Table Of ContentP M  
RACTICE  ANUAL
Intermediate (IPC) Course 
 
 
 
 
 
P : 2
APER   
 
 
 
B L , E  
USINESS  AWS   THICS 
AND
C  
OMMUNICATION
 
 
VOLUME – II
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BOARD OF STUDIES 
THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS OF INDIA 
i 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
This practice manual has been prepared by the faculty of the Board of Studies. The 
objective of the practice manual is to provide teaching material to the students to enable 
them to obtain knowledge and skills in the subject. Students should also supplement their 
study  by  reference  to  the  recommended  text  books.  In  case  students  need  any 
clarifications or have any suggestions to make for further improvement of the material 
contained herein, they may write to the Director of Studies. 
All care has been taken to provide interpretations and discussions in a manner useful for 
the students. However, the practice manual has not been specifically discussed by the 
Council of the Institute or any of its Committees and the views expressed herein may not 
be taken to necessarily represent the views of the Council or any of its Committees. 
Permission of the Institute is essential for reproduction of any portion of this material. 
 
  THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS OF INDIA 
 
All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or 
transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or 
otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. 
Revised Edition  :  July, 2013 
Website  :  www.icai.org 
E-mail  :  [email protected] 
Committee /  :  Board of Studies 
Department 
ISBN No.  :   
 
Price  :  `  
 
Published by  :  The Publication Department on behalf of the Institute of Chartered 
Accountants  of  India,  ICAI  Bhawan,  Post  Box  No.  7100, 
Indraprastha Marg, New Delhi – 110 002 
Printed by  :   
 
ii 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
A W P M  
  ORD ABOUT  RACTICE  ANUAL
The Board of Studies, the academic wing of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has 
been taking proactive initiatives in imparting the distance education to the students pursuing the 
Chartered Accountancy Course. Keeping in view of the requirements of the curriculum, the time 
available with the students, integration of training vis-à-vis industrial expectation, it is necessary 
that students should have a holistic learning and not a mere rote learning. CA students have a wide 
choice in learning the subject through the mode of text books, study modules, compilation of 
answers to the past years examination questions, revisionary test papers, supplementary study 
material on the subject updates, teleconference classes and other reference inputs. Despite the 
various options, it is found that when it comes to the examination requirements, most of them do 
not come to the expectation level even though students have put in their best efforts. There may be 
several causes as to their performance in the examination and it is therefore necessary that a 
student from the very beginning of his career need to know as to what is the best way of 
approaching the examination. 
The plan, preparation and proceeding with each of the subject differ widely and therefore one 
should customize his study accordingly. At the Intermediate (IPC) level, Paper-2 deals with 
Business Laws, Ethics and Communication, where the level of knowledge prescribed is that of 
‘Working knowledge’. The paper consists of three parts, Part I relating to Business Laws carrying a 
weightage of 60 marks with the objective that students are ‘able to analyze and apply various 
provisions  of  the  Business  Laws  constituting  the  Indian  Contract  Act,1872,  the  Negotiable 
Instruments  Act,1881,the  Payment  of  Bonus  Act,1965,the  Employees’  Provident  Funds  and 
Miscellaneous Provisions Act,1952,the Payment of Gratuity Act,1972 and the Companies Act, 
1956  in practical situations’ . Part II relating to Ethics carrying weightage of 20 marks dealing with 
issues relating to business ethics and the objective is ‘to have understanding of ethical issues in 
business’. Part III consisting of Communication carrying weightage of 20 marks including the 
communication in general, in business environment along with the drafting of simple deeds and 
documents relating to business. Accordingly, preparation should be proceeded with care, concern 
and caution. 
The study material serves as a basic input for the subject and the student’s study is complete when 
he synchronizes with other related publications of the institute as mentioned above. It is in this 
context, the Board of Studies thought it fit that there should be a common material which should 
provide him all the inputs at one place and for this purpose, a new avatar of study requirements 
have been introduced for the benefit of students community, which is known as ‘Practice Manual’. 
What is Practice Manual? 
As the name suggests, that examination is an art, where you require constant practice in solving as 
many problems as possible. After studying the basic study material, a student has to synchronize it 
with examination. It is in this context, the Practice Manual will fill up the gap. As the name 
suggests, the practice manual contains lot of solved questions and some practical exercises with 
iii 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
hints wherever necessary. It is in fact a compilation of various practical problems whether it is from 
past years or practical or based on amendments in relevant laws and other problems culled from 
different sources. As compared to the study material, this practice manual proceeds with the 
subject from beginning to end. In other words, since it is a law subject, chapterization in this 
Practice Manual has been done topic-wise as given under the study material. You will come across 
definition clauses, important provisions which have bearing on application and interpretation and so 
forth. By this method of study you will know the genesis of 
•  The analysis part 
•  The application part 
•  The interpretation part 
•  The judgement part 
•  The sequence part 
•  The logical part 
•  The clarity part 
•  The concise part 
•  The secretarial part 
•  And above all the conclusion part. 
Contents of Practice Manual   
This practice manual is segregated into 19 Chapters dealing with the Business Laws starting from 
Chapter on the Indian Contract Act,1872 and ending with Chapter on the Companies Act,1956. 
Besides there is a chapter on Ethics and Communication. All the questions given in the practice 
manual goes topic -wise that have been arranged and given in the respective study material.  
Before reading the question, remember the sequence of the chapter in the study material and its 
subject-matter. This will help you in not only having a grasp of the subject, your grip in the subject 
will ultimately be reflected. Problems have been carefully chosen from various sources so that you 
come across different application and its implication in practical situations. 
This  revised  Practice  Manual  contains  the  questions  and  answers  of  2012(  May  & 
November) attempts as well  updations in relevance to the answer as per the recent 
amendments made in the  law. Any kind of modification or changes carried out in the 
Practice Manual are laid down in the bold italics, for the making out the difference.  
Your valuable suggestions 
All steps have been taken to make reading of practice manual, resourceful and useful. Since 
amendments in law are a continuous process, we endeavor to update the answers in tune with the 
changes wherever necessary. In case if you have any suggestions for fine tuning, mail us at 
[email protected] , [email protected] or [email protected]  
 
