Ethics Case Study – 4 – Ethics in Public Service _ INSIGHTS

8/10/2019 Ethics Case Study 4 Ethics in Public Service _ INSIGHTS

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2/27/2014 Ethics Case Study 4 Ethics in Public Service | INSIGHTS

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44 responses to Ethics Case Study 4 Ethics inPublic Service

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Ethics Case Study - 2 - Honesty and

Integrity

SaritaOctober 1, 2 013 at 11 :27 am

Ramanujan should exhibit integrity and professionalism in dealing with such situation. He should provide his impartial view

regar ding adv anta ges and disadv ant ages of deal to his political boss and leav e it to him an d political procedure to take care of th

futur e of the deal.

It will be inappropriate for him to influence t he political leader for his own benefit w hether it is at fag end of his career th at dont

provide him alibi. Moreev er canv assing for deal by him w ill lead to frictions between political au thority and bureau crat s, this

wi ll ac t a s a ba d prec eden t for fut ur e r ela ti onshi ps an d decision mak ing . In a ddit ion, he sh ould repor t t hi s ma tt er t o his sen iorsand should see tha t th e firm is disqualified from futu re procurement process. regarding h is sons futu re, he can take loans to

finance h is education and use his pension for his secure futu re life ah ead.

At tem pted eth ics qu estion , fi rst tim e, pl ease su gg est c ha ng es for im prov em ent .

Reply

SomOctober 1, 201 3 at 3 :50 pm

In the present case, Ram anu jan is being tem pted by th e defence company to perform an a ct of professional m isconduct.

He has to report the case of bribery to the v igilance departm ent at t he earliest , if possible, with ev idence.This would not only

help clean up the contract process but also unearth any other instances of corruption by the same company.

It is important for Ram anuja n tha t at t he fag end of his career does not commit an un professional act an d further jeopardisehis own peaceful retirement life.

He can also set a perfect exa mple to his son wit h his act .

Reply

chandra shekarNovember 29, 201 3 at 11 :55 pm

also student educa tion loans are av ailabile in in dia.this is first option.

Reply

NAWIN(naveen)October 1 , 2013 at 11 :38 am

sarita good precedence in first attem pt

Reply

nehaOctober 1, 2 013 at 11 :47 am

Ramanujan- respected,admired,free hand

Ar ms suppli er- w orld c la ss suppli er, wi ll a dd v al ue to count ry s defen se

Wan ts Ram an uj an to speedu p th e pr ocess

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Sons educat ion- personal ma tter

Defense Minister- unexpected political cir cum stances

The ethical dilemma faced here are-

1. J ustice vs Mercy fair ness of rules v s empathy toward his son on account of personal t ragedy

2.Using public office for priv ate ga in.

3.Short term vs Long term

Resolution

End based approach- result of the decision

Business-as-usual l eav e the project as it is and do your dut y

Rule based

Does work without influ ence

Business-as-usual

Care Based-

Son can study abroad and lead a comfy l ife

Out of th e th ree tools for r esolution only one supports him to expedite the process in fav or of his son.He should therefore not

expedite the process for personal gains

Though th e products are world class but embroiled in controv ersy.

Will bring an eth ical dilemm a for the Defense Minister.

Becoming a public servan t m eans putting t he publics interest ahead of y our own.Even if public interest is not affected the

course for priva te gain is not correct.In long term it will ta rnish his ima ge as a public serv ant adm ired and respected and also

of the service it self .

Reply

Sagar HegdeOctober 1, 201 3 at 1 2:09 pm

Here there a re tw o different sections which need,

1. The issue regar ding the Finalizing of the Deal

2.Th e issue of promises between Contractor an d Ram anu jan.

In all t his it is duty of ev ery Bureaucrat for that matt er in any position of structure, in any period of tenure to maintain Dignity

and loya lty to his or her Institution, same should be the case of Ramanu jan.

1.He being a Bureaucrat he cannot change the Political scenario which is try ing to Scrap the deal, but at a same tim e he can a ls

keep his cards and try to Justify tha t Deal is actu ally v ery good and is in interest of country .

2.Regarding his Sons Future he can counsel his son and tell the actual financial scenario, that it is very hard to finance. One

more option would be Education Loan ca n be taken which will be filled back by his son.

