Punjab College of Technical Education

MBA- 2C

Indian Ethos

Project Assignment

Indian Ethos Project

Submitted To:
Ms. Sakshi Sharma, Assistant Professor, PCTE Group of Institutes,
Ludhiana

Submitted By:
Abdullah Alishangi
 Part 1 of The Project
1. Take any one story from your choicest scripture stated in the course. Write down Indian
ethos followed by characters in that story.

We all uphold certain moral values in life, don’t we? Although we belong to different countries,
states and regions, represent diverse cultures and religions, fundamentally we believe in many
principles of life that are very similar in nature; like, brotherhood, kindness, sincerity, honesty and
integrity etc. And if we look back, these values, deeply rooted within us, were sowed when we
were children. And the values we cherish the most were taught through stories. Yes, although it
sounds impossible, it is true that values embedded concretely within us are strongly connected to
some of our favourite characters who had upheld similar ideals through the toughest of times in
their lives. Without even realizing how much those characters had impacted our thoughts, we
carried them ahead in life. And at some point of time, when certain situations similar to the ones
in the stories, appeared in our lives, we unconsciously sought strength from those characters.

I remember learning from the story, ‘The three little pigs’ that I should never allow a stranger to
enter the house when my parents were away. And after listening to the fascinating story of ‘Red
Riding Hood’, I never spoke to strangers I met, on my way home from school. I learnt from ‘The
ugly duckling’ that everyone is beautiful, and one should wait for the right time for that beauty to
unfold. I also understood from my favourite story in childhood, ‘Cinderella’ that kind people are
rewarded and evil punished. In fact, I started believing that Fairy Godmothers are real and they
appear by magic if one is as good and kind-hearted as Cinderella was!

Now, these are the fairy tales that not only improved my language skills, but also taught me the
ways of the world. I mean, I just can’t imagine my childhood days without these stories, and the
lessons they taught me.

But the values and principles that I uphold in life, come from our own great Indian Epics.

We have a whole world of Epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. And I think, they are
worth studying, reading and sharing simply because they are a magnificent window to the views,
philosophies and beliefs of the past, of past cultures, traditions and our strong value system.

The Ramayana is not just an epic or a tale, but also an educational medium to demonstrate the
importance of values such as loving and respecting our family, keeping our promises, protecting
the weak and so on. By using the Magnum Opus of Hindu mythology, the Ramayana as a medium,
we can teach our children many life-skills and ethics.
The Ramayana is one of the greatest epics of Hindu Mythology. Written by the Hindu sage
Valmiki, the Ramayana is not just a story, but also an educational medium used by the ancient
sages to promote the importance of doing yourdharma (duty) in relationships. The Ramayana
depicts characters that we should aspire to be like, such as the ideal father, ideal son, ideal brother,
ideal leader, ideal wife, etc.

Important values and ethics can be taught to children by way of storytelling. The Ramayana and
Mahabharata especially, preach a lot of values that we would want our children to imbibe. Not for
nothing, are they the most commonly taught epics since ancient times.

Instead of simply telling children to respect elders, examples from these epics would teach them
the same with more emphasis.

Now, parents, teachers and care givers can use one of the greatest gems of Hindu Mythology,
namely the Ramayana, to promote some of the most important moral values of life in children.

Moral Values of Life Taught by Indian Epics

Sibling Bonding

If your child has siblings, focus on the love the brothers, Rama, Lakhsman, Bharat and Shatrughna
had for each other. Why did Lakshman, who was used to all the worldly luxuries, decide to give
that all up willingly to live with his elder brother for 14 years, full of hardship, in a forest? This
was because he loved his brother and could not bear the thought of living 14 years without him.
Similarly, Bharata had refused to sit on the throne and rule Ayodhya in place of his brother Rama,
the rightful heir, who had been very unfairly banished to live a hard life in the forest.

