What is Organizational Morality

The classical view of organizational responsibility is best illustrated by Adam Smith's (1937) belief that an "invisible hand" directs all activities towards the public good, and that the responsibility of an organization was only to maximize profits within the constraints of the law. 

The free market system was seen as a self-controlling mechanism, whereby an organization producing the best goods and services would prosper. Any interference with the free market system was viewed as an affront against the best interests of society.

The accountability concept states that organizations receive their charter from society as a whole, and therefore their ultimate responsibility is to society. Environmental and worker protection laws reflect the belief that maximization of profits is secondary to the health of society. The extensive proliferation of laws restricting business demonstrates a growing skepticism concerning the morality and ethics of corporate management.

Some theorists believe that organizations have the social responsibility "to take actions which protect and improve the welfare of society as a whole along with their own interests" (Davis and Blomstrom, 1980, p. 6). Others take a more narrow approach, and believe that social responsibility extends only to "social problems caused wholly or in part by the corporation" (Fitch, 1971, p. 38).

Linda Stark (1989) discusses the five stages of corporate moral development, although she is quick to point out that progression through the stages is neither linear or one direction. An amoral corporation pursues profit at any cost. A legalistic corporation follows the letter of the law, but not the spirit. A responsive corporation makes ethical decisions based on long-term economic decisions. An emergent ethical corporation recognizes its social responsibility and balances ethics and profitability. The ethical corporation places social responsibility at its center and bases its existence on ethics.

Environmental awareness has evolved to become a major ethical consideration in many corporations. During the 1950's, science and technology were viewed as the answer to the world's problems. The ecological ramifications of that era became apparent in the 1960's. The 1970's began with the organization of the first Earthday. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were created to monitor the environment and worker safety. During the 1980's, many corporations began to take proactive conservation measures. Environmental considerations began to be addressed at the manufacturing level so that harmful materials and waste were minimized or removed from the production process. 

Citizen action groups became increasingly effective in forcing corporations to examine their environmental impact. In the 1990's, many corporations have adopted the policy of "sustainable development." The key issue is that environmental protection is one of the highest priorities of every business.

1.25 lakh crore package for Bihar

Here are the details of the recently announced package for Bihar. This will lead Bihar into an era of growth or just prove an election gimmick, time will tell. However PM has said that Bihar has unlimited potential and it is a known fact to all. But one thing is for sure, return of Lalu Yadav will take Bihar in an era of lawlessness. 

Details of the Bihar Package announced in the backdrop of elections. 

Sectors	Amount	Highlights
Farmer’s Welfare	Rs. 3,094 cr	·Up-gradation of Rajendra Prasad Agriculture University to Central University, creation of new Research Centre·Development of Fisheries, Farm water management, Storage capacity, Farm mechanisation, Seed production systems ·Construction of new Godowns for foodgrains
Education	Rs. 1,000 cr	·Central University near Bhagalpur ·IIM at Bodhgaya
Skill Development	Rs. 1,550 cr	·Establishment of Mega Skill University·Training of 1 lakh youth
Health	Rs. 600 cr	·Up-gradation of 3 medical colleges at Patna, Bhagalpur, Gaya
Electricity	Rs. 16,130 cr	·1,300 MW new power plant at Buxor ·Electrification of villages under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Vidyut Yojana (sufficient for farms, uninterrupted for homes) ·Electrification of towns–cities under Integrated Power Development Scheme
Rural Roads	Rs. 13,820 cr	·22,500 kms of Rural Roads
Highways	Rs. 54,713 cr	·2,775 kms of National Highways (four-laning and widening) ·Construction of Bridges (across Ganga, Sone, Kosi) ·Construction of 12 Rail overbridges
Railways	Rs. 8,870 cr	·Doubling and Tripling of 676 kms of Railway line·Electrification of 574 kms
Airports	Rs. 2,700 cr	·Construction of new airport at Patna ·Development of airports at Gaya, Raxaul, Purnea
Digital Bihar	Rs. 449 cr	·Software Technology Parks, Rural BPOs, Training Centres ·1,000 new Mobile towers to increase coverage and quality ·30 WiFi hotspots across prominent tourist places ·Common Service Centres to be scaled up from 8,800 to 26,000
Petroleum & Gas	Rs. 21,476 cr	·Expansion of Barauni Refinery + new Petrochemical Plant ·Construction of Gas pipelines, new LPG plants and massive expansion in domestic LPG connections ·Petrol-Diesel pipeline from Raxaul to Nepal
Tourism	Rs. 600 cr	·Development of 7 Tourist circuits
Total	Rs. 1,25,003 cr