Also contr ac tor shoul d be w ar ned of dir e consequen ces if h e app roaches hi m ag ain . Th e r eason for n ot dir ect ly ta kin g a ny ac tion

on the contract or is from Nat ions good point of view, the deal being a ctua lly good and world class arm s being procured.

Reply

prernaOctober 1, 201 3 at 2:1 9 pm

Ramanujan m ust take a v alue based judgement. Firstly , he m ust analy se If the products are sure to add value to the country sdefense arsenal then he m ust convince the ministry to take them if th ere is a need and no other better alternative a va ilable and

mu st not let his decision influenced by t he ma nufact urer or any other stakeholders.

If Raman ujan ca res for his son, he m ust not accept the indirect bribe offered by th e manu factur er for his duties as a public

serva nt. Because he would be set a w rong exam ple for h is son. Instead he ca n opt for a education loan for his sons higher

education.

Reply

neerajOctober 1, 201 3 at 3:23 pm

The executive is subordinate to the legislature a nd must work in tandem with t he minister. Since the deal will a dd value to
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defence of countr y , he should in his official capacity put forward th e technical a nd financial benefits of the deal and adv ise the

minister to finalise the deal. He should be ready to implement whatever decision the minister takes regarding the deal after his

advice.

Gaining undue a dva nta ge from th e supplier in form of concession to his son is against th e work ethics. He should refuse to accep

any kind of fav our as he is being paid by t he GoI to do the job efficiently and expedite or scrap th e deal according to ministers

wi sh.

Raman ujan should encourage his son to work hard an d qualify exam like GRE etc. on his merit and get scholarship to adva nce

his further studies and support h im in his endeav our. Qualify ing an ex am of interna tional standard would boost his confidence

and help him in futur e for gett ing a good job.

Reply

FIRSTATTEMPTOctober 1, 201 3 at 4:39 pm

As t he p roducts ar e of wor ld cl ass qu al ity an d wi ll add v al ue t o th e defen ce a rsen al . The sec ret ar y shoul d pitch for t he deal as it

wi ll be ben efici al for t he gov ern ment .

Regarding the offer from th e manu factur er for his sons education, he mu st clearly explain him tha t he can be booked for

corruption char ges for doing this and only reason that he is not complain ing aga inst him is because his products are of good

quality and our country will be hugely benefited by t hese.

He must also sit with his son, and explain him that what the m anager is offering is unethical.The secretary can take education

loan for his sons educat ion and h e can get a dmission on the ba sis of his capabilit ies.

Reply

raghusharmagOctober 1, 201 3 at 4:39 pm

1.10.13:

1.Ramanujan:

The challenges involved here are:

1)Consideration of futur e of Raman ujan(R)s child & thus need of money to R

2)Slow progress of arm deal

3) Unstable political circum stances & thus possibility of scrapping deal which ca n ha rm dealer s interest, supply of arm

material, interest of R & his relation w ith m inistry .

R in th ese circumsta nces should follow principle of professional responsibility & competence, an d principle of honesty .

Though Rs responsibility do lies with his son in present scenar io the obligation with respect to his job prev ails.

Slow progress of arm s deal, considering product are world class & will add to country s arsenal without h arm ing any party , is

prime issue. A rational & neut ral a pproach can be made to Ministry regar ding importance of deal for nation & can share his

experience with r espect to earlier controver sies. By t aking m inistry into confidence based on rat ional ground deal can be

fasttracked.

However R should not comm it any thing to dealer as he is not proper decision making aut hority . And ta king decision based on

satisfying self interest could bring bias. R can approach educat ion loan or other lega l fund genera tion means to secure his childs

future.

Reply

raghusharmagOctober 1, 201 3 at 4 :45 pm

Insight sir, pls do rev iew th is.

Few doubts are -

1.can w e use any nam e say Ramanujan as R by m entioning 1st time clearly.

2.In present answer i hv used word can should it be made m ore strong like using should instead. I though t this being

open question using should will n arr ow the dim ensions.

