the economy as trust in the government would decrease, domestic and foreign
investors will pull out investments from the country. The reporting of the incident would
definitely improve your career prospects. You are still to share this information with
anybody.

What will you do and why?

“Self regulation is the mechanism, most capable of striking the right balance between freedom
and restraint.”

This is a case of an ethical dilemma between freedom of expression and censorship on the part of
the reporter’s self. In such a solution, a possible act can be:

Reporting the matter to the editor, suggesting it to be a cover story: This sounds lucrative for
someone who would be blinded by future career prospects without giving due weight age to the
serious repercussions that can follow.

The two sides that need to be considered judiciously before reaching a decision are:

Citizens right to know versus government’s right to secrecy for betterment of the country.

Apart from the personal gains of the reporter, it is more important to work towards the larger
goal of betterment of the society. Achieving the glory of “breaking news” that leads to losses of
investment in the country may not be satisfying and morally correct.

Also, it may not be easy to merely side with the government without questioning the authenticity
of the act. The possible solution therefore must be generating a well-informed public debate and
generating public opinion on the issue to understand the gravity of the situation.

Above all, the reporter or the press at large is a bridge between government and citizens. Taking
sides for profit will ruin the spirit of press. Therefore, the decision taken should reflect the good
intentions of the reporter that he works for the betterment of the society and not merely for
personal glorification.

38. Namitha works in the Human Resource Department in a Marketing firm. Marketing
job entails a lot of travel, and accordingly the firm provides for many perks. She finds that
some employees engage in activities such as getting doctor’s appointment during office
hours, making personal phone calls, using office computer and Internet for personal
reasons. As a new employee, she finds this behaviour unethical but her colleagues tell her
that since the employees tend to spend so much of their weekday hours on the job, it is all
right to engage in some personal work.

Consider the following options and evaluate them:

(a) Strict monitoring of the employees for such unethical behaviour.

(b) Ignoring this issue altogether.

(c) Dismissing the employees who are found to be engaged in such activities on a
regular basis.

(d) Reporting the matter to the Departmental head.

(e) Issuing warning to the employees.

Answer

The major issue in the above case is the issue of integrity and honesty in professional life. Using
office assets for personal gains and doing personal work during office time means a loss of
integrity and violation of professional ethics. This not only means inefficiency in the working of
organization, but promotes unhealthy work culture which is detrimental to both the employee
and the organization.
 (a) Strict monitoring of the employees will ensure that they do not engage in personal
work during office time. But this might prove to be difficult or may not be possible at all.
Besides what needs to be understood is that monitoring will only increase compliance.
But the employees will involve in such unprofessional acts again as soon as they get a
chance. The real need is inculcation of values of integrity and honesty in the employees.
This cannot be achieved by strict monitoring.

(b) Ignoring the issue will let status-quo prevail. While this may save the company from
the immediate backlash that may follow if stringent steps are taken, but in the long term
the effect will be very damaging. The problem may reach such proportions that even the
ethical employees will find it difficult to carry on their work. The whole work culture
will get corrupted with such unethical practices becoming the norm

(c) Dismissing employees who regularly do this will generate some amount of fear
against unethical practices. This will create examples that violation of professional ethics
will not be tolerated. However such strict action should also be supplemented by
incentivizing ethical behavior. Also as noted above, real change will come only through
an inculcation of values and development of an ethical work culture.

(d) This will make sure that those in policy making position are aware of the unethical
practices followed in the organization. This will help in bringing the issue to the notice of
authorities and corrective action can be taken. The higher authorities should also not only
try to stop these unethical practices, but also try to remove the real reason behind them.
As it is noted above that the work involves a lot of travel, authorities should ensure that
employees get enough time to deal with their personal problems and issues. They should
realize that company policies are also to some extent responsible for the current state of
affairs and hence they should also take care of interests of their employees.

