Case Study You are the Superintendent of Police (SP) of a district where panchayat elections are being held. The elections have been marred by widespread violence, resulting in several deaths and injuries. The ruling party and the opposition parties have accused each other of rigging, intimidation and booth capturing. The State Election Commission (SEC) has sought your report on the situation and asked you to take necessary steps to ensure free and fair elections. One of the major sources of violence in your district is a notorious Bahubali Neta (muscleman leader) who belongs to the ruling party and has several criminal cases against him. He is contesting the elections from his stronghold and has allegedly unleashed his goons to terrorize his rivals and voters. He also enjoys the patronage of some influential politicians and religious leaders who have appealed to their followers to vote for him. a) What are the ethical issues involved in this case? b) What are the options available to you as the SP? Evaluate each option in terms of its merits and demerits. c) What course of action would you take as the SP? Justify your decision with suitable reasons.

Case Study You are the founder of a social enterprise that provides solar lamps to rural villages that lack access to electricity. You have been working hard to scale up your impact and reach more communities in need. One day, you receive an email from the CEO of a major oil company who is interested in partnering with you. He says that he wants to support your cause and help you expand your operations. He also mentions that he has to meet Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards for his company. However, over the years working with renewable energy, you have developed a strong aversion to fossil fuel companies. Now, the CEO’s offer has put you in a moral dilemma. On one hand, you resent the idea of accepting help from a company that is contributing to climate change and environmental degradation, and on the other hand, you feel that the company’s assistance is a golden opportunity for your social enterprise to provide more light to the dark. A. What are the various ethical issues involved here? B. Will it be morally right for you to accept money from the oil company?

Elections have been declared in the state. According to the election code of conduct, all major decisions have been put on hold. In this situation, chief secretary, Deepankar Prakash faced a delicate problem that arose from the failure of rains in some parts of the state. In this case, extra power has to be supplied to farmers to enable them to run irrigation pump sets. Power was also needed to tackle drinking water supply problems. The situation led to public dissatisfaction and the Chief Minister knew that it would affect the party’s election prospects. However, the state had no generation capacity, power has to be purchased at a high cost. Further, the state electricity board had no money. Funds can be given to the board only by withdrawing a large sum from the contingency fund. In this situation, the chief minister has asked Deepankar Prakash to do something about the matter. Imagine yourself as the chief secretary and discuss the different options available and how will you respond in this case?

Case Study You are an officer working for the fire department in a city. One day, a massive fire breaks out in a building belonging to a coaching institute having classrooms where more than 1000 students are stranded. Also, the building lacks proper fire safety measures and adequate exits. Panic ensues as students inside the building desperately try to escape the flames and smoke, resulting in some individuals resorting to jumping off the building to save themselves. As you arrive at the scene, you are faced with the following dilemmas: (a) How do you prioritize the rescue operations, given the limited resources and time available? (b) How do you deal with the ethical and legal implications of the building owner’s negligence and violation of fire safety norms? (c) How do you handle the emotional and psychological impact of witnessing such a tragic incident on yourself and your team members?

Case Study Ranbir is the Chief executive officer of a company. The Company has been growing and has recruited quite a few specialists recently. The functional heads in the company have to meet their staff in an open meeting every two months. Ranbir detested these meetings. It was open to everyone in the office. The staff came up with a long list of trivial and tiresome complaints and grievances. They repeated the same things and spoke at length. Even when the staff knew of the constraints, they went on with their complaints. They wanted more space for lounge, for bathrooms and crèche. Ranbir pointed to lack of space, and yet the staff continued to complain. Ranbir cultivated a habit of sitting through the meeting with a cheerful face, but with his mind switched off from the proceedings. The meeting became a tiresome ritual he had to get through. Due these issues many employees had left the company and its further hampering the Business of the company. Q. In Ranbir’s situation what action would you have taken and why?

Case Study India hosts a number of migratory bird species every year who fly here either in search of feeding ground or to escape freezing winters of their natural habitat. At a major bird nesting lake in India, thousands of birds have died in a mysterious way. The deadly lake is surrounded by mining areas and possibly due to the discharge of effluents from the mining process, the lake got polluted. The junior manager working in the same mining area happens to discover the cause of the death of the birds. He is perturbed and discusses this with his colleagues who ask him to keep silent as this may cost him his job. He cannot risk losing his job as he is the sole breadwinner of his family and has to take care of his ailing parents and siblings. At first, he thinks that if his colleagues are quiet, why should he stick out his neck. But his conscience pricks him to do something to save the lake and the birds who depend upon it. He decides to take the matter to his senior. (a) What arguments can he advance to show that whatever is being done by the mining industry is not morally right? (b) What course of action should he adopt in case his senior refuses to entertain his complaint and why?