An assignment on Real Life Case Development

course no: BA-521 course title: Business Environment and Ethics

Submitted to, Md. Islam, Tariqul Lecturer

Submitted by, Jewel Kumar Golder Satadal Biswas Sk. Azizul Islam

MBA-070306 MBA-070312 MBA-060320

Md. Mohiuddin Alamgir MBA-070317

Business Administration Discipline Khulna University, Khulna

Date of submission: June 8, 2009

The project supervisor Md. B. Ahmed conducted a survey research on the following topic Perception of farmers of Batiaghata and Digholia upazilla regarding soil salinity and soil degradation. He appointed four post graduate students as the research assistant. They were responsible for conducting the survey in the Batiaghata and Digholia upazilla. They made a hard work to reach the farmers of the two upazilla and to collect the needed information. The supervisor helped the research assistant to develop a questionnaire based on which they had to conduct the survey.

The research assistant then put their effort to reach the farmers of the two upazilla. They collected information based on the questionnaire. They had to go to the Upazilla Krishi Office to collect the list of the farmers. Then they randomly selected 200 farmers per upazilla to interview. They made 400 copies of 3 page questionnaire (worth about 1200/- BDT). The students also made some expenses on their journey to and from the survey spot at different places of the two upazilla.

Again the supervisor appointed another graduate student to conduct the analysis of the collected data. This very student was responsible for scoring the questionnaire, which is a very cumbersome and boring job. Then he had to tabulate the data according the prescribed form. After tabulation he had to analyze the data to satisfy the desired statistical information by the supervisor. Performing the statistical analysis the research assistant then interpreted the result and wrote the report. He also had to make some financial expenses. He had to stay at the university for about a month to accomplish the above mentioned job.

The research supervisor appointed four research assistants for accomplishing the field survey and announced 3000/- BDT per month for each of them. They were appointed for 4 months. He also promised the research assistant, who was employed for the job of analyzing the gathered information, 4000/- BDT for completing the job. But at last when the research was completed the research supervisor did not give any remuneration to the research assistants. He said that he would donate a laptop for the discipline with the money, and every research assistant would be recognized for the same. But, today, after two years, he did not donate the promised laptop to the discipline yet.

Case questions: 1. The research supervisor did not give remuneration to the research assistants, is it ethical? 2. He (the research supervisor) did not ask the research assistants whether they want to donate their salary to the discipline or not. Is it ethical or not? Give your argument. 3. The research supervisor has not donated the laptop to the discipline yet. Analyze his behavior and approach to the research assistants from ethical point of view.