(e) Employees who tend to engage in personal work have the notion that such acts entail
no consequences. A strict warning will only be fair because the misuse of office time has
become an accepted part of work culture. Unless the employees are made aware of the
fact that the company has taken cognizance of this issue, it cannot be expected that they
will change their attitude.

The real need of the company is to promote a healthy work culture so that unethical
unprofessional conduct is minimized. A correct step in this regard will be the company bringing
out a code of ethics expected to be followed by its employees. This should be supplemented by a
code of conduct providing specific guidelines of what kind of behavior is permitted and what is
strictly prohibited. There should be proper mechanism for enforcement of the code of conduct
and punishment for violations.
This will help in laying to rest the claims that some personal use of office property is justified.
This coupled with a rationalization of employee job profile so that he gets enough time for his
personal needs will ensure the development of a healthy work culture in the organization.

39. You are in charge of the rescue operations in an epidemic hit area, commanding a team
of 6 medical professionals. The area is located remotely and not well connected with the
nearby town through roads. It takes around 24 hours to reach the nearest district hospital,
which has the required vaccines and drugs. Thousands of people have died because of the
disease. The disease is contagious, though it gets transmitted only through bodily fluids and
not through air. However, one of your team members has fallen sick and his condition is
critical. Moreover, the team does not have the required drugs to treat him. Your team
members request you to call off the operation as they are scared of the disease and want to
take back the sick team-member to the hospital. At the same time, media has been
portraying your efforts in a negative light.

(a) What are the options available to you?

(b) Evaluate each option and suggest the best course of action?

Answer

The following are the options available:

1. Call-off the rescue operation and take back the affected team member back for the
treatment.

2. Continue the operation and try to keep the sick team member’s condition stable

3. Report the situation clearly and assistance required to higher authorities. Ask the
government for air-lift.

4. Send off a few members of your team to take the affected member back and the rest can
continue the rescue work.

Calling off the operation will be an over-reaction and abandonment of the public service value.
Even though the disease is contagious, it gets transmitted only through bodily fluids and not
through air. Hence, there is no need to press the panic button. Necessary precautions might be
taken to keep the risk of contagion at bay. Moreover, such an act will definitely not go down well
with the affected people, administration or the media which is already perceiving efforts in
negative light. This will further affect the rescue operations as support of the public and media is
very important in ensuring the success of the operations.

The positive associated with such an action is that the precious life of the team member would be
saved.

Opting for the second option may not be a prudent thing to do either, given that the team does
not have the required drugs to treat him. Doing so will reflect one’s disregard for life and to the
commitment of the team members. It will adversely affect the confidence of the team-members
in the leader, affecting the overall team morale

Moreover, keeping in mind that the disease is contagious, instead of keeping the affected persons
with oneself, the focus should be on quickly moving the affected people by transferring them to
places like district hospitals where they can not only be treated well but also stopped from
spreading the disease further.

The situation should clearly be reported to the higher authorities and assistance may be
demanded. Though the government may be asked to provide for an airlift but it will depend on
the resources available with the administration and the weather conditions at that point of time.
Generally in a crisis situation the government resources are spread out so thin that some delay is
bound to happen. One has to make a decision whether the condition of the affected team member
permits that time window. There may be a lot of variables involved.

As one has a team of 6 at one’s disposal, it will be more prudent to send a couple of team-mates
along with the affected team-member to the nearest district hospital. Local help, if available, may
be taken too. Also, the other affected patients may also be sent along to provide them with
quality treatment and quarantine them. Moreover, the nearest district hospital, which has the
required vaccines/drugs may be able to provide the team with the necessary drugs, water and
food items on their way back. It will also help the administration to have a clear idea of the
situation at ground.

