ethics case study solved

[Ethics] Sample Questions, Case studies for UPSC General studies paper 4 based on Donald Menzel’s book

Essay-ish / abstract questions, disobeying an informal order, returning unspent money, misleading for good purpose, private matter of public employee, political neutrality, political neutrality part.2, salary hike vs team spirit, holding charity auctions in the office, spouse in the same office, private endorsement by public official, man of word or man of money, courage with a price tag.

So far in the [Ethics] mock-question series

• UPSC’s sample paper for GS4
• Samples questions based on ethics courses of San Diego and Texas University

Now this this articles contains case-studies/questions are based on Donald C. Menzel’s book Ethics Moments in Government:Cases and Controversies .

• For the Essay-ish questions I’ve merely lifted statements from the book. Because UPSC seems to be doing similar thing for Public Administration (lift sentences from some book and ask the candidate to ‘comment’ on it).
• for the case-studies questions, I’ve given Indian flavor to those American cases and included a few answer key points but by no means they’re sacred/official/final/marksworthy- they’re only meant to serve as lighthouse for the utterly confused.

Answer following questions 12 marks/120 words each:

• What do you understand by ethics audit? How is it different from financial audit?
• Are ethics practices and behaviors in the business world different than those found in public service? If so, why?
• Describe an ethical issue you have had to address in your school or college life and the way you handled it. If confronted with the same issue today, would you handle it in the same way?
• Are ethical standards in business organizations higher or lower than those in public service organizations?
• Is there more unethical behavior in government than in business?
• Do you believe the ethical performance of an employee can be evaluated fairly and accurately? Yes/No/Why?
• Is a professional code of ethics that is not enforceable a satisfactory code? Yes/No/Why?
• How does corrupt behavior resemble or differ from unethical behavior?
• Should we hold appointed officials, such as collectors and tehsildaars, to a higher standard of behavior than elected officials such as municipal councilors? Yes/No/Why?
• Gandhi always advocated the purity of means- with respect to that, do you think it is unethical for a military officer to mislead the enemy? Yes/No/Why?

Comment on following statements (12 marks/120 words each)

• Ethics are less a goal than a pathway, less a destination than a trip, less an inoculation than a process.
• Righteous disobedience is better than Moral muteness.
• Exemplary leadership is critical to encouraging ethical behavior in government organizations.
• Openness and transparency are critical safeguards that keep our democracy alive and well.
• Ethical codes are merely veneers. Shiny on the outside but hollow on the inside.
• Living up to the public trust is much more than just an act of compliance.
• Ethics is the cornerstone of effective, efficient, democratic governance.
• Ethics may be only instrumental, it may be only a means to an end, but it is a necessary means to an end.
• The relationships between ethics, service, and trust are mutually reinforcing.
• Ignorance is not an excuse for misconduct.
• Those who commit misconduct out of ignorance should be treated less harshly.
• If men were angels, no government would be necessary
• Humans roam the earth, not the heavens, so ethics are indispensable.
• Honesty and truthfulness have to be practiced and balanced with delicate diplomacy on some occasions.
• List the reforms necessary to encourage ethical behavior and prevent misconduct in public organizations of India.

Ethics Case Studies / Role playing Questions

DevAnand is working as a clerk in Collector’s office. Due to staff shortage, Dev also performs the task of raising flag over the office building every morning and taking it down every evening, although it is not part of his official job description.

One day a criminal turned politician Madan Puri dies. Years ago, Devanand’s best friend was murdered during a riot allegedly orchestrated by Madan Puri.

Nonetheless, State secretariat passes an order to all District collectors, to keep National flag at “half-mast” over their offices, to mourn the death of the Mr.Madan Puri.

DevAnand sees this news on TV, gets angry with such mockery of our national flag. He decides not to goto office next morning and keeps the door key of rooftop with himself. He is confident, “ no formal punishment can be given to me, because this was not part of my official duty. At most Collector sahib will reprimand me informally but I don’t care because Madan Puri killed my best friend. ”

Do you think DevAnand has made the right decision? Yes/No/Why?

Answer keypoints

DevAnand made a wrong decision because:

• It prevents other staff members from carrying out the ‘official’ order from StateHQ.
• It puts his boss in an embarrassing position in front of the StateHQ.
• If Dev’s conscience doesn’t permit him carrying out a task, he should inform his boss. But running away with keys, without informing anyone = irresponsible.
• Such behavior is not expected from a good team player / a public servant.

DevAnand is running an NGO to help street children. He receives government grant of Rs.2 lakh rupees for a project to teach the “out of school” children, who work at tea-stalls, do boot-polishing etc. A year passes, but Dev managed to utilize only 50,000 rupees from the grant. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t convince many poor children or their families to join his NGO’s program.

As per the grant rules, Dev has to return all the unspent money back to government by the end of March 31 st . But his colleague Pran suggests following:

• If we honestly return Rs.1.5 lakh back, then government officials will think we are amateur, ineffective NGOs and they’ll substantially reduce our grant for next year or even worse- they’ll not give us any project next time!
• We should take help of CA Prem Chopra to manipulate our account books and show majority of the grant was utilized for education.
• Many other NGOs do the same thing- there is no problem – nobody will raise any objection, as long as we give 20% of the grant to SDM in charge of this project.
• Although it sounds unethical but we won’t use this money for personal needs, we’ll use it on street children only. Hence our act is fully ethical and moral.

What should DevAnand do with the money?

Answer keypoints:

• “Because others are also doing it” – is never the valid justification to commit an unethical or criminal act.
• Manipulating account books to keep the grant money.
• Bribing SDM to keep the grant money.
• The shelf life of lie and deception is very low- especially when manipulating the account books – ask Ramalinga Raju, ex-chief of Satyam.
• DevAnand was unable to use 75% of the grant money, it implies
• Dev didn’t try hard enough OR
• Government had exaggerated the amount of money required to educate the out of school children OR

In anycase, If Dev keeps the unspent grant, government will continue pumping more money- other NGOs and the SDM will keep amassing wealth. Therefore, DevAnand should return the unspent grant back to the government.

DevAnand is the inspector in charge of Rampur Police station. The police station building is in dire need of repairs, but hasn’t received any grants for years. One day, a cyclone hits a nearby area, damaging most of the houses and shops. Although Dev’s police station gets partially damaged, but most of the building remain intact . Government sends a disaster assessment team to ascertain the level of damage and pay relief money. The DSP Mr. Pran, orders DevAnand to do following:

• Hire some laborers and destroy the remaining parts of your police station building.
• When disaster assessment team comes, you tell them building collapsed by the cyclone, and ask them to give priority in funding after all police station is one the most important public offices in a town.

Should DevAnand obey his boss’s order?

Answer keypoints The shelf life of lie and deception is very low. Especially when many people are involved. In this case: laborers and any bystanders. Both Dev and Pran are risking themselves to an unnecessary negative publicity and possible departmental inquiry and punishment for professional misconduct. Indeed police building needed repairs and should have been given a grant months ago, but three wrongs don’t make a right:

• Wanton destruction of a public building.
• Misleading the disaster assessment team.
• Police officer DevAnand spending his time and energy in such activity rather than doing rescue-relief-patrolling duty after the disaster.

DevAnand is working as an under Secretary in the pension department. One day, his friend GuruDutt, an SBI PO, narrates following incident:

• For last two years, a retired Government employee Mr.Ashok Kumar is giving away 30% of his monthly pension to Mrs.Bindu Chopra every month through cheque.
• I found Mrs.Bindu Chopra happens to be the wife of Mr.Prem Chopra, a section officer in the pension office under you (DevAnand.)
• I feel something is fishy- may be this is part of a large bribe scam where senior citizens are forced to pay money to clear their pension files from Prem Chopra, and have to submit bribes in his wife’s account.

DevAnand visits Mr.Ashok Kumar’s house but he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, unable to give coherent answers. Frustrated DevAnand directly confronts Prem Chopra. But Prem says “Mr.Ashok Kumar was a friend of my father. He has no relatives or children and my wife Bindu has been taking care of him like daughter since a long time. Therefore, Mr.Ashok Kumar gives us money out of good will, so we can send our son to an expensive IIT coaching class @Kota, Rajasthan. Besides this is a personal family matter and none of your damn business.”

Do you think DevAnand made a blunder or was he merely performing an ethical duty?

Here, both GuruDutt and DevAnand has failed to act in responsible manner. Because:

• A banker must keep his clients’ data confidential, unless required by the law to disclose it.
• GuruDutt didn’t even wait to cross verify who else is giving money to Mrs.Bindu Chopra’s account. Because if there was a ‘large scale bribe scam’ then lot other senior citizens would be making payment to Bindu’s account, and not just Mr.Ashok Kumar alone.
• Even in that situation, Gurudutt had to consult his boss within his own bank first. He cannot go around giving informal tips to outsiders. This is an unethical act for a banker.
• DevAnand too acted in hasty manner. First, he starts ‘investigation’ based on an informal tip from a banker who is not supposed to tip him in the first place. He should have consulted the vigilance department before moving further.
• Second, Dev Anand confronts Prem Chopra, without any hardcore evidence. When you’re holding a public office, you can’t go around accusing people in such haste. It breaks the office discipline, destroys the staff morale and allows the guilty person to cover his tracks.

Prem Chopra, a civil society activist, has launched a mass-movement to change Prime-ministerial form of government to presidential form of government. Dev Anand is an undersecretary in the PMO. Before joining civil service, he had done Ph.D on the demerits of presidential form of government. He is invited by a news channel for prime-time debate. The newschannel anchor, Mr.Arnab Goswami assures DevAnand following:

• It’ll be only an educational-intellectual debate among scholars.
• No politicians from ruling or opposition party are invited in our show.
• You’re invited in your capacity as a scholar in political science and not as a bureaucrat.

Should DevAnand accept Arnab Goswami’s invitation for news-debate?

Answerkey point:

No. Because bureaucrats should not voice their opinion about political matters on public platform. Even if no politician is invited, some other scholar/participant/anchor might raise points in favour or against the ruling party during the debate, and Dev will find himself in a political minefield.

To curtail the mounting fiscal deficit, Finance Minister Pran Chindu decides to merge agriculture ministry with forest ministry; coal ministry with oil ministry and reduce personnel in the central services by 30%. But opposition party is hardly raising any objection –they are occupied with onion price rise issue. Media is too busy covering MS Dhoni’s new hairstyle.

DevAnand, an employee in the Cabinet secretariat feels both Opposition party and media have failed to perform their ethical duty to inform citizens about matters of public interest. Therefore, he starts writing anonymous blogs and tweets to inform public about the negative consequences of Chindu’s austerity measures. Is DevAnand doing the right thing?

Answer key points:

• No. DevAnand is not doing the right thing.
• Role of public servant is to obey the will of the community- articulated through the elected members including the said Finance Minister.
• Public servant has to remain politically neutral. Dev is crossing that Laxman-Rekha by his anonymous blogs.

DevAnand has been serving as the Chief fire officer in city for over 3 years. Because of his efficient management, there were very few fire incidents, no lives were lost and property damage was minimum. He enjoys almost a celebrity like status in local media and city dwellers. As the election year comes, Mayor Pran, with an aim to garner goodwill among voters, frames a budget with 10% pay raise to fire bridge staff and 25% pay raise for the Chief fire Officer. Should DevAnand accept it or not/Why?

• Firefighting is a team work. Team leader must display fairness and equity.
• If Dev accepts 25% raise, it could promote his image as an aloof, insensitive, self-serving boss. Staff may not follow his lead with same enthusiasm afterwards.
• Therefore, Dev should not accept more than what is being offered to other employees of Fire brigade. (10%).

Pran, the bank employee, approaches Bank Manager DevAnand and says following:

• My child is suffering from blood cancer. I don’t have health insurance policy and my salary is insufficient to meet these medical expenses.
• But over the years, I’ve been collecting autographed bats and balls of various cricketers.
• I seek your permission to hold a charity auction in the office. I’ll also send fliers to clients of our bank. Everyone is welcome to bid for these bats and balls, so I can raise money for the medical treatment of my child.

Three other bank employees-Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and Ranjith overhear this conversation. They also inform DevAnand – indeed Pran’s financial situation is very bad and his child will die if the treatment is not done on time, therefore permission should be given to hold this charity auction.

Should Dev give permission or not?

