CASE STUDIES FOR PRACTICE - 5th March 2025

 

Case Study 1: Addressing Child Marriage in a Backward Region

Scenario:
 

You are appointed as the District Magistrate of a region where child marriage is still practiced as a customary tradition. Some communities justify it as a way to protect girls from social threats and ensure their safety. During a field visit, you encounter Muskan, a 13-year-old girl from a poor family of landless agricultural laborers. Her parents are pressured by the village elders to marry her off to a 30-year-old man for a sum of Rs 20,000. They argue that, in a region facing high unemployment and rising incidents of violence against young girls, this marriage would provide protection for Muskan. Despite your efforts to explain the legal and ethical consequences of child marriage, including the loss of education and the harmful physical and mental effects on Muskan, her parents remain fearful and feel powerless to oppose the community's pressure.
 

Ethical Dilemma:
 

You are caught between respecting cultural practices and your moral responsibility to protect the human rights of the vulnerable, especially the girl child. You must take action to prevent this injustice while being sensitive to the cultural and economic realities of the community.
 

Solution:
 

(a) Measures to Prevent Child Marriages:

1. Create a Rapid Response Team: Form a dedicated task force to identify and intervene in cases of child marriage before they occur.
2. Mapping Vulnerable Families: Identify families most at risk of child marriage through local social workers, health officers, and community leaders.
3. Strengthen Support Networks: Collaborate with NGOs and child protection organizations to enhance reporting mechanisms and ensure swift intervention.
4. Regular Monitoring: Use existing networks like Anganwadi workers and teachers to monitor at-risk children and raise awareness.
5. Legal Action: Take strict legal action against families and community members facilitating child marriages.
6. Provide Emergency Shelters: Set up temporary shelters for girls at risk to ensure their safety.
    

(b) Changing the Community Mindset:

1. Engage Community Leaders: Involve respected village elders, religious leaders, and local influencers to advocate against child marriage and raise awareness.
2. Showcase Positive Role Models: Highlight stories of successful women who avoided child marriage and thrived through education and career.
3. Awareness Campaigns: Conduct awareness programs focused on the social, health, and economic costs of child marriage, including the benefits of educating girls.
4. Incentivize Education: Offer scholarships, free school supplies, or other incentives for families who send their girls to school.
5. Use Cultural Platforms: Organize street plays, songs, or community theater that communicate the harms of child marriage in a culturally relatable way.
    

(c) Ensuring Muskan’s Safety and Education:

1. Immediate Protection: Place Muskan under the supervision of a child protection officer to ensure her immediate safety and prevent any marriage from occurring.
2. Enrolment in School: Enroll Muskan in a residential school or provide transportation to a nearby school to ensure uninterrupted education.
3. Family Support: Offer counseling and financial assistance programs to Muskan’s family, such as connecting them with government poverty alleviation schemes.
4. Long-Term Support: Provide a scholarship for Muskan’s education, link her family to economic development programs, and provide career counseling when she’s older.

 

Case Study 2: Ethical Dilemma in Marketing Organic Products
 

Scenario:
 

You are working in the marketing department of ShopX, a major retail chain selling groceries, home appliances, and personal care items. The company plans to launch a new organic beauty product range called 'Natura', sourced from botanical extracts and essential oils. The product line is positioned as a green, sustainable option targeting young urban consumers. However, a recent investigation revealed that the supplier of one of the key ingredients uses child labor and toxic discharge practices, violating the company’s ethical supplier code. Additionally, the packaging, although marketed as eco-friendly, is not as sustainable as claimed due to energy-intensive manufacturing processes that contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, some products in the range contain a controversial ingredient that can cause mild skin irritation, even though it is within legal limits.

The management is aware of these issues but is concerned about the financial implications of changing suppliers or delaying the product launch. They are also unwilling to modify the packaging design due to already invested resources. As a marketing manager, you must navigate these ethical issues while considering the company's business goals.
 

Solution:
 

(a) Ethical Dilemmas in the Case:

1. Child Labor: Using a supplier that engages in child labor is a violation of basic human rights and the company’s ethical standards.
2. Environmental Impact: The product’s packaging, although marketed as sustainable, has a significant environmental footprint due to its energy-intensive manufacturing process.
3. Health Risks: The controversial ingredient in some products, although within legal limits, poses a potential risk to consumer health and trust.
4. Profit vs Ethics: The dilemma of balancing profit goals with the ethical responsibilities of ensuring consumer safety, environmental sustainability, and social justice.
    

(b) Balancing Financial Goals with Ethical Responsibilities:

1. Supplier Audit and Ethical Sourcing: Conduct a thorough audit of suppliers and ensure that no unethical practices (like child labor) are involved. Switch to ethically sound suppliers if necessary.
2. Transparent Communication: Be transparent with consumers about the sourcing and production processes. If changes are made to improve ethical standards, communicate these efforts to build brand trust.
3. Invest in Sustainable Packaging: Despite the initial investment in packaging, explore alternative eco-friendly packaging options that align with the company’s commitment to sustainability.
4. Reformulation of Products: Consider reformulating the products that contain the controversial ingredient to minimize skin irritation risks, even if this incurs additional costs.
5. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Implement stronger CSR practices by aligning with fair labor practices, environmental sustainability, and consumer health as key pillars of the brand.
    

(c) Potential Consequences of Ignoring Ethical Concerns:

1. Loss of Consumer Trust: If the company continues with unethical sourcing and misleading marketing, it could lose consumer trust, especially among environmentally and socially conscious buyers.
2. Reputational Damage: Negative publicity regarding child labor, environmental harm, or health risks could tarnish the company’s reputation and brand image.
3. Legal Consequences: Ignoring the child labor issue could lead to legal actions, such as violations of child labor laws or consumer protection regulations.
4. Employee Morale: Company employees may feel demotivated if they are forced to work for an organization that compromises on ethics, leading to a decline in morale and productivity.
5. Long-Term Financial Impact: While focusing on short-term profits, the company risks damaging its long-term sustainability, losing market share, and facing investor skepticism about its ethical practices.

 

In conclusion, balancing financial goals with ethical responsibilities requires a commitment to corporate integrity and long-term sustainability. Ignoring ethical concerns may offer short-term gains, but it risks long-term brand damage, legal consequences, and a loss of consumer trust.