One has to showcase leadership to lead the team and community as a whole out of crisis,
motivate them and make use of networking/coordination skill to cover all aspects of rescue,
order, reporting as well as deciding on critical instances.
40. A deadly epidemic has broken out in West Africa killing thousands of people in a short
span of time and infecting many others. There is no vaccine or treatment available to cure
the disease. You are the head of the health department of one of the countries that have
been severely hit by the epidemic. While there is no treatment currently available for the
disease, an experimental drug is being used in some other country. This drug has shown
positive results and consequently some of the patients have also managed to recover from
the disease. However, it is not yet clear whether the relief came due to the drug alone, or
otherwise.

Given the high mortality rate of the disease and its rapid spread, other countries affected
by this disease have already given a go-ahead for the mass production of this experimental
drug. But some health experts are skeptical about the efficacy of the drug and have even
warned against its use as it may result in some deadly side-effects.

(a) Bring out and discuss the ethical issues involved in the above case.

(b) What would you do in the above situation? Give reasons.

Answer

The answer should consists of the following parts –

1) • The facts of the case

2) • The major ethical issues involved

3) • Different options available to you and their analysis

4) • The course of action you would adopt, giving reasons

The facts of the case are –

The epidemic is deadly with a high fatality rate

There is no cure for the virus except for an experimental drug whose efficacy is questionable
Some countries affected by this disease have given a go ahead for use of the experimental drug.

The ethical issues involved here are –

The disease is causing havoc among the population. As a head of Health department it is my duty
to take steps to tackle the situation. The experimental drug has not proved its efficacy in tackling
the disease. Without proper clinical trials it would be unethical to give this drug to the victims.
Also, some health experts have warned against the possible side-effects of the drug. Thus
administering the drug may prove to be worse than the disease.

But in the absence of any other medication and the rapid spread of the disease, means that some
urgent action needs to be taken before the situation goes out of control. Time is not a luxury that
I have. Thus the question comes down to whether to go ahead with the current cure or wait for
clinical approval of the drug.

Options available –

1) Wait for clinically approved drug – This option will save me from running the risk of any
side-effects that may arise from using the experimental drug. But as the epidemic is spreading
rapidly and finding a sure-fire cure may take time, it may be possible that a large population will
be affected with a huge death-toll before the cure is administered to the people. Hence, this
option is not suitable.

2) Give go ahead for the use of the experimental drug – The situation is very dire in my country
and it requires immediate action. This will ensure that some sort of action is taken on my part.
But it is also possible that the cure may prove ineffective and in worse case scenario, affect the
population adversely. Hence, without any clinical approval, it is not suitable to administer the
drug to the population.

3) Wait to see what impact the drug has on the neighboring countries’ affected population and
act accordingly – This option accords equal importance to gauging the efficacy of the drug and
also keeping public health in mind. If the drug shows positive signs in other countries and no
side-effects, then I will also give a go ahead to use of this drug. But if the drug proves ineffective
or results in major side-effects than I will not allow the use of this experimental drug. This will
save the population from something which is worse than the cure, though the delay may cause
some additional deaths.
I will choose the 3rd option as it is an informed decision. Though the wait period may result in
some deaths but the larger affected population will be saved from being administered a wrong
cure. This option shows that instead of panicking under the outbreak of epidemic and going with
any available untested cure, I have followed an informed course of action.

41. You are the District Magistrate of one of the poorest districts in the country. Due to
widespread poverty and unhygienic conditions, there are many health related problems in
the district. Many private medical practitioners have settled in the district and are running
a profitable business. There are reports that many of them are charging high fees even for
routine medical check-ups. Further, out- of pocket health expenditure has risen
exponentially in the district.

The MP of that constituency has fixed the rates, which the doctors can charge from their
patients, for the most common medical treatment. These rates are within the capacity of
the poor masses and would not impact the earning of the doctors too. He has also warned
that if any doctor is found to be in violation of these, then serious action would be initiated
against him.

The medical fraternity has protested against these arm-twisting tactics. They have
approached the DM to remedy the situation.

(a) What are the options available to you?

(b) Evaluate each option and suggest the best course of action?