 
iv 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
To end 
Remember the words of Sir Francis Bacon, ‘Reading maketh a full man, Conference a ready man, 
and  Writing  an  exact  man.  We  hope  the  Practice  Manual  will  facilitate  the  students  in 
understanding where they lack in their self-study and steps to overcome them. Read the practice 
manual wholly with diligence and attention. 
We wish you a resourceful reading and good luck . 
 
 
 
 
Happy Reading and Best Wishes!
v 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
Paper – 2: Business Laws, Ethics and Communication 
Statement showing topic-wise distribution of Examination Questions along with Marks 
Topics  Term of Examination  Total  Avg. 
May 2010  Nov. 2010  May 2011  Nov. 2011  May 2012  Mark Marks 
s 
No.  Chapter Name  Q  M  Q  M  Q  M  Q  M  Q  M 
1  The Indian Contract  Act,  1(c)(i)   1  1(b)(II)(iii)   1  1(b)(I)(i)  1  1(a),  5  1(a)  5  57  11.4 
1872  1(a)  5  1(b)(I)(ii)  1  1(b)(II)(i)   1  3(a),  8  3(a)  8 
  1(b)(ii)  1  1(b)(I)(i)  1  1(a)  5  6(c)(i),  1  6(c)(i)  1 
1(c)(ii)  1  1(b)(II)(i)  1  1(b)(II)(ii)  1  6(c)(ii)  1  6(c)(ii)  1 
1(b)(II)(ii)  1  1(b)(II)(iii)  1 
1(a)  5 
2  The  Negotiable  Instruments  1(c)(iii)   1  5(a)   8  1(b)(I)(ii)  1  5(a)  8  5(a)  8  39  7.8 
Act,1881  3   5  5(a)   8 
3  The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965   1(b)(i)   1   2(a)   8   2(a)   8  2(a)(i),  4  2(a)(i)  4  30  6.0 
4   5 
 
4  The Employees’ Provident Funds  5   5  7(a)   4  7(a)   4  7(a)  4  7(a)  4  21  4.2 
and  Miscellaneous  Provisions     
Act,1952 
5  The Payment of Gratuity Act,1972  6   5  3(a)   8  3(a)   8  2(a)(ii)  4  2(a)(ii)  4  29  5.8 
6  The Companies Act,1956                         
  Preliminary  2(a)  5  7(b)   4  1(c)    5  4(a),   8  4(a)  8  75  15 
  2(c)(i)   1      1(d)   5  5(b)  4  6(a)  8 
8   8  6(a)   8  6(c)(iii)  1  6(c)(iii)  1 
7(b)   4  6(c)(iv),  1 
  7(b)  4 
  Prospectus  2(c)(ii)  1  1(c)  5  7(b)  4  1(b),  5  6(c)(iv)  1  35  7 
vi 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
1(d)(I)(i)  1      6(a),  8  7(b)  4 
1(d)(I)(ii)  1  7(c)  4 
1(d)(II)(iii)  1 
4(a)  8 
7(b)  4 
  Shares & Share Capital  2(b)(i)  1      4(a)  8      1(b)  5  23  4.6 
  7  5      5(b)  4 
  Meetings  2(b)(ii)  1  1(d)(I)(i)  1          7(c)  4  26  5.2 
2(c)(iii)  1  1(d)(II)(ii)  1     
9  5  6(a)  8 
10  5 
7  Principles of Business Ethics      2(b)   4      2(b)   4      14  2.8 
3(b)   4 
5(b)(ii)   2 
8  Corporate  Governance  and  11(a)   2 ½  7(c)   4  5(b)(i)   2  3(b)   4  7(d)  4  23  4.6 
Corporate Social Responsibility  13(i)   2 ½   7(d)   4 
9  Workplace Ethics      4(b)   4  2(b)   8  4(b)   4  1(c)(1)  2 ½   33  6.6 
7(c)   4  6(b)   4  1(c)(2)  2 ½ 
4(b)  4  
10  Environment and Ethics  11(b)   2 ½  5(b)(i)   2  5(b)(ii)   2  1(c)(2)   2 ½   3(b)  4  19 ½   3.9 
13(ii)   2 ½   7(c)   4   
11  Ethics in Marketing and Consumer      6(b)   4      1(c)(1)  2 ½  2(b)  4  14 ½   2.9 
Protection  6(b)   4 
12  Ethics in Accounting and Finance  12   5      4(b)   4      7(e)  4  17  3.4 
7(c)   4 
13  Essentials of communication      4(c)   4  4(c)   4  3(c)   4  1(d)  5  45  9 
7(d)   4  5(c)   4  5(c)   4  3(c)  4 
7(d)   4  7(e)   4  5(c)  4 
14  Interpersonal  communication  14(a)   5  6(c)    4  3(b)   8  2(c)   4  4(c)  4  25  5 
vii 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
skills 
15  Group Dynamics          6(c)   4  4(c)   4      12  2.4 
7(d)   4 
16  Communication Ethics              1(d)   5  2(c)  4  9  1.8 
 
