TAKE HOMEASSIGNMENT

2CASE 7.2 & CASE 7.3

MANEGERIAL ETHICSTAKE HOME ASSIGNMENT 2

Submitted By:Group 9 B14077 Jamesh Bharadwaj B14079 Javaiz Mohamed B14094 Nithish K U B14101 Pratyush Pankaj B14119 Vasu Sharma [Ms] FB14003 Pratyush Ranjan

Q1- 7.2- ARUN JAITLEY: MODI’S CHANAKYA: CASE UPDATES:

Arun Jaitley, 61, is a notable, highly respected and prominent memberof currently ruling party at the Centre, BJP. He has been a closeaide of the present Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and headsMinistry of Finance, Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Ministry ofInformation and Broadcasting. He also had a short stint of handlingMinistry of Defense during the current government. Previously, underthe Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he was the Minister of Law andJustice, and he also served as the Leader of the Opposition in theRajya Sabha from 2009 to 2014. Apart from being a quintessentialinsider India’s political arena and an impeccable troubleshooter forthe government, Jaitley had been recipient of several distinctionsfor outstanding performance both in academia and extra-curricularactivities during his student days. He gained applauds as a debaterand student leader. Politics and law were his prime lovesprofessionally. He had been practicing law before the Supreme Courtand several High Courts in the country since 1977.

Jaitley is described as a man of simple tastes and not conformist tothe stereotypical politician image of fervent campaigning and fieryspeeches. Instead, he is an active proponent of liberal economics andlucid constructive debating about national issues. Few criticisms arebound by virtue of existence, he still commands respect from oppositeparty leaders despite several controversies cropping upp along hispolitical career.

References:

1. http://www.archive.india.gov.in/govt/rajyasabhampbiodata.php? mpcode=27

2. http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/03/arun-jaitley- idINKBN0F80UL20140703

3. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/pms-input- provider-troubleshooter-and-budget-author/

Q1- 7.3- MUKESH AMBANI: NEW MEDIA MOGUL IN INDIA: CASE UPDATES:

In January 2012, RIL had gave Network18 Group an undisclosed amountof loan. The debt was routed through a newly floated entity,Independent Media Trust (IMT).

After RIL had acquired Network 18, there was a furor that theeditorial freedom would be curbed. So Reliance held a town hallmeeting with the staff at Network 18 and TV 18 in Mumbai early in July2014. Rohit Bansal, news and communication director, was the one whoaddressed the gathering mostly. RIL representatives, in order toassuage the Network 18′s journalists, told that they could go aheadand report on the group as long as Reliance was given 24 hours torespond.

Most of the top people left the Network18 group, in the run up tothe deal. In addition, during the restructuring process, more than300 employees were handed over pink slips.

However, RIL has appointed an “Escalation Officer” for the newsroom.Stories that are “escalated” could end up as one-sided anddiscarded, directly affecting the freedom of the press

References:

1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghabahree/2014/05/30/reliance- takes-over-network18-is-this-the-death-of-media-independence/

2. http://www.newslaundry.com/2014/07/17/escalating-journalism- the-ril-way/

3. http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/network-effect 4. http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-special-

why-mukesh-ambani-acquired-network18/20140610.htm#1

Q2- 7.2- ARUN JAITLEY: MODI’S CHANAKYA: ETHICAL QUESTIONS:

1. Arun Jaitley is no more the Union Defense Minister of India,and Manohar Parrikar assumed the mantle. For a country like India,with high perceived threat from neighboring countries, it iscritical for India to ensure balance between the efforts andcommitment along with resources spent for defense sector as opposedto the security its international political position demands.

Ethical, moral, economic and political issues issues in front ofDefense Ministry include: High poverty rate and low rating on Prosperity Index ensues a

debate w.r.t the resources, which can be instead used toeradicate hunger and poverty.

Handling brutality incidents and security issues at borderareas, especially with China and Pakistan

With most high-involvement Defense infrastructure equipmentbought from European countries, Make-In-India campaign appearslike a façade

Lack of transparency amidst several scams and controversies isan imminent issue, however, it might harm the secrecy of crucialinformation.

In order to address these impending issues among others,currently Corrective Justice Philosophy would fit well forethical judgments initially in order to make the system robustenough to handle such issues in the future. The opportunistbehavior of parties involved can be addressed using Command andControl mechanism; however, such methodology is not sustainable.

