Common Description:
Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Comprehension: Fundamental Research in Science for Corporate Applications(FuRSCA) is an R&D unit of a Public Sector Undertaking(PSU). FuRSCA’s employees are research scientists who assist the Public Sector Undertaking
through their R&D. Given the far-reaching implications of its research, FuRSCA was established as a separate entity near the factory of the PSU. FuRSCA has three levels of hierarchy viz.: junior, senior and chief scientists and all of them reside on the campus. Hence, every scientist, regardless of hierarchy, resides in a house that is similar in all aspects. Though the scientists are entitled to a house rent allowance(HRA), given the distance of FuRSCA from the city, housing them on the campus makes sense.
The new recruits are provided a transit accommodation in the institute’s studio apartments, until vacant houses are available. For these recruits, a queue has been created on the basis of their date of joining and not on hierarchy, with the most recent recruit going to the last in the queue. Execution of this policy is the responsibility of the FuRSCA Chief Administrative O cer(CAO), who reports to the Director of FuRSCA.
Rawng Regrud joins FuRSCA recently and is placed third in the housing queue. He has been temporarily housed in a studio apartment. Given that the studio apartment is too small, he requests his sister to take care of their ailing parents while he awaits a regular house allotment. As months pass, his sister nds it di cult to accommodate her parents along with her in-laws. She requests Rawng to accommodate them with his family. Since he is third in the queue, he may not get a house allotted in the near future. He approaches the CAO with a request to be moved up the queue on humanitarian grounds.
Which of the following responses by the CAO shall be perceived as the most appropriate by all the stakeholders?
B
Step-by-Step Solution
Key idea: This is a stakeholder management and fairness question. The CAO must balance humanitarian concerns with the integrity of the queue system. The key is to find a solution that is perceived as "appropriate by all stakeholders," meaning it must be fair to those in the queue, empathetic to Rawng, and procedurally correct for the CAO.
Step 1: Analyze the Constraints.
- Policy: Queue based on date of joining.
- Situation: Rawng is 3rd. He has a humanitarian need (ailing parents).
- Goal: Action perceived as appropriate by ALL stakeholders (Rawng, the 2 people ahead, the organization).
Step 2: Evaluate Options.
Option A: Ask Rawng to meet the Director. This passes the buck. The CAO is responsible for execution. It might lead to an exception, but it doesn't solve the immediate perception of fairness among peers. It also undermines the CAO's role.
Option B: Ask Rawng to negotiate with the two scientists ahead. This is a decentralized, fair approach. If the two ahead agree to swap, no one is forced. It respects their position in the queue (they have the right to say no) and helps Rawng if they agree. It is perceived as fair because it relies on consent, not authority bias.
Option C: Inform nothing can be done. This is rigid and ignores the humanitarian aspect. Stakeholders (especially Rawng) will perceive this as insensitive.
Option D: Facilitate city housing. This is a generous alternative, but it might be seen as "buying off" the problem or creating a parallel system. It doesn't address the queue issue directly and might be costly/unavailable. It also doesn't involve the other stakeholders in the queue.
Option E: Move Rawng to top and change rule. This violates the current policy and unfairly penalizes those ahead of him. They will definitely perceive this as inappropriate/unfair.
Step 3: Conclusion.
Option B is the most appropriate. It empowers the stakeholders to reach a consensus. If Rawng convinces the others, the swap happens voluntarily. If not, the queue remains intact. This preserves fairness (no one is forced out of turn) and shows empathy (allowing the attempt).
Answer: B