Managerial Ethics: First Take-home Exam Group Project June 16, 2013

Instructor: Fr. Ozzie Mascarenhas SJ

Terms and Conditions:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Form groups of 5 or 6 batch-mates with wide disciplinary coverage. This is a take-home group exam carrying 15% marks. Do either Project 1 OR Project 2, in less than 15 pages each. Or, formulate and frame your own Project with equivalent structure, challenge, content and questions as long as it reflects an ethicalmoral-legal violation (e.g., Satyam, 2G-3G, CWG, Coalgate, Game-fixing, etc.). Document all references used by last name of author(s) and year of publication in the text, and by full name of authors, year of publication, full title, medium (journal) of publication, publisher, page numbers etc. under References at the end. All questions within a Project carry equal marks. Answer each question in the order presented in the take-home exam. Be concise, precise and incisive in your presentation. Hence, matrix presentations using tables are preferred. Submit ONE assignment in both hard and soft copies (mascao37@gmail.com) to Mary P. Verghese, Room 18, Landline # 3214, Faculty Block, TMDC, or to me (Room # 100, MDP Block; call 7100) by 5:00 pm, Friday, June 28, 2013. The front sheet of your group assignment should carry all names in full, Reg. #, batch name, and indicate, when applicable, who took major responsibility for each question.

Project 1: No Business like Politics in India (Hindustan Times, June 16, 2013, pp, 1, 7).
Allegedly, the average increase in assets of re-elected members of the Parliament and Members of Legislature Assemblies rose at least three times and more during the five years that spanned between the two elections, said the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The ADR data included 1,370 re-elected MLAs and 200 re-elected MPs: their assets grew by 295% at an average. According to ADR, average income and assets of the 100 richest legislators grew by 745% between two consecutive elections, while their personal wealth hiked two to 25 times during the said period. For instance, the assets of Rajesh Shukla, a BJP MLA in Uttarkand, jumped over 2,900%, from Rs 87 lakhs in 2007 to more than Rs 26 crore in 2012. Correspondingly, the CEO salaries of Indias top 87 top multinational companies increased by a mere 60-80% during the same five years. The ADR, a key pressure group for all poll reforms, was established in 1999 by a group of professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmadabad. Questions: [Read Chapter 01, particularly Part II] 1. How do you characterize this phenomenon? Is it money laundering, racketeering, embezzling, cheating or deception? Why or why not? 2. Is this abnormal growth in income and assets in just five years in politics in India a sign of mass fraud, corruption, and/or bribery? Explain. 3. Assuming that money in India is not created or minted arbitrarily, what could be the sources of this phenomenal growth of wealth of our politicians during 2007-2012? 1

4. No business in India gives return like politics in India, said ADR. Obviously, politics has turned into very lucrative business in India. Does this augur good or bad for India, its economy and the markets, especially as an emerging BRICKs country? Explain your position. 5. Mahatma Ghandi, some 80 years ago from Yeravada Prison, Pune, warned us about seven capital sins that threatened India: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Science without humanity, Commerce without morality, Worship without sacrifice, and Politics without principle. Which of these seven capital sins does the current meteoric growth in income and assets of Indian politicians reflect and result, and why? 6. Hence, what would you institute to stem the tide of this evil phenomenon in India?

Project 2: Questions about Media Credibility in India

p. 07).

(Hindustan Times, June 16, 2013,

India has every reason to be proud of the strength and diversity of its mass media, said Vicepresident Hamid Ansari in Aligarh on Saturday, June 15, 2013. Ansari was inaugurating the 17 th Biennial Session of the National Union of Journalists (India) NUJ(I). The Indian Media has grown in size and coverage, said Ansari. There are 93,985 registered publications, 850 permitted TV channels under news and current affairs category, and 437 under non-news category. Doordarshan itself runs 37 channels. But from time to time, said Ansari, there have been disconnecting developments that do raise questions about the medias objectivity and credibility. These include cross-media ownership, the phenomenon of paid news, media ethics, the need for effective selfregulatory mechanisms, declining role of editors and their editorial freedom, and the need to improve the working conditions of media personnel. According to Prajnananda Chaudhuri, the national president of NUJ(I), most journalists were not getting social benefits like gratuity. Questions: [Read Chapter 01] 1. How do you characterize this expanding media phenomenon in India? Is it misguiding the public, misrepresenting to the public, is it chicanery or subterfuge, a failure in objective reporting, or even cheating or deceiving the public? Why or why not? 2. To the extent that, by and large, the Indian media sensationalizes and over-represents the evil occurrences as news-worthy, and by the same token, ignores the great and good things that happen in India, does the media accord undeserving popularity to crime, even, thereby, encouraging crime among those seeking power and popularity, while discouraging the good and the great deeds of honest people? Explain. 3. Information leads to knowledge, and knowledge to power. By deciding, controlling and disseminating news-worthy information in India, does the Indian Media indirectly and unjustly presume to be the moral conscience of India to the world? Comment on this question, especially using the taxonomy of Table 1.7 [Chapter 01, p. 60; see also Business Executive Exercise BEE 1.8, p. 74]. 4. What are the fiduciary rights and duties of the Indian Media in relation to the public? [Read Chapter 08]. 5. Among the disconcerting elements in the Indian News Media, said Ansari, are cross-media ownership, the phenomenon of paid news, questionable media ethics, the need for effective self-regulatory mechanisms, and the declining role of editors and editorial freedom. Expand and substantiate these shortcomings of the Indian media and suggest corrective mechanisms to regain media credibility and integrity. 2