2. Having learned from experience of tangentially painting theIndian political canvas for more than 3 decades, Jaitley has acednot only strategy but also advised Manmohan Singh on several keyfinancial issues. As the Union Minister of Finance, the ethical,moral, economic, and political challenges, Jaitley faces are: The issue of financial inclusion is still not addressed

effectively and the root cause is not of technologies andservices that can be employed, but of infrastructure runningcosts which are high in rural areas

High inflation exists in India, and the mere relative decreaseon account of decreased global oil prices.

With GDP growth dripping below 5% for another year, puttingIndia back to its growth ladder is the focal issue faced today.

Poverty and increasing disparity in incomes across financialstrata

Apart from an objective economist point-of-view, who would generallyride upon the Teleological Moral Reasoning and/or DeontologicalMoral Reasoning, the stark disparity calls for Distributive Justice

along with Corrective Justice to corroborate the ideas of economicequality.

3. As the Union Corporate Affairs Minister, Arun Jaitley needs totackle the following ethical, moral political and economic issuessystematically and effectively: Improve rural infrastructure methodically to empower the nation

by harnessing the rising youth population and middle class. Address the issue of FDI in retail affecting the livelihood

small shopkeepers Attracting foreign investment for Smart Villages and Smart

Cities. Improve metrics for Corporate Governance in companies

Each issue involves some controllable variables with immediate orquick impact and some with slow and hardly measurable impact. It isthe duty of the minister to endorse schemes targeting and not justquick but unsustainable methods. Arun Jaitley is morally obliged toundertake detailed research and foster an environment conducive forsocial growth rather than economic growth using the principles ofDeontology, Corrective Justice and most importantly, DistributiveJustice.

4. To bring about social harmony and solidarity, and eradicationof gender and caste discrimination, following steps can be taken: Meritocracy in offices with transparency in processes to avoid

caste based or gender based discrimination at workplaces (inview of Corrective Justice Moral Reasoning)

Sensitizing of police and public servants of such issues andproper training to handle such issues in order to instill trustin the citizen for justice (in view of Teleological MoralReasoning)

A sense of belongingness should be instilled across the nationto keep environment green and clean. (in view of TeleologicalMoral Reasoning)

5. To bring about educational, social, economic and politicalreform in the country, following steps can be taken:

Investing in Research and Development so that India for betterself-instilled growth

Improve the quality of teachers and professors with inclusivetraining pertaining to both academic excellence as well aspsychological tools.

Increase transparency in government deals to curb corruptionwhich is marring the social fabric of the country

Financial inclusion as well as lowering the operating cost inrural areas by investing in infrastructure.

6. To bring about strong and sustained economic growth in thecountry via creativity, imagination, innovation, entrepreneurshipand adventure in the educational systems, following bureaucraticand regulatory structures should be dismantled: Reservation-based promotion in workplaces (it feeds into the

discriminatory system it originally tries to tackle) Years-of-service based pay for police and other services (low

incentive to excel) Investment in premier colleges’ infrastructure and teaching

quality (based on corrective justice)

Q3- 7.3- MUKESH AMBANI: NEW MEDIA MOGUL IN INDIA: ETHICALQUESTIONS:

1. Although India has thousands of newspapers and televisionchannels and a exuberant social media, only a handful of mediacompanies are popular and dominate the market and Network 18 and TV18's channels are amongst them. When big businesses such as RILgets into the media business, they will try to influence what ispublished for the public, what is to be read and heard. As aresult, smaller differing and dissenting voices gets marginalized.As a result, the journalist working in Network18 won't have anopportunity of doing a decent story on the KG gas deal where RILhas the rights to dig for gas and is in dispute with the governmentor the Radia tapes, a taped telephone conversations betweenpublicist Nira Radia and a former telecom minister and seniorjournalists where she's lobbying on behalf of several big corporateclients. Such issues will be lost in oblivion.

2. RIL's main intention in acquiring the media group is to getseamless access to contents for its to-be launched 4G services. Ifwe flip through the pages of history, we will see that smallorganizations, start-ups and entrepreneurs are more suited to comeup with new innovations, while large conglomerates like RIL is moresuited for the optimization of delivery and distribution. This canbe attributed to the element of control and the standard operatingprocedures in place in a big organization like RIL. Hence it isunlikely that RIL will focus on radical innovations or majortechnological breakthroughs in the 4G platforms or marketingbreakthroughs in films production.

3. The instances of a telecom firm buying media firms to havecheaper to content is not new. In the past, in the US,telecommunication firm AT & T has bought Direct TV. The deal of RILbuying out Network 18 will provide the Ambanis with synergybenefits in the 4G space- at the intersection oftelecommunications, web and digital commerce. As a result, RIL candictate what should the people hear, watch and read. This willeventually lead them to possess the power to manipulate the pointof view of the masses. As it is, yellow journalism is on the rise,and such a powerful instrument to influence news will greatly dentthe symbol of free and democratic India.

