Date Insights IASBABA VISION IAS

10/04/2017 1
09/04/2017

ETHICS Revision Test: Case Studies

Answer questions in NOT MORE than the word limit specified for each in the parenthesis:

1) You are posted as an investigation officer to investigate a scam involving

functionaries of government from top to bottom. Its said that people involved in the
scam include senior ministers and people very close to the Chief Minister. This scam
has become a national news thanks to series of murders of whistleblowers who had
earlier volunteered to become witnesses. Killings include murder of some of
investigating officers and judges. Your family members plead you to get transfer to
some other post. Your friends are concerned about the consequences. The scam,
even though became a national news, lately there has been no support either from
media or civil society to create awareness about this scam and fix accountability.

In these challenging circumstances, what are your options? Discuss their merits and demerits. Justify in detail
the course of action you would like to follow. (200 Words)

2) Your wife runs a residential school. It is a popular school in the city thanks to quality
teaching. You are working as Superintendent of Police in the same city where your
wifes school is located. Your children also study in the same school. Recently there
was an unfortunate incident of food poisoning in your wifes school where three
children died and several others fell severely ill. Immediately there were protests
outside the school by parents and general public demanding closure of the school
and arrest of your wife. Your wife privately tells you that the cause of food poisoning
may be because of pesticide used in school garden from where vegetable was grown
and sourced. Public anger is growing and you are accused of protecting your wife.

Following are your options:

Ask your wife to abscond and go for a foreign trip

1. Seek support of the Home Minister to protect your wife

2. Arrest your wife and let law of the land take its course
3. Close the school and both of you go for holidays

Discuss merits and demerits of above options and justify which option you would like to choose. You can also
justify any other option other than above ones. (250 Words)
 3) You are the CEO of a multinational company that manufactures airbags for cars. One
of your chief scientists complains that one of the components used in airbags to
make it inflate is faulty and might potentially harm passengers lives. However,
company has already produced millions of airbags and are ready to be shipped.
Further inquiries into the airbag prove that one in thousand airbags could
potentially explode and severely injure occupants of a car. Calling back airbags will
cause huge loss to your company and at the same time you have an obligation to
export airbags on time to car manufacturing companies as per contract signed.

What are your options in this case? Discuss their positive and negative consequences. Also justify which option
is best suited to you. (200 Words)

4) You are the Managing Director of metro rail corporation. Based on detailed
presentation by your team, you had initially promised the public and government to
complete second phase of metro project by the end of 2015. However, due to
unforeseen circumstances, the project was delayed and the deadline was postponed
by two more months. Then again, due to situations which were not under your
control, the project was further delayed by few more months. The media,
government and the public are up against you. You can not hurry as you do not want
to compromise with the quality of work. But, increasing traffic congestions, public
anger and pollution are forcing you to complete the project at any cost within a
month. The project has reached a stage where trial runs are taking place. But, an
authority which should give safety certificate for the go ahead of passenger
operations is delaying its inspection for unknown reasons. Recently there was an
article on you criticizing you as an inefficient and unsuitable person for the job.

1. How do you react to such allegations against you?

2. What are your options given your inability to keep up your promise to complete the project on time?
Discuss their merits and demerits. (250 Words)

Topic: Ethical issues in international relations

5) What ethical and legal questions does the recent American air strike on Syria raise?
Comment. (150 Words)
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