• No. Because some members may informally feel pressured to give money -Especially Pran’s juniors and subordinates.
• It might create a feeling of alienation between employees who bid and those who don’t.
• Next time another employee will try to do the same, may be with a trivial reason e.g. I’m willing to auction t-shirts autographed by filmstars to repay the last EMI of my home loan, allow me to hold auction in the office. And if Dev says no that time, it might create an impression Dev is biased towards certain employees- staff morale goes down.
• Therefore, it is best to keep auctions and other money raising activities out of the workplace irrespective of their noble aims.

DCP DevAnand marries Sub inspector Rosie. In the office, Rosie doesn’t directly report to DevAnad but Dev has responsibility for signing off on her annual evaluation. Although Dev doesn’t give any preferential treatment to Rosie but one of her colleague, Prem Chopra, complained several times to the DIG Pran: “Dev saab always gives highest ratings to his wife and I’m always given average ratings despite my best performance in criminal investigations.“

DIG conducts inquiry, doesn’t find anything against DevAnand. Later Dev officially reprimands Prem Chopra for this unprofessional behavior.

Frustrated Prem Chopra narrates this incident to his wife Bindu. Bindu decides to take matters in her own hands, writes an anonymous email to the local press, informing how Rosie hasn’t legally divorced her first husband Marco, yet she is staying with DCP DevAnand and gives vivid details of their “adulterous” live-in relationship.

Rita reporter, an expert on such masala news, starts giving ball by ball commentary in her newspaper about Rosie’s past by interviewing her college friends, neighbors, relatives etc. Everybody in the town starts gossiping about this. Dev asks his IT expert friend GuruDutt to investigate. GuruDutt digs out that email originated from Prem Chopra’s home computer.What should DevAnand do:  Reprimand Prem Chopra once more?  Suspend him for indiscipline? Sue him for defamation? Is doing nothing an option?

• Doing nothing is not a viable option since situations like this only fester and become more problematic.
• It is never a good practice for a public official to have a relative in a subordinate position. Despite efforts to avoid perceived acts of favoritism, sooner or later the official will find himself being accused of an inappropriate action. Therefore, Police and Military organizations often have anti-fraternization policies. (e.g. As per the US Air Force rules, one of the couple has to quit from the service.)
• This situation is all about the perception of favoritism. The perception may or may not be true whether DevAnand is giving preferential treatment to Rosie during annual performance evaluation.
• To prevent this from happening, DevAnand needs to stop chasing Prem Chopra and take steps to get his wife posted in another office, or seek his own transfer to another office.
• Last but not least, the DevAnand should put to rest the question of the legality of his marriage to avoid future accusations.

Prem Chopra runs a company that offers private security guards, CCTV, burglary alarm and other security devices.

DCP DevAnand learns that everytime after a theft or robbery takes place, Police Inspector Pran advices the victim and bystanders to install security devices from Prem Chopra’s company to make their home and shops secure from criminals. Pran even tells them “ When you goto Prem Chopra’s office, tell him I’ve sent you, he’ll give you special discount. ”

Dev confronts Pran about this matter. Pran justifies his action by saying:

• Yes, I take money for Prem Chopra to endorse his security products for homes and offices.
• I use this money to pay my informers and keep a check on criminal elements. I don’t spent this money on myself or my family.
•  Even municipal buses and railway-wagons have advertisements, then why is an endorsement by a city official unethical or illegal?
• Besides, Prem Chopra’s security devices are very effective at preventing burglary.

Should DevAnand permit Pran to continue this endorsement activity? Yes/No/Why?

• Advertisement on bus / railway wagon is not same as a public official promoting a brand. Because those bus/railway ads don’t interfere with vehicle’s primary function of transporting persons from one place to another. But when a public official promotes a brand, he is spending part of his office time and energy for private gain rather than serving the citizen.
• If Dev permits Pran, then other staff members will also start similar marketing. Thus part of the office-time will diverted to selling products rather than solving crime
• Might even lead to internal rivalries about who is earning more commissions.
• Citizens may feel informal pressure to buy such products fearing their file / matter will not be cleared by the public officials otherwise.
• Endorsements of commercial products by public officials can easily result in an unethical situation: sharing financial gain through bribes, kickbacks, or postemployment opportunities for government officials.

In short, it will open a Pandora’s box. Therefore, DevAnand should order Pran to stop this activity at once.

DevAnand is a brilliant maths teacher in a private English medium school in Ahmedabad and gets yearly package of Rs.3 lakhs. Another school at Baroda offers him package of Rs. 3.5 lakhs. Dev makes a verbal commitment to the Baroda school principle, “Sure,I’ll join your school from next month.“

But when Dev submits his resignation to A’bad school, its Principle Mr.Pran requests him to stay and offers new package of Rs.3.8 lakhs. Should Dev take back his resignation? yes/no/why?

• from ethical perspective, even verbal acceptance = contract. And contract must be honored.
• Even if Pran’s counteroffer is higher, Dev has a moral obligation to remain consistent with his original intention (of joining Baroda school).

(Copy pasting a news report from TheHindu )

December 7, 2012, Chandigarh.

Robanjit Kaur, 23-year-old daughter of ASI Ravinderpal Singh was returning home after her IELTS coaching class when Shiromani Akali Dal leader Ranjit Singh Rana and his goons started teasing her. She called up her father Mr.Ravinderpal Singh, an ASI with Punjab Police.

When her father arrived and confronted the group, a heated argument followed and Rana pulled out his pistol and began firing at both father and daughter. Both received bullet injuries and father collapsed.

Even as Ms. Kaur struggled to shift her father into a vehicle to take him to hospital, Rana and his gang returned with a rifle and shot Ravinderpal Singh again in full public view.

Ms. Kaur said to media, “Rana kept kicking and hitting us in full public glare. I cried and pleaded for help but everyone ran away. Even when the ambulance came, I had to lift my father into it as no one came to help me.”

End of news.

A Sociologist remarks: “Our government has not set up a system to encourage civilians to fight against criminal acts. Why should someone risk injury or their life to save another if one’s life or livelihood is endangered? Government needs to enact a new scheme named after you know who , to reward any civilian with Rs.10 lakh, a government job and a 3 BHK flat, if he prevents a crime in a public place.”

Do you believe announcing big financial rewards to pedestrians who standup against a criminal, will change the situation? Does or can courage have a price tag? Yes/No/Why?

• Indeed an act of courage should be rewarded and applauded.
• But running a scheme with Rs.10 lakh and a government job, might lead to vigilante mobs of unemployed youth, roaming around with hokey sticks and baseball bats looking for a crime to happen (or orchestrating a crime by themselves) in order to get the money and the job.
• In the given case, goons were armed with pistols and rifles. No unarmed civilian can be expected to fight with them. In future, might lead to a situation where a poor man intentionally jumps in the fight, knowing fully well that he’ll be killed- but only doing so his family can get Rs.10 lakh.
• Maintenance of law and order is state’s responsibility not civilians’. Money is better spent on recruiting more policemen and judges.

For more on case studies & revision notes, visit Mrunal.org/ETHICS

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62 comments.

Thank u buddy

epic(awe)some ;) as always

Wonderful adaptation from ASPA Book Mrunal. Exemplary work.

@MRUNAL SIR PLEASE POST THE E-BOOK…

Thank you sir..

This is very good article on UPSC, thank you very much for providing such a nice article, for more about UPSC, please visit to http://upscmpscguide.blogspot.in

sir should we buy this book and from where,I mean what material should we read to answer your questions

anyone having this book pls share

thank you very much sir.you have done very good job.

really commendable job…thanx sir

Hi Mrunal, I have recently started following your Blog and I must say that you are doing a great job. Can you please suggest me some books or reading resources for preparing for “Ethics” section of the exam ? Can any of the other aspirants suggest something on this? Thanks.

Sir,cAn u suggest some boooks for this paper

Great job Mrunal…. This is my first site by first surfing on the internet for the ethics …so I appreciate u for data… So I am starting for ethics right now….

Please suggest a good book for GS Paper 4…Subbarao or Arihant…or any other.

Sir,please post important study materials for preparation of

UPSC(GS -4) mains paper on my Email.I need your help sir .please!!!

#Case Study : You have an opportunity for an internship in a respected business in the community. Part of your qualifications comes from a Senior Project that you worked on with several other students. Through the interview process, you discover that you are given credit for a key section of the project that really impressed the company. In fact, another member of your senior team, with little input from you, did that section. How do you proceed?

Firstly if you are aware that your senior has helped you out to get your work done then say the truth.

Mrunal sir ur site has been extremely beneficial fo my mains prep

Commendable perspective..

Lovely article – one of the best things I’ve recently read, and by far the most useful. I think it could also be useful for everyone to know how and where to fill a form online. Try PDFfiller to fill a form here http://goo.gl/W3yHeH . It allows you to to fill out PDF files.

Dear Mrunal Greetings from Nepal,

The Public Service Commission (PSC) of Nepal recently changed the syllabus of Joint Secretary. It includes one of the chapters “Ethics and Morality” has covered different topics which almost you are mentioned in your site. Here (Kathmandu) most of the aspirants of PSC competition exam (especially Joint Secretary competition ) has been suffering from the materials in this topics. Actually, I benefited…

Thank u very very much for ur great job….

Bal Sagar Giri Under Secretary Government of Nepal

Plz sir which books are study for ethics

Sir, Please provide a list of materials that are needed to ace the ethics paper.

Sir, Please update it to the next level. Thank you for the great work.

Sir Aap jo abhi case study newspaper analysis me dete ho uske model answer bhi diya kro

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University Module Series: Integrity & Ethics

Module 12: integrity, ethics and law.

  This module is a resource for lecturers  

Case studies.

Choose one or more of the following case studies and lead a discussion which allows students to address and debate issues of integrity, ethics and law. If time allows, let the students vote on which case studies they want to discuss.

For lecturers teaching large classes, case studies with multiple parts and different methods of solution lend themselves well to the group size and energy in such an environment. Lecturers can begin by having students vote on which case study they prefer. Lecturers could break down analysis of the chosen case study into steps which appear to students in sequential order, thereby ensuring that larger groups stay on track. Lecturers may instruct students to discuss questions in a small group without moving from their seat, and nominate one person to speak for the group if called upon. There is no need to provide excessive amounts of time for group discussion, as ideas can be developed further with the class as a whole. Lecturers can vary the group they call upon to encourage responsive participation.

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ETHICS-CASE STUDIES

Read This Important Article Before you Proceed to Solve Below Case Studies

Read about Important Ethics Related Terms

• Ethics Case Study – 1
• Ethics Case Study – 2
• Ethics Case Study – 3
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• Ethics Case Study – 30
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UPSC Essentials | Expert talk: How to answer Ethics Case Study

Ethics case studies has remained one of the most challenging areas of the upsc cse since new reforms in the syllabus were introduced in 2013. as aspirants appear for mains 2023 today, doubts remain the same. manas srivastava talks to nanditesh nilay about the relevance and strategies for case studies..

March 5, 2013 was not a usual day for UPSC aspirants. Like every year, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the notification for Civil Services exam. But what set the 2013 notification apart was that it introduced big changes in the pattern of the Civil Services Main exam.

One of the essential changes was the introduction of a complete descriptive paper on Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude. This was a new paper, so no one had any idea about the kinds of questions that could be asked in this paper and how to answer them. The most ambiguous area of this paper, which still remains a big challenge in terms of time and content is the CASE STUDY section.

Since UPSC Essentials of The Indian Express has been constantly receiving queries and doubts related to the case studies of Ethics paper of UPSC, Manas Srivastava takes up some of the common questions in our Experts talk today with our Ethics expert, Dr Nanditesh Nilay.

About our Expert: Nanditesh Nilay is the author of ‘Being Good and Aaiye, Insaan Banaen’ and ‘Ethikos: Stories Searching Happiness’. He teaches courses on and offers training in ethics, values and behaviour. He has been the expert/consultant to UPSC, SAARC countries, Civil services Academy, National Centre for Good Governance, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Competition Commission of India (CCI), etc. He has PhD in two disciplines and has been a Doctoral Fellow in Gandhian Studies from ICSSR. His second PhD is from IIT Delhi  on Ethical Decision Making among Indian Bureaucrats. He writes for the UPSC Ethics Simplified (Concepts and Caselets) fortnightly.

Manas: Why is there a separate section of case studies in the Ethics paper? What do you think is the rationale of UPSC behind it?