Other Investments

Category	Amount
Unspent amount of 2013 Package (of Rs 12,000 cr)	Rs. 8,282 cr
Ongoing works of National Highways	Rs. 12,375 cr
UMPP (Ultra Mega Power Project) in Banka under PPP	Rs.  20,000 cr
Total	Rs.  40,657 cr

Tax Relief on New Capital Investment for galvanizing Industrial Development

Prime Minister’s Bihar Package is over and above on-going National social sector schemes:-Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana, MUDRA, Free LPG connections to BPL, Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan and so on.

Five Important Tips to participate in Group Discussion

If you are looking to get ahead in career, you need to clear interviews. These days Group discussion has become an integral part of an interview. 

Group Discussion offers a platform for sharing the ideas or opinion on a particular topic and debate upon. There is a small group of candidates who participate in group discussion. They are given a topic to debate on expressing their point of view. There is a time limit after which the best candidate is selected by the judge. 

Here are five important tips to succeed in Group Discussion 

1. Preparation: It becomes easy to prepare if you know the topic of group discussion. Find out everything about it. Read the topic thoroughly, get to know the point of view of other people on it and finally analyse and decide what you think about it. Select the words you can use to explain your point of view, look for their pronunciation and practice saying it. If possible choose someone as your mentor who can identify and correct your mistakes. In this way you can prepare well in advance before the actual session.
If the topic is not known then you can do the preparation by reading the latest issues from newspapers, internet etc. and have a thorough knowledge of the topics.

2. Do not interrupt: Start the discussion, if possible, else try to get a chance to speak. Listen carefully to what the other candidate is saying and do not ever interrupt even if you strongly disagree. Remember it’s a discussion and not competition. In an effective discussion the participants have listen to others also other than expressing their own views.

3. Be Alert: In a group discussion alertness and presence of mind is very essential. Keep the supportive statements and facts ready while listening to other person’s though and then continue the argument. This not only shows your alertness but also the importance you give to other’s thoughts.

4. Use simple language and learn some useful phrases to participate in group discussion:
Don’t try to impress others by using high vocabulary and technical words. Use simple English Language. which can be easily understood by other participants. 

Effective use of phrases 

 To make your speech effective, you can use some useful phrases like –
Giving your opinion:-Be the discussion with the phrases like “In my opinion”, If you ask me”, “As far as I am concerned” etc.

Seeking other’s opinion:- Use the phrases like “What’s your idea?”, “What do you think about it?”
On agreeing: To express agreement use the words like absolutely, exactly or the phrases like “You are absolutely right”, “That’s true”.

On Disagreeing: To express strong disagreement say “I totally disagree” else say “I have different opinion about it”. Remember to disagree with someone’s opinion, don’t attack the person.

But ensure to be polite while expressing your opinion, agreement or disagreement. In no way you should sound harsh or impolite. Do not make fun of anyone’s idea.

5. Stick to your point of view: Do not change your opinion frequently. Think carefully before answering and have clear thoughts. Choose your answer, think about the supportive statements and facts and then present your views. Don’t worry if the others disagree with you. Put forward your opinion confidently and without any hesitation.

Good Luck ! 

India growth since 1947

The 68-years of independence have seen many changes in the socio-economic landscape of Asia's third largest economy. An independent India was bequeathed a shattered economy, widespread illiteracy and shocking poverty. Contemporary economists divide the history of India’s economic growth into two phases – first 45 years after independence and the two decades of free market economy. The years preceding the economic liberalisation were mainly marked by instances wherein economic development got stagnated due to a lack of meaningful policies.

The economic reforms came to India’s rescue with the launching of a policy of liberalisation and privatisation. A flexible industrial licensing policy and a relaxed FDI policy started getting positive responses from international investors. Among the major factors that drove India’s economic growth following the economic reforms of 1991 were increased FDI, adoption of information technology and an increased domestic consumption.

