Ethics in Private and Public Life

Undercover journalism exposes injustices, negligence, corruption and wrongdoing and yet going undercover to expose wrongdoing remains controversial. But, undercover journalists contend that they are fulfilling a fundamental duty of finding truth through their journalism. They argue that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy and the duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. So, there are some supporters of this kind of journalism, which sometimes infringe the privacy of individuals. However, some journalists also urge avoiding surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. In this context, answer the following questions: 20 (a) What are the ethical issues involved in the practice of undercover journalism? (b) Do you support the practice of undercover investigation by journalists? Give reasons in support of your answer.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 14 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Dimensions of EthicsEthical Dilemmas in Government

As the administrator in-charge of your area, you are witness to the widespread food wastage in lavish parties as well as in restaurants and eateries, on one hand and people starving due to inability to ensure one square-meal a day, on the other. Realizing that it is not the scarcity of resources, but the habit of people that is causing paucity in availability of food, you decide that certain measures are needed to be taken in order to deal with the issue of starvation at the grassroot level. 20 Given the situation, answer the following questions: (a) Identify the ethical issues involved in this case. (b) What measures would you take to deal with wastage of food in your area? (c) What explains this co-existence of affluence and hunger in developing countries like India?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 12 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Empathy and CompassionEthical Dilemmas in Government

Celebrities are paid huge amounts by companies for endorsing products that at times turn out to be harmful for the consumers. Examine the ethical dimensions involved in such instances.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 9 toppers · CSE 2016–2019

Corporate GovernanceDimensions of Ethics

While discussing the ethical issues that journalists face on a regular basis, examine the causes of increased sensationalism in news media in recent times.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 9 toppers · CSE 2016–2019

Corporate GovernanceDimensions of Ethics

Issues around economic inclusion are not just about income gaps, there are many dimensions of moral and ethical choices as well. Discuss.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 9 toppers · CSE 2016–2019

Dimensions of EthicsEthical Dilemmas in Government

Prescription of dresscode for women not only violates their liberty but also reflects outdated views on gender relations as well as proper conduct. Comment.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 9 toppers · CSE 2016–2019

Dimensions of EthicsEthics in Private and Public Life

"A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury". Explain the statement giving one example each from personal and public life.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 8 toppers · CSE 2016–2019

Dimensions of EthicsEthics in Private and Public Life

It is vain to talk of the interest of the community, without understanding what is the interest of the individual. Discuss the statement in the present context.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 8 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Dimensions of EthicsEthics in Private and Public Life

Vision and intentions are necessary components of political ethics. However, equally important are the process of implementation, tools used and the established system. Elaborate with examples.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 7 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentCivil Service Values

Has excessive profit seeking by corporates undermined the trust of public in the private sector? Giving examples, examine the reasons for failure of corporate governance in India.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 7 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Corporate GovernanceEthics in Private and Public Life

What do you understand by 'civic virtue' in public life? What are the challenges in practising it in today's time? How can these challenges be overcome?

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 7 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Human ValuesCivil Service Values

There has been a perceptible rise in the cost of healthcare services provided by private hospitals. In absence of adequate and quality government hospitals, people are forced to opt for private hospitals, especially for life threatening diseases and injuries. You recently visit one of your friends admitted in a famous private hospital. You found out that the hospital is charging a huge amount of money, which seems to be unreasonable. You confront the staff and ask them to explain the rationale behind such high charges. Their response is that the charges are fair for the kind of services they are providing. (a) What are the ethical issues involved in this situation? (b) Given how other professions price their services, discuss the feasibility of capping the amount of fees charged by doctors and private hospitals. (c) How can the provision of quality services and need for profit be reconciled with society's interests in this case?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 7 toppers · CSE 2017–2018

Corporate GovernanceEthical Dilemmas in Government

There is a difference between what a person has a right to do and what the right thing to do is and often there is a conflict between these two. (a) Illustrate with examples the ethical issues that can arise because of such a conflict. (b) How does this conflict play out if someone wants to protest against injustice?

