Nidhi Gupta: GS4 answer copy

The questions

1. Q1Are all professions morally equivalent or are some superior to others?10 marks
2. Q2How are ethical judgments different from judgments of personal preference, taste, or prejudice?10 marks
3. Q3What are the major ethical concerns governing the functioning of government organisations? How are they different from those in private organisations?10 marks
4. Q4What is corporate governance? How is it important in the Indian corporate sector? How will the mandatory provision of corporate social responsibility change the perception of private sector in the eyes of common man?10 marks
5. Q5B. R. Ambedkar was an ardent supporter of the claims of liberty, equality and fraternity. Explain the relevance of his teaching in modern day India and how they act as a backbone for our socio-political development.10 marks
6. Q6As the interaction and collaboration among the nations is continuously increasing, so is the number of ethical issues between them on the global arena? Justify with examples.10 marks
7. Q7While it is important to expose a wrongdoing, a whistleblower should have the moral backing behind his act of whistleblowing. Comment.10 marks
8. Q8Integrity is different from honesty and is probably the most important attribute for a Civil Servant. Elaborate.10 marks
9. Q9Colleges and schools are a microcosm of the real world. Elaborate as to how these are instrumental in character-building. Also suggest certain measures through which these institutions can play a greater role in the current scenario.10 marks
10. Q10Gandhi's compassion towards the weaker sections makes him different from other social reformers. What are the lessons that it conveys? Discuss a situation where you have shown compassion towards weaker sections of the society.10 marks
11. Q11While individual beliefs and values determine one's subjective responsibility, it is the operational environment which guides/shapes the objective responsibility. Congruence between the two is inevitable for realizing the goal of objectivity in administrative decisions. Analyse.10 marks
12. Q12"Indian constitution is a treasure trove of ethical values for civil servants."10 marks
13. Q13What are values? How are they different from ethics?5 marks
14. Q14In the following questions, carefully study the cases presented and then answer the questions that follow (in around 250 words): 14. 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.25 marks
15. Q15Jyoti 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, Jyoti 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 Jyoti'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. Jyoti 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, Jyoti should wait for new governmental regulations first and only after that should think about taking any action. 3. Jyoti 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.20 marks
16. Q16Ronak 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 Ronak 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 Ronak's unit), upon hearing the downsizing rumors, told Ronak 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 Ronak, "Will there be layoffs?" and "Should I get another job now?" (a) What are the options available to Ronak? (b) Evaluate each of these options and highlight which option you would have preferred, giving reasons for the same.20 marks
17. Q17Mr. Sinha 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. Sinha divides the class into groups of four students, gives them instructions, and tells them when the problem will be due. Pradeep's group has an initial meeting and decides to divide up the work and then collaborate the information. Veena, one of Pradeep'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 Pradeep, divide the remaining work and proceed with their respective research. One week before the project is due, Pradeep finds out that Veena has chosen to "copy and paste" most of her paper from the Internet source. Pradeep picks up on Veena's plagiarism and knows it is wrong, but he needs an "A" on this research problem in order to pass Calculus. Pradeep confronts Veena and asks her to redo her paper without plagiarizing, but Veena claims she is too busy with her other class work. She assures Pradeep that Mr. Sinha will never discover the plagiarism, and that if he does, she will take complete blame for it. Pradeep 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. Pradeep should forget about plagiarism as it is a common practice and ultimately he is not the one who did it. 2. Pradeep should highlight the issue to the whole group and then decide after taking everybody's advice. 3. Pradeep should talk directly to Mr. Sinha and leave it to him to take the right course of action. 4. Pradeep should himself redo the work of Veena and then submit the paper. Also indicate (without necessarily restricting to the above options), what would you advise, giving proper reasons.20 marks
18. Q18A 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?15 marks
19. Q19You 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?10 marks
20. Q20During 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?15 marks

The answers