Nanditesh Nilay: Ethics is an important paper in the syllabus of UPSC CSE but we should approach this paper more as a virtue or virtuous act rather than just as a paper to qualify. So, this paper must be handled with care. The concepts or terms can be read and explained from the examination point of view. But I will emphasise that ethical virtues are there to be imbibed rather than only becoming a part of written culture. The career of a person will be assessed by the self and society later. Ethical virtues will act as a central variable.

On the other hand, case studies equip us to describe and explore a problem, a dilemma, or a phenomenon. It pushes us to compare and evaluate the ethical aspects within and around those dilemmas. It increases the area of thinking and learning to focus on the core issue of a problem. A case study is a baptism by fire. You should not present yourself as the smartest person in handling case studies. A case study demands rationality and wisdom, if wisdom and moral rationality are smartness in this era.

As a future bureaucrat, there will be many instances where you will be caught in situations where your ethics, integrity, and aptitude will play an important role. Not just as a bureaucrat, but also as a citizen and a human being you will face many such situations in life. Such situations are given in the form of case studies in your exam. So, in the true sense, they are applications of what you have learned in theory and through experiences of life.

Manas: What is the connection between theory (section A) and case studies section B? Do you think there is a logic behind the theory section preceding the case study section?

Nanditesh Nilay: Let’s go with an example. Defining trust is fine. Section A will take care of that. But to travel with the spirit of trust, the student will have to board i.e. case study. Is there a clear logic behind this correlation between the two sections? They should not be treated as segregated or silos. They are integrated.

To emphasise further, it is worth reading the theory of Kant or Gilligan but only case studies communicate to the examiner or the self that one has evolved and emerged through those values and ethics. Also, even in our personal and professional lives, every problem is like a case that always assesses our roots and strength of character. Life is a case study and it challenges us every moment to grow and connect the dots of life. Here, I will point out that do not jump to solve case studies before having command over concepts. Hence theory precedes case studies. While studying concepts and definitions keep thinking of examples and situations.

For example, the syllabus mentions: Aptitude and Foundational Values for Civil Service, Integrity, Impartiality and Non-partisanship, Objectivity, Dedication to Public Service, Empathy, Tolerance, and Compassion towards the weaker sections.

A general approach here will be to learn the definitions and know a few examples. Is that all? No. while thinking of examples also think of situations where you have to show compassion, empathy, impartiality, etc. Ask yourself, why and how? Is there any philosophical basis for those answers too?

In this way, you will be preparing the base of the case studies. During exams, when you will face case studies on different themes, it is this practice that will strike your mind and provide fodder for your answers. These things can’t be taught or learned. It comes from reading good articles, and essays and applying them in appropriate situations.

Manas: What are some general themes that aspirants should prepare for exams- case study?

Nanditesh Nilay: It is not easy to list down the expected themes of case studies in an examination. However, in the past sports ethics, gender ethics, medical ethics, and environmental ethics have been asked. Even citizen ethics is equally important in the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) time. If you go through the past year’s papers themes like corruption, work culture, private and public life, and probity have occurred repeatedly. The ethical dilemma has been at the core of most of the case studies.

Don’t forget to note what the ethics syllabus says towards its end… “Case Studies on above issues.” This means all the concepts mentioned in the theory part can either be major themes of a case study or sub-themes.

Manas: UPSC doesn’t specify any method to answer the case study. This makes students clueless. If you can suggest some methods to answer the case study.

Nanditesh Nilay: There is no so-called standard for addressing any case study. And in every field, new problems cannot guarantee old methods of solutions. It was evident in the pandemic. In a lot of states and districts district magistrates came up with innovative ideas and approaches. Certainly, ethics was at the center. One can follow a few steps while solving any case study:

A. Identify the macro and micro problems

B. Find the interrelation among them

C. Read those ethical aspects even which are presented in a vague way

D. Think about the ethical concepts, theories, values and philosophers.

E. Find their relevance in using them as a means for solving the case.

F. Answer in a pragmatic way. The golden mean of Aristotle.

G. You must look convincing in standing firm with ethics and not compromising on deliverables as well.

Manas: When reading a case study, what should be the focus of aspirants?

Nanditesh Nilay: Read at least two times. Underline the important and urgent issues. Connect the dots of ethics. Don’t try to answer the case rather mark your attempt with a pragmatic solution. A case study is not only to get solved but to build the character of those who believe in thinking, observing, absorbing, connecting, reviewing, relating, and remaining impersonal.

The answer must assure the examiner that ethics is beating across.

Manas: How and from where to practice case studies for exams?

Nanditesh Nilay: I will certainly suggest UPSC Essentials of The Indian Express . There is a lot of material available on the internet, but the best is to read Edit and Idea pages well. Ultimately most of the present issues are cases only. For example, our CJI had recently emphasized the Values of Goodness. In his own words, “Being a good person and being a good lawyer is not mutually exclusive. And if you ever find yourself in a situation when one comes at the cost of the other, I urge you to become a good person first,” he said. This is such a compelling statement; generations will have to think.

Manas: What are important elements to keep in mind while answering a case study, which an examiner will definitely look for?

Nanditesh Nilay: First, the student must be well-versed with Section A. It is the foundation of knowledge as well as the character. Second, the aspirant should be thinking wisely and carrying a holistic view. Third, the approach must be convincing and for that league, only an ethical ink is responsible for. And fourth, the student must be sensitive and nothing should be deceitful or cosmetic. One cannot impress through ethics but only reach the common. Remember this for your life in general.

Manas: Is there any importance in the presentation of a case study?

Nanditesh Nilay: A case study is itself a presentation of a phenomenon. Answering wisely, clearly, and methodically should be the focus. The biggest statement of a case study is of Mahatma Gandhi when he said, “My life is a message.” So, we all human beings leave a message for generations. Ethical virtues shape life as a message. ‘Message’ is the word I stress upon. Do the aspirants believe in making their civil service journey a message of ethical virtues? Let’s answer this case.

Share your views, answers and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@ indianexpress.com

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Videos Concepts Unwrapped View All 36 short illustrated videos explain behavioral ethics concepts and basic ethics principles. Concepts Unwrapped: Sports Edition View All 10 short videos introduce athletes to behavioral ethics concepts. Ethics Defined (Glossary) View All 58 animated videos - 1 to 2 minutes each - define key ethics terms and concepts. Ethics in Focus View All One-of-a-kind videos highlight the ethical aspects of current and historical subjects. Giving Voice To Values View All Eight short videos present the 7 principles of values-driven leadership from Gentile's Giving Voice to Values. In It To Win View All A documentary and six short videos reveal the behavioral ethics biases in super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff's story. Scandals Illustrated View All 30 videos - one minute each - introduce newsworthy scandals with ethical insights and case studies. Video Series

Case Study UT Star Icon

Cyber Harassment

After a student defames a middle school teacher on social media, the teacher confronts the student in class and posts a video of the confrontation online.

In many ways, social media platforms have created great benefits for our societies by expanding and diversifying the ways people communicate with each other, and yet these platforms also have the power to cause harm. Posting hurtful messages about other people is a form of harassment known as cyberbullying. Some acts of cyberbullying may not only be considered slanderous, but also lead to serious consequences. In 2010, Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi jumped to his death a few days after his roommate used a webcam to observe and tweet about Tyler’s sexual encounter with another man. Jane Clementi, Tyler’s mother, stated:

“In this digital world, we need to teach our youngsters that their actions have consequences, that their words have real power to hurt or to help. They must be encouraged to choose to build people up and not tear them down.”

In 2013, Idalia Hernández Ramos, a middle school teacher in Mexico, was a victim of cyber harassment. After discovering that one of her students tweeted that the teacher was a “bitch” and a “whore,” Hernández confronted the girl during a lesson on social media etiquette. Inquiring why the girl would post such hurtful messages that could harm the teacher’s reputation, the student meekly replied that she was upset at the time. The teacher responded that she was very upset by the student’s actions. Demanding a public apology in front of the class, Hernández stated that she would not allow “young brats” to call her those names. Hernández uploaded a video of this confrontation online, attracting much attention.

While Hernández was subject to cyber harassment, some felt she went too far by confronting the student in the classroom and posting the video for the public to see, raising concerns over the privacy and rights of the student. Sameer Hinduja, who writes for the Cyberbullying Research Center, notes, “We do need to remain gracious and understanding towards teens when they demonstrate immaturity.” Confronting instances of a teenager venting her anger may infringe upon her basic rights to freedom of speech and expression. Yet, as Hinduja explains, teacher and student were both perpetrators and victims of cyber harassment. All the concerns of both parties must be considered and, as Hinduja wrote, “The worth of one’s dignity should not be on a sliding scale depending on how old you are.”

Discussion Questions

1. In trying to teach the student a lesson about taking responsibility for her actions, did the teacher go too far and become a bully? Why or why not? Does she deserve to be fired for her actions?

2. What punishment does the student deserve? Why?

3. Who is the victim in this case? The teacher or the student? Was one victimized more than the other? Explain.

4. Do victims have the right to defend themselves against bullies? What if they go through the proper channels to report bullying and it doesn’t stop?

5. How should compassion play a role in judging other’s actions?

6. How are factors like age and gender used to “excuse” unethical behavior? (ie. “Boys will be boys” or “She’s too young/old to understand that what she did is wrong”) Can you think of any other factors that are sometimes used to excuse unethical behavior?

7. How is cyberbullying similar or different from face-to-face bullying? Is one more harmful than the other? Explain.

8. Do you know anyone who has been the victim of cyber-bullying? What types of harm did this person experience? Why or why not? Does she deserve to be fired for her actions?

Related Videos

Causing Harm

Causing harm explores the types of harm that may be caused to people or groups and the potential reasons we may have for justifying these harms.

Bibliography

Teacher suspended after giving student a twitter lesson http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/world/americas/mexico-teacher-twitter/index.html

Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Classroom http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2012/01/19/Pros-and-Cons-of-Social-Media-in-the-Classroom.aspx?Page=1

How to Use Twitter in the Classroom http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2011/06/23/how-to-use-twitter-in-the-classroom/

Twitter is Turning Into a Cyberbullying Playground http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/08/08/twitter-turning-cyberbullying-playground

Can Social Media and School Policies be “Friends”? http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/policy-priorities/vol17/num04/Can-Social-Media-and-School-Policies-be-%C2%A3Friends%C2%A3%C2%A2.aspx

What Are the Free Expression Rights of Students In Public Schools Under the First Amendment? http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/faq.aspx?id=12991

Teacher Shames Student in Classroom After Student Bullies Teacher on Twitter http://cyberbullying.us/teacher-shames-student-in-classroom-after-student-bullies-teacher-on-twitter/

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Cases can also be viewed by the following categories:

An obstetrician treating a heroin-addicted mother considers whether to comply with state law requiring medical professionals to report drug-addicted pregnant women to law enforcement for child endangerment.

A drug treatment counselor considers whether to allow a patient a second chance in the drug-treatment program, against stated program rules.

A religious cleric considers how to support a member of the community struggling with depression and alcoholism, who declines recommended referral to expert medical treatment.

A primary care physician considers if s/he can competently provide treatment to a patient who may have a serious psychiatric disorder and does not wish to go to another doctor.

A physician considers whether to honor a promising medical student’s request to withhold a diagnosis of depression from her record. The medical student fears a record of depression could hurt her career.

A psychologist considers whether there is a duty to warn a couple whom the jealous patient has expressed a desire to stalk and frighten.

An adolescent medicine physician considers how to help a potentially suicidal non-minor young adult who declines treatment. Potential options include the possibility of petitioning the court to coerce inpatient treatment.

A psychiatrist considers whether to use a placebo (a fake treatment) on a patient whom the clinician thinks might benefit.

While organ donation is necessary to alleviate suffering and save lives, questions of autonomy, coercion, and the yuk factor deserve careful consideration as we seek to increase supply in the face of unrelenting demand.

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GS Paper 4 UPSC 2022 (Mains): Question Paper and Analysis

Last updated on September 19, 2022 by ClearIAS Team

UPSC conducted the  General Studies Paper 4 , as part of the Civil Services Main Exam 2022 on 18-09-2022.There were 12 questions split into two sections – A and B.Case studies were included in Section B. Many questions had sub-sections.

