(a) The Rules and Regulations provided to all the civil servants are same, yet there is difference in the performance. Positive minded officers are able to interpret the Rules and Regulations in favour of the case and achieve success, whereas negative minded officers are unable to achieve goals by interpreting the same Rules and Regulations against the case. Discuss with illustrations. (b) It is believed that adherence to ethics in human actions would ensure in smooth functioning of an organization/system. If so, what does ethics seek to promote in human life? How do ethical values assist in the resolution of conflicts faced by him in his day-to-day functioning?

(a) Same rules, different performance

Rules are inherently open-textured and leave room for discretion. A positive-minded officer reads them purposively — asking how the rule can enable the citizen's legitimate need — and finds lawful ways to say 'yes', while a negative-minded officer reads them defensively to find reasons to refuse, protecting himself rather than serving the purpose. Attitude, not the text, makes the difference. For example, faced with an incomplete relief application, a positive officer guides completion and sanctions aid; a negative officer rejects it on technical grounds. The 'ease of doing business' and single-window reforms succeeded where officials interpreted rules facilitatively; the same rules elsewhere bred red tape. Purposive, citizen-centric interpretation — within the bounds of legality — converts rules from barriers into tools.

(b) What ethics seeks to promote

Ethics seeks to promote the good — human welfare, justice, dignity, trust and harmony — by guiding conduct toward right ends through right means. It cultivates virtue, aligns self-interest with collective good, and gives life meaning beyond expediency. In day-to-day functioning, ethical values resolve conflicts by supplying decision principles: integrity settles clashes between temptation and duty; impartiality resolves competing claims fairly; empathy balances rules with human need; and accountability guides choices under pressure. When self-interest, hierarchy and public duty collide, internalised values act as a compass, enabling consistent, defensible decisions and preserving the official's inner harmony and public trust.