4. As RIL has majority stake in Network 18, it will have thepower to influence what people of India read, hear and watch.Network 18 has a strong presence in all the segments of media-news,entertainment, Film production, portal Business, Distribution andAggregation and investments. As a result, RIL involving in mediamight entail conflict of interest between the media publicationsand the company’s activities. For example the journalist working inNetwork18 won't have an opportunity of doing a decent story on theKG gas deal where RIL has the rights to dig for gas and is indispute with the government. Moral reasoning of distributivejustice suggests that while the shareholders of RIL stand tobenefit from this move, the common people will lose out on honestreporting. And hence this is not a healthy development.

5. RIL acquiring Network 18 means that it gets a head-start inMedia and Entertainment Sector. This move is synergistic with

Reliance JIO’s 4G plans. Owning media creation platforms, willensure content security. It will also allow Reliance to enter intodifferent sectors like e-commerce, film and entertainment sectorand media distribution. Hence this move can also be seen as astrategic move to eliminate competitions in these sectors, therebyposing a threat to 'Free Enterprise Capitalism'.

6. If we use 'Forward Moral Justification' the key issueidentified using ethical theory of Utilitarianism - Was MukeshAmbani wrong in acquiring the media house? The moral principlessuggest that Ambani was being completely utilitarian and did notpractice immanence at all. The moral standards suggest that he isnot right in involving in media which might entail conflict ofinterest between the media publications and the company’sactivities. For example the journalist working in Network18 won'thave an opportunity of doing a decent story on the KG gas dealwhere RIL has the rights to dig for gas and is in dispute with thegovernment. The moral rules in this case are that independence ofmedia and press is to be maintained to ensure a neutral andobjective public opinion. Hence the moral judgment will be MukeshAmbani should not have interfered in media and broadcasting.

Q4- APPLYING AOL-4 (ANALYSIS OF ETHICS OF MORAL REASONING) TO CASE7.2 AND CASE 7.3

A preliminary check against major definitions of Moral Reasoning

Dimensions ofMoral Reasoning

Arun Jaitley, Modi’sChanakya

Mukesh Ambani: the NewMedia Moghul in India

Kohlberg: Phaseone of ethicalreasoning: Theimmediateconsequences ofan action suchas rewards andpunishments

Throughout his life,Arun Jaitley hasdemonstrated that heworks for not only thewelfare of the nationbut also ensures thattakes care of hisdependents, which showshis intent of doinggood. For example, he

Mukesh Ambani knows verywell that even mediahouses face extreme cashproblems at times. Byacquiring TV18, he couldhave realized that hemight be mitigating anyfuture financial riskthat the network mightface in the future. But

takes care of hisstaff, ensuring thatthey receive the moneyhe collects fromclients as their chargeeven though it iscommon practice amonglawyers to pocket thesame. Likewise heensures that hisstaff’s children areall well educated

whether he was lookingfor that particularresults through hisactions is not yet clear.Hence his moral reasoningin this case isquestionable

Kohlberg: Phasetwo of moralreasoning: Onsocialapproval,compliance andconformity

Arun Jaitley hasdemonstrated prudenceby ensuring he remainsin the good books ofeven his politicalrivals like AbhishekManu Singhvi. Theprevious paragraphdemonstrates his innatesense of justice.Jaitley displayedfortitude in abundancewhen he did his 19months in prisondespite having to missa year and endureprison life. Despitesuch a high profile lawpractice, Jaitleyremains frugal andsimple, even usingpublic transportabroad. He demonstratedsocial compliance andconformity to a greatextent

Mukesh Ambani has shownprudence, looking fromhis own perspective ofbusiness. He made astrategic decision toforay into media andentertainment,considering the fact thatRIL is going to launch acomprehensive media planalong with 4G coverage.This shows prudence. Asfar as justice goes, thevery fact that acorporate giant iscontrolling a media housedoes not signify justice,even though the judgmentin this case can only begiven after monitoringthe content of hischannels for some time.He has shown greatfortitude via hisactions. Even though hehad faced a lot of

criticism from varioussources regarding hisdecision to buy a mediahouse, he stood by hisdecision. Ambanis aregenerally not known fortheir temperance. Nothingrelated to this case asksfor a re-inspection ofthat statement. To saythat he demonstratessocial compliance iswrong, which is indicatedby the huge luxuriousmultistoried house he hasbuilt in Mumbai whenmillions are homeless

Teleological MoralReasoning: Themoralcorrectness ofall actions isdeterminedexclusively byitsconsequences.Act in such away that youraction bringsabout thegreatest numberof advantagesoverdisadvantages,more benefitsover costs, orthe greatestgood for the

