CASE STUDY

Read, analyze and understand the case carefully.

Mr. Ram is a Civil engineer and an Interior designer by profession. He studied in India and went to different countries like America, London, Japan, and Canada to accomplish building construction projects as he got offers from many big companies from all over the world. Mr. Ram was a very good engineer but he wanted to make more money in a short span of time and settle quickly in life. Mr. Ram was 40 years old and whenever his parents insisted on him to get married he would deny it. However, he always had a dream to make more and maximum money before settling in life. As the years went by, Mr. Ram became very popular in many parts of the world. One day he got a project from the Middle East from Shaikh Mujibur Rahman who was a very rich, generous, and Islamic man. He heard a lot about Mr. Ram so he offered him a job for his mall construction project and specified to him that it should have everything in it.

Now, the Middle East contract was in the hands of Mr. Ram. In this regard, he approached a building material shop that belonged to Shaikh Mujibur Rahman but Mr. Ram did not know that it was Shaikhs shop. He called the salesperson (employee) from the shop and told him to supply him all building materials and also not to give original cement, instead to mix the cement with sand. But whenever he makes a bill for the same he requested the salesman to make a quotation separately for original cement, sand, and also for any other item purchased Mr. Ram said, for this, he will give him 5% commission. This salesperson is working for the shaikh for the past 30 years and also his father worked for him and he can never think about cheating the Shaikh. He was confused to seek his commission or inform to the shaikh. The salesman told everything to Shaikh. On knowing this Shaikh got very annoyed and said the salesman to just follow the orders of Mr. Ram and not to let him know that it is his shop.

Mr. Ram was thinking that he can fool the shaikh and make more money quickly and vanish from here. Meanwhile, he learnt that the limestone is of very good quality in Middle East so that he can make idols and sell them to Americans, etc. as they are crazy for idols and also to Indians as they worship them. Mr. Ram started trading idols made of limestone from the Middle East to other foreign countries. Unfortunately, the bad luck for Mr. Ram started, the Shaikh one day suddenly called the quality inspector at the site and checked the amount of cement mixed with sand and caught him red-handed and also found that he was exporting the limestone from the middle east to other foreign countries in the name of the Shaikh. Because of his greed, Mr. Ram was imprisoned and penalized with millions of dollars as he was trading in things that were not permitted in Islamic countries.

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Questions:

1. According to the Islamic perspective what is the prohibited matter in business mentioned in the case study? Explain

2. What is the ethical dilemma in this case with the Salesman?

3. Who is Mr. Ram and how does he exploit shaikh of the Middle east. Which principle is violated by Mr. Ram?

4. If you are in the place of Mr. Ram what you will do? What should have been the ethical approach of Mr. Ram and What ethical decision he must have made?

5. Explain any other prohibited matters in business according to the Islamic perspective which you like the most and why you like it by quoting an example from your own life.