During the decades that followed the colonial rule, India's economy, in absolute terms, has expanded to Rs 57 lakh crore from mere Rs 2.7 lakh crore and the nation's foreign exchange reserves have crossed $300 billion, giving the economy firepower to fight external shocks.

Even as the country has progressed in laying out the basic framework to take the economy to high growth path by building roads and ports and ramping up the food grain production, a fast growing population and infrastructure woes demand more work to be done on multiple fronts.

Here is a look at the key macro indicators of the nation's economy from independence till now:

GDP

India's GDP, in absolute numbers, has grown from a mere Rs2.7 lakh crore to Rs57 lakh crore in 67 years of independence.

annual growth of GDP (In %)

Economic growth surged to near double-digit levels between 2005-06 to 2007-08 compared with anemic growth in the early years post independence. The growth has slowed to sub-5 percent levels in the last two financial years hit by slowdown in global and domestic economies and in the absence of much needed growth oriented reforms.

Gross domestic savings as % of GDP

Gross domestic savings of Indians, as a percentage of GDP, has grown over the decades to touch a high of 36.8 percent of GDP in fiscal year 2008, but the ratio has steadily declined after that to 30 percent in fiscal year 2013, causing concern to the policymakers.

Food grain production

India's food grain production has more than doubled over the decades that followed colonial rule to a record 264 million tonnes in the fiscal year 2014. But, to feed the fast growing population, with more than a quarter of them still estimated to be below the poverty line, the country needs to produce more.

Roads

Post independence, the country has progressed significantly in building roads to connect its cities with its hinterland, but given that poor infrastructure is a major concern for India, the country needs a wider road network to carry the fruits of growth to far-flung villages. 

The Indian road network has become one of the largest in the world with the total road length increasing from 0.399 million km in 1951 to 4.24 million km as of July 2014. Moreover, the total length of the country’s national highways has increased from 24,000 km (1947-69) to 92,851 km (2014). Governmental efforts have led to the expansion of the network of State highways and major district roads, which in turn has directly contributed to industrial growth

Scientific achievement

Independent India has taken confident strides in its road to scientific development. Its prowess is being manifested in a gradual scaling up of ambitious projects. India takes pride in its space programmes, which began with the launch of its first satellite Aryabhatta in 1975. Since then, India has emerged as a space power that has successfully launched foreign satellites. Its first mission to Mars was launched in November 2013 which successfully reached the planet’s orbit on 24 September 2014.

India is also aggressively pursuing both nuclear and missile programmes. That has simultaneously augmented the country’s defence strength as well. BrahMos inducted into the defence system is the world’s fastest cruise missile that has been jointly developed by India and Russia. After more than six decades of independence, India has now come closer to being an independent force to reckon with in the field of nuclear and missile technology.

Progress in Education 

Pulling itself out from widespread illiteracy, India has managed to bring its education system at par with the global standard. The number of schools witnessed a dramatic increase during the post-independence era. The Parliament made elementary education a fundamental right for children in the age group of 6-14 years by passing the 86th amendment to the Constitution in 2002. At independence, India’s literacy rate was a paltry 12.2 % which increased to 74.04% in 2011.

The Government launched the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan in 2001 to ensure education for the children from 6 to 14 years. Prior to that, it had launched an effective initiative – Sponsored District Education Programme, which increased the number of schools across the country. In a bid to attract children to schools, especially in the rural areas, the government also started implementing the mid-day meals programme in 1995.

Forex reserves

The nation's foreign exchange reserves have grown to over $ 300 billions from a mere $ 2 billion at the time of independence. Strong foreign exchange reserves have given the economy more fire power to withstand external shocks compared. In January 1991, India had to pledge 67 tonnes of gold to International Monetary Fund after the country's forex reserves plunged to a mere $ 1.2 billion, just enough to finance three weeks of essential imports.

Import/export

India's imports have shot up at a faster pace than exports over the decades resulting in a widening gap in the trade balance. India's current account deficit widened to a record 4.8 percent of the GDP in the fisal year 2013, before falling to 1.7 percent in fiscal year 2014 after the government clamped down on gold imports.

India's external debt

The country's external debt has surged to $440 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2014. The external debt, which comprises of government and non-government borrowings, has risen mainly because of increase in the non-government debt. At end March, 2014, total government debt stood at $82 billion and that of non-government debt at $359 billion.

Happy Independence Day to you all !