That Jaitley’s publiclife is due to hisdedication to thenation is beyondreproach as his actionshave always beenprincipled. He hasstuck to his guns evenat a potential cost tohis career, asdemonstrated by servingtime in prison or hisreluctance to join thecabinet after losingthe elections. The wayhe treats hisdependents and theregular charity work heundertakes despite sucha high profile careeris proof the doing good

In this case, Ambani canbarely be called “good”per se. He wasessentially trying tobolster his businessrather than supporting astruggling firm. Going bythis logic, there was no“virtue” or “good” in hisactions; and neither hashe done anything goodrepeatedly. Even in thisdimension, we cannot cometo the conclusion thathis moral reasoning issound.

greatest numberof people

deeds is indeed his‘second nature’.Consequently, we caninfer that his moralreasoning is sound inthis context

Deontologicalmoral reasoning:The moralcorrectness ofall actions isalways also,but not alwaysonly determinedby theconsequences.Act in such away that youviolate nomoralconventions orpacts ,rules orprinciples,rights orduties etc.

Arun Jaitley has oftenbeen called a man ruledby his head. Thisindeed seems to be thecase, as he continuedto throw his weightbehind Modi despite thegeneral consensus andemotional thread in theparty in 2002 beingagainst Modi as hebelieved that bestserved the party’s longterm interest. But, allthrough the campaign,he maintained thedecorum specified bythe electioncommission. He did notviolate any rules. Sohis moral reasoning wassound deontologically

His business decisionseems to be a wellthought out fact. But tocome to the conclusionthat a great deal ofintellectual debate hadtaken place in his mindabout how much “good”this decision will be forthe society is a far cry.However, he did notfalter in any rights orduties he had towardsanyone. Neither did hebreak any law during thisact. Deontologically, hecannot be called a personwith bad moral reasoning

Distributive justicebased moralreasoning: Themoralcorrectness ofat least someactions is inno waydetermined bytheir

Arun Jaitley is a manof public, and as suchwill be held to higherstandards than normalmen. Jaitley has thusfar been unimpeachablein his conduct, with noone casting aspersionson his personalintegrity. His actions

As fas as Ambani’sstature as a business mangoes, he was virtuous intaking decisions thatincreased the value forhis shareholders. Theexistence of a greatergood or a greater evil isstill a debatable topic.If he truly wanted to do

consequences.He has to actin such a waythat whilefulfilling mostof his dutiesandobligations,the benefits ofyour actionsclearly exceedthe costs, andthat costs thecosts andbenefits,rights andduties areequitablyspread acrossall peopleaffected by theaction

have only served tohighlight his standingamong his peers. Hisactions eventually madesure that the nation asa whole benefits from astrong stablegovernment. His actionscan be called as havingsound moral reasoningaccording todistributive justice

good to society, heshould have thought aboutthe constraints a mediahouse faces when it iscontrolled by a corporategiant. His actionsbasically ensured thatthe shareholders aregaining the most whilethe common public losesan independent mediachannel. . His actionscannot be called ashaving sound moralreasoning according todistributive justice

A Second Check against Major Developments of Moral Reasoning

Dimensions ofMoralReasoning

Arun Jaitley, Modi’sChanakya

Mukesh Ambani: the NewMedia Moghul in India

Utilitarianism:Jeremy Benthamand John Lockedefines therightness ofan action orinstitution asthat whichmaximizes

Arun Jaitley has alwaysbeen a cool levelheaded player. Thatbeing said, he has alsobeen principled in hisconduct and hisprinciples have beenthe pivot for his moralreasoning and rational

The action was not rightin the sense that eventhough the utility of alemployees in reliancefamily was increased, thecommon people do notstand to gain a lot fromthis action.

total utilityof thegreatestnumber.

living, asdemonstrated.

According toAdam Smith,self-seekingindividualinterest willtend, in longrun, tocoincide withthe generalinterest. InSmith’s theoryof laissezfaireeconomics, itleads in thelong runwithout anyconsciousintention tothe mostefficienteconomicsystem for allconcerned.

Arun Jaitley has shownprudence in his publiclife, being careful tonot be explicitlyprofligate in hisbehavior and never oncegetting embroiled incontroversies of apersonal nature. He hasalso never attacked hisopponents ad hominem,hence earning respectthroughout thepolitical spectrum. Atthe same time, he hasnot hesitated in takingrisky moves wherenecessary, be itousting Keshubhai Patelin 2002 or sticking byNarendra Modi when theparty turned againsthim, or his handling ofmultiple portfolios.But he could have takena more distant role tofacilitate laissezfaire.

