Case discussion

The Department of Management conducts retrospective case study discussions on a regular basis during classroom sessions, facilitating the application of theoretical concepts to real-life business scenarios and enhancing students’ analytical and decision-making skills. However in certain cases , the instructor utilizes an immersive simulated cases designed to mirror real-world executive decision-making. Students were presented with a live, evolving corporate crisis and each group was tasked with analyzing the scenario through their assigned organizational lens, defending their strategies in a cross-examination debate, and ultimately presenting a framework to be evaluated by the instructor, Dr Chayanika Das, against established theories in Business ethics and Corporate Governance Syllabus.

As part of the experiential learning initiatives undertaken in the Business Ethics and Corporate Governance (BECG) course, the course instructor conducted a simulation-based classroom activity focusing on the contemporary issue of moonlighting. The exercise was designed to encourage students to critically examine ethical dilemmas arising in modern workplaces and apply ethical theories learned in the classroom to real-world situations.

The simulation revolved around a case involving a long-serving employee who had been simultaneously working for two organizations without the explicit knowledge or approval of either employer. Students were presented with the facts of the case and were tasked with analyzing the situation from multiple perspectives. They were required to consider not only the interests and concerns of the employing organization but also the motivations, challenges, and rights of the individual employee who had served the organization faithfully for several years.

To facilitate deeper engagement, students were divided into breakout groups and encouraged to deliberate on the ethical, legal, professional, and human dimensions of the issue. Each group examined questions such as whether moonlighting should be considered a violation of organizational trust, what responsibilities an employer has towards employee welfare, and how ethical principles can guide decisions in situations where organizational interests and individual aspirations appear to conflict.

The discussions were remarkably thoughtful and mature. Rather than adopting a punitive approach, students sought to develop balanced and ethically grounded solutions. Drawing upon ethical theories and governance principles covered in the BECG syllabus, including utilitarianism, deontological ethics, stakeholder theory, rights-based ethics, and virtue ethics, the participants proposed a comprehensive organizational policy framework to address moonlighting cases.