Reply

raghusharmagOctober 1, 201 3 at 4 :52 pm
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pls suggest if point wise form is good in such a nswer(i felt i can cover cha llenges clearly in point form so used it.but i m

alwa y s comfortable with parag raph wise). i know these are few question which i should ask my self but ur h elp would be

great support.

Reply

INSIGHTSOctober 1, 201 3 at 5:06 pm

1.Y ou should use full nam es, or pronouns wherev er necessary . At an y cost one should not make exam iners job difficult.

But for abbreviations you can follow what you said.

2. Can connotes possibility but should implies obligation. Latter is assertiv e and reflects y our convict ion. Though it

appears like open question, there is a definite answer t o this. I think its better to use should un less situation dema nds

y our sug gest ion.

Reply

brahmasmiOctober 1, 201 3 at 4 :40 pm

The priority of Raman ujan scope of work lies prim arily with his depart ment . Political situa tions are out of his field and he mu st

go as the Defence Minister decides. He should direct his energy in execut ing new decisions.

He must tal k to his superiors about t he proposal made by the m an from th e company . As this is not health y practice because

innocent and helpful looking proposal migh t be misused in futu re again st the interests of the country .

He should encourage h is son to study har der because there ar e lots of scholarships av ailable a longwith education loans. Besides

he can opt for colleges in his own country . Fierce competition here w ill bring out his best wh ich is the aim of higher education.

He should prepare a r eport a bout the qua lity and usefulness of the products so tha t in nea r futu re wh en business will be done,

people can resort to the earl ier recommen dations.

Reply

brahmasmiOctober 1, 2013 at 4:48 pm

Vin ay Sir , please comm ent . A fter 5-6 y ear s I am wr it ing subj ect iv e an swer s at my own , n ot by cheat ing . N ot v ery confid ent

Reply

INSIGHTSOctober 1, 201 3 at 5:33 pm

Your s is a g ood att em pt. For someon e writ ing for t he f ir st t im e after man y y ear s, y our an swer is good.

Try to organ ize thoughts well. His dilemm a and ethica l principles that would be compromised if he acts unethical ly

should be highlig hted.

Keep it up.

Reply

SriniOctober 1, 201 3 at 5:04 pm

In public service, it is expected from ev ery one to ma intain highest lev el of honesty, int egrity and probity in th eir profession. So

in any situation, Ramanujan should out rightly reject the offers given by the arm s manufacturer. Any gifts or offers that he

accepts (without th e knowledge of the govern ment ) for th e duty he had performed for th e governm ent is not ethical and does no

fall under t he code of conduct of public servan ts. At the sam e time, He needs to take the ar ms ma nufact urer in confidence that

the deal would be finalized v ery soon and the present controv ersy is temporary .

In the present situat ion, Ram anu jan needs to adv ice the defense minister rega rding th e adva nta ges of signing t his deal and ask

him not to scrap th e deal which is adding v alue to the countr y s defense arsenal because of unr easonable factors.

It is also better for Ramanu jan to tell th e defense minister in a confidential m anner a bout the offers made by t he arm s

manu facturer to him and tha t he had rejected the same.
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Rep y

j.pattonOctober 1, 201 3 at 6:1 6 pm

The dilemm a th at a rises is :-wheth er he should finalize the deal ev en though it is controver sial considering that it will benefit

both th e count ry an d hi s persona l in ter ests.

firstly he m ust recognise the problems ie his emotional state of mind and prioritise his options. the qu estion he m ust ask him self

is is his personal int erest above th e nations interest

care based ethics suggest that he should care for his close ones. howev er if he real ly cares for his son he must encoura ge him to

study h ard and pursue scholarships to study a broad instead of giving int o his demands.

To deal with his emotional state of mind, h e should learn t o manag e his emotions. he can m eet new people, cultiv ate some new

hobbies which would keep him occupied.

An d it is im portan t t o ha v e a sing le w indow process for passin g im portan t pr ojects as u sua lly long bur eac ra ti c delay s encou ra ge

corruption. Howev er since the company offered an uneth ical solution to the problem , Raman aju m ust desist from the offer and

reprima nd the company . He must also bring it to the defence minister notice about th e incident so tha t ther e is no cause for

controversies later on. He has earned a good name for himself through his exemplary work ethics and he must not do anything

to ruin that image in h is last few m onths.