Answer

The facts of the case are –

1. The public health condition of the district is poor

2. Some doctors are charging very high fees

3. The MP has fixed the rates which the doctors can charge from their patients, for the most
common medical treatment.
 4. These rates are within the capacity of the poor masses and would not impact the earning
of the doctors too

5. The medical community is against the rate list fixed by the MP

The options available to me are –

1. Ask the doctors to follow the rate list – As the public health of the district is in abysmal
state, hence limiting the medical charges is a good option. The Minister of Parliament is
an elected representative and his orders should be respected. But the unilateral
declaration made by the MP is not acceptable. Such diktats are signs of a dictatorship and
not a democracy. Hence, this course of action is not suitable.

2. Ask for the MP to revoke his diktat – The MP has used extra-constitutional means to
address the poor health situation of the district. Though the intention behind the act is
noble but the method used is not appropriate. But asking the MP to revoke his diktat is
only a partial solution as it doesn’t address the high charges charged by some doctors for
routine medical check-ups. Hence, this option is also not suitable.

3. Refuse to intervene in the matter – By refusing to intervene in the situation, I am saved

from the ire of the Minister. It may prove beneficial for my career in the future. But I am
abdicating my responsibility as a District Magistrate. This shows lack of conviction on
my part. Also, the doctors may go on strike or approach the Courts for redressal for their
grievance which will be a bigger headache for me. Hence, this is also not a suitable
option.

4. Arrange for a meeting between the MP and representatives of the medical community to
resolve the matter – Here, I have followed the middle path by addressing the grievance of
the medical community as well as taking care of the concerns of the Minister regarding
the poor public health of the district. I will try to negotiate a solution whereby the
freedom of profession of the doctors is protected and also advice the representatives of
the medical community to guard against charging high fees. If still the MP doesn’t agree
to revoke his diktat than I will assure the doctors that no harm will come their way. Also,
if the unethical practice of charging high fees is not curbed then I will take strict action
against errant doctors.

I would follow the 4th option. This is a pragmatic approach. I will ensure that both the doctors as
well as the MP have their way. The doctors will be able to practice their profession freely and
also the practice of charging high fees will be curbed which will satisfy the Minister.
Also, I will urge the MP to provide funds from his MPLAD scheme for opening up of new
hospitals and improving CHCs, PHCs under NRHM to improve the public health situation.

42. You are the Station House Officer of a police station. Recently, there has been a spurt in
theft incidents in your area. Some of these incidents have occurred even during daytime.
The Resident Welfare Association has blamed the labourers, residing in night shelters, for
the crimes.

The night shelters are a result of an initiative by the police to help the homeless people to
seek refuge from the biting cold at night. You have taken great pains to get these night-
shelters up and running. The record of all those who stay in these night shelters, for
instance, their names and identity proofs, is kept with the police. But the police has no
information if any one of them has a past criminal record.

Even as an investigation regarding the thefts is going on, the RWA members are
demanding to dismantle these night shelters and to not allow these labourers to reside near
their homes.

(a) What are the options available to you?

(b) Evaluate each option and suggest the best course of action?

Answer

The facts of the case are –

The night shelters help the poor to escape from the biting cold in the night

There have been many cases of thefts in the locality in recent times

The police don’t have the past criminal records of the residents of night shelters, if any.

The options available to me are

 1. Dismantle the night shelters – Dismantling of the night shelters will address the concerns
of the residents living in the locality. It will save one the headache of having to deal with
the protests by these residents which may escalated if the night shelters are not
dismantled. But dismantling the shelters without doing a thorough inquiry is not
appropriate. Also without the shelters, the poor labourers will have no place to stay in
this biting cold. This option shows a biased and elitist approach on the part of the
administration. Hence, it is not suitable.

2. Ignore the concerns of the residents of that locality and carry on with the investigation –
As there is no proof that the labourers residing in these shelters are responsible for the
thefts, hence there is a need for thorough investigation. But ignoring the concerns of the
resident’s altogether reflects on insensitivity on the part of police. The residents may
escalate the matter further by approaching the higher authorities which may generate
extra pressure on the SHO. Additionally, a as a duty bound officer it is the responsibility
of the SHO to provide a safe living environment to the residents of the area. Hence, this
option is also not entirely suitable.