Children can also be taught the importance of standing up for siblings with the example of
Surpanakha. When Surpanakha was insulted by Lakshman, her brothers Khaara and Dooshan had
rushed to avenge her, not caring that it could lead to their death. When Rama and Lakshman did
indeed vanquish her brothers, Surpanakha sought her other brother Ravana’s help, setting the
wheels for the Epic Battle between Rama and Ravana, good and evil, into motion.
In today’s materialistic world where disputes between siblings are commonplace, stories like these
need to be extolled and repeated, time and again. We need to encourage our children to not only
spend time with their siblings, but also stand up for each other, and be there for each other when
required.

Such deep affection can be cultivated only when we encourage such growth, and keep emphasizing
the importance of love amongst siblings.

Differentiating between Good and Evil

Children can be inspired to choose right over wrong, even when wrong may feel more appropriate
by giving them the example of Bharat, who was awarded the honour of ruling the mighty kingdom
of Ayodhya. Bharat could have just ruled by becoming the king and thereby enjoying the absolute
power and luxury that came with it, but his sense of justice would not permit him to do what most
others would greedily do. Instead, upon learning that his mother Kaikeyi had unjustly managed to
get Rama banished from Ayodhya, he immediately went into the forest to look for Rama and offer
him his rightful position as the ruler of Ayodhya. So great was his devotion to his brother, and so
strong was his desire to be fair and just, that when Rama refused to return to Ayodhya before
completing his 14 years in exile, Bharat placed Rama’s footwear on the throne and ruled Ayodhya
in the name of Rama – as Rama’s emissary until he returned to regain his rightful position.

This teaches our children that even if something is extremely desirable, it should only be accepted
if attained in a right manner, without hurting or affecting anyone else in an unfair and unjust way.

The Importance of a Promise or Commitment

Kaikeyi, the queen of Ayodhya, and wife of King Dashrath had been granted two boons when she
had saved his life on the battlefield. The day before Dashrath was to retire and crown his eldest
son Rama as king, Kaikeyi demanded that Dashrath grant her the boons promised to her. Her first
desire was that Rama should be exiled to the forest for fourteen years, and the second, that her son,
Bharat, be crowned King instead. Dashrath was naturally heartbroken at the prospect of having to
send his son into exile for fourteen years, but for this noble hearted clan, honouring one’s word is
the highest duty. Even when Dashrath began to falter at the prospect of actually honouring that
promise due to his love for his first born, and pleaded with Rama not to leave, Rama reminded his
father of the value of a promise given and left Ayodhya to keep his father’s word. When Bharat
begged Rama to return to Ayodhya, Rama once again reminded Bharat that he could not and would
not dishonour his father by breaking the promise he had made to Kaikeyi.
Rama, a prince who had been brought up in the lap of luxury, and who stood to gain a position of
absolute power and luxury if he disregarded his father’s promise willingly, chose to live a life of
exile and hardship for 14 years in a forest. Now, what does it teach our children? It teaches them
not to break the promise and commitment they have made to their teachers and parents.

Affection and Reverence for Parents

Rama willingly chose to spend 14 years in exile in a forest to protect his father’s much respected
honour. Such was the honour he paid to his father. Dashrath too loved his child so deeply that
when Rama left for the forest, Dashrath could not bear the thought of being away from his son for
14 years and breathed his last.

This demonstrates the insurmountable affection and reverence Rama had for his parents. He
listened to every command his parents made, he honoured their promises and ensured that no one
could accuse them of being unfair. He did not go against his parents’ wishes even though he was
the rightful heir. He obeyed his parents and is immortalised for doing so. It also showcases the
love parents have for their children. Hopefully, the fact that Dashrath died pining for his son will
teach children all about the attachment parents have for them, and make them even more devoted.