PLEASE REVIEW..thanks

Reply

DDOctober 1, 201 3 at 6:33 pm

Raman ujan faces ethical dilem ma on both professional and personal front. In the both cases he is tied to Conduct of Serv ices.

As w e kn ow t he ar ms suppli er i s know n for wor ld cl ass pr oduct hence th e push for th e dea l is ju st to speed up t he slow

burea uc ra tic process. In such situ at ion Ramun aja n sh ould not t ak e the b ait an d ra th er sh ould hel d a m eet ing between t he

Minister and the arms supplier so that an effective way comes out. The larger objective is strengthening defence arsenal withou

using the deal for personal gain s. In the ensuing political envir onment ra ther th en scraping the deal in jiffy Ram anuja n should

comm unicate the m atter to arm s supplier and adv ice him to wait till the situation normailze.

On the other hand, if he uses the arms agreement for his personal gain it might hamper his long established untarnished image

in th e administra tion and also in front of his son. If there is a financial crun ch for his sons admission th ere are other w ay s like

loan from a ba nk, etc or adm ission in a reputed Indian institute a s well.

Reply

Sreekanth SomanOctober 1, 201 3 at 6 :56 pm

Raman ujan h as to enforce the distinction between priva te and public life. The death of his wife and elder son hav e affected his

official duties. He has to think about his capacity to deliv er the m axim um to his job as defence secretar y . If he finds that he can

perform his job without any loss in efficiency , he can continue and follow the course given below. Otherwise he should excuse

him self from th e responsibilities of th is important position.

The company seeking the contracts wan ts to speed up the process and they are exert ing pressure on Ramanu jan an d even

offering h im a quid pro quo in term s of sponsoring his sons education. But Ram anjan should protect h is integrity and life long

achievements as a civ il serv ant, w hich should be more va luable than the career of his son under any circumstance. If any one

comes to know about this dealings, Ramanja ns and the defence ministers character would be put t o question. Ram anuja n woul

be doin g a gr eat disserv ice t o the m ini ster wh o tr ust ed him by ac cept ing fav our s from th e com pan y .

SInce he knows that t he contract is utim ately beneficial to the countr y s defence forces, he should try to impress upon the

defence minister about th e importance of clearing this contract and at the same tim e denying th e favours from the company .

He needs to talk to his son and tell him that he will try his best to arrange the finances for his study legitimately through

education loan and if he is unsuccessful, his son ha v e to think a bout other options regarding h is higher educat ion.

Reply

NitishOctober 1, 201 3 at 6 :58 pm
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A pu blic office i s lik e a tr ust , t o be used t o prom ote pu bli c in ter est. Eth ica l con duc t m an dat es th at a pu blic officia l should not u se

his public position or property to promote priva te or personal in terest.

If the defence minister is inclined to scrap the deal, Raman ujan should enquire into it. A bur eaucr at is required to give objective

and fair opinion to the minister without any fear or favour. However it is left to the minister to accept that advice or otherwise.

So if Ram anu jan, professionally feels tha t, the deal is worth y for the nat ion, he should frankly tell it to the minister, irrespective

of whether h e likes it or not.

Ramanujan m ust not take m oney from th e manufactur er as it would amount to graft, punishable under law. Rather

Raman ujan should ma ke altern ativ e arra ngem ents like bank loan or good coaching for his son. He might al so convince his son t

join g ood Indi an colleges, for w hi ch th ere is no sca rc ity .

Keeping in m ind the urgency of arms requirement for the arm y, Ramanujan m ust expedite the defence purchase, but w ithoutsacrificing the detailed testing and evalua tion, without getting influenced from the manu facturer.

Reply

INSIGHTSOctober 1, 2013 at 7 :36 pm

Nice answer Nitish. This y ear y ou will rock.

Reply

himanshu singhNovem ber 15, 2013 at 1 0:54 pm

INSIGHTS, dont y ou think th at , offer of bribe should be reported & man ufactu rer m ust be barred from futur e

participation ?