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 6 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Law and MoralityDimensions of Ethics

You are the CEO of a social media company that has a wide user base. The social network offered by your company has emerged as a platform for people to interact with each other and share news, opinions etc. However, at the same time, women are being repeatedly harassed and cyber bullied through this network. Whenever any instance of harassment is brought to notice of the company, your staff members immediately deactivate the account of the culprit. However, since new accounts can be created easily, such incidents continue to happen. Also, the system to verify one's account details has been deemed lax by public authorities and human rights groups. But in order to increase the user base, you have to ensure that it is easy for a new user to sign up. Increase in the user base leads to more advertisements on your network, which is a source of huge annual turnover for the company. At the same time, in wake of increasing instances of harassment, you also need to tighten the process of creating new accounts and deactivate or delete the ones being misused. 20 (a) Highlight the options available to you in this scenario and evaluate each of them. What course of action will you take and why? (b) Is there a need for having reasonable restrictions on social media for it to remain a platform of healthy and fruitful engagement. Analyse from the viewpoint of different stakeholders.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 6 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Corporate GovernanceTechnology and Ethics

"It is not always the same thing to be a good person and a good citizen." Explain the meaning of this statement and analyse its implications for a democratic society.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 6 toppers · CSE 2016–2018

Ethics in Private and Public LifeLaw and Morality

You are the Managing Director of a multinational company that prides on hiring people from diverse backgrounds. The company also chooses multiple projects under Corporate Social Responsibility that are geared towards social inclusion and empowerment of vulnerable sections of the society. Miss 'X' who works in your office tells you that she has been diagnosed with HIV. It happened due to malpractice by a medical practitioner who re-used a contaminated syringe that led Miss 'X' to contract the disease. The company has strict policies about toleration and you ensure Miss 'X' that she can continue with her job in the company without facing any form of discrimination. A few days after the revelation, Miss 'X' angrily submits her resignation letter. She states that she has faced discrimination at the workplace everyday after the revelation. Her colleagues are hesitant to eat lunch with her, they make sure they do not drink water from the same source and the females in the office comment on her marital status. She is also asked to sit separately during departmental discussions. She intends to sue the company for mental harassment. If she takes the step, the public image of the company will be maligned and its non-discriminatory policies will be questioned. The following are some suggested options for you to deal with the situation as a Managing Director of the company. Evaluate the merits and demerits of each of the options: (a) You accept her resignation and suggest a compensation package so that she refrains from suing the company. (b) You persuade her not to submit her resignation and transfer her to another department. (c) You ask her to continue with her job and take strict action against the colleagues who discriminated against her Also, state (without necessarily restricting to the above options) your course of action, giving proper reasons.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 6 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Corporate GovernanceEmpathy and Compassion

Big firms often undertake sub-contracting to complete large infrastructure projects in a timely manner. You recently joined one such firm as a manager responsible for awarding these contracts. Looking at the past records, you find that all contracts for the past few years have been awarded to a particular firm, X. Your superior has asked you to award an upcoming contract to the same firm. Although, not binding, company procedure maintains that sub-contracting work should be offered after competitive bids. This is to ensure that the firm most suitable for the project in terms of operations and finance gets the contract. When you discuss this with your superior, he insists that hiring of the firm X has been done as per legal norms of the company and no official rule has been violated. You decide to contact the owner of the firm X. After doing so, you realize that he is the nephew of your superior, who is also a shareholder in the company. (a) State the ethical issues involved in the case. (b) Does this form of transaction between two private parties constitute a conflict of interest? Justify. (c) Evaluate the possible ways of awarding contracts in such a situation with their merits and demerits. Also state which method would be more suitable in each situation.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 5 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Conflict of InterestCorporate Governance