Mukesh Ambani’s actionsare a good demonstrationof how effective thisparticular approach is.Even though he didacquire TV 18 and itschannels, he managed tonot indulge in thelimelight of being amedia mogul. He couldhave chosen to splash hisand his company’s facesacross his channels. Yet,he did not do it, whichmeans he successfullymanaged to find thathallowed neutral ground.However, Ambaniintervened to the maximumextent in the affairs ofthe channel, whichviolates Adam Smith’sview

Bentham saidthat the goalof human lifeis to createas much humanhappiness as

Arun Jaitley perfectlyfits the description.He brings in experiencein the political fieldand by dint ofpractical wisdom is the

Ambani can be seen asbeing very reasonable andas a person who comes toconclusions based oncareful deliberation.Still, in this case,

possible. Weshould condemna human desireonly when itcomes intoconflict withother desiresthat promiseto creategreater humanhappiness inthe long run

chief strategist of theBP.As we havepreviouslydemonstrated, Jaitleyretains his excellenceof character in all thedecisions he takes.

despite the fact that hehad reasoned out on whyhe should venture intomedia and entertainment,it is not clear if he hadfaced a dilemma of thevirtue of his actions.Strictly from a businesssense, his actions aremorally reasonable. Butfrom an ethicalstandpoint, hisactivities arequestionable at best.

According to JS Mill’sprinciple ofpsychologicalegoism, peopleseek only tomaximize theirown pleasureand seek thepleasure ofothers only asa means ofsatisfyingtheir ownpleasure.

The way Jaitley casthis lot with Modi andensured that he wasn’tdismissed as theGujarat CM, hismultiple successes asthe strategist for BJPfor multiple elections,his handling of hisportfolios when inpower all point to theevident fact thatJaitley had primarilyhis best interests athand while he did allof this. He was surethat once elected, Modiwould choose him forone of the keypositions in thegovernment, whichultimately came true.He was a typicalpsychological

Mukesh Ambani solely hadthe objective ofmaximizing his wealthwhen he acquired TV 18.This is ample proof toconclude that he wasutilitarian as per thedefinition of J S Mill

utilitarian as per J SMill.

According toKant,responsibilityor moral worthstems from theunderlyingprinciple ofthe will thanfrom thepurposes orends orexcuses thatprecede theaction or fromtheconsequencesthat follow it

Moving forward, this issomething that remainsto be seen. WhileJaitley’s first budgetwas seen by many as toomeek to meet thechallenges the countryis throwing up, hestill has four years inoffice and it remainsto be seen if hisdecisions will help thenation set out on apath of long termgrowth. From the eventsthat precede, he can beseen as morallyresponsible. But weshould wait and observethe events that followit

Ambani’s action wasdirected at the rightpersons (media house) inthe right manner (notbeing very vocal aboutthe acquisition). Butwhether he did it for theright reasons is still amatter of contention.This is why his actions,from the events thatprecede the acquisition,cannot be called to bemorally reasonable. Thereis nothing to suggestthat going forward,anything will change.

A Third Check of Cases against Major Processes of Moral Reasoning

Dimensions ofExecutive Virtue

Arun Jaitley, Modi’sChanakya

Mukesh Ambani: the NewMedia Moghul in India

Kant’s formulationof CategoricalImperative: Act asif the maxim ofyour action (thesubjectiveprinciple underwhich you act)were to becomethrough your will

Arun Jaitley hasconformed to thedefinition since theday he entered thepolitical scenario.He has a longstanding relationshipwith the PM and alsoshares goodrelationship with

Free press and mediaindependence is thehallmark of a trulydeveloped society. Byforaying into mediasegment, Ambani hasquestioned theimportance that freedomof expression plays inour society. Following

a universal law ofnature

media, judiciary,bureaucracy and evensports. He spends hislife with family aswell as friendsexhibiting perfectwork-life balance.

this line of argument,we can see that heessentially tries onlyto accumulate morewealth. This can hardlybe considered ascreating a universallaw that others canfollow

Kant’s formulationof CategoricalImperative 2: Actin such a way thatyou always treathumanity, whetherin your ownperson, or in theperson of anyother, neversimply as a means,but always at thesame time as anend

Jaitley hasconsistentlydemonstrated hisappetite for helpinghis dependents. Hedid not just use themfor his progress. Hemakes sure they arewell catered for

Had he lent a helpinghand to a media house,it would have meantthat he is actuallytrying to make his lifebetter for everyone.But instead he tried toexpand his business tothe maximum number ofverticals in mediaspace. This couldhardly be called asworking for a commongood.