17  Communicating  Corporate      5(c)   4              4  0.8 
Culture, Change and Innovative 
18  Communication  in  Business  14(b)   5                  5  1 
Environment 
19  Basic  understanding  of  Legal  15   5  2(c)  4          6(b)  4  22  4.4 
deeds and Documents  16  5  7(d)   4 
 
 
Note:  ‘Q’ represents question numbers as they appeared in the question paper of respective examination. M represents the 
marks which each question carries.   
The question papers of all the past attempts of IPCC can be accessed from the BOS Knowledge Portal on the  Institute’s 
website www.icai.org. 
 
 
 
viii 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
C  
ONTENTS
CHAPTER – 1  The Indian Contract Act, 1872  1.1 – 1.65 
CHAPTER – 2  The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881  2.1 – 2.40 
CHAPTER – 3  The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965  3.1 – 3.27 
CHAPTER – 4  The Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous  4.1 – 4.21 
Provisions Act, 1952 
CHAPTER – 5  The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972  5.1 – 5.12 
CHAPTER – 6  The Companies Act, 1956  6.1 – 6.177 
CHAPTER – 7  Principles of Business Ethics  7.1 – 7.7 
CHAPTER – 8  Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility  8.1 – 8.8 
CHAPTER – 9  Workplace Ethics  9.1 – 9.7 
CHAPTER – 10  Environment and Ethics  10.1 – 10.6 
CHAPTER – 11  Ethics in Marketing and Consumer Protection  11.1 – 11.8 
CHAPTER – 12  Ethics in Accounting and Finance  12.1 – 12.8 
CHAPTER – 13  Essentials of Communication  13.1 – 13.14 
CHAPTER – 14  Interpersonal Communication Skills  14.1 – 14.7 
CHAPTER – 15  Group Dynamics  15.1 – 15.6 
CHAPTER – 16  Communication Ethics  16.1 – 16.3 
CHAPTER – 17  Communication Corporate Culture, Change and Innovative  17.1 – 17.3 
Spirits 
CHAPTER – 18  Communication in Business Environment  18.1 – 18.11 
CHAPTER – 19  Basic Understanding of Legal Deeds and Documents  19.1 – 19.9 
 
ix 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
1 
   
The Indian Contract Act, 1872 
UNIT – 1: BACKGROUND 
What is a contract? 
Question 1 
Define Contract? 
Answer 
An agreement which is legally enforceable is a contract. Agreements which are not legally 
enforceable are not contracts but remain as void agreements or as voidable agreements which 
are enforceable by only one of the parties to the agreement. 
Question 2 
Ram invites Madhuri (a well-known film actress) to his daughter’s engagement and dinner 
party. Madhuri accepts the invitation and promised to attend. Ram made special arrangements 
for Madhuri at the party but she did not turn up. Ram enraged with Madhuri’s behaviour, 
wanted to sue for the loss incurred in making special arrangements. Ram is seeking your 
advice.   
Answer  
No. ‘Ram” cannot sue ‘Madhuri’ for his loss. Because the agreement was a kind of social 
nature and lacked the intention to create legal relationship. 
Question 3 
State with reason whether there is any contract made in the following case as per the Indian 
Contract Act, 1872: 
“J accepts an invitation to dinner but fails to attend”          
Answer 
There is no contract in this case as the parties do not intend that the contract should be 
attended by legal consequences. 
Question 4 
Cash is withdrawn by the customer of a bank from the automatic teller machine is an example of:  
 
© The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India