You and your friend are living together in a metropolitan city and preparing for civil service examinations. While you manage to meet your daily targets, you sense that your friend is unable to cope up with the pressure of the exam. Fear of not passing the exam and meeting the expectations of his family is stressing him further. You realise that with time your friend is losing interest in everything and often talks about committing suicide if he is unable to meet his goal. He is also missing out on meals and prefers to stay indoors when asked to venture out. When you sought professional help, the doctor diagnosed your friend with clinical depression. Being aware that your friend needs professional counselling and psychiatric care, you reach out to his parents who reside in a rural area. They rebuff you for suggesting counselling and instead reiterate that nothing is wrong with him. They sternly mention that your bringing up the matter will only make people engage in loose talk. They also ignore you when you politely inform them that it is not wise to ignore one's mental health. Your friend's parents see his state as a sign of failure and decide to call him home where he can continue with his preparation. You are aware of the gravity of the situation if your friend goes back to his house. You also know that there is very little awareness about mental health and that the solution is not to ignore it but to take necessary measures to tackle it. 20 (a) As a concerned friend and an aspiring civil servant who can frame policies for the public in the future and has a moral duty towards them, what are the options available to you in such a situation? (b) Evaluate each of these options and choose the option you would adopt, giving reasons

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 5 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Empathy and CompassionCrisis Decision Making

You are the CEO of a film production company, which has not been doing well financially for some time. Your company is now relying on its forthcoming movie, which is about to be released shortly. The movie has a cast of reliable actors and even before its release, trade pundits have predicted that the movie will be a hit. However, you face a conundrum as one of the actors in the movie is a citizen of a neighbouring country with which relations have been disturbed and a war like situation exists. While the political atmosphere was different when the movie was being filmed, now there is a widespread public demand, with a local political party at the forefront, for replacing the actor from the movie or a ban on the release of the movie itself, if the actor is not replaced. While you are aware of the mood of the nation and the public repercussions of releasing the movie in its present form, you also know that it is not feasible to replace him at this stage as he has a substantial role in the movie. There is also a section in the film fraternity that does not want you to compromise in the wake of threat by the local party as it compromises freedom of speech and expression as well as artistic creativity. (a) What are the options available to you? (b) Evaluate each of the options and state their merits and demerits. (c) What course of action would you take and why?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2017–2019

Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentPressure and Loyalty

Competition, it is argued, spurs the best of performance, however, can it also instigate cheating and unethical behaviour? Discuss with adequate examples.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2016–2019

Dimensions of EthicsEthical Dilemmas in Government

What are the various sources through which humans can judge the correctness of their actions? In the context of public life discuss how these sources are important in offering a clear and practical guidance.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2016–2018

Sources of Ethical GuidanceEthics in Private and Public Life

Dr. A.K. Singh, a professor of medicine, is a prominent cardiologist. His personal financial investments include significant stock holdings in three publicly traded biotechnology firms. He is approached by one of these firms to be a lead investigator in a therapeutic trial of a novel agent for preventing tissue damage from myocardial infarction (MI). This will be a randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial (neither patient nor physician will know whether the drug under investigation or a placebo is being used in a given patient). Dr. Singh is quite familiar with the preliminary animal and cell biology work in the area and believes that there is an excellent chance that this new drug will result in a significant improvement in survival and reduce damage to the heart muscle. He even thinks this novel agent may reduce the risk of heart failure and irregular beats. Dr. Singh's group is one of the few cardiology groups fully prepared to carry out this investigation, which is why he was contacted. He cares for a large number of patients with MI and believes that he could enroll numerous patients efficiently. The drug will only be available to his patients if his group participates in the trial. The company is offering Rs. 25 lakh for each patient enrolled. As a lead investigator, he will become much better known and will likely experience an increase in referrals if the trial succeeds. 1. Is Dr. Singh's participation in this study appropriate? Justify your position. 2. Does Dr. Singh have a conflict of interest? If so, what is the nature of the conflict? How could it be mitigated. 3. How would the nature of the conflict of interest be different had he not already owned stock, but instead had been offered stock as a form of compensation for conducting the study?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2016–2018

Conflict of InterestCorporate Governance

Socially and economically marginalized women are used to make a profit, often at the cost of their own health and reproductive autonomy, in the name of commercial surrogacy. Discuss the ethical issues associated with commercial surrogacy in India. Should commercial surrogacy be completely banned?

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2016–2018

Dimensions of EthicsEthical Dilemmas in Government

Talk of empowerment of women when all institutions run by ideology of patriarchy discriminate against women on various grounds.

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2017

Ethics in Private and Public LifeFamily, Society and Education