It is one thing toact out of duty,it is another tounderstand one’sduty correctly.Did the person actout of dutywronglyunderstood? Or didhe act out of dutyrightly discerned?

Jaitley polished hisinternal moralcompass especiallywith his increasedresponsibilities. Herightly discernedwhat his duty was.

Reliance Industries iswell known for itscompetitive industrialand business practices.Most of Indian Businessscenario is a zero sumgame and Reliance has ahistory of adoptingstrategies to maximizetheir gain in any givensituation. Most oftheir internal policiesare known to beimpersonal and aimedsolely at wealth

maximization. This isnot the sole duty thata leading business manhas towards thecommunity

A good moralconscience needsto be educated byreading andpondering over thewisdom literatureof variousreligions,especially theirsacred scriptures;they broaden ourawareness of truthand common sensethrough time.

Jaitley is known tobe highly religiousand is known tofollow a lot ofreligious principlesin his day to daylife

A sense of fulfilmentis different fordifferent people. Inthis case, from thefacts of the case, itdoes not seem as ifMukesh Ambani is evenremotely interested inattaining sense offulfilment in a moralor ethical sense. Thefact that he isreligious is not shownto have any effect onhis actions

“To act rightly isto act rightly inaffect andconduct. It is tobe emotionallyengaged and notmerely to have theeffect asaccompaniment orinstrument”(Sherman 1989: 2).Emotionsthemselves aremodes of moralresponse thatdetermine what ismorally relevantand, in some

Being the defense andfinance minister,Arun Jaitley must beemotionally engagedin fast tracking thegrowth of thecountry. His policiesshould be shaped insuch a way that itcaters to therequirements of allsections of thesociety. For this, hemust be emotionallyaware of therequirements of

Ambani cannot be calledas being too emotionalor as an unreasonableperson who acts at thespur of the moment. Themere size of hisbusiness dictates thatit is impossible forhim to maintain anemotional connect withthe decisions hiscompany makes.

cases, what isrequired (p. 18).

citizens from allparts of the country.He has thus far notdemonstrated hischaracteristicboldness in hispolicies and mustpull up his socks tomeet the challenges

According toHauerwas, moralbusinessmanagementdecision is not somuch of what oneis obliged to do,but the kind ofperson one wouldbe doing by it. Toact rightly inaffect andconduct.Discerning themorally salientfeatures of asituation is partof expressingvirtue and part ofthe morallyappropriateresponse

Jaitley should keepin mind these wordsas he carries out hismassiveresponsibilities tothe nation

He should have realizedthe implications ofundertaking a mediahouse and the kind ofconsequences it mighthave on the performanceof the channels. Evenif he did manage tomaintain the quality ofhis channels, therewould be a doubtremaining in the mindof the viewer regardingthe veracity of thecontent.

There may be astrategic virtuein doing thingsrightly, but thereis a moral virtue

From going to prisonand missing his examsduring the emergencyto his post-electionbehavior in the

Ambani concentrated toomuch on doing thingsrightly than doingright things rightly.

in doing right thingsrightly (Aristotle1985)

2000s, Arun Jaitleyhas shown that hedoes the right thingsin the right way. Hehas generally shownadmirable decisionmaking qualities

A Fourth Check against major antecedents of Moral Reasoning

Dimensions ofExecutive Virtue

Arun Jaitley, Modi’sChanakya

Mukesh Ambani: theNew Media Moghul inIndia

It has been a well-documented andaccepted fact thatany sort of moralreasoning shouldstem from the basicneed for doing goodto others around you

The demonstration ofstriving to do goodis best exemplifiedby the jail termJaitley faced, it isalso most in lackingwhen he displayed hiswily nature to keepModi relevant

He did try to do agood job for hisemployees andshareholders, but hewas wrong inrestricting himselfto that sphere. Heshould have thoughtabout the greatergood.

Thus, a person whoperforms a wrongaction can be calledgood for performingthe action, as longhe strives to do theright. Thus, we nolonger call peoplegood if they do goodactions, rather wecall them good whenthey strive torealize rightness.

People are grey, theabove example showstwo instances, onewhere Jaitley strivedto do well and onewhere he didn’t.

Even at the firstlevel, his actionsare questionable atbest. It is obviousthat he was notstriving for agreater good orrightness with hisactions.

Conversely, people By not allowing the Morally though,

are bad not whenthey perform “bad”actions but whenthey fail to striveto perform theright. Badness,then, is not simplyacting out ofselfishness ormalice; prior toact, badnesspertains to thefailure to strivefor rightness

BJP central commandto take actionagainst Modi, Jaitleydemonstrated‘badness’. Also,despite hisreluctance to take upa cabinet post, hedidn’t stay thecourse, demonstratinga lack of strife todo good.

