General Studies 2022 GS Paper IV 20 marks 250 words Compulsory Critically examine

Q7

Prabhat was working as Vice President (Marketing) at Sterling Electric Ltd., a reputed multinational company. But presently the company was passing through the difficult times as the sales were continuously showing downward trend in the last two quarters. His division, which hitherto had been a major revenue contributor to the company's financial health, was now desperately trying to procure some big government order for them. But their best efforts did not yield any positive success or breakthrough. His was a professional company and his local bosses were under pressure from their London-based HO to show some positive results. In the last performance review meeting taken by the Executive Director (India Head), he was reprimanded for his poor performance. He assured them that his division is working on a special contract from the Ministry of Defence for a secret installation near Gwalior and tender is being submitted shortly. He was under extreme pressure and he was deeply perturbed. What aggravated the situation further was a warning from the top that if the deal is not clinched in favour of the company, his division might have to be closed and he may have to quit his lucrative job. There was another dimension which was causing him deep mental torture and agony. This pertained to his personal precarious financial health. He was a single earner in the family with two school-college going children and his old ailing mother. The heavy expenditure on education and medical was causing a big strain to his monthly pay packet. Regular EMI for housing loan taken from bank was unavoidable and any default would render him liable for severe legal action. In the above backdrop, he was hoping for some miracle to happen. There was sudden turn of events. His secretary informed that a gentleman—Subhash Verma wanted to see him as he was interested in the position of Manager which was to be filled in by him in the company. He further brought to his notice that his CV has been received through the office of the Minister of Defence. During interview of the candidate—Subhash Verma, he found him technically sound, resourceful and experienced marketeer. He seemed to be well-conversant with tendering procedures and having knack of follow-up and liaising in this regard. Prabhat felt that he was better choice than the rest of the candidates who were recently interviewed by him in the last few days. Subhash Verma also indicated that he was in possession of the copies of the bid documents that the Unique Electronics Ltd. would be submitting the next day to the Defence Ministry for their tender. He offered to hand over those documents subject to his employment in the company on suitable terms and conditions. He made it clear that in the process, the Sterling Electric Ltd. could outbid their rival company and get the bid and hefty Defence Ministry order. He indicated that it will be win-win situation for both—him and the company. Prabhat was absolutely stunned. It was a mixed feeling of shock and thrill. He was uncomfortable and perspiring. If accepted, all his problems would vanish instantly and he may be rewarded for securing the much awaited tender and thereby boosting company's sales and financial health. He was in a fix as to the future course of action. He was wonder-struck at the guts of Subhash Verma in having surreptitiously removing his own company papers and offering to the rival company for a job. Being an experienced person, he was examining the pros and cons of the proposal/situation and he asked him to come the next day. (a) Discuss the ethical issues involved in the case. (b) Critically examine the options available to Prabhat in the above situation. (c) Which of the above would be the most appropriate for Prabhat and why?