Table of Contents

GS Paper 4 UPSC 2022: Instructions

• Total Marks: 250 marks, Time duration: 3 hours.
• There are 12 questions divided into two sections and printed both in ENGLISH and HINDI.
• All questions are compulsory.
• The number of marks carried by a question/part is printed against it.
• Answers must be written in the medium authorized in the admission certificate which must be stated clearly on the cover of this question-cum-answer (QCA) booklet in the space provided.
• No marks will be given for answers written in a medium other than the authorized one.
• Keep the word limit indicated in the questions in mind.
• Any page or portion of the page left blank, must be struck off clearly.
• The content of the answer is more important than its length.

General Studies Paper 4 Question Paper – UPSC Civil Services Main Exam (Written) 2022

Qn1(a). Wisdom lies in knowing what to reckon with and what to overlook. An officer being engrossed with the periphery ignoring the core issues before him is not rare in the Bureaucracy. Do you agree that such preoccupation of an administrator leads to travesty of justice to the cause of effective service delivery and good governance? Critically evaluate (150 words)

Qn2(a). The Rules and Regulations provided to all the Civil servants are same, yet there is difference in the performance. Positive minded officers are able to interpret the Rules and Regulations in favour of the case and achieve success, Whereas, negative minded officers are unable to achieve goals by interacting the same Rules and Regulations against the case. Discuss with illustrations.

(b)It is believed that adherence to ethics in human actions would ensure in smooth functioning of an organization / system. If so, what does ethics seek to promote in human life? How do how do ethical values assist in the resolution of conflicts faced by him in his day to day functioning?

Qn3. What does each of the following quotations mean to you? (a) “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do. “-Potter Stewart (b) “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel that there are three key societal members who can make a difference They are father, mother and teacher.”- APJ Abdul Kalam

(c) “Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it”- Dalai Lama

Qn4(a)What do you understand by the term ‘good governance? How far recent initiatives in terms of e-Governance steps taken by the State have helped the beneficiaries? Discuss with suitable examples.

(b) Online methodology is being used for day-to-day meetings, institutional approvals in the administration and for teaching and learning in education sector to the extent telemedicine in the health sector is getting popular with the approval of the competent authority. No doubt it has advantages and disadvantages for both the beneficiaries and the system at large. Describe and discuss reticle issues involved in the use of the online method, particularly to the vulnerable section of the society.

Qn5(a). Russia and Ukraine war has been going on for the last seven months. Different countries have taken independent stands and actions keeping in view their own national interests. We are all aware that war has its own impact on the different aspects of society, including human tragedy. What are those ethical issues that are crucial to be considered while launching the war and its continuation so far? Illustrate with justification the ethical issues involved in the given state of affairs.

(b) Write short notes on the following in 30 words each:

Qn7 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 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 examin the options available to Prabhat in the above situation. (c) Which of the above would be the most appropriate for Prabhat and why?

Qn8 Ramesh is State Civil Services Officer who got the opportunity of getting posted to the capital of a border State after rendering 20 years of service . Ramesh’s mother has recently been detected cancer and has been admitted in the leading cancer hospital of the city . His two adolescent children have also got admission in one of the best public schools of the town . After settling down in his appointment as Director in the Home Department of the State , Ramesh got confidential report through intelligence sources that illegal migrants are infiltrating in the State from the neighbouring country . He decided to personally carry out surprise check of the border posts along with his Home Department team . To his surprise , he caught red – handed two families of 12 members infiltrated with the connivance of the security personnel at the border posts . On further inquiry and investigation , it was found that after the migrants from neighbouring country infiltrate , their documentation like Aadhaar Card , Ration Card and Voter Card are also forged and they are made to settle down in a particular area of the State . Ramesh prepared the detailed and comprehensive report and submitted to the Additional Secretary of the State . However , he has summoned by the Additional Home Secretary after a week and was instructed to withdraw the report . The Additional Home Secretary informed Ramesh that the report submitted by him has not been appreciated by the higher authorities . He further cautioned him that if he fails to withdraw the confidential report , he will not only be posted out from the prestigious appointment from the State capital but his further promotion which is due in near future will also get in jeopardy . (a) What are the options available to Ramesh as the Director of the Home Department of the bordering State ? (b) What option should Ramesh adopt and why ? (c) Critically evaluate each of the options . (d) What are the ethical dilemmas being faced by Ramesh ? (e) What policy measures would you suggest to combat the menace of infiltration of illegal migrants from the neighbouring country ?

Qn9 The Supreme Court has banned mining in the Aravalli Hills to stop degradation of the forest cover and to maintain ecological balance . However , the stone mining was still prevalent in the border district of the affected State with connivance of certain corrupt forest officials and politicians . Young and dynamic SP who was recently posted in the affected district promised to himself to stop this menace . In one of his surprise checks with his team , he found loaded truck with stone trying to escape the mining area . He tried to stop the truck but the truck driver overrun the police officer , killing him on the spot and thereafter managed to flee . Police filed FIR but no breakthrough was achieved in the case for almost three months . Ashok who was the Investigative Journalist working with leading TV channel , suo moto started investigating the case . Within one month , Ashok got breakthrough by interacting with local people , stone mining mafia and government officials , He prepared his investigative story and presented to the CMD of the TV channel . He exposed in his investigative report the complete nexus of stone mafia working with blessing of corrupt police and civil officials and politicians . The politician who was involved in the mafia was no one else but local MLA who was considered to be very close to the Chief Minister . After going through the investigative report , the CMD advised Ashok to drop the idea of making the story public through electronic media . He informed that the local MLA was not only the relative of the owner of the TV channel but also had unofficially 20 percent share in the channel . The CMD further informed Ashok that his further promotion and hike in pay will be taken care of in addition the soft loan of 10 lakhs which he has taken from the TV channel for his son’s chronic disease will be suitably adjusted if he hands over the investigative report to him . (a) What are the options available with Ashok to cope up with the situation ? (b) Critically evaluate / examine each of the options identified by Ashok . (c) What are the ethical dilemmas being faced by Ashok ? (d) Which of the options , do you think , would be the most appropriate for Ashok to adopt and why ? (e) In the above scenario , what type of training would you suggest for police officers posted to such districts where stone mining illegal activities are rampant ?

Qn10  You have done MBA from a reputed institution three years back but could not get campus placement due to COVID – 19 generated recession . However , after a lot of persuasion and series of competitive tests including written and interview , you managed to get a job in a leading shoe company You have aged parents who are dependent and staying with you . You also recently got married after getting this decent job . You were allotted the Inspection Section which is responsible for clearing the final product . In first one year , you learnt your job well and was appreciated for your performance by the management . The company is doing good business for last five years in domestic market and this year it is decided even to export to Europe and Gulf countries . However , one large consignment to Europe was rejected by their Inspecting Team due to certain poor quality and was sent back . The top management ordered that ibid consignment to be cleared for the domestic market . As a part of Inspecting Team , you observed the glaring poor quality and brought to the knowledge of the Team Commander . However , the top management advised all the members of the team to overlook these defects as the management cannot bear such a huge loss . Rest of the team members except you promptly signed and cleared the consignment for domestic market , overlooking glaring defects . You again brought to the knowledge of the Team Commander that such consignment , if cleared even for domestic market , will tarnish the image and feputation of the company and will be counter – productive in the long run . However , you were further.advised by the top management that if you do not clear the consignment , the company will not hesitate to terminate your services citing certain innocuous reasons.

GS4 Question Paper Analysis

GS Paper 4 deals with  Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude . This is a dynamic paper – with multiple dimensions.

The paper really checked the quick-decision making skills and overall aptitude of the candidate for the job of a future civil servant.

Regarding case studies, most were connected to an ethical angle. However, it was not easy to satisfactorily answer case studies within the time constraints.

Important Take-Aways from the GS Paper 4 UPSC 2022 (Mains) – Question Paper

This paper stressed the importance of conceptual understanding in certain crucial areas like Ethics, Values, Aptitude etc.

Questions based on quotes were asked. Many questions focused on seeking examples from candidates – rather than theory. Examples will be game-changer. Topics like good governance, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Whistleblowing, Rule of law were asked.

We recommend all aspirants go through the  ClearIAS online notes on Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude .

Read the  UPSC syllabus and previous year’s question papers multiple times. Prepare self-notes on every keyword (Eg: Crisis of conscience – which got repeated again).

There are no major surprises this year for those candidates who had carefully analysed the  previous year’s UPSC question papers . This year’s paper followed more or less the previous year’s trends.

The Ethics paper should be taken seriously to score high. It needs a different kind of preparation. Along with conceptual knowledge, the  right practice and time managment  are also crucial for success.

What do you think of this year’s General Studies Paper 4 questions? What are your comments about this paper?

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ETHICS CASE STUDIES for upsc

CASE STUDIES WITH MODEL ANSWERS FOR UPSC GS 4

PART 1 CASES 1­-10

Case Study 1: You are stranded in traffic in your car. You are driving the car. A poor girl looking very frail approaches you and start begging for  money.  Looking at he frail appearance, out of compassion, you take  out your wallet to search for a ten Rupees note.  The girl who is  standing very near to you snatches the wallet and starts running.  A  man on a motorbike who see this act, catches the girl and starts  beating her in full view of public.  Now the traffic is moving and your  car is in the middle of the road. What will you do in such a situation? And why?

Model Answer: Action should be as follow:

1. Park Car­ so that no disturbance to the traffic.

2. Call to destination where I was heading about the emergency so  that they will not wait for me.

3. Reach the spot where the man is beating girl and immediately  stop him and ask him not to beat or take law in his hand.Thank him for taking notice of the theft and taking action, but remind him that  the girl is very young and could have acted out of hunger too Remind him gently that it is a public space and such act physical  violence could land him in legal trouble. This should lower his anger.

4. If girl is injured­ carry out first aid from the box available in the  car. Get her something to eat and drink.

5. Try to know her history and then informing to NGO or child care  centre and personally taking to there will be my choice since leaving  her just like that will make her to repeat the act since its the poverty and poor care made her to act. If these are given girl will desist from  such acts.

6. Make an occasional follow up of the girl with the agency to whom  she had been handed over to.

Case Study 2: Recently a peon was appointed in your office (DM office).He is  illiterate and mentally not sound. Ever since his appointment he has been more of a ‘burden’ than any help in the offce. He doesn’t know  any work. Staff in your office feel that their work is disturbed by his  behaviour. The peon is always found to be talking either alone or with anyone he  encounters. He is not obeying your staff’s orders in the office. He was appointed on sympathy grounds after his father’s untimely  death. His mother is ill and always bedridden. His income is the only source for his family now. He got the job after lobbying by a group  representing his caste. He was appointed by your predecessor after  he was pressurized by local MP. Some moves to remove him by your predecessor were met  with public protests by a group representing his caste. You are very strict and disciplined  in your office. You are being  respected in your district for your integrity and honesty. You come to know about the peon few days after you assume power. You have  observed his behaviour and found him to be unfit to continue in his  job. The peon has no other relatives except his mother.

Identify your moral and professional responsibilities in this case  study and explain how will you deal with the peon.

Model Answer: Since the peon is unfit for the job, the option of continuing him is  ruled out. so protection to his family should remain the priority of  DM.

Responsibilities of DM:

1. social security and health care to peon and his mother

2. removing the peon peacefully after pacifying all parties involved

Course of action to be followed:

1. Certain actions of peon in the office should be video ­recorded such  as not heeding to the officers, disturbing others in office etc.

2. On priority, DM should make an arrangement for social security  benefits along with health insurance to peon and his mother. A  request for pension should also be made to higher authorities on  exceptional grounds.

3. There after a meeting should be arranged with his caste members  to explain the real problem being faced in the office and why he  should be removed from the office by showing them video ­clips.

4. At the same time DM should take own responsibility for peon’s  pension and other benefits before the members.

5. Once they agree, his removal would be done in a smooth manner  without any controversy.

6. In case they do not agree immediately, steps should be taken to  constantly persuade the key members of his caste group one ­by­ one  through constant consultations and that would surely resolve the  problem.

7. In doing the above, work culture and discipline in the organisation will be protected but at the same time solved the problems of most  vulnerable people i.e. peon and his mother empathetically.

Case Study 3: You are working as Junior Engineer in a Tehsil. You have been given responsibility to measure MGNREGA works undertaken by 3 Gram  Panchayats. You have authority to give technical sanctions to all  MGNREGA works. In one of these Panchayats you notice that your  predecessor had wrongly measured many works, and in many cases  he had approved works that never existed. One day  few elected  members of that Panchayat with bundle of job cards come to you to  seek ‘sanction’ for the works done by them. When enquired, they  reveal that they were contractors who had completed works under  MGNREGA. When you reject their demand, they threaten you and  tell you that the previous Junior Engineer was made to quit his job  because he didn’t listen to them. This is your first job and is very  important to sustain your family. There have been precedents in the  past that some junior officials were beaten to death in some parts of  the Tehsil.