Reply

neerajOctober 1, 201 3 at 8:18 pm

I think I hav e been writing m y essay at the wrong place(ie Weekly essay page) kindly review th em for me I am sharing the link

to my essays

http://insightsonindia.com/weekly-essay-writing-challenge/

last three essay s please review them .. i will t ry to write the new ones in the right places

Also rev iew my Eth ics qu estion .. th an ks

Reply

INSIGHTSOctober 1, 201 3 at 8 :20 pm

I will definitely go through t hem. Kind of busy t hese day s.

Reply

SREEJESHOctober 1, 201 3 at 9:1 4 pm

The professional integrity and honesty ar e the two virt ues which a bur eaucra t and especially someone at the position of

Ramanujan Shastri m ust definitively hav e .In the a bove case Ramanujan has to choose between his integrity and the love and

compassion for his son.

Raman ujan should deliberat ely t hink over th e issue and soon he will realize that a ny corrupt practice will put a spot on his

otherwise bright car eer and he has to carr y t hat bu rden through out his life. So he should not come under any externa l influenc

wh at soever d rea m is offered to h im . He sh ould categ orica lly deny to a ccept th e br ibe. Also he m ust mak e clear to the deal er t ha t

he will take necessary action if he continue to do so or tr y to influence somebody else.

Also if th e arm s to be pu rc ha sed ar e of wor ld cl ass and i s a v al ue addi tion to count ry s defen se ar sena l t hen he shoul d expedite th

process while ensuring th at al l the requir ed form alities are completed .Also he should motiva te his son to work hard and get

admission in college of his choice and also the problem of finance can be solv ed by arr anging scholarship on m erit ba sis .By doing

this Raman ujan w ill help his sons cause as well as his moral dilem ma w ill also be taken car e of and last but not the lea st a natio
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.

Reply

SREEJESHOctober 1, 2013 at 9:15 pm

INSIGHTS please do revi ew.

Thanks.

Reply

Aditya JhaOctober 1, 201 3 at 9:1 9 pm

Ethics Case Study 4

Even t hough expediting th e deal does not ha rm any ones interest. it am ounts to use of public office for priva te gains.

This tendency should be av oided. Mr. Rama nujam is in the highest echelons of administra tion, and he needs to set an exa mple

for his juniors. But, a t th e same tim e he mu st not compromise on his privat e life, his son.

He should make every thing clear a bout h is dilemmas before the m inister with complete honesty leav ing the final call on the

minister. In th is, he must inform the Minister of all the consequences of expediting the deal, not expediting it a nd ev en

cancelling it, with complete impartiality.

This ensures tha t he would not lose his good term s with the m inister and at the same tim e maint ain his integrity . If the ministe

agrees to his words, Mr. Rama nujam should sign the deal without delay .

However, if he does not agree he should not press the mat ter an y fu rth er informing h is son of his inability in getting h im

admission.

Integrity should never be compromised.

Reply

sabareeshpa

October 1, 201 3 at 9:51 pm

The Defense Secretary should, taking into concern the Nat ions defense arsenal and th erefore National Secur ity , ask the Ministe

to proceed with th e defense deal. Rama nujam should not do this keeping in mind the offer given by the ar ms firm. He mu st

facilitate the files movement through red tapism. Keeping in mind the friendship with the Minister, Ramanujam should inform

the offer he had received to the minister and recomment legal action against the company person.

Regarding the educa tion of his son, he should seek educat ional loan. If he wishes, he can speak to the m inister regar ding this as

well an d req uest hi m to g ra nt a l ong t erm loan in h is na me for h is sons edu cation . If both th e option do not c ome t ru e, h e will

hav e to explain to his son the cu rrent situ ation he is facing and convince his son to choose an educational offer tha t Rama nuja m

can a fford.

Reply

vipu lOctober 1, 2013 a t 10:16 pm

Selflessness is the basic guiding principle for public officials when discharg ing th eir duties. Rama njuan should not use his officia

position to gain financia l benefits for himself or any of his family mem ber. By a ccepting the company persons offer of financial

assistan ce, Ramanu jan will be obliged to take decision in company s fav or that w ill compromise with the int egrity of his office.

Raman ujan should straigh t aw ay reject the company persons offer to assist his y oungest son and wa rn th e compan y person of

consequences of his behav ior.

