Wrongdoings happen all around the world. Whether on a small or large scale, immoral practices such as abuse of power, cheating, money laundering, etc. are common in almost all of the countries. Whenever these cases happen, many people are bribed into concealing the secret and do so as they are told. This act causes that particular practice to grow and do even more damage to society while still being unknown to the innocent public. Although, there is almost always a person involved who is against the practice and wants to reveal what’s happening to world. Unfortunately, those who speak out, also known as whistleblowers, end up facing harsh consequences. What did these people do wrong? The point being, Whistleblowers should be protected because they uncover secrets that affect the public, expose unethical practices and help make the future better. One such example of bravery would be former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden who revealed the NSA’s mass surveillance program, PRISM. He leaked several documents bringing the PRISM program into existence which caused uproar against it and companies which supported it. His action brought to the publics’ eyes how the government was violating their privacy. Daniel Raphael, a college student, stated that “Most importantly of all perhaps is that it violates the first amendment, as it violates freedom of speech in a very real way, as we have now all been labeled as guilty until proven innocent.” (Raphael). Even though he was a hero in people like Raphael’s eyes, the government and much of the media demonized him. He had to leave his life in the U.S.A and flee to Hong Kong just to seek refuge. What did he do wrong? He exposed something he thought affected the public. He exposed something which t... ... middle of paper ... ...ted Cohn, Marjorie. Bradley Manning: An American Hero. 09 09 2010. 20 11 2013 . Dreyfuss, Ben. What is the NSA's PRISM program? (FAQ). 07 07 2012. 20 11 2012 . Kempa, Darcy. Edward Snowden News: Snowden Finally Reveals Himself to Be a Traitor. 25 07 2012. 20 11 2013 . Mohr, Angie. Whistleblowers And Their Impact On Business. 19 01 2012. 14 11 2013 . Raphael, Daniel. Why Edward Snowden Is a Hero. 07 11 2013. 20 11 2012 .
Hughes Microelectronics is a company that were found to have unethical practices during the 1980’s when handling government contracts. This was brought to light by two whistleblowers that worked for the company at the time. The purpose of this is to review four main questions concerning the situation and how it was handled ethically by the whistleblower. The first and second parts will be fairly similar what were the responsibilities of the company itself, what were the responsibilities of the main whistleblower Margaret Goodearl. Next, the conflict between the two parties will be examined and also whether or not the situation was handled ethically. Lastly the question of whether or not whistleblowing is the most ethical solution
Corruption is a persistent problem that plagues the world and it knows no boundaries. Transparency International defines it as the “abuse of entrusted power for private gain” (2013). For the purposes of this thread, ‘corruption’ is defined as any individual, collective, or structural act or process that permits the use of public authority or position for private gain. This definition captures the broad and many ways individuals and institutions abuse power and the public trust. In regard to whistleblowing, much conflict stems from the context in which the whistleblower is viewed. We will examine the case of NYPD Narcotics Detective Frank Serpico who was regarded a snitch and a rat by fellow officers who were on the take and complete a what would you do dilemma.