What will you do in this situation? Explain in detail citing rules from MGNREGA Act.

Model Answer:  I would tell contractor that there is provision of social audit for  MGNREGA and in future it is most likely that they would get caught in future. Also the provision of DBT and biometric authentication  will reveal all their wrong doings. Subsequently i will report such incidence to my higher authorities  and seek police protection in case my life is at risk. A report of bogus  as well as valid JOB card shall be separately prepared by me which  shall lie as a proof for all past irregularities. My courage and uprightness will deter me from succumbing to their  demands. In any case if i comply as directed by contractors, my job  would be in peril. Truth can’t be hidden for long and its better to be  courageous than to hide facts and face future actions.

Case Study 4: As a DM of a home district of serving Chief Minister, you find out  that a huge land scam has taken place in which close relatives of the  Chief Minister are involved. The scam which you have unearthed has caused lots of financial loss to the state’s exchequer. You have been  recently married to a daughter of an MLA who is known as staunch  political enemy of the CM. While you are investigating the matter for further proofs, before you  make this issue public, the CM comes to know about this. He  threatens you with dire consequences if you do not close the file and  bury the matter silently. He threatens you with false criminal cases  and CBI investigation in case you do not budge. Unfortunately, a case is pending against  you regarding misuse of treasury funds, in which you haven’t done  anything wrong. This case can be reopened and used against you.   However, if you stop investigation, he has assured you that you will  be given a plum post in the capital.

Identify which course of action are available to you.  Examine each action’s merits and demerits.  Finally, explain which course of action would you follow and why?

Model Answer: In this situation, the following options are available: 1. Acting as per the directions of the CM and close the file in return  for the plum job and to avoid investigation. 2. Carry on with the investigation to find substantiate proofs to the  issue which caused loss to the exchequer.  Upholding the law and  constitution to which i owe my allegiance.

3. Use my father­in­law’s position to expose the current CM and  share the gain of this expose with my father ­in­ law. 4. Report the matter in media anonymously.

1. Plum post will be rewarded

2. Will be freed from the threat of CM and career will be safe

1. Loss to the state exchequer and ultimate sufferer would be public 2. Subversion of constitutionally mandated duty for the personal  benefit

3. public image and trust will be lost

1. upholding personal integrity,objectivity, honesty, spirit of civil  service 2. unearthing such act would cause deleterious effect on others who  may be indulged in similar other activities 3. bringing such issue before the public will improve trust and  confidence between state machinery and public. 4. Send a strong message to the political class that honest civil  servant would not succumb to their pressure tactics. Demerits:

1. Lot of personal hardship caused in the process including false CBI  inquiry.

2. Putting life and family in jeopardy (Similarly merits and demerits in Option 3 and Option 4). Course of action to be followed:

I would choose option 2. Investigation would be carried out as usual.  Meanwhile CM should be told politely but firmly that I am  performing my constitutionally mandated duties and I have no  option to Go. There is a possibility that CM’s party workers would spread message that MLA is playing vendetta politics through his in ­law. So sound  proofs before the public are necessary to avoid any backfire. If CM, in the meanwhile starts any CBI investigation on my any past acts, I would welcome that as I have not done anything wrong. Even  Government suspends, I would cooperate with the enquiry to prove  my innocence. If necessary I would move to court for protection  against harassment. But in no case, I would close the file to avoid any personal hardship  to my career and my family as it would amount to compromising on  my values and ethics which civil service holds.

Case Study 5: You have passed UPSC Civil Services exam with a very good rank  and you have given first preference to IAS and your home state. You  will get home cadre as you are the topper from the state and there is  vacancy available under your category. A former Chief Minister, who  belongs to your caste, now wants to make you his Son­in­ Law.   Just  like you, his daughter is also a graduate from top foreign university,  she is very beautiful and as per information gathered from different  sources by your parents, she is a down to earth and sweet girl. The former Chief Minister is also the head of the political party he  belongs to and there is every chance that he would become Chief  Minister again if his party comes to power in next elections. Your  parents are on cloud nine ever since this marriage offer has been  proposed. The former Chief Minister was jailed for few years in the past on  corruption and murder charges. There are serious cases still pending against him in different courts. He is very rich.  He has only one  daughter. His family has liked you a lot for your personality and looks also.  They want you to be their Son ­in ­Law at any cost. The girl has also  liked you. Recently they have sent costly gifts to your parents, about  which you were unaware of.

1) Do you think it is unethical for you to marry the girl as you are going to serve in the same state and where there are chances of you working under your future Father ­in ­Law? (150 Words)

2) Will you deny this marriage proposal because your father­in­law was a criminal and many cases against him are pending? Comment. (100 Words)

3) Critically examine ethical issues involved in this case study. (100 Words)

Model Answer:

1) Under this situation I will ready to marry the girl as she was well  educated and down to earth, and my parents also like her . I don’t  think that there will be any issue in this .More specifically I dont  think that any one can affect integrity of job, influence my decision  or take undue advantage of my position until I don’t give him the authority to do  so. For a civil servant it is very important to make clear  differentiation between his personal affairs and duties. And what  was the guarantee that If I marry some other girl than her parents  or relatives does not try to take undue advantage of my post. Here the question is related to my  integrity , and I am constitutionally bound for my duty , and do so  without any external pressure.

2) In this situation just by pending cases one can not consider a  person criminal. It was the prerogative of court and let it decide so.  And I have no authority to vanish some one image just on the basis  of pending cases. As an civil servant it is very important for me that  my decisions, should not be based on my prejudice. Rather than I will work accordance to  law. And laws clearly revealed that no person is guilty until proven  so. Also even if he is proven guilty, there is no fault with her  daughter as she is down to earth and gentle. Just being a daughter  of a criminal does not make her a criminal.

3) Ethical issues involved: Honesty: for the efficient working in future without thinking of any  personal gains of postings and promotions. Integrity: for being honest , integrity is the prerequisite and moral  strength makes a complete integrated personality having no  confusions in taking decisions.

Unbiasedness: taking decisions uprightly requires no deviations  from the objectives of the decision and its impact on the greater  interests of the targeted section of the society. Foresight: any present action could impact the future outcomes so a great vision is required instead of myopic views..

Case Study 6: You are a Block Development Officer. You have been invited by a  Panchayat Secretary to attend the Gram Sabha meeting. The  meeting has been called to allot houses to the poor with an aim to  make this Panchayat free of huts. State government has sent you a  strict direction to provide durable houses to all the needy and to  make sure no village has a single hut anywhere. In the meeting a very old widow approaches you and tells you that  she is living in a hut which is dilapidated and is about to collapse.  She has no one in the village and she is all alone and she is at the  fag end of her life. When you are about to recommend her a house  out of empathy, Panchayat Secretary reveals that she was allotted an house few years ago and  that she had sold the house to pay her husband’s debt. Some  villagers who treat her as insane old widow also raise objections to  grant her another house. She is very old and she is almost begging you to help her. Selling her  previous house was illegal as per Panchayat rules. She has nowhere  to go. As per government’s directive, she can not continue to live in a  hut.

In this circumstance what decision will you take? Explain why.

Model Answer: The case involves conflict between legality of allotment and society’s  larger issue that is poverty. Following ethical considerations are  there. 1.Women is old thus require greater protection(Article ­14 – equal  protection of law) 2.Women is poor with no one to care. (Re distributive justice) 3.She sold her house in previous allotment. 4.It is illegal to give her second allotment plus public opinion is  against such allotment. Course of action: 1. Discuss the problem of old lady with her and try to find out  corrective solution by ensuring a pension and benefits under  governmental schemes. 2. Discuss the issue of old lady in panchayat and try to build  consensus by explaining her pitiable conditions. Further, sensitize  villagers towards plight and social security of poor and old. 3. If villagers respond in negative, discuss with people in higher  hierarchy to get permission to allot her house second time with a  strict warning to not to sell it again otherwise legal actions will be  taken. 4.If nothing works, contact an NGO or old age home and make  arrangements for her care either at her village or at the home.

Case Study 7 : Rekha cleared UPSC civil services exam and became an IAS officer.  After her probationary training, she was posted as CEO of Zilla  Panchayat in a very backward district in a far away state from her  home. There, violence and discrimination against women was  rampant. The politicians, including elected representatives were  known for their contempt against women officers in the district.  Rekha’s parents tried to persuade her to marry an IAS officer (male) from their home state who had shown interest in marrying her to  ensure her return to her home state where, her parents thought, she would get a safe and cosy posting. Rekha firmly told her parents that she wanted to face such  hardships and serve backward regions. As soon as she assumed her  office, rumours were spread about her past and alleged links with  mafia in the region. She had taken extraordinary measures to stop  illegal activities such as sand smuggling and encroachment of  government property despite risk to her life. A recent news report  alleged that she was going soft on mafia. Another report suggested  that she had an affair with an IAS officer working in a neighbouring  district.

Identify the elements of  ethical concerns and dilemma in the above  case and substantiate how you would have responded to each of such  concerns and dilemma if you were Rekha..

Model Answer: An upright and honest officer faces organised campaign from vested  interest to prevent her from performing public duties.  Unsubstantiated rumours and personal attacks to malign her image  and damage the reputation should be tackled head on by Rekha in  this case. Elements of ethical concerns and dilemma in above case are: 1. Choosing between person, family comfort and commitment to  public duty. 2. Performing one’s duty without paying heed to rumours or to dispel rumours to maintain credibility and integrity. 3. Protecting one’s privacy in public life(and women’s dignity) when  vested interest allege of immorality Appropriate response in this  case would involve that rather than succumbing to pressure of vested interest and organised mafia, she should be take appropriate legal  recourse. The strategy to deal with each of situation can be: 1. Rekha should persuade her parents that it doesn’t matter where  she serve in home state or any other state. She should make choice  based on her own commitment, aptitude, duty and comfort rather  than under parental or societal pressure. 2. Proper legal recourse should be taken against the people  spreading lie and falsehood. Though it may distract some of time and attention from official duties, but it is essential for maintaining not  only personal integrity but also professional credibility of authority. 3. A defamation case may be initiated against people spreading  rumours. A official have full right to her privacy in person sphere.

Case Study 8: You are a Collector of a district. The Chief Minister has arrived to  attend a private function and at the same time has summoned all  offcials to get reports on various works in progress in the district.  Your family was also invited by the organisers of this private function. Because of some  issues at home, you arrive half an hour late to the function where  meeting is also being held by the CM. The CM, who is known for ill  temper, soundly abuses you in front of all dignitaries, your wife and  children. You are insulted and humiliated in full public glare. This was your first such  experience.

How will you react? Explain and give reasons. (150 Words)

Model Answer: At that instance, several emotions would be running through my  mind. Embarrassment, ego, frustration, guilt etc. The first thing I  would do is manage my emotions because such emotions could lead  to taking ill decisions and it is my duty to protect the respect and  integrity of the post of Chief minister and Collector. Instead would  try to use them to act accordingly. Secondly, I would apologise to the Chief Minister and all the other  officials as I have wasted their time. As being the head of the  district, I should be the first person to intimate the CM about the  happenings in the district, so my delay is not pardonable. Thirdly, I would explain the reason for my delay. If I don’t then I  would be setting a bad precedent to all the other officials. Quarterly, to recover the thirty minutes lost, I would think of ways to give the perfect brief and also save time by eliminating other  unproductive activities of the meeting. Because due to time constraint, it should not affect the information  being given to the Chief Minister.

Case Study 9: Ravi and Ramya, a newly married couple, have joined same company as software engineers. They are put under a same team leader. The  team leader  has started flirting with Ravi’s wife. He has also  started giving trouble to Ravi in terms of putting him under lot of  work related pressure. Both Ravi and Ramya have signed contract  with the company. Ravi is now asking Ramya to leave the job and stay at home. Ramya  is just friendly with the team leader, and she thinks he is harmless.  Though she has told Ravi about this, Ravi wants her to leave the job  at any cost. After few months Ramya got promotion whereas Ravi  didn’t. She is made team leader of another team and she now reports to manager who  was her former team leader. These developments have further  depressed Ravi and lately he has started doubting his wife. However, Ramya has always been faithful to Ravi.

