GS4 · 20 marks · 250 words

You are an Airworthiness Officer posted with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, tasked to conduct the safety audit of a major airline of the country. During the recent audit, you find that some of the airplanes belonging to the airline do not fully meet a few of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards. The issues are minor, mainly pertaining to some incomplete aircraft maintenance logs and safety rules related to training of the crew. The airline belongs to a very influential business conglomerate with close ties to all major national political parties and has a long history of ethical business practises. The point person appointed by the airline to communicate with you has assured that everything will be in order in a couple of months. Your senior in the department has also indicated that it is best not to mention such minor issues in the report, particularly given the image of the business group involved and the trust it enjoys. He also reiterates the assurance given by the airline to address these issues at the earliest in a time-bound manner. However, you are aware that airline safety norms are paramount and every other consideration is secondary to the safety of the crew and passengers. As a public servant appointed to uphold public trust, answer the following: (a) Bring out the dilemmas that you face, elaborating on the competing values in the given situation. (b) What are the options available to you? Discuss the merits and demerits of each. Which of these will you choose and why?

Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2022–2024

Syllabus: Case Studies on above issues.

How toppers approached it

From all 3 answers · about 340 words · 100% drew a diagram.

Opening

  • No separate opening3 of 3

Body

  • Points and prose3 of 3

Close

  • No separate close1 of 3
  • A summary1 of 3
  • A way forward1 of 3

The toppers’ answers

Siddharth ShuklaAIR 18 · CSE 2022 · 342 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening

Recent incidences of mid-air tragedies in Boeing 737 planes and concomitant loss of lives has highlighted need of comprehensive air safety.

Body · points and prose

Diagram
General public | Airline owners | Employees of | Airline company I as airworthiness | Officer | Senior | | officer Stakeholder | | | Directorate General of Civil Aviation

Ethical dilemmas in above case

  1. Truthfulness competes with organizational loyalety. My senior officer is advising me to obscure truth which is equivalent to lying.
  2. Personal interest clashes with public interest.
  • Altruism details, airworthiness officer to speak truth, going against his senior and jeopardising his career.
  1. Dedication to duty leads to loss of airline company.
  • Empathy with airline company competes with duty of airworthiness officer.
  1. Duty ethics clash with personal views - Duty requires officer to negate assurances given by company's pointsman.

  2. Options available to me

  3. Maintain status quo

proscons
senior is happyagainst duty
image of airline securedany tragedy would demolish image of company
customers have no fear

further any subseqent enquiry would make me accomplice in crime.

  1. Go public with information
proscons
security of customers secureddisrepute to DGCA
Become hero as a whistlebloweragainst rules and regulation
violates rights of airline company
  1. Mention truthfully the lacunas in airline company's safety standards

↓

forward the report for consideration by senior officers

↓

Informing the senior officer of my action and reasons that have guided them.

↓

Mentioning in the report the assurances given by company, to ensure that they are not painted in bad light.

Reasons for choosing option 3

  1. First and foremost duty of a public servant is to secure lives of citizens.

  2. Maintain public trust in airline administration.

  3. Beneficial for the company in the longer run, as catastrophe is averted.

  4. Clean conscience is maintained.

  5. Serves personal self interest as not subsequent inquiry could pin blame on airworthiness officer.

Close

Putting oneself in the place of general public one sees that truthfulness is the only course of action.

More on Ethical Dilemmas in Government

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