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

प्रभात एक प्रतिष्ठित बहुराष्ट्रीय कंपनी स्टर्लिंग इलेक्ट्रिक लिमिटेड में उपाध्यक्ष (विपणन) के रूप में कार्यरत था। लेकिन फिलहाल कंपनी मुश्किल दौर से गुजर रही थी क्योंकि पिछली दो तिमाहियों से बिक्री में लगातार गिरावट का खब दिखाई पड़ रहा था। उसका डिवीजन, जो अब तक कंपनी के वित्तीय स्वास्थ्य में एक प्रमुख राजस्व अंशदाता था, अब उनके लिए कुछ बड़े सरकारी ऑर्डर प्राप्त करने के लिए भरसक प्रयास कर रहा था। लेकिन उनके सर्वोत्तम प्रयासों को कोई सकारात्मक सफलता नहीं मिली। उसकी कंपनी पेशेवर थी और उसके स्थानीय मालिकों पर उनके लंदन स्थित मुख्यालय की ओर से कुछ सकारात्मक परिणाम प्रदर्शित करने का दबाव था। कार्यकारी निदेशक (भारतीय प्रमुख) द्वारा की गई पिछली कार्य-समीक्षा बैठक में उसे उसके खराब प्रदर्शन के लिए फटकार लगाई गई थी। उसने उन्हें आश्वासन दिया कि उसका डिवीजन क्वालियर के पास एक गुप्त संस्थापन के लिए रक्षा मंत्रालय से एक विशेष अनुबंध पर काम कर रहा है और जल्द ही निविदा जमा की जा रही है। वह अत्यधिक दबाव में था और बहुत परेशान था। जिस बात ने हालात को और बदतर बना दिया, वह थी, ऊपर से एक चेतावनी कि यदि कंपनी के पक्ष में सौदा नहीं हुआ तो उसका डिवीजन बंद करना पड़ सकता है और उसे अपनी लाभप्रद नौकरी छोड़नी पड़ सकती है। एक और आयाम था जो उसे गहरी मानसिक यातना और पीड़ा पहुंचा रहा था। यह उसके व्यक्तिगत अनिश्चित वित्तीय स्वास्थ्य से संबंधित था। वह दो स्कूल-कॉलेज जानेवाले बच्चों और अपनी बीमार बुड़ी माँ वाले परिवार में अकेला कमाने वाला था। शिक्षा व चिकित्सा पर भारी खर्च के कारण उसके मासिक वेतन वाले पैकेट पर भारी दबाव पड़ रहा था। बैंक से लिए गए गृह ऋण के लिए नियमित ई० एम० आई० अपरिहार्य थी और चूक करने पर उसे गंभीर कानूनी कार्रवाई के लिए उत्तरदायी होना होगा। उपर्युक्त पृष्ठभूमि में वह किसी चमत्कार के घटित होने की उम्मीद कर रहा था। अचानक घटनाक्रम में बदलाव आ गया। उसके सचिव ने बताया कि एक सज्जन, सुभाष वर्मा उनसे मिलना चाहते हैं, क्योंकि उन्हें कंपनी में प्रबंधक के पद में दिलचस्पी है जिसे कंपनी को भरना है। पुनः उसने उनके संज्ञान में लाया कि उसका आत्मकृत रक्षामंत्री के कार्यालय के माध्यम से प्राप्त हुआ है। उसने उम्मीदवार, सुभाष वर्मा के साक्षात्कार के दौरान उसे तकनीकी रूप से मजबूत, साधन-संपन्न और अनुभवी विक्रेता महसूस किया। ऐसा प्रतीत होता था कि वह निविदा प्रक्रिया से भली-भांति परिचित है और इस संबंध में अनुवर्ती कार्रवाई व अंतर्संबंध में निपुण है। प्रभात को लगा कि उसकी उम्मीदवारी अन्य उम्मीदवारों की तुलना में बेहतर है, जिनका साक्षात्कार हाल में, पिछले कुछ दिनों में उसने लिया था। सुभाष वर्मा ने यह भी संकेत किया कि उसके पास बोली दस्तावेजों की प्रतियां हैं जिन्हें यूनिक इलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स लिमिटेड अगले दिन रक्षा मंत्रालय को उसकी निविदा के लिए प्रस्तुत करेगा। उसने उन दस्तावेजों को सौंपने की पेशकश की बशर्ते उसे कंपनी में उपयुक्त नियमों और शर्तों पर रोजगार दिया जाए। उसने स्पष्ट किया कि इस प्रक्रिया में स्टर्लिंग इलेक्ट्रिक लिमिटेड अपनी प्रतिद्वंद्वी कंपनी को पछाड़ सकती है और बोली प्राप्त कर सकती है तथा रक्षा मंत्रालय का भारी-भरकम ऑर्डर प्राप्त कर सकती है। उसने संकेत दिया कि यह उसकी तथा कंपनी दोनों के लिए जीत ही जीत होगा। प्रभात बिल्कुल स्तब्ध था। यह सदमा और रोमांच की मिली-जुली अनुभूति थी। वह असहज होकर पसीना-पसीना हो गया। यदि प्रस्ताव स्वीकार कर लिया जाता है, तो उसकी सभी समस्याएं तुरंत गायब हो जाएंगी और उसे बहुप्रतीक्षित निविदा हासिल करने और कंपनी की बिक्री और वित्तीय स्वास्थ्य को बढ़ावा देने के लिए पुरस्कृत किया जा सकता है। वह भविष्य की कार्रवाई को लेकर असमंजस में था। वह अपनी खुद की कंपनी के कागजात को चोरी-छिपे हटाने और नौकरी के लिए प्रतिद्वंद्वी कंपनी को पेशकश करने में सुभाष वर्मा की हिम्मत पर आश्चर्यचकित था। एक अनुभवी व्यक्ति होने के नाते, वह इस प्रस्ताव/स्थिति के पक्ष-विपक्ष की जांच कर रहा था और उसने उसे अगले दिन आने के लिए कहा। (a) इस मामले से संबंधित नैतिक मुद्दों पर चर्चा कीजिए। (b) उपर्युक्त मामले में प्रभात के लिए उपलब्ध विकल्पों का आलोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए। (c) उपर्युक्त में से कौन-सा विकल्प प्रभात के लिए सर्वाधिक उपयुक्त होगा और क्यों?