If you were in Ravi’s and Ramya’s place, what would you do  respectively? (200 Words)

Model Answer: As Ravi, i would like to openly convey to my wife about the  insecurities i feel in her interaction with her boss and her  subsequent promotion. I would also like to say to her i trust her lot  and would only want good for her and was happy that she had got  promotion, but i dint really trust the intent of her boss (my former  TL) and therefore i would like her to trust me in my feelings and stay away from him since it was  probably sending a wrong message to him, who was misinterpreting  her friendly nature and also as it was damaging our personal  relations due to my insecurities, if she wasnt ready to leave the job,  as it would be best possible outcome.

As Ramya i would make my husband understand about my nature  and my friendliness, which dint mean anything more apart from just that. I would address my husband’s insecurities by listening to him  patiently and understanding it in the light of my recent promotion, it would only complicate his thought process. Since i would not like to leave the job i would for one trust my husband and keep my interactions with boss to only professional level since it would inspire confidence in my  husband. However to address his deeper bias against me i would give him a plain talk about my freedom, integrity and choices, and the fact that his  distrust will not help matters hence he should be more open to me  interacting with male counterparts without any bias.

Case Study 10: You are traveling in a government bus to attend a very important job interview. In one hour you should be present at the interview venue.  The bus is very congested. Luckily you are seated. From your seat  you observe that a middle aged man standing next to a girl is  touching and trying to molest her. The girl is silently resisting and trying to move away  from him. But the man is continuing his actions. As the bus is  congested, nobody is noticing this except you.

1) In this situation, what will you do? Explain. (150 Words) 2) If you do not do anything, which values will you be compromising?  Explain their importance. (200 Words)

1)First of all, I will offer my seat to that girl. It will prevent the person to make any advances to her. Secondly, I will ask the girl whether she wants to make any complaint against the person. If she wants to do that, I will make a call to the police. If she does not want to get involved into it, I will talk to other passengers and will try to pressurize the person to accept his mistake and not to repeat it in future. (But only if she has no objection as being a girl she might feel being antonyms). I will also encourage her to raise voice against this type of injustice which violates modesty of girl.

2)If I take no action I’ll violate the following values:

a) Respect for women­ It will become disrespect for dignity of women if I remain silent.

b) Honesty­ Closing eyes towards injustice amounts to dishonesty to myself.

c) Courage of conviction­ Standing up to misbehaviour will only be true courage of conviction against all such pervert people of society.

d) Empathy­ Though I can see misbehaviour being done, if I do not empathise with the girl, it is a loss of humanitarianism. Therefore, all such values must be upheld in daily life for a dignified living of self and others in society.

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Applying Cases to Solve Ethical Problems: The Significance of Positive and Process-Oriented Reflection

Alison l. antes.

Northern Kentucky University

Chase E. Thiel

The University of Oklahoma

Laura E. Martin

Midwestern State University

Cheryl K. Stenmark

Angelo State University

Shane Connelly

Lynn d. devenport, michael d. mumford.

This study examined the role of reflection on personal cases for making ethical decisions with regard to new ethical problems. Participants assumed the position of a business manager in a hypothetical organization and solved ethical problems that might be encountered. Prior to making a decision for the business problems, participants reflected on a relevant ethical experience. The findings revealed that application of material garnered from reflection on a personal experience was associated with decisions of higher ethicality. However, whether the case was viewed as positive or negative, and whether the outcomes, process, or outcomes and processes embedded in the experience were examined, influenced the application of case material to the new problem. As expected, examining positive experiences and the processes involved in those positive experiences resulted in greater application of case material to new problems. Future directions and implications for understanding ethical decision-making are discussed.

Across professional fields, individuals regularly encounter ethical situations and must make judgments about how to respond to these challenging workplace problems ( Ashforth & Anand, 2003 ). Making sense of the causes and implications of these complex, uncertain situations, understanding conflicting interests, goals, and motivations, and anticipating potential courses of action represent just some of the demands of thinking through ethical problems ( Waples & Antes, 2011 ). The nature of the thinking processes underlying ethical decision-making has been of principal interest to scholars concerned with understanding and improving the ethical capacity of professionals (e.g., Mumford, Connelly et al., 2008 ; Ritter, 2006 ; Rest, 1986 ; Sonenshein, 2007 ). Mumford and colleagues (2008) described ethical decision-making as a sensemaking phenomenon involving several social-cognitive processes that allow one to make sense of the elements of the situation, consider potential outcomes, and choose a course of action, and their model has received considerable empirical support ( Waples & Antes, 2011 ).

One central process of the sensemaking model ( Mumford, Connelly et al., 2008 ) is self-reflection – drawing upon and examining stored knowledge about oneself, ethical problems, and experiences – to inform ethical decision-making. Drawing upon, examining, and utilizing self-relevant knowledge and experiences facilitates the complex cognition underlying problem-solving, decision-making, and learning ( Anseel, Lievens, & Schollaert, 2009 ; Dörner & Schaub, 1994 ; Mezirow, 1990 ; Strack & Förster, 1998 ), but self-reflection processes specifically pertaining to ethical decision-making have received limited examination.

Given that ethical problems are social and self-relevant, reflection on personally relevant experiences or cases may provide a particularly critical source of knowledge to inform ethical decision-making ( Anderson & Conway, 1993 ; Kolodner, 1992 ; 1993 ). In fact, the primary intent of the widely applied case method approach to ethics instruction is to construct a more complete, complex collection of cases that can later be reflected upon and applied to solve ethical problems ( Jonassen & Hernandez-Serrano, 2002 ; McWilliams & Nahavandi, 2006 ; Pimple, 2007 ), but relatively little is known about the process of reflecting upon stored personal cases even though it is of key importance for understanding ethical decision-making and techniques for enhancing ethical decision-making.

Therefore, the purpose of the present study is two-fold. First, we explicitly examine whether applying information garnered from reflection on personal cases is related to the ethicality of decisions made regarding new ethical problems. Additionally, we investigate the effect of the nature of the case – whether it is viewed as positive or negative – and the strategy – examination of processes, outcomes, or processes and outcomes – applied to reflecting on elements embedded in the experience.

When confronted with addressing an ethical problem, individuals might recall cases from personal experience or those learned vicariously through others or from ethics courses and then reflect on the ethical standards, principles, or guidelines, and personal values embedded within the case. According to Mumford et al. (2008) , recalling and reflecting on personal experiences and the standards, values, actions, actors, causes, and contingencies found within cases, provides an important source of information to be utilized to make sense of a new situation and arrive at a decision. Thus, self-reflection is critical for drawing on relevant experiences to provide an understanding of the problem and to examine possible solutions.

However, drawing upon one's stored knowledge and experience to be utilized for ethical decision-making is inherently complex ( Daudelin, 1996 ; Dörner & Schaub, 1994 ). This stored information and examination of it is influenced by emotions, self-perceptions, and personal values, beliefs, and understandings of ethical problems ( Waples & Antes, 2011 ). Consider the contrast of drawing upon this type of personally relevant knowledge and drawing upon knowledge pertaining to something like the state capital of a particular state—clearly these types of knowledge differ considerably. Ethically-relevant cases are emotional and subjective and recalling and examining this information involves personal biases, subjective evaluations, and personal perceptions ( Ashton-James & Ashkanasy, 2008 ; Gaudine & Thorne, 2001 ; Haidt, 2001 ; Sonenshein, 2007 ). Therefore, the nature of the cases drawn upon and the strategies used to examine them are likely to play a central role in whether and how that information is applied to new problems ( Rubin & Berntsen, 2003 ). However, because stored cases provide material that can be analyzed, adapted, and applied to make sense of new problems, they are expected to facilitate ethical decision-making when case material is applied to inform decision-making for new problems. Based on these observations, we propose the following hypothesis:

Hypothesis 1: Applying material from reflection on personal cases to new problems will improve decision ethicality.

Affective Framing of Cases

Although reflection on past cases is expected to aid ethical decision-making, not all approaches for thinking about case material are likely to prove equally effective. In particular, we expected that the affective frame and reflection strategy applied to case material would influence the application of that material to new problems. Examination of personally relevant cases is a challenging, cognitively demanding process that requires a person to actively examine past behaviors, actions, and decisions. If experiences are perceived as negative, individuals may not as actively engage in analysis of these cases because they threaten self-appraisals ( Levin, Schneider, & Gaeth, 1998 ; Sedikides & Green, 2004 ), which will ultimately hinder the use of the case material for new problems.

The effect of the positively or negatively framed case material is particularly of interest given that the case method often relies upon negative exemplars of ethical transgressions. The underlying assumption of the case method is that the case material is stored to be later recalled and applied to new problems ( Gentner, Loewenstein, & Thompson, 2003 ), but if negatively framed material is threatening and less likely to be applied for new decision-making efforts, this approach to case study may be problematic. The effectiveness of the case method approach depends upon students identifying with and engaging in analysis of case experiences ( Pimple, 2007 ). If negative experiences are less personally engaging, this key condition is not met. Given that positive experiences are likely to be more actively analyzed, we proposed a second hypothesis:

Hypothesis 2: Reflection on positive as opposed to negative experiences will result in greater application of case material to new problems.

In addition to applying a negative or positive frame to experiences, individuals might apply different analytic tactics for reflecting upon cases that they recall ( Nokes & Ohlsson, 2005 ). Given that there are many different elements of a case that might be examined in reflecting on that experience, the thinking strategies most effective for examining case material are critical for understanding ethical decision-making and how to facilitate reflection on case material. One general approach that might be applied is to emphasize the outcomes of a case or to examine the processes embedded within the experience ( Escalas & Luce, 2003 ; Pham & Taylor, 1999 ; Taylor, Pham, Rivkin, & Armor, 1998 ); or individuals might apply a strategy where they examine both outcomes and processes. Outcome-oriented reflection focuses on end results and how things within a case scenario turned out; whereas process-oriented reflection focuses on steps and elements prior to the end results.

Given that outcomes and consequences are commonly the focus of ethics programs, codes, and problems ( Stansbury & Barry, 2007 ; Yongqiang, 2008 ), it may be common for analysis of cases to emphasize outcomes and thus overstress deliberate, mechanical thinking. However, to effectively examine and extract information from an ethical experience to inform a new problem, thinking about processes, or elements, involved in the case may provide insight into the more undefined elements, embedded moral beliefs and social elements, and intuitive aspects of ethical decision-making ( Marquardt & Hoeger, 2009 ; Reynolds, 2006 ).

Overall, a process-oriented strategy will result in more nuanced thinking and thus facilitate ethical decision-making for new problems. It is also plausible to argue that a combined process and outcome-oriented reflection strategy would be most effective, because it might foster more complete analysis of concrete elements and reflection on the less defined elements. Nonetheless, we expect that because process-only reflection will facilitate thinking in a more divergent manner, it will result in the most relevant information to be applied for ethical decision-making; although, the less effective thinking resulting from outcome-only analysis, maybe be offset by also applying a process-oriented strategy. Thus, we proposed a third hypothesis:

Hypothesis 3: A process-oriented reflection strategy will result in greater application of case material than an outcome-oriented reflection strategy, while a combined process-outcome reflection strategy will result in greater application than outcome-oriented reflection but less than process-only reflection.

People readily apply affective frames to experience ( Levin, Schneider, & Gaeth, 1998 ; Martin, Stenmark et al., 2011 ; Van Schie & Van Der Pligt, 1995 ). Thus, we were interested in the combined effect of affective framing and reflection strategy. Given our propositions that a positive experience is more likely to be actively analyzed and process-oriented reflection will also facilitate analysis, we expected that process-oriented reflection on positive cases would yield the greatest application of material from reflection ( Argembeau & Van der Linden, 2003 ; Janiszewski, Silk, & Cooke, 2003 ). We expected outcome analysis to be ineffective no matter the affective frame, but we did expect that combining process-oriented reflection with outcome-oriented analysis might be particularly valuable when examining a negative experience because it might provide a mechanism for offsetting the threat associated with examination of the case. Therefore, we proposed the following interaction hypothesis:

Hypothesis 4: A positively framed case examined with a process-oriented reflection strategy will result in the greatest application of case material to new problems, followed by a negatively framed case examined with a combined process-outcome reflection strategy.