Ambani should havemade sure he stayedaway from media andalso propagated theimportance ofbusiness communitystaying away fromnews and media

A fifth check against major requirements of Moral Reasoning

Dimensions ofExecutive Virtue

Arun Jaitley, Modi’sChanakya

Mukesh Ambani: the NewMedia Moghul in India

Moral goodnessalways requires thatwe strive to realizethe right. Failureto strive to realizethe right is moralfailure.

Arun Jaitley hasrecently engaged inactivities thatdemonstrate moralfailure. He shouldstrive to correcthimself

He did not strive torealize the right. Hewas instead moreinterested inaccumulating wealth.We cannot, from thegiven information,conclude that heintends to controlmedia. But it is avery real and distinctpossibility

Moral goodness as astriving is notsimply wishing; itis actual self-motivation willingto consider all thefactors necessary to

All his activitiespoint to self-motivation being thekey driver behindJaitley’s successes

Ambani neither had thewill to do good nordid he exercise anyactivities that wouldhave resulted in thebetterment of society

moral living, todeliberate aboutthem, and to executethe decision. Thatis, moral goodnessis found in theexercise of the willto do and be goodThe contrary ofmoral goodness isnot the willingnessto be bad, but thefailure to be good.The will becomes oris morally bad inits failure toconsider all thevalues and factorsthat pertain tomoral life

Jaitley should keepin mind theseprinciples and talkup whenever thereare issues thatcould lead to moralfailure

By acquiring the mediahouse, even if hestays away from theindependence of media,which can beconsidered as him notdemonstrating thewillingness to be bad,he should have notstarted a precedencewhich is a failure onhis part on beinggood.

Q5- APPLYING AOL-5 (ANALYSIS OF ETHICS OF MORAL JUDGEMENT) TO CASE7.2

AOL 5 is an action-oriented model and is based on moral reasoningprocess of judgements and justifications. Five sets of beliefs andvalues of a person are involved in the justification of one’scorporate judgement. Taking a moral judgement from the given case, itwill be justified using both forward and backward moral judgementderivation.

Moral Judgment (of Arun Jaitley): He was morally right in supportingNarendra Modi as PM candidate.

Forward Moral Justification:

A. Normative/ Self-principled ethical theory: When Narendra Modi wascoming up as the most obvious choice for Prime ministerial candidate,seeing his popularity in the party members and the people at large,Arun Jaitley, who himself was one of the contenders for the postalong with Sushma Swaraj, decided to give his full support toNarendra Modi. The ethical theory that comes into play here is Ethics ofVirtue (Magnanimity).

Aristotle proposed some basic virtues as standards: friendship,magnanimity and practical wisdom. Theses virtues act as teleologicalguides for a human person to live according to reason. It helps inthe right realization of the human person.

B. Moral principles: These principles are guidelines or axioms derivedfrom the ethical theory discussed in A. In this case the underlyingprinciple would be “the deserving should get their due”. Jaitley was aware thathe had a good chance of being nominated as a Prime Ministerialcandidate as he had acceptance from all quarters in the party. But,he also realized that Narendra Modi was a more deserving leader as hewas seen to have more popularity. The only issue was that Modi wasnot acceptable to some quarters in the party. Jaitley thought ofremoving this barrier by supporting him over his own candidature.This principle can be seen to be from a teleological view point.

C. Moral standards: These standards derived from the above two morespecific moral norms that require, allow or prohibit certain actions.For Jaitley the moral standard possibly would be “do not be selfish”.

D. Moral rules: These are more specific applications considering thesociety at large. In this case the rule would possibly be “a countryshould get a leader it wants”. With the immense popularity that Modi wasgaining, Jaitley would have realized that it wouldn’t be appropriatein the situation to be a representative of the people when there weremany indications that people wanted Modi as their leader. This isagain in line with the teleological view.

E. Moral judgment: Based on all the above reasoning, Jaitley took themoral judgement of “supporting Modi as the prime ministerial candidate over himselfand other candidates”.

Backward Moral Justification:

E. Moral judgment: The moral judgment is “He was morally right insupporting Narendra Modi as PM candidate”.

D. Moral rules: The moral rule that Jaitley would have followed is that“a country should get a leader it wants”. Seeing the increasing popularity ofModi it would have seemed more appropriate for Jaitley to supportModi following this moral rule.