Be Warned of Bad Advice

Kaikeyi, the youngest queen, was fundamentally a good woman and thus King Dashrath’s most
favourite one. Unfortunately, she was manipulated to send Rama into exile and insist on her son
Bharat being crowned king because of the venomous counsel of her maid servant whom she
considered loyal and wise. Manthara, the evil one, not only poisoned Kaikeyi’s mind into
demanding those two appalling boons, but also ruined her life. She not only lost her beloved
husband but also her son Bharat, for whom she had asked for those very boons. Her own son,
Bharath instead of praising her as she had thought, chastised her for the dreadful behaviour.

This is a very important lesson for our children. It teaches them to stay on guard against vicious
advice and wrong company. It teaches to be vigilant in order to avoid being misled. It teaches them
to be firm of mind, and not let better judgement get swayed easily by people. It teaches them to
question their behaviour and think of the consequences of their actions before making any big or
small decisions.
 Defending the Weak

Jatayu, was my favourite character in the story. And I had spent many hours preening into the blue
skies to find him when I was a child. Now, Jatayu, an aged demigod in the form of a vulture, had
witnessed Ravana kidnapping Sita and taking her forcefully to Lanka. Paying no attention to his
old age, Jatayu tried to save Sita by fighting Ravana valiantly, but failed miserably. Unfortunately,
he also got fatally wounded in the massive fight. When Rama and Lakshman were looking for Sita,
they came across Jatayu where he was lying, breathing his last. Jatayu informed Rama about Sita’s
whereabouts and Ravana’s plans before breathing his last. Moved to tears by the courage and
valour of the aged Jatayu, Rama performed the last rites as though Jatayu was his father.

This teaches our child that they must always stand up for the weak. The fact that Jatayu was so old
and still tried to take on the powerful Ravana single-handedly, teaches our children to be
courageous and be unafraid to take on any challenge that comes along the way, and accomplish it
to the best of ability.

Part 2 of The Project

2. List any three getaways from each unit of your course, "workshop on Indian Ethos". How
are you going to apply these in your professional life after receiving MBA degree?

Getaways in Indian Ethos that applicable after my

MBA in Modern Management:
Indian ethos for management means the application of principles of management as revealed in
our ancient wisdom brought forth in our sacred books like our Gita, Upanishads, Bible and Quran.

There are 6 basic Getaways, which come to light in the holy books applicable in today’s
management world. They are :

1. Each soul is a potential God

2. Holistic approach
3. Equal importance to Subjectivity/Objectivity
4. Karma yoga
5. Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam
6. Co-operation

1. Each Soul is a potential God

A human being has a soul, a spark of the Divine. The divine resides in the heart of a person. The
Divine means perfection in knowledge, wisdom and power. Therefore a human being has immense
potential power or energy for self — development. Thus human efforts can achieve even an
apparently impossible goal and convert the impossible into a reality. The partnership of God and
Man can bring about extraordinary or miraculous results; only if man chooses willingly to
collaborate with God and actively participates in the affairs of the society by right action under his
guidance and grace. He can bring about not only personal development, harmony, happiness but
also prosperity of his own organization and the society without injustice to others.

Of course here, also, God helps those who help themselves.

2. Holistic Approach

Holistic approach in Management is based on spiritual principle of unity, oneness, non-dual or

Advaita concept. Under this principle of unity, the universe in an undivided whole where each and
every particle is connected with every other particle. Thus, entire Humanity is ONE.

Such an integrated human personality of self-developed manager and worker can assure best and
competent management of any enterprise, involving collective works and efforts. It will achieve
perfection or excellence in whatever sector you work. This is the ideal of Indian ethos : ‘Atmano
Mokshartham Jagat Hitya Cha.’ (For gaining perfection in individual life, as well as for the
welfare of the world.). This is the message for all managers and workers given by the Indian ethos
for management.

3. Equal Importance to Subjectivity / Objectivity

Indian ethos for management distinguishes between subject and object. Subject is subtle and
intangible. Object is concrete and tangible or visible.