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Directive word: Critically examine

This question asks you to critically examine. The directive word signals the depth of analysis expected, the structure of your answer, and the weight of evidence you must bring.

See our UPSC directive words guide for a full breakdown of how to respond to each command word.

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

The directive 'critically examine' in (b) demands balanced evaluation of options with judgment, while (a) requires 'discuss' for ethical dimensions and (c) needs reasoned justification. Structure as: brief context (20 words) → part (a) ethical analysis covering corporate, professional and personal ethics (80 words) → part (b) 4-5 options with critical weighing of each (90 words) → part (c) decisive choice with ethical reasoning (60 words). Ensure seamless transitions between sub-parts without separate headings.

Key points expected

  • (a) Identifies conflict between organizational pressure and ethical conduct; corporate espionage vs. fair competition; breach of confidentiality by Subhash; Prabhat's fiduciary duty vs. personal financial desperation
  • (a) Distinguishes between ethical egoism, utilitarian temptation (short-term gain) and deontological duty; role of organizational culture in ethical drift
  • (b) Maps at least 4 options: outright rejection with reporting; conditional acceptance with internal escalation; stalling tactics; resignation; whistleblowing to authorities
  • (b) Critically weighs each option against ethical frameworks (consequentialism, virtue ethics, duty-based) and practical consequences for all stakeholders
  • (c) Selects most appropriate option with clear justification: rejection plus reporting to Defence Ministry/Unique Electronics, citing Satyendra Dubey precedent and Prevention of Corruption Act obligations
  • (c) Addresses Prabhat's personal dilemma through legitimate alternatives (leave, loan restructuring) rather than ethical compromise

Evaluation rubric

DimensionWeightMax marksExcellentAveragePoor
Demand-directive understanding20%4For (a), 'discuss' produces multi-dimensional ethical analysis; for (b), 'critically examine' generates balanced evaluation with explicit pros/cons of each option; for (c), justified recommendation emerges logically from preceding analysis without contradictionAddresses all three parts but treats (b) descriptively rather than critically; recommendation in (c) appears disconnected from analysis in (a)-(b)Misreads 'critically examine' as 'list'; omits one sub-part; conflates ethical issues with options without clear part-wise separation
Content depth & accuracy20%4Accurately applies corporate governance principles (fiduciary duty, insider trading parallels), professional ethics (marketing codes), and personal ethics (Kohlberg's stages); recognizes Subhash's offer as criminal conspiracy under IPC 120BIdentifies major ethical issues but conflates corporate and personal ethics; options listed without stakeholder impact analysis; superficial treatment of legal dimensionsReduces to 'bribery is wrong' platitudes; ignores organizational pressure dimension; mischaracterizes Subhash's document theft as legitimate competitive intelligence
Structure & flow20%4Seamless narrative flow across 250 words: ethical diagnosis → option generation → critical filtration → reasoned resolution; no artificial sub-headings; each sentence advances argumentClear part-wise organization but mechanical transitions; some redundancy between (b) and (c); word imbalance with one part dominatingDisjointed bullet points or numbered lists; severe word imbalance (e.g., 150 words on (a), 30 on (c)); missing introduction or abrupt ending
Examples / case-law / data20%4Cites Satyendra Dubey (NHAI whistleblower), Ranbaxy-Daiichi disclosure case, or SEBI insider trading regulations; references Prevention of Corruption Act 1988/2018; may invoke Arvind Kejriwal's RTI activism or corporate ethics codes (Tata, Infosys)Generic reference to 'whistleblowers' without naming; mentions 'corporate governance' without specific framework; Indian context implied not explicitNo examples; or irrelevant examples (foreign cases without Indian parallel); misapplies legal provisions (e.g., citing RTI for procurement fraud)
Conclusion & analytical edge20%4Resolution demonstrates ethical leadership: Prabhat chooses integrity despite personal cost, with concrete mitigation steps (reporting to Unique Electronics, approaching bank for EMI restructuring); reflects on systemic issue of 'perform or perish' cultureSelects ethically correct option but with utilitarian reasoning (fear of getting caught); or chooses compromise option with weak justification; no systemic reflectionAmbiguous or no clear choice; recommends unethical option; or purely idealistic resolution ignoring Prabhat's genuine financial constraints without alternative pathways

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