C. Moral standards: The moral standard that is in line with the aboverule is “do not be selfish”. Jaitley was aware of the fact that in theparty, among the higher rungs, he was a more acceptable candidatethan Modi. But possibly he was guided by standards of unselfishnessand thus considered the party’s good more than his personal gains.

B. Moral principles: Jaitley would have been guided by the principle“the deserving should get their due”. The popularity of Modi among party men andpeople in general would have led Jaitley by the above principle. Andto make it happen he put his full support behind Modi.

A. Moral or ethical theory: Jaitley seems to be guided by the “ethics ofvirtue (Magnanimity)” which provides a teleological guideline towards theright realization of his human person.

Q5- APPLYING AOL-5 (ANALYSIS OF ETHICS OF MORAL JUDGEMENT) TO CASE7.3

Moral Judgment (of Mukesh Ambani): It is unethical for large businesshouses to have dominating control over media. This is against freedomof media.

Forward Moral Justification:

A. Moral or Ethical Theory: When we consider Utilitarianism, MukeshAmbani should not have full control over media houses as lots ofpeople associated with this sector might be adversely affected bythis move. Freedom of Media is essential for a healthy society.

B. Moral Principle: As a responsible business man and as one of therichest industrialists of world, Mukesh Ambani is expected to showimmanence. His actions should not hamper the freedom of media orrather any other sector in which lots of stakeholders are involved.Just because someone has the resources to take control oversomething, doesn’t mean that he/she can have a control over the same.

C. Moral Standards: There is also a conflict of interest when it comesto businesses owned by RIL and media in general. Mukesh Ambani shouldassure that no cases of dominance over media should ever appear.

D. Moral Rules: A neutral media and a free press are essential for ahealthy society. People rely on media for unbiased news and reports.If influential people start controlling media to an extent that theycontrol or fiddle around with the media content, society in generalloses trust in Media.

E. Moral Judgment: Mukesh Ambani was unethical in gaining a dominantcontrol over media. If industrialists and influential people startdominating and using media for promoting their own propaganda, it’sunhealthy for the society.

Backward Moral Justification:

A. Moral Judgment: Mukesh Ambani was unethical in gaining a dominantcontrol over media. It might lead to a situation where we arecompromising the freedom of media and thus will lead to decrease ofgeneral trust of masses in media when big business houses start usingfree media for their own interests.

B. Moral Rules: A neutral media and a free press are essential for ahealthy society. People rely on media for unbiased news and reports.If influential people start controlling media to an extent that theycontrol or fiddle around with the media content, society in generalloses trust in Media.

C. Moral Standards: There is also a conflict of interest when it comesto businesses owned by RIL and media in general. In past there havebeen cases where media have highlighted some of the unethicalpractices at RIL, a controlled media might not have the power to showsuch transparency.

D. Moral Principle: As a responsible business man and as one of therichest industrialists of world, Mukesh Ambani is expected to showimmanence. His actions should not hamper the freedom of media orrather any other sector in which lots of stakeholders are involved.

E. Moral or Ethical Theory: When we consider Utilitarianism, MukeshAmbani should not have full control over media houses as lots ofpeople associated with this sector might be adversely affected bythis move.

Q6- SYTHESIS OF CASE 7.2 AND CASE 7.3

It can be seen that just avoiding the path of being bad is not the ideaof being morally reasonable. No matter what philosophy we argue with,no matter whose teachings we take into account, the objective is notavoiding making immoral judgments. It is about having a will to dogood and making sure that the will is transpired into action. Onlywhen good will is transpired into action will there be a positiveeffect in society and it is that positive effect that should be takeninto account while looking at any event or action. As seen in ArunJaitley’s case, he, not only had the intention to do good, but hadthe drive to go ahead with doing what is beneficial for the wholenation. He could have entered the rat race for being the PM candidatejust to further his personal ambitions. Instead he chose to pick thepath with less limelight. As for Ambani’s case, it can be seen thathe had absolutely no qualms in deciding to plunge into acquiring themedia house. He did not think over the consequences of his actionsand what sort of a precedent it will set with the rapidly increasinggroup of business magnates. Even if he did ensure that he stayed outof the businesses of the media house. It might so happen that someother businessman, mimicking his move might control the media that isavailable to him. This would expose the society to bias and propagateone sided stories that could tarnish the decision making capabilitiesof the public.

Contribution:

Case Updates and Ethical Questions- 7.2- Vasu SharmaCase Updates and Ethical Questions- 7.3- James BharadwajAOL4 for Case 7.2 Nithish K UAOL4 for Case 7.3 Javaiz Mohamed PAOL5 for Case 7.2 Pratyush RanjanAOL5 for Case 7.3 Pratyush Pankaj