First I will be telling you about the pressure of being a “whistleblower”. In Fahrenheit 451 the pressure of being a “whistleblower” is so real, everyone is told to rat out everyone who has a book in their household, if they find out they have a book in the home it is burned to the ground. This is related to our society because we are pressured to do what is right, and part of my belief system is to do what is right and to point out what is wrong. For example if someone were to gossip behind their back I would try to stand up and tell them it is wrong and tell the person what the others said
Keck, Zachary. "Yes, Edward Snowden Is a Traitor." The Diplomat. N.p., 21 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2014
The act of whistle-blowing is an ethical issue that all employees have the right to. Whether they decide to make the corrupt information known publicly or anonymously, the information they provide can protect everyone involved. The ethical and moral sides of whistle-blowing can go both ways. In order to protect the customers, patients, or consumers of the harmful products the companies are offering, employees that have morals and feel the need to make the truth be known have an ethical responsibility to do so. Issues of being a whistle-blower are more controversial than the responsibilities of the employees doing so. When a whistle-blower takes action, they expose information from their company that it not meant to be public. They basically turn their backs away from their company and colleagues by revealing the truth. When surveying these issues, an employee who is torn by exposing information or keeping silent must decide whether it is more ethical to stay loyal to their organization or to the organization's
Today’s shunned people are a new breed. With the internet, information spreads like a wildfire, creating scandals over night and created a person into an outcast. One of the most prevailing examples of this kind of person is Edward Snowden. Snowden worked for the U.S government for many years in both the CIA and the NSA. While working for the government, he found many things wrong with the way they functioned, but figured that the 2008 election of Barack Obama would create reforms in the government(Greenwald, MacAskill, and Poitras). To Snowden’s dismay, no reform came; in fact, Obama pushed for the same corrupt policies that Snowden hated(Greenwald, MacAskill, and Poitras). In 2013, Snowden felt it was time to released the confidential government documents he had been so concerned over to the internet, for whom he trust to make what need to be public and what needed to stay secret(Greenwald, MacAskill, and Poitras). His motives for doing so seemed harmless enough. When asked why he released the documents, he said “There are all so...
In this climate of deteriorating government transparency, whistleblowers expose corruption to the public which may otherwise never come to light. In recent history, whistleblowers have been vital in revealing government corruption. In one of the first large scale leaks, “the whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg leaked US government files known as the Pentagon Papers, whi...
Cassidy, John. "Why Edward Snowden Is a Hero." The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
Organizations that are more established and prosperous will have a more favorable way of looking at acts of whistleblowing and will have more resources at its disposal to devote to investigate the claims of the whistleblowers. On the other hand those firms which are less prosperous may see acts of whistleblowing as a threat to their existence and, have a hostile climate in general towards whistleblowing. The acts of whistleblowing may be perceived differently by different people in the organization. The superiors and the supervisors of the whistleblower may see such an act as questioning their ability, integrity and conduct. The fellow employees and colleagues may perceive the whistleblower as being disloyal to the company and the owners and the top management may see it as an effort on the part of the whistleblower to destroy the organizational image and threaten its stability. It is thus difficult to predict the outcomes across organizations in case of whistleblowing. A number of factors determine the outcome but these factors and the outcome itself vary from organization to organization and from individual to individual (Paul and Townsend,
Board, The Editorial. “Edward Snowden, Whistle-Blower.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 May. 2014
“Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage” (Confucius Quotes, 2012). The person who does her duty, at great risk to her own interest, when most others would defy from fear is considered a hero (Schafer, 2004). Dr. Nancy Olivieri is a hero who blew the whistle on Apotex, University of Toronto (U of T) and the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC); and fought for her academic rights till the end. Whistle-blowing refers to actions of an employee that breach her loyalty to the organization but serves the public interest. When other constraints proved to be ineffective, whistle-blowing acts as a check on authority of the organization. Whistle-blowers expose severe forms of corruption, waste, and abuse of power within their organization and put the organization in a position where it is answerable to the public, thus enhancing its accountability (Cooper, 2006, pg. 198-205).
I want to learn more about the whistleblowing in the country that I am studying, so I looked up the journey of whistleblowing in the America. U.S. has a long history on whistleblowing. The first whistleblower is Benjamin Franklin in 1773, which
As a recently hired Chief Operating Officer (COO) in a midsize company, multiple personal problems are quickly discovered that require immediate attention. As an astute manager, there is a need to analyze the employment-at-will doctrine and determine if there are any exceptions and liabilities before taking any action. In addition to the personal problems, it is discovered that the company has a no whistleblower policy. By the end of this paper, you will be able to review a summary of the employment at will doctrine, review scenarios of the personal problems of the company and determine if the employee could be legally fired, get an overview of ethical theories, identify whether or not the company should adopt a whistleblower policy, and review justifications of at least three (3) fundamental items that should be included in a whistleblower policy.
Whistleblowing is the action of an employee, who reports any unethical violations they