We have the concept of the third eye, the eye of wisdom. It can see even that which the normal
two eyes cannot. It can see the intangible i.e. invisible.

Human and ethical values or qualities such as courage, vision, social awareness, fearlessness,
integrity, pure and clear mind, truth, etc. are subjective, subtle and intangible concepts. These
subjective or subtle qualities are as important as money, materials, machines, information or data
as well as human skills. Inner resources of human beings are more powerful than external
resources.

Creator is subjective. Creation is objective. Insight i.e., creator is more important than Outsight
i.e., creation. Our body, senses, intellect, mind,etc., are objective, seen, tangible. But our
soul atman is unseen, intangible, subtlest and subjective. Hence, wisdom manager/ worker is much
more important and valuable than knowledge manager/ worker.
 Therefore, manager must develop his third eye, ‘Jnana Chakhu’ , the eye of Vision intution, insight,
foresight and such other divine qualities or values. This is the essence of Indian ethos for
management.

4. Karma Yoga

It is yoga of selfless service to others. Karma Yoga is all about identifying your priorities and
trying to achieve them. Also, a person should have accountability i.e. he should always hold only
himself responsible for whatever goes right or wrong. This brings about the union of human being
with the Divine.

Gita says that do your duty without ego and without calculations of gain or loss. One should believe
in Nishkama Karma i.e. fruits of work should not be thought of while performing the duty.

The memorable words of Gita are “To work only you have the right and you have no right to the
fruits of work”. However, this does not mean that one should work day and night and the returns
that he gets should be almost negligible. What the Gita tries to say is that let not the fruits of action
motivate you as they might just divert your attention from work. When you are doing a job, put
your heart and soul in to it. One has no control over the future hence never waste your present in
useless dreams of future hopes and fears of present actions.

Why Do I Work?

1. For my own salvation and personal growth.

2. For the good of the world.

The inner joy of doing something gives the doer a sense of achievement and also helps him in
respecting himself more than he used to. Money is important but running behind money all the
time leads to tension, stress and total loss of peace. Self-motivation can assure self-development.
When work is performed without passion, hatred, arrogance and desire we have individual
development and social good.

Indians always had two great truths of successful, harmonious and happy life:

1. Divinity of life can be used through self-development for personal growth and also for social
welfare.
2. I cannot cheat you and nature without cheating myself. Working for harmony and peace results in
a sense of fulfillment.

It is becoming clear that a chapter, which had a Western beginning in business management, will
have to have an Indian ending. Karma Yoga is not just meant for the common man but also for
leaders and managers who if act responsibly will in turn influence the behavior of a number of
people.
 Karma Yoga thus is a good pathway for:

1. Self-purification and Self-development.

2. Individual growth and welfare.
3. Collective growth and welfare.
4. Minimum play of passion, jealousy, hatred.
5. Team spirit and Teamwork.
6. Autonomous management, minimum control and supervision.
7. Manager acts as a Mentor.
8. Self-motivation.
9. Perfection.
10. All round happiness and prosperity.
11. Skills and values united.
12. Conflicts resolved by integration.

5. Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam

Yoga means excellence at work. Seek to perform your assigned duty or work in an excellent
manner. Kaushalam denotes doing work with devotion and without attachment i.e. without being
a work-a-holic. Such detatched attitude enhances its values and improves the concentration and
skill of the worker. You work with smartness, determination and ability. Your head, heart and soul
co-operate with your hands. You do not hanker over the fruits of action. You have no anticipation
of reward, or personal gain. You become a tool of God to perform the work. Any work carried out
with full concentration, dedication and with all abilities that a person has, becomes valuable and
the person also becomes valuable to others as well as to society. In total quality
management(TQM) Karma Yoga and Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam provide valuable contributions.
Under this slogan we have one hundred percent concentration coming from within. The extrinsic
incentives e.g., money, other perks, etc. play a very minor role as motivators.