One-hundred and thirty-four undergraduate students (52% males; 75% Caucasian) from a large southwestern university participated in this study. Participation was voluntary and students received extra credit in their courses for participating. The sample consisted of 82% business majors, and the average participant was 22 years old. The participants reported having been employed for an average of five years, and 60% of participants reported having had completed an ethics course.

Undergraduate students were recruited in their business courses via verbal and written study announcements. The study was presented as an investigation of problem-solving on critical thinking exercises. Students were told that participation was voluntary and would require a three hour time commitment. Students then signed up for one of the scheduled sessions.

Upon arriving at the study location, participants were briefed about the general study purpose and procedures, and they were provided with an informed consent document. After confirming their desire to participate, each participant was provided with a packet of study materials, which were randomly assigned to contain the materials for the different experimental conditions. Before completing the materials inside of the packet at their own pace, the participants were asked to complete a verbal reasoning test, which was timed by the study proctor. Following this five minute timed test, participants completed the packet of materials according to the instructions provided on their materials.

Inside the packet of materials participants found a series of low-fidelity simulation business scenarios ( Motowidlo, Dunnette, & Carter, 1990 ). The context for the hypothetical business was a small retail store which was selected because most undergraduate students have experience working in retail. Before the problems to be addressed by participants were presented, an introduction to the company and industry was provided. Additionally, background information was provided regarding the managerial role that the participants were to assume in the scenarios (see Appendix A ). In each scenario, the manager was presented with an ethical problem that had major implications for the company and their position. The ethical problems in each of the scenarios represented one of each of the four dimensions in a taxonomy of ethical misconduct developed by Helton-Fauth, Gaddis et al. (2003) .

These dimensions, originally developed for misconduct in research, generalize across a number of professional fields ( Kligyte, Marcy, Sevier, Godfrey, & Mumford, 2008 ; Stenmark, Antes et al., 2010 ), and include data management, study conduct, professional practices, and business practices. In this study, the data management scenario presented a situation that required the manager to decide how to handle reporting data from a selection instrument when fabrication of the data would benefit his/her preferred course of action (see Appendix B ). The study conduct dimension, a dimension focusing on the treatment of individuals (i.e., research participants) for which a professional has responsibility, was translated into a business context. In this scenario, the manager had to make a decision about the treatment and wellbeing of employees. In the business practices scenario, a conflict of interest was presented wherein the manager must make a decision about selling a new product manufactured by a relative's company. Finally, the professional practices scenario required the manager to make a decision about how to handle a mistake that he/she made that would affect pay raises given to employees. All participants responded to each of the four scenarios, and presentation of these scenarios was counterbalanced to avoid order effects.

After reading each scenario, participants were asked to recall and reflect upon a relevant case from their experience and respond to several prompt questions about that instance. It was in the reflecting on the experience that the independent variables—affective frame and analytic approach—were manipulated. These manipulations are described in the next section. In addition to instructions to recall and reflect upon a relevant past experience, participants in all conditions were also provided with an example of the type of situation they were to recall and think about to clarify the instructions and encourage reflection on appropriate, relevant information. For example, for the data management scenario, participants were prompted to think about a situation where they were faced with a problem about submitting some kind of information, such as submitting a time card, grades, or reporting previous employers or salary on an application, where there was a temptation to change things slightly before turning over the information. After recalling and reflecting on the experience, participants returned to the new business problem and indicated what decision they would make and why.

The packet of materials also contained covariate measures used to capture individual differences, such as trait affect and task engagement, which might influence performance on the business scenarios. After completing the scenarios and covariate measures, participants placed their study materials back into their envelopes and turned in their packets to the study proctor. Participants were then given a debriefing form and thanked for their participation.

Manipulations

The manipulations in this 2 × 3 experiment influenced the affective frame – positive or negative – and the analytic strategy – process, outcome, or process-outcome – employed by participants when they recalled and thought about a prior, relevant experience. The manipulations were embedded in the instructions and prompt questions provided to participants to guide their thinking. Specifically, the affective frame manipulation was embedded within the instructions for the type of case that participants were to recall and think about. The instructions either indicated that the participant should recall an experience that he/she felt was positive or negative.

After prompting participants to recall a negative or positive case, several questions manipulated the analytic strategy applied to think about the case. Participants were asked to write out their thinking with regard to these questions. In the process-oriented condition, participants responded to three questions about the processes involved in the prior experience. For example, participants were asked about factors that they considered in working through the prior situation and why those factors were important. In the outcome-oriented condition, participants were asked to respond to three questions about the consequences of the decisions in the previous situation. For instance, they were asked to consider whether the prior decisions were effective. Participants in the process and outcome condition thought about both processes and outcomes of the prior experience by responding to three questions—one process, one outcome, and one two-pronged process-and-outcome question.

Manipulation checks were performed to confirm that participants appropriately followed the instructions and experienced the intended manipulations. The checks were performed by content coding the participants’ responses to the prompt questions. The judges were four doctoral graduate students in industrial and organizational psychology who were familiar with the ethics and ethical decision making literature but not the study hypotheses under examination. The judges completed a five hour training session where they were learned the definitions of affective frame and analytic strategy and were provided with examples. Then the judges practiced scoring the responses and discussed discrepancies before continuing to code all of the responses.

The manipulation check score for analytic strategy was assigned by indicating the extent to which the response provided by the participants was oriented towards processes (scored as 1), processes and outcomes (scored as 2), or outcomes (scored as 3). Affective frame was scored on a 5-point scale according to whether the case described by the participant was negative or positive, with 1 being very negative to 5 being very positive. Inter-rater agreement was assessed via intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), and revealed adequate agreement with an average ICC of .62 for analytic strategy and .82 for affective frame. A t-test comparing the mean scores revealed that participants in the negative condition described more negative cases ( M = 2.57, SD = .46) compared to participants in the positive condition ( M = 2.89, SD = .51), t (135) = 3.79, p < .01. A comparison of means for the analytic strategy manipulation check revealed statistically significant differences among the conditions, F (2, 134) = 9.86, p < .01. Post-hoc analysis using Fisher's least significant differences method indicated that the process condition ( M = 1.95, SE = .08) was statistically significantly different ( p < .01) from the outcome condition ( M = 2.43, SE = .08) but not from the process-and-outcome combined condition, although the mean for the process-and-outcome condition was in the middle as expected ( M = 2.09, SE = .08). The outcome condition was statistically significantly different ( p < .01) from the process-and-outcome combined condition.

Dependent Variables

Given that each participant recalled and reflected on their own cases and then generated a solution for the business problems, participants were asked to respond in an open-ended fashion to allow a range of potential responses. Therefore, the written responses generated by participants were coded for the dependent variables of interest. To prepare for scoring the dependent variables, the judges completed 10 hours of training. Judges were familiarized with the definitions of the dependent variables to be coded, and they received rating scales that provided benchmarks for scoring the participants’ responses (Redmond, Mumford, & Teach, 1993). The benchmarks provided exemplars obtained from the participants’ materials demonstrating responses that should be scored as 1 (low), 3 (moderate), and 5 (high) on the rating scales. In this training, the judges practiced coding the participants’ responses and discussed discrepancies until they were clear on the definitions and use of the benchmark rating scales.

To obtain ethicality scores for the decision made with regard to the business problems, the judges rated the participants’ written responses describing their decisions on each problem. Ethicality was scored on a 5-point scale, with 1 representing low ethicality; 3 representing moderate ethicality, and 5 representing high ethicality. The participants’ decisions were examined for their ethicality according to the following criteria. Decisions must show regard for the welfare of others, attention to personal responsibilities, and adherence to professional guidelines and social obligations. Thus, responses of high ethicality were those that reflected these criteria to a large extent, moderately ethical decisions reflected these elements to some extent, while low ethicality scores were assigned to decisions that showed little or no regard for others, a focus on personal gain, and failure to adhere to professional standards of conduct. The judges showed high inter-rater agreement in their ratings of the ethicality of the decisions. Averaged across the four scenarios, the intra-class correlation coefficient was .81.

Application of Case Material

The other dependent variable scored by the judges was application of the reflected on case material to the new problem. To obtain scores for application, the judges scored whether aspects of the recalled case – written about in the responses to the manipulation questions – were referred to, present, or connected to the decisions made for the new business scenarios. Application was scored on a 5-point scale, with little or no presence of application receiving a low score of 1 or 2, moderate application receiving a score of 3, and a great deal of application received a score of 4 or 5. For example, when participants noted similarities or differences between the two situations in terms of what actually happened, what they wished to happen, or what they expected to happen, they would receive higher scores on the application score. Other markers indicating application of the reflection to the current decision scenario were references to the reflection scenario in the decision and clear parallels between, or divergence from, the actions or decisions in the two situations, such as repeating past behavior, or avoiding past behavior, having learned from past experience. The intra-class correlation coefficient (.74) across the four scenarios indicated that the judges showed high agreement in their application scores.

Several individual difference variables were measured to control for their potential influence on participants’ performance. Given the written nature of the research task, verbal reasoning was measured using the Employee Aptitude Survey ( Ruch & Ruch, 1980 ). On this measure, participants receive 5 minutes to read six sets of facts and determine the accuracy of conclusions arising from the facts. Coefficient alpha for the scale was α = .85.

Trait affect was also examined because of the potential for the positive-negative framing manipulation to induce affective reactions. Trait affect was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale ( Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988 ). This 20-item (10 positive and 10 negative) measure captures positive (α = .83) and negative (α = .84) affect by asking people to report, on a 5-point scale, the extent to which the positive and negative adjectives (e.g., excited and irritable) describe how they have felt over the past month.

Task engagement was assessed using a 7-item scale (e.g, “Did you try to fully complete all of the activities in this experiment?”). Participants reported, on a 5-point scale, their level of engagement and interest in study participation, as task motivation influences the effectiveness of manipulations and participant responses. The scale reliability for this measure was .67.

Finally, given the nature of the research task, the extent to which participants responded in a detailed, complete manner to the open-ended writing tasks was assessed. These scores were obtained by asking the judges to rate, on a 5-point scale, the extent to which the participants’ responses demonstrated depth and detail. The intra-class correlation coefficient of .87 was obtained for these ratings, revealing agreement among judges with respect to response elaboration.

As noted above, four ethical decision-making scenarios were included to examine decision-making on several different types of ethical problems. Because the pattern of results for ethicality and application of case material did not differ across the types of ethical problems, the final analyses were conducted at the aggregated level by averaging the scores across the four scenarios. The covariates were also examined prior to the final analyses, and they were retained if they produced p-values equal to or less than .10. The only covariate retained in the final analyses was elaboration.

A regression analysis examined whether application of case material was associated with decisions of greater ethicality. In this analysis, elaboration was entered as a predictor of ethicality in the first block to control for its influence, followed by application of case material in the second block. To examine the effects of affective frame and analytic strategy an analysis of covariance was conducted with application of case material as the dependent variable and elaboration as a covariate.

As reported in Table 1 , application scores were used to predict the ethicality of decisions, after controlling for elaboration. In support of Hypothesis 1, which stated that the application of case material to a new problem would be associated with decisions of greater ethicality, application of case material was a statistically significant predictor of decision ethicality ( β = .24, p < .05). The model consisting of elaboration and application of case materials accounted for nine percent of the variance in ethicality scores.

Regression Analysis Predicting Ethicality from Application of Case Material

β = standardized beta coefficient

It is of note that this R-squared value, although statistically significant, is small. However, this value is not of great concern in the present study because the Mumford et al. (2008) model stresses the operation of multiple processes that facilitate ethical decision-making, and just one process has been singled out for examination in this study. Moreover, this R-squared value is based on just two predictors, and the beta coefficient reflecting the effect size for reflection application is sizable.

In addition to proposing that applying case material to a new problem would facilitate ethical decision-making, we proposed that reflection on different types of cases and different approaches for thinking about those cases would affect the extent to which individuals applied case material. Table 2 presents the results obtained in the analysis of the effects of affective frame and analytic strategy.

Analysis of Covariance for Application of Case Material

Note. df = degrees of freedom; F = F-ratio; η p 2 = partial eta-squared; p = p-value.

Hypothesis 2 and 3 were main effect hypotheses, suggesting that affective framing would produce a significant effect for application of case material, such that reflection on positive cases would result in greater application compared to negative cases. Although the pattern of results suggested that application was higher for positively framed cases, it was not statistically significant relative to negative cases. Similarly, the main effect for analytic strategy was not statistically significant, although, as proposed, the pattern suggested that process and process-outcome strategies resulted in greater application than outcome strategies. As shown in Table 2 , the interaction effect, proposed by Hypothesis 4, was statistically significant, F (2, 127) = 3.56, p < .05.