Managerial Ethics: First Take-home Exam: Individual Project June 16, 2013
Instructor: Fr. Ozzie Mascarenhas SJ

Project 3: Corporate Leadership for India Today (Hindustan Times, June 16, 2013, p, 07).
Said NR Narayana Murthy, Chairman, Infosys: Our assets walk out of the door each evening. We have to make sure that they come back the next morning. Performance leads to recognition. Recognition brings respect. Respect enhances power. Humility and grace in ones moments of power enhance dignity of an organization. Progress is often equal to the difference between mind and mindset. I want Infosys to be a place where people of different genders, nationalities, races and religious beliefs work together in an environment of intense competition but utmost harmony, courtesy and dignity to add more and more value to our customers day after day. Leadership is about making people say, I will walk on water for you. It is about creating a worthy dream and helping people achieve it. Rahul Khosla, Managing Director of the Rs 10,000 crore Max India Group, a diversified business conglomerate, is leading a transformational phase in the company across several important dimensions of performance, quality and growth. Recently interviewed by Hindustan Times on leadership, Rahul, among many things, had this to say: What is a good leader? Of the many traits that define good leaders, I choose three: vision, it defines the overall purpose of the enterprise; clarity of mission and goals, courage of conviction, and an ability to think and invest in the long term. In todays world, just having a vision is not good enough. Good leaders also need the ability to positively influence stakeholders be they customers, employees, shareholders, regulators and others toward their vision through clear communication. Walking the talk is critical, and therefore having the ability to execute the vision and operationalize goals through hands on management are key drivers to success for good. How do you cultivate leaders in Max India ? First, identify the best performers and those with the highest potential. We need an informed inspection to identify the diamonds that are buried deeper and lower down in the organization. As our mentor Ram Charan said, you must catch the 20somethings early because they will be your leaders of tomorrow. Second, adopt a combination of empowerment and coaching, personalized to each individual. It is about taking calculated risks on the right people at the right time. The risk must be calibrated based on the persons development level. Put a person too soon in the deep end, you will limit his or her career and demoralize them. Along this balancing act, it is critical to have an open, constant dialog. Do you think the role of business leaders has come under the cloud, globally and domestically, of late? I dont think so. The people who do the right things rightly are going to be respected regardless of what the general environment is. If anything, now is the opportunity for good leaders to outshine others by doing the right things and doing them right.

What is your one-liner leadership mantra ? Play to win and not just to avoid losing. An overly defensive posture can erode value. What is the biggest leadership lesson you have learnt ? Think big and act in small steps. Stay flexible because life will inevitably surprise you despite your own plans play to win. Who is the leader that has inspired you most? I am not an idolizer. But if there is one leader, I choose Lee Kuan Yew, the Singaporean politician, the Father of Singapore. He had a vision, strong conviction, clear communication, significant influence and near perfect execution. Questions: [Read Chapter 09] 1. Are you a leader, born or cultivated or both? How do you characterize your leadership traits based on the leadership profiles presented by Narayana Murthy and Rahul Khosla? 2. Mindful leaders, says Rahul Khosla (ibid), learn constantly and the richness and diversity of their experience enhances their effectiveness progressively. How will you structure and embellish your leadership traits with experience and exposure of the past? 3. What is ethical versus moral versus corporate leadership, and how do you map your life along these three paths? [See Table 9.3]. 4. Some twenty five years ago, Robert Greenleaf spoke and wrote about servant leadership. How do you understand, apply and verify it in your life up to now? 5. Leadership is both an art and a science. Delineate the art features of your leadership style as well its science features. What do you see and learn from the past, and how do you plan for effective leadership for the future that is a convex combination of art and science? 6. According to Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana (2010), leaders create meaning, communicate it effectively, and realize it in themselves and their followers. How will you understand, apply and verify this form of leadership in your life up to now, as well as plan for the future? [See Table 9.5].

Terms and Conditions:

1. 2. 3. This is an individual take-home exam carrying 20% marks. Do only Project 3 in less than 15 pages each. Document all references used by last name of author(s) and year of publication in the text, and by full name of authors, year of publication, full title, medium (journal) of publication, publisher, page numbers etc. under References at the end. 4. All questions within the Project carry equal marks. Answer each question in the order presented in the take-home exam. 5. Be concise, precise and incisive in your presentation. Hence, matrix presentations using tables are preferred. 6. Submit assignment in both hard and soft copy (mascao37@gmail.com) to Mary P. Verghese, Room 18, Landline # 3214, Faculty Block, TMDC, or to me (Room # 100, MDP Block; call 7100) by 5:00 pm, Monday, July 1, 2013. 7. The front sheet of your assignment should carry your name in full, Reg. #, batch name, and date of submission.