3. Shift the night shelters to some other location – Shifting the night shelters will appease
the residents of that locality and it will generate goodwill for the SHO among the people.
But without any inquiry and merely on the complaint of the residents, shifting the night
shelters in not a correct approach. Also, since it is an initiative of the police to set up the
night shelters, shifting them may not be possible because of paucity of funds etc. In the
meantime, there will be inconvenience caused to the labourers. This problem doesn’t
address the root cause and hence is not suitable.

4. Expedite the investigation process while ensuring a strict vigil in the area for the time
being – This option ensures that no inconvenience is caused to the labourers and also the
concerns of the residents are addressed. I will do a thorough background check of the
people staying in the night shelters and also expedite the investigation process. In the
meantime, I will increase surveillance in the locality to ensure that no further thefts occur
in the area.

I would follow the 4th option. It shows that I have not bowed down to unreasonable public
pressure and taken an unbiased and fair decision. I have also ensured that no future thefts occur
in the area thus assuaging the fears of the residents. Also, I have ensured that the labourers are
not unnecessarily harassed and that they have a place to stay in the biting cold.

43. You are a final-year engineering student, studying in a reputed engineering college of
India. Campus placements are going on in your college and most of your friends have
already been placed in reputed multi-national companies.
You have appeared in selection tests for many companies but have failed to clear any of
them. The placement season is drawing to a close. You have taken a student loan to pay for
the college tuition fees. Your parents have high hopes from you and placement in a good
MNC is very important for your future.

Some of your friends have offered to help you to cheat in the next selection test. Many of
them have themselves cleared their tests by cheating and now have job offers from big
MNCs. You have never cheated in any exam in your whole student life. But the present
situation is making you indecisive.

(a) What are the options available to you?

(b) Evaluate each option and suggest the best course of action ?

The facts of the case are –

1. I have failed to get selected in any company

2. The placement season is drawing towards its end

3. Cheating in the selection test may help in getting me a job

4. I must get a job to take care of my financial obligations

1. Resort to cheating – As I have to pay-off my student loan, hence getting a job is very
important for me. This will ensure that I will get a good job and my future will be
financially secure. But the unethical means don’t justify the ends. Following unethical
means to start my career means that in the future also I may resort to such unethical acts
to further my career. The fact that my peers are resorting to such acts doesn’t justify the
fact that I too resort to cheating. Such unethical acts which are not checked in their
infancy come to haunt you later. Thus, it will only lead me to a path of destruction.
Hence, this option is not suitable

2. Do not cheat – As I have never resorted to the unethical means of cheating ever in my
life, hence starting now is not a good step. Also, cheating may solve the immediate
problem of me not getting a job but it doesn’t address the root cause as to why am I being
not selected by the MNCs. But by following this option, there is a chance that I may not
get a job at all. This will be disastrous for my future as I have many financial obligations.
 Without a job my future will be insecure. Hence, merely not resorting to cheating is only
a partial solution.

3. Approach the placement cell for guidance – Clearly, I have some issues due to which I
am not being selected by different companies. Cheating will not resolve this root cause.
Also, not cheating, while an ethical approach isn’t a solution to my predicament. I need
help and guidance to correct my shortcomings which could help me succeed in getting
placed in a reputed MNC.

I will follow the 3rd option. It may be possible that I may not get selected in any MNC but
atleast I will emerge from the situation with an ethically upright character. It is said that if wealth
is lost nothing is lost but if character is lost everything is lost. Hence, loss of character can never
be recovered.

I will also try for off-campus placement so that I leave no stone unturned. Also I will inform the
placement cell about the unethical practices used by some students to get placements. This will
show that not only I am honest but I also have integrity.