Examination of the cell means (adjusted for elaboration) for application of case material provides evidence for the nature of the interaction effect (see Table 3 ). As proposed by Hypothesis 4, positively framed cases examined with a process-oriented reflection strategy resulted in the greatest application of case material to new problems ( M = 2.96, SE = .15), followed by negatively framed cases examined with a process-outcome reflection ( M = 2.54, SE = .15). Much less case application resulted when reflecting only on processes ( M = 2.33, SE = .15) or outcomes ( M = 2.36, SE = .15) with regard to negative cases, and reflection on outcomes was no more effective when examining positive cases ( M = 2.36, SE = .15).

Adjusted Means for Affective Frame and Analytic Strategy on Application of Case Material

Note. SE = standard error.

In summary, Hypothesis 1 was supported. Applying case material from experiences was associated with more ethical decisions. The main effect hypotheses (Hypotheses 2 and 3) were not supported. However, the interaction hypothesis (Hypothesis 4) was supported. The findings indicated that examining processes involved in positive cases resulted in greater application of case material to new problems. The findings also suggested that when individuals reflected on the outcomes of past experiences, also thinking about processes compensated to some extent for the limited application of case material observed when only thinking about outcomes. This compensatory mechanism was especially prominent when thinking about past negative experiences, likely because they permitted the individual to engage in reappraisal of a personally threatening event ( Wisco & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2009 ).

We examined the effect of recalling positive or negative cases and the strategy used to examine those cases on the use of that case material for solving new problems. We found that when case material was applied to a new problem, it was associated with more ethical decisions. However, the nature of the cases and the manner in which they were reflected on influenced whether the case material was applied. Specifically, examining positive experiences and thinking about the processes involved in those cases encouraged the application of material to a new problem. Understanding the effects of the nature of cases and the manner in which they are examined is critical for understanding ethical decision-making processes.

Moreover, these findings with respect to case reflection to inform ethical decision-making pose some questions with respect to case methods utilized in classroom instruction to facilitate ethical problem-solving and ethical behavior among professionals ( Bell & Kozlowski, 2008 ; Gravin, 2007 ; Henson, Kennett, & Kennedy, 2003 ; Smith, Fryer-Edwards, Diekema, & Braddock, 2004 ). These techniques are aimed at adding to the case-based knowledge available for individuals to draw upon. Yet, the nature of cases and how they are examined specifically are rarely considered; instead it is commonly taken for granted that case material, or ethics instruction more generally, is beneficial for future ethical decision-making ( Antes, Murphy et al., 2009 ; Antes, Wang, Mumford, Brown, Connelly, & Devenport, 2010 ).

The present findings suggest that there may be more and less effective types of cases and means for thinking about case material. Understanding such effects would improve our ability to not only deliver case-based instruction, but would also allow us to better educate individuals about how to think about cases and experiences in future situations where they call upon that information. Indeed, techniques such as role-play are explicitly intended to develop experiential knowledge and skill for working with this knowledge ( DeNeve & Heppner, 1997 ; Gremler, Hoffman, Keaveney, & Wright, 2000 ).

The findings with regard to negative cases are particularly interesting because ethics scandals are commonly those that are most salient, tend to be especially engaging, and thus are likely to be discussed ( Sleeper, Schneider, Weber, & Weber, 2006 ). Of key interest then is whether these negative examples are likely to facilitate problem solving in future situations, especially relative to cases of positive, ethical behavior. It is likely that negative cases are more personally threatening and these examples of are not likely to be internalized as personally relevant, thus they may not be available, or examined, for future problem-solving ( Alicke, & Sedikides, 2009 ; Argembeau & Van der Linden, 2003 ; Denny & Hunt, 1992 ). This proposition is an important question for future research.

Of course, there may be a great deal that can be learned from negative cases, thus strategies for examining these cases that will benefit future application of that material are of key interest. The present findings suggest that it is important to go beyond outcomes and examine the processes involved in these situations. Overall, the benefit of process-oriented analysis reaffirms the importance of active thinking for ethical decision-making. Future work might examine specifically the nature of the elements, such as social interactions, motivations, and assumptions, examined in such analysis and their role is ethical decision-making. Overall, reflecting on processes rather than outcomes allows for the extraction of information that can be applied to make sense of a new situation ( Escalas, 2004 ; Escalas & Luce, 2003 ; Oettingen & Mayer 2002 ; Pham & Taylor 1999 ; Rivkin & Taylor 1999 ; Taylor et al. 1998 ).

Although it appears that it is possible to overcome, at least to some extent, the detrimental effect of negatively framed experiences by focusing on both outcomes and the processes, the effect of examining positive cases in classroom settings and strategies for doing so presents an important area for future examination. Positive cases may allow individuals to incorporate this information into one's case-based knowledge, as it is more easily viewed as self-relevant because people are not likely to attribute negative behavior to themselves or their social groups ( Hewstone, 1990 ). In fact, thinking about poor behavior of others allows people to credential their own personal ethical nature and in turn engage in unethical behavior ( Brown, Tamborski et al., 2011 ). Moreover, other research has suggested that examining negative behavior can be detrimental in other ways, promoting cynicism and pluralistic ignorance ( Antes, Brown et al., 2007 ; Halbesleben, Wheeler, & Buckley, 2005 ). Negative cases may also limit active analysis because they may be less ambiguous than other cases, leaving less room for examination ( Rubin & Berntsen, 2003 ). Ultimately, for cases—whether personally experienced or discussed in a classroom setting—to be valuable for problem solving, they must be stored, retrieved, and applied. Techniques for storing, retrieving, examining, and applying case material require future examination.

Along these lines, it is also important to understand how self-reflection and other processes in ethical decision-making, such as emotion, operate jointly to influence decisions (Kligyte, Connelly, Thiel, Devenport, Brown, & Mumford, 2008). Affective explanations might account, at least in part, for the effects of examining case material. For example, reflecting on a positive case or experience might serve an emotional regulation function by removing one's thinking from the current situation to allow more thorough analysis in another less threatening context ( Josephson, Singer, & Salovey, 1996 ; Sarason, Potter, Sarason, 1986 ). Indeed, Gross (1998) describes reflection on incongruent past affective events as a form of the distraction regulation strategy, which is used to change an emotional experience by shifting attention away from the current affect-eliciting event.

Clearly, more research is needed to understand the influence of reflecting on personal experiences and case examples to inform ethical decision-making. In the present effort, we have focused on the effects of general positive and negative affective frame, but cases that induce discrete emotional reactions, such as anger, fear, or excitement, may operate differently than general affect ( Maitlis & Ozcelik, 2004 ; Tiedens & Linton, 2001 ). Overall, this study suggests important issues for investigation, and indicates that there may be some particular value in positive case examples ( Pritchard, 1993 ).

It is perhaps somewhat early in this line of investigation to make strong instructional recommendations, but these findings do suggest that there may be a place for reflection on personal experiences and practice in applying case material in ethics instruction. Such instruction might focus on informing people of the value of drawing upon personal experiences and techniques for doing so effectively. In addition, this approach would emphasize active and ongoing learning by encouraging a reflective analysis of personal experiences, such that ethical events are examined, evaluated and incorporated into one's knowledge to facilitate future decision-making ( Bell & Kozlowski, 2008 ; McAdoo & Manwaring, 2009 ). It may even be possible to provide individuals with techniques reframing negative personal experiences more positively ( Wisco & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2009 ). Additional research will shed light on just how to instruct people to analyze personal cases and what elements to focus on.

Our conclusions and implications should be considered in light of several limitations. First, the present study was conducted in a sample of undergraduate students, which may limit generalizability of these results to individuals who are older, or have more work experience. However, this concern is mitigated somewhat, given that the sample was older than the typical undergraduate sample, and the majority of participants reported having work experience. Another limitation pertains to the methodology employed; we utilized simulated business scenarios where participants took on the role of a character, but nonetheless these are not real-world problems. However, this methodology provides a low-risk assessment of the critical variables of interest, and has been shown to provide reliable and valid results studying ethics-related phenomena ( Mumford et al. 2006 ). However, as the results indicated, the effect sizes obtained in this study were small.

In addition, in this study, participants were prompted to self-reflect upon a past experience, as opposed to spontaneously drawing upon this information. It may be that individuals do not naturally ask themselves the types of questions about past experiences that they were asked to think about here. Finally, given the range of potential solutions and explanations for decisions that participants might choose, participants responded to the study prompts in an open-ended fashion. Thus, measurement of the dependent variables was based upon expert ratings of these responses. Although the raters were extensively trained in the constructs of interest, provided benchmark examples, and the inter-rater agreement coefficients were sizable, this approach to measurement may be a weakness because it is somewhat subjective.

Despite this study's limitations, these findings provide evidence that past experience is an influential source of information to draw upon when facing ethical problems. Additional research examining self-reflection and other processes in ethical decision-making is needed to better understand this complex phenomenon. We are hopeful that this study will encourage that future work.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grant 5R01NR010341-02 from the National Institutes of Health and the Office of Research Integrity, Michael D. Mumford, Principal Investigator. We would like to thank Xiaoqian Wang and Jay Caughron for their assistance and support on this project.

Background Information

Buy More is a retail store franchise that has 20 locations in the Southwest and specializes in selling high end products for use in peoples’ homes. Because it is a franchise, each store is individually operated so that they sell the same products, but the managers can make many decisions about their individual stores, such as hiring and firing employees and buying different products to meet the local needs of the customers. Buy More specializes in selling high quality products and caters to upper middle class customers. They pride themselves on their standards for quality products and satisfaction, boasting the slogan “Buy More, Buy Better.” Customers seem to enjoy being able to buy better quality products that break less and hold up over time, and this has made Buy More relatively successful in the retail market. Since being founded 30 years ago, Buy More has continued to grow and expand its number of franchises.

You are the store manager for the Buy More store in your hometown. You have worked at this store for 9 years and are generally happy with your job. You worked your way up from an hourly sales associate to being a supervisor to finally becoming the manager for the entire store. On average, you manage about 25 employees, but many more during the holiday season. On a daily basis, you oversee the employees who work on the sales floor, oversee incoming shipments, handle customer service complaints, and monitor the cashiers. When needed, you also train new employees. As the store manager, you are also responsible for keeping an eye on the store's profit margin, managing the store's bank accounts, and making the nightly deposits at the bank.

Data Management Scenario

One of the managers at another store resigned and your company urgently needs to hire another one. In the past, the company has promoted from within as well as hired people from outside of the company. You have always supported promoting current employees before outside employees, especially as your current employees have stuck with the company for a while and performed well. Your corporate supervisor started the interviewing process and selected two top candidates; one is from outside of the company and another, Alex, is a supervisor in your store that you think would be perfect for the position. Alex has worked for the company for 5 years and has been committed and dedicated to his work. Your supervisor does not care who you hire as long as you find a qualified person to fill the position as soon as possible. Your supervisor tells you to make the final decision and send the report to the corporate human resources department. If you want to hire someone from within, you have to review the performance appraisal (PA) scores for the recommended employee looking at the past 3 years of performance. Your supervisor gives you the resume and interview score for the external applicant and tells you to make a similar report for Alex so that they can be compared. Your supervisor tells you that Alex should have the same or better performance than the other applicant.

You look at the external applicant's resume and it is really good. He has a college degree and a lot of job experience, but has not worked in this specific area of retail. You are personally convinced that he is not committed to this job for a career, and will likely leave the company after a few years, but you don't have the facts to prove it. You were not present at the interview to make an accurate judgment about how long he might stay with the company. When you summarize the performance scores, Alex's task performance score is 4.4 and social performance is 4.5, whereas the external candidate has 4.6 and 4.8. Alex didn't do very well when he started because it took him some time to get used to this kind of work, but his performance has increased over the last two years. If you don't count his first year of performance appraisal scores, he has a 4.7 and a 4.9.

Contributor Information

Alison L. Antes, Northern Kentucky University.

Chase E. Thiel, The University of Oklahoma.

Laura E. Martin, Midwestern State University.

Cheryl K. Stenmark, Angelo State University.

Shane Connelly, The University of Oklahoma.

Lynn D. Devenport, The University of Oklahoma.

Michael D. Mumford, The University of Oklahoma.

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