GS4 · UPSC Mains

You are the VP (Operations) of a company that manufactures and supplies space probes and satellite equipment to Government space agencies. The company has been in the business for over four decades and has built considerable expertise in producing and delivering high-quality products. The business was good. As VP of Operations, it was your responsibility to ensure the completion of projects and deliverables on time. A critical deliverable was running behind schedule due to the non-availability of a specific raw material. The material in question was an environmentally hazardous chemical that the Environmental Ministry banned. But considering the importance of the chemical compound for the space industry, the Environment Ministry was planning to allow controlled use in about three weeks. You and the company management didn't have three week waiting time. Further, there was severe pressure from the Department of Space to complete the deliverable on time as a lot was riding politically on the project. After internal discussions, you met the Space Department officials to explain the predicament and request a deadline extension. When the meeting happened, you were shocked by the attitude of the Department officials. They refused to accept any delay and suggested circumventing the environmental ministry's prohibition and procuring and using the chemical. They justified it by saying the ministry would allow controlled use in a few weeks. So, why wait? Besides, they noted that the environment ministry doesn't understand space priorities and their intricacies. They pointed out that everything is justified in the name of national interest. (250 words,

20 marks · 250 words · 9 toppers answered this

GS4 · Attitude — content, structure, function; influence & relation with thought & behaviour; moral & political attitudes; social influence & persuasion

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