6. Co-Operation

Healthy competition is a powerful motivator for excellence and success, especially business
success. The idea of cut-throat competition is founded on the concept of ‘struggle for existence’
and survival of the fittest.

Indian ethos says that for human beings the royal road is co-operation as a powerful motive for
team work. We are human beings having mind and power of discrimination.

The Gita says : “ By co — operation and mutual help all shall achieve the highest human welfare.”
Unity is strength. Even in the holistic approach, we stress the co-operation integration, synthesis
and team — spirit for extraordinary performance, for enduring harmony and peace, because in our
hearts chamber is living the pure conciousness of the Divine, i.e., Purnatman. Peaceful co-
excistence, harmony, not struggle is the rule. Indian insight endorses this in the management of
any enterprise.
 Excessive competetion at work can destroy many young people and our social life. Co-operation,
united efforts and striving for success leads to all round prosperity and success leads to all round
prosperity and success in any field of human enterprise.

Features of Indian Ethos and Insight

 Divinity of a human being is not merely a notion but a truth which can be experienced in the
stillness of the mind.
 Balance is the keynote of Indian thought. We have synthesis, harmony between the dual concepts.
 The Individual is the central focus.
 Divine element in the individual is only a portion of the universe of the universal or cosmic
consciousness.
 Gives greater emphasis on values, human and ethical. Knowledge is not power.
 Indian ethos are based on Indian scripture. Indian thoughts provide eternal knowledge
 All work is worthy and honorable.
 Emphasis on duties and responsibilities.

Part 3 of The Project

1. Think of your mentor who has been following Indian Ethos in her/his professional and
social life. Enumerate ten things you would like to imitate from her/him to make yourself
a better leader.

The lessons of Indian Ethos in Managerial Practices

and better leadership
The simple meaning of ‘Ethos’ is, the guiding principles of a person, group or of an organization.
‘Ethos’ is a set of beliefs, ideas, etc., about social behavior and relationship of a person or group.

Indian ethos refers to the principles of self-management and governance of society, entity or a
system by wisdom as revealed and brought-forth by great scriptures like Veda, Upanishads, Gita,
Mahabharata, Bible and Quran. This wisdom has evolved through the old practices of Indian
mystics, philosophers and religious ‘gurus’, and is now found to have profound implications for
self-management and good governance of the society and business environment.
The ancient guiding principles thus, is a good pathway for:

1. Self-purification and Self-development.

2. Individual growth and welfare.
3. Collective growth and welfare.
4. Team spirit and Teamwork.
5. Autonomous management, minimum control and supervision.
6. Manager acts as a Mentor.
7. Self-motivation.
8. Perfection.
9. All round happiness and prosperity.
10. Skills and values.
11. Conflicts resolved by mutual understanding.

According to Swami Vivekananda, “Indian ethos serves ideas of honesty, integrity and
morality”. Indian ethos basically are based on our social structure, culture and religions.

Moreover, our Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Bhagwad Gita and Ramayana have also contributed
to create and develop the holistic and value added aspects in the Indian Ethos.

Bhagwad Gita focuses on doing our provided duty. We should use our judgment and conduct our
duties with highest attention. Gita tell us that, we should do our jobs without thinking of the
reward in return. That means, perform our work diligently for the organization and results will
follow.

The valuable and pioneering aspects of Indian ethos are as follows:-

1 Know Oneself
2 Purification of Mind
3 Humanity
4 Mutual Trust
5 Self Introspection
6 Intuition
7 Value Oriented Services
8 Spirit of Sacrifice
9 Unity in Diversity
10 Peace
11 Team Spirit
12 Self Realisation
13 Co-ooperation
14 Self Management
15 Happiness
16 Means are Equally Important
Lessons of Indian Ethos in Management and Better
Leadership
Organizations following, Indian ethos consider humanity as supreme. This provides a strong
bond with internal as well as external customers, resulting in improved performance. Indian
ethos focuses on, if a person is good, then the whole world is good. Any organization which
follows the above ethical thought automatically gets converted into an ethical organization, with
less conflicts and hindrances. Indian ethos impacts the performance of business while sacrificing
individual desires.