Al l t he decision s of Publi c offici al shoul d ha v e object iv ity . If th e fiel d tr ia ls & t estin g su pports th e clai m th at products ar e world

class then Ramanujan can put forward his opinion to the minister to speed up the arm contract deal with the company. Apart

from th is, minister is also responsible to parliam ent for his policies, decisions & actions. Ramnu jnan should advise the m inister t

expedite the contract only when a ll the due processes & va lidations hav e been completed.

Reply

ABC
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October 1, 201 3 at 1 0:20 pm

Ramanujan is in a conflict of interest situation. If he gives clearance to the deal in a hasty manner he might be abusing his

position. Contrar ily if he doesnt, he m ay not be dischar ging h is duties.

Though the deal is put on hold, Ramanujan m ust talk to defence minister. He must try to know wh at is the hu rdle and must try

to conv ince him a bout the benefits of this deal. He might al so think of negotiatting fu rth er with supplier so as to reap out m ore

ben efit s.

To fullfill his duties as a father, h e can opt for educational loan supplemented with his savings. Giv en his good image h e can also

ask for legal fina ncial support from his departm ent. He can also ask his son to apply for any av ailable scholarship.

Hence it is Ram anuja ns duty to get this deal done not because of his personal in terest but for sake for strengt hening of national

security of country

Reply

ABCOctober 1, 201 3 at 1 0:30 pm

Respected Insights sir,

On comparing m y answer with others, I personally feel that my answers are very weak. Please review it and guide me.to

improve my answer writing skill.

Sir, i hav e another request. Currently I am preparing for civ il serv ices along with a job in privat e sector. It becomes very much

har d for me to take out tim e for studies. Sir can y ou please suggest some guidelines which will h elp me to effectively plan my

studies.

Than ks in adv ance sir!!

Reply

rickOctober 1, 201 3 at 1 0:36 pm

Ramanujan is caught up in the dilemma of personal gain(where he could ensure the best career path and future of his son) and

his professional integrity in the defence ministry .

The best way forward for him would be to examine and expedite all the intricacies of the contract,discuss the matter in the

ministry in urgent ,and convince th e defence minister to go ahead if possible.The problem seems temporary and in any case

wou ld be ink ed in th e futu re an d th e produ cts ar e of wor ld cl ass and w ill bolster th e defen ce c apa bil iti es of th e count ry .

As fa r a s th e ca reer of h is son is conc ern ed,h e should n ev er comprom ise w ith hi s professiona l et hi cs ev en i f it br ing s immense

gain t o his son.He has just lost his fam ily and one mean step could tar nish his reputat ion at th e v erge of his long accomplished

career a nd could portray his sons future in bad ligh t.

Reply

briOctober 2, 2 013 at 12:19 am

giv en tha t th e products are world class and will add to countr y s defence arsenal, as defence secretary it becomes his natur al

duty to make sure that our country signs that deal. At the same time he should understand the political situation in th e countr

and act wisely . he should sincerely tr y for the deal till he retires. wheth er the deal happens during h is tenure or not , he should

nev er accept such rewar ds from a priv ate company . He should hav e strongly responded and warned the company officials at th

v ery spot it self. an d th at wou ld h av e m ade su ch compan ies awa re of th e dig nit y of our na tion an d self r espect of indi an cit izens.and tha t would hav e reprima nded such compan ies from m aking simila r offers to our officials.

Reply

champakaliOctober 2, 201 3 at 2 :40 pm

Ramanujan holds a very important and influential public office with his decisions having a direct bearing on national defence.

It is thus v ery important that he remains impartial, objective, t ransparent and takes any decision with only n ational interests

in his mind.

Thus, he cannot accept the offer by t he company as accepting any personal benefit in lieu of any official service v iolates all

norms of ethical public conduct directly questioning his integrity and impar tialit y in m aking th e decision. He should conv ey

these thought s to the company in the strictest of terms. His son in this case, will un fortunat ely h av e to be disappointed. He
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should perhaps explain h is position t o his son, a long with the reasons as described above.

