In a branch of ABC Bank, Branch Manager throughout the year has been under acute pressure to achieve the business targets. At the year-end, he finds that despite his best efforts, he has not been able to achieve the targ

CS Professional · Ethics, Governance and Sustainability · PYQS · December 2018
In a branch of ABC Bank, Branch Manager throughout the year has been under acute pressure to achieve the business targets. At the year-end, he finds that despite his best efforts, he has not been able to achieve the targets given by his team leader. Simultaneously, he found that there are various cash credit limits sanctioned which are not being utilized. On 31st March, he makes debit entries as withdrawals in such unutilized cash credit limits and transfers to current accounts of the borrowers and again reverses these entries on 1st April. In addition, to avoid the mounting pressure of reduction in NPAs, he makes credit transfer entries in cash credit limits not transacted since last six months and reverses these entries on next day after year-end, i.e. 1st April. In this way, he has been able to manage the achievement of his deposits and advances targets. Also, he has temporarily engaged a boy as attendant. As to employ a casual staff, he was required compliance of laid down policy of the bank, he shown payments made to him as water and cleaning charges under different names. He argues that as no loss has been caused to any one, hence he is right. In the light of above answer the following questions: (i) Evaluate his actions in the light of ethical practices and mention which types of ethical issues are there at his branch.

Answer & Explanation:

In the given case, the Branch Manager, in order to achieve the targets assigned to him adopted the following unethical practices: Making debit entries in unutilised cash credit limits and transfer to current account of the borrowers. Making credit transfer entries in cash credit limits not transacted since last 6 months and reversing the said entries on 1st April i.e. after the year end. Temporarily engaging an attendant and showing payments made to him as water and cleaning charges. In light of the above the ethical issues may be summarised as under: Window dressing of the financials: By inflating deposits and to suppress non-performing assets (NPAs), he makes ever-greening of NPAs in violation of RBI directives by manipulating books of accounts. This amounts to cooking of the balance sheet of the branch without real business. Hence these are issues of Ethics in Accounts and Finance . Ethics in compliance: To avoid compliance of laid down procedure to employ a casual worker, he shows the payments as water and cleaning charges in miscellaneous expenses. Hence this is an issue of Ethics in compliance .

Topics: Ethics in Business

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