Self-motivation and self-development helps a lot in the development of business and its quality.
Indian ethos helps in problem solving and develops self-reliability. The process of management
involves four aspects; maximum utilization of resources, leading with efficiency, materializing
the organizational goals towards effectiveness and value addition to the world through Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR). All these aspects are possible only in a healthy environment. Ethics
and ethical behavior are the main ingredients of healthy
management.

Our ancient wisdom literature in the Vedas, Vedanta, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata
Bhagawad Gita or the Arthashastra are a storehouse of comprehensive and powerful philosophy
to be applied in all ages for the benefit of mankind. Since Indian Philosophy extols unity amidst
all diversities, belief in tolerance, quest for freedom, we can become better performers by
imbibing knowledge from these scriptures on the art of management.

Part 4 of The Project

1. Case Study: Popular and in-demand soft drink business in India
An international soft drink company has a signature soft drink that it sells all over the
world. In India, the soft drink variants comply with Indian food and health regulations but
are less healthy than the drink sold in the European market where the law is stricter. This
international soft drink offers a job opportunity to the citizens of India. The country's soft
drink business flourished due to its popular brand and big demand for the market. However,
India's water supply, especially during the summer period, becomes limited due to a large
amount used daily to produce soft drinks and daily household use. The soft drink company
is obeying India's law, but it sells an inferior, less healthy product in a developing country.
What are the issues of environmental sustainability, ethics, and law posed in the case study?
What options does the soft drink company and the government of India have?
Solution:

The issues of integrity, ethics and law posed in the case study is the soft drinks complies with
indian food in health regulations.

the options does the soft drinks company and the government of india have is the sells all over
the world. The thing that can do is to consider all the delivery to the other countries.

Major environmental issues are forests and agricultural degradation of land, resource
depletion (such as water, mineral, forest, sand, and rocks), environmental degradation, public
health, loss of biodiversity, loss of resilience in ecosystems, livelihood security for the poor.

The major sources of pollution in India include the rapid burning of fuelwood and biomass such
as dried waste from livestock as the primary source of energy, lack of organised garbage and
waste removal services, lack of sewage treatment operations, lack of flood control and monsoon
water drainage system, diversion of consumer waste into rivers, using large land area for burial
purposes, cremation practices near major rivers, government mandated protection of highly
polluting old public transport, and continued operation by Indian government of government-
owned, high emission plants built between 1950 and 1980.

Air pollution, poor management of waste, growing water scarcity, falling groundwater tables,
water pollution, preservation and quality of forests, biodiversity loss, and land/soil
degradation are some of the major environmental issues India faces today.

India's population growth adds pressure to environmental issues and its resources. Rapid
urbanization has caused a buildup of heavy metals in the soil of the city of Ghaziabad, and these
metals are being ingested through contaminated vegetables. Heavy metals are hazardous to
people's health and are known carcinogens.
 Part 5 of The Project
1. Explain with suitable examples the unethical issues involved in HRM as per your own
original experiences.

Ethical Issues Faced by Human Resource

Management:

Major issues faced by human resource management (HRM)

(1) Employment Issues, (2) Cash and Incentive Plans, (3) Employees Discriminations, (4)

Performance Appraisal, (5) Privacy, (6) Safety and Health, and (7) Restructuring and layoffs.

1. Employment Issues:
HR professionals are likely to face maximum ethical dilemmas in the areas of hiring of
employees.

Major challenges in this area are:

a. Pressure to hire a friend or relative of a highly placed executive.

b. Faked credentials submitted by a job applicant.

c. Discovery that an employee who has been with the organisation for some time, is skilled and
has established a successful record, had lied about his educational credentials.