Also, if fr om h is experi enc e, Ra man uj an senses tha t t he presen t c ontr ov ersy is temporary ,the deal wi ll be in ked lat er, an d dela y

wi ll only ha rm na tion al int erests, h e shou ld ex pla in th is to defence mi nist er a nd t ry to conv inc e him to n ot scr ap t he deal , bu t

try to find a compromise solution if politically possible. It is important tha t domestic short t erm politics should not har m long

term nat ional geopolitical engagem ents like defence deals. Howev er if defence minister thinks otherw ise, he should support h is

decision in cancella tion of the deal.

Reply

dryogeshd

October 2, 201 3 at 3 :52 pm

aga in not a good enough case, but sure is a lesson for aspirants

Reply

varsha rainaOctober 2, 2013 at 4:44 pm

The question in consideration revolves around conflict of interest between the bureaucrat and the arms manufacturer.

The question explicitly mentions that the bureaucrat is an admired and a respected man. This implies that his must be taking

decisions on a principled stand .

The burea ucra ts only son wan ts to study abroad amid th e heav y costs incurred. He should tell his son tha t complete support

and assistan ce would be provided from his side but the only t hing t hat will get h im adm ission are his credentials.

Secondly there is no financial cr isis , scholarship could be taken.

Since the supply of arms is of good quality and would prove t o be beneficial to the na tion. The deal should not be temporarirly

disbanded instead t he m inister should be sugg ested to expedite the process.

The link between m anu factur er and the sons higher education should not be taken forward in any case and he should be

morally u pright and strong to deny any favours.

As h e in th e fag en d of hi s car eer , h e shou ld be seen a s m odel bur eau cr at wh o is honest , fai r a nd t ra nsparen t i n h is work.

Reply

Ann y Middh aOctober 2, 201 3 at 4 :52 pm

In the given situa tion, Ramanu jam is tested on tw o accounts good parenting an d an honest dedicated administra tor.And he

wa nt s to han dle both situ at ions with di gn ity an d in teg rit y .

Firstly, on professional accounts he should giv e an u nbiased feedback to th e Minister in cluding both pros and cons of concerned

deal. And that products are of world class and ll add valu e to country s arsenal. Howev er the client approached him wit h

immoral a nd illegal route thus Ramanujam should take legal procedure aga inst h im. Ramanu jam can also ask for a nother

contractor prov iding same qua lity of goods at reasonable prices.

Secondly a s aparent he should help his child with all th e monetary support for his education and good career, with legit imat e

mean s only . He can try taking a n education loan or use his retirem ent benefits. But he should not use any refrence for his sons

admission and ask him to get it with his talent.

This is first answer to ethics case study .

please review Insights and others.

Reply

ssreekanthreddyOctober 2, 2013 at 7 :30 pm

Person in a public position should exhibit high degree of honesty a nd integrity while performing h is duties. Given t hat

Raman ujan is high ly respected and admir ed bureaucr at, h e will be a role model for many of his subordinates. Now the offer

from th e defence contra ctor is solely based on his public position. Now ta king a dva ntag e of his position and accepting the offer

(despite it not affecting any ones interests and prov iding high qua lity products) would be equiva lent to accepting bribe to do his

duty. Such an action would hav e negative effect on his reputation and personal integrity . So this might hav e impact on his

subordinates and such pract ices ma y perpetua te a corru ptiv e cultur e in the organ isation.

Mr.Ramanu jan should not all ow his personal compu lsions to compromise his public position and its at tach ed va lues. So he shoul
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.

the usefulness of the deal he can adv ice the minister in it s favor.

Please review Insights and others.

Reply

csOctober 3, 2013 at 4:1 7 pm

Raman ujan sha stri should do what is expected of a senior civ il serva nt of his repute.t he civ il serva nts are expected to render fre

and frank adv ice to their m inisters and hav e to faithful ly im plement th e decisions of the minister.

mr . ram anu jan should not violate any of the professional codes.civ il services code demand subordination of priv ate inter est to

public interest and proscribe any pecuniary interest of the officers in a government interest.

it is mentioned that mr.ramanujan is respected and admired this means that throught his career he has delivered selfless

service ans adhered to the values of integrity and probity.

it is highly likely tha t he m ust hav e inspired the same v alues in his son .if the officer misuses his official position to lay th e

foundation for h is sons career h e would be setting a wrong precedent for his son.

mr rama nujan can arrange educational loan for his son and also he can h elp his son with the gr atuity that he will get on

retirement.

