GS4 · 20 marks · 250 words
You have recently been appointed as the Chairperson & Managing Director (CMD) of Bharatam Alloy Limited (BAL), a large but severely underperforming Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Heavy Industries. Once a symbol of India's industrial self-reliance, BAL is now grappling with mounting operational losses, outdated technology, unmotivated workforce, delays in salary payments, poor customer satisfaction, and multiple failed modernization attempts. BAL's biggest plant is in a Tier-II town that heavily depends on the company for employment and local economy. Last week, an accidental furnace blast at BAL's facility injured 18 contract workers, 2 critically. The incident brought the company back into the media spotlight, triggering: public protests led by injured workers' families demanding justice and permanent jobs; employees' unions threatening indefinite strike, blaming mismanagement and unsafe conditions; local politicians accusing you and previous leadership of criminal negligence; and national media labeling BAL a "black hole for taxpayers." A PIL has been filed in High Court, demanding either privatization or shutdown of the PSU to stop further waste of public money. The Ministry asks you to submit a revival plan within 10 days, but hints at disinvestment if no credible plan emerges. Workers want permanent employment for contract laborers, but BAL has no financial capacity to absorb them all. The Chief Safety Officer, in an internal report, reveals that preventive maintenance was ignored due to budget cuts. A private competitor has offered to acquire BAL, promising better technology and full job security for current employees—but with no guarantee for contract workers. Your spouse, a journalist, is being pressured by her editor to cover "how you are the new face of PSU corruption" in an exposé. Your own conscience is shaken after personally meeting the family of one injured worker who asked, "Would your child work in this furnace if it ran like this?" (a) Identify the ethical dilemmas. (b) What options are available before you? Write its merits and demerits (c) As CMD, what immediate and long-term steps will you take to address I. The accident and its aftermath III. Financial viability of the PSU (d) Do you recommend absorbing all contract workers into permanent roles despite financial constraints? What would be your response if this were a private company?
Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2025
Syllabus: Case Studies on above issues.
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Deciding under time pressure with incomplete information, and the ethics of acting or waiting.
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