2. Cash and Incentive Plans:

Cash and incentive plans include issues like basic salaries, annual increments or incentives,
executive perquisites and long term incentive plans:

Basic Salaries:
HR managers have to justify a higher level of basic salaries or higher level of percentage

increase than the competitors to retain some employees. In some situations, where the increase is

larger than normal they have to elevate some positions to higher grades. Annual

increment/incentive Plans. This situation is particularly true in case of top management

executives. The fear of losing some outstanding executives, the HR managers is forced to give
higher incentives to them than what the individuals actually deserve.

Executive Perquisites:
In the name of executive perquisites, sometimes excesses are often committed, the ethical burden

of which falls on the HR managers. Sometimes the costs of these perquisites are out of

proportion to the value added. For example, the CEO of a loss making company buys a Mercedes
for his personal use or wants a swimming pool built at his residence.

Long term incentive Plans. Long term incentive plans are to be drawn by the HR managers in

consultation with the CEO and an external consultant. Ethical issues arise when the HR manager

is put to pressure to favour top executive interests over the interests of the other employees and
the investors.

3. Employees Discriminations:
A framework of laws and regulations has been evolved to avoid the practices of treatment of

employees on the basis of their caste, sex, religion, disability, age etc. No organisation can

openly practice any discriminatory policies, with regard to selection, training, development,

appraisal etc. A demanding ethical challenge arises when there is pressure on the HR manager to

protect the firm or an individual at the expense of someone belonging to the group which is
being discriminated against.

4. Performance Appraisal:
Ethics should be the basis of performance evaluation. Highly ethical performance appraisal
demands that there should be an honest assessment of the performance and steps should be taken
to improve the effectiveness of employees. However, HR managers, sometimes, face the

dilemma of assigning higher rates to employees who are not deserving them; based on some

unrelated factors eg. closeness to the top management. Some employees are, however, given low

rates, despite their excellent performance on the basis of factor like caste, religion or not being
loyal to the appraiser.

5. Privacy:
The private life of an employee which is not affecting his professional life should be free from
intrusive and unwarranted actions.

HR managers face three dilemmas in this aspect:

(i) The first dilemma relates to information technology. A firm’s need for information

particularly about employees while on job may be at odds with the employee’s privacy. Close

circuit cameras, tapping the phones, reading the computer files of employees etc. breach the
privacy of employees.

(ii) The second ethical dilemma relates to the AIDS testing. AIDS has become a public health

problem. HR managers are faced with two issues: Whether all the new employees should be

subject to AIDS test and what treatment should be melted out to an employee who is affected

with the disease. It is however generally understood that since AIDS cannot be contracted by

casual and normal workplace contract, employees with this illness should not be discriminated
against and they should be allowed to perform jobs for which they are qualified.

(iii) The third ethical dilemma relates to Whistle Blowing. Whistle blowing refers to a public

disclosure by former or current employees of any illegal, immoral or illegitimate practices

involving their employers. Generally, employees are not expected to speak against their

employers, because their first loyalty in towards the organisation for which they work. However,
if the situation is such that some act of the organisation can cause considerable harm to the
society, it may become obligatory to blow the Whistle. The HR manager is in the dilemma how
to solve this issue between the opponents and defenders of whistle blowing.

6. Safety and Health:

Industrial work is often hazardous to the safety and health of the employees. Legislations have

been created making it mandatory on the organisations and managers to compensate the victims

of occupational hazards. Ethical dilemmas of HR managers arise when the justice is denied to the
victims by the organisation.

7. Restructuring and layoffs:

Restructuring of the organisations often result in layoffs and retrenchments. This is not unethical,

if it is conducted in an atmosphere of fairness and equity and with the interests of the affected

employees in mind. If the restructuring company requires closing of the plant, the process by

which the plant is chosen, how the news is to be communicated and the time frame for
completing the layoffs is ethically important.