Reply

Keerthi Narayan

October 8, 2013 at 1 0:54 pm

The presented cases poses the following issues:

1. Ram anuja ms desire to be in good term s with the m inister who has given h im requir ed freedon in his work. Howev er, this

requires v iolating h is professional ethics a nd code of conduct.

2. Th e demand from th e contractor to speed up the processing of the deal by depart ing from th e normal processing procedures in

retur n for financial fav ours. This also, v iolates his code of conduct and integrit y .

3. His fondness and desire to give his son a g ood education and bright futur e though he is not financially capable of it.

Solutions:

1. Ramanujam, being a part of the permanent executiv e, should not be disturbed by the frequent changing natu re of the

Minister, tem porar y executiv e. if the deal is for the country s good, then he should proceed with his duties in finalising it.

2. Ram anu jam should not yield to the contract ors offer. Though t he deal does not ha rm a ny ones interests, undue fastening up

of its finalisation for financial benefits is ethically wrong a nd professionally incorrect.

3. In fulfilling h is sons dream, Raman ujam can seek the finan cial assistance of banks for givin g educational loan for his sons

high er studies. If his son doesnt h av e the necessary merit s of securing adm ission in an institu tion he desires, he should admit

him alternativ e choices which are equally lucrat ive.

Reply

Amod AnkitOctober 19, 201 3 at 5:18 pm

Civil serv ant s hav e a moral obligation to suggest the best alt ernat iv e before their political m asters so tha t an informed decisio

is taken in the best interest of the countr y .

Ramanajums responsibility is restricted to apprise the minister of the advantages accrued to the defence infrastructure if the

deal is inked.He should not make any efforts to cataly se the process(no matt er the political logjam is tra nsitory in na tur e) and

influence political decision ma king process.

Abou t t he benefits prom ised in ret ur n of ex pedit ing th e fin al izat ion of t he deal ,h e shou ld t ur n dow n t he offer a nd ex pla in h is

obligation to abide by th e rule book.He might be subjected to witch-huntin g in futu re for no fault of his(just for giv ing his fair

opinion as now th e ex-coal secretar y is being h ounded and that t oo after 8 y ears of hanging h is boots) for deliberately

influencing the political process.When it comes to his son,he should advise his son to work har d and get into a good college.In cas

he misses it,Rama najum can ar rang e for educational loans to finance his studies.

Reply
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abhinavNovember 6, 2013 at 12:17 am

Being a reputed civ il serva nt, it is his duty to suggest th e pro and cons of any deal and leav e the decision to the political system.

Using his public position to gain personal int erest is a unethica l thin g. So he should reject the offer m ade by the person stra ight

away.

Also a com pla int shoul d be lau nc hed B eca use m ay be thi s tim e pr oduct s ar e of best sta nda rds bu t i f th e cont ra ctor get s th e dea l

wi th ill ega l m ean s nex t t im e he m ay tr y to g et a deal on less com pat ible produ cts t hr ough un const itut iona l w ay .

Abou t h is son,t her e are sc hola rsh ips an d loans to fina nc e hi s fur th er stu dies.

Reply

NikitaDecember 16, 2 013 at 12:29 pm

In this case,Raman ujam has to decide between his personal interest and public interest.As a civ il serva nt,t he public interests

should ov erride his personal interest.

If the defence minister h as declined the deal due to political in terv entions,, Ram anu jan should enquire into it. A s a

burea uc ra t, he must giv e hon est a nd fa ir opinion to the mini ster .. Howev er i t i s discr eti on of th e th e m ini ster to a ccept hi s adv ic

or not. So if Ramanu jan, professionally feels tha t, th e deal is good for the prosperity of the nation, he should tell it t o the minister

about it regar dless of the ministers choice.

ram anu jam m ust not accept money from the supplier as it would be ethica lly wrong and dishonesty towa rds his job.Moreover

he should explain to his son about th e money constra ints and guide him to take adm ission in one of the indian colleges of which

there is no scacity .And also he should tell his son since nobody is left in t he fam ily except him so he wa nts him to study in india

only.

Reply
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Documents

Ethics Case Study – 4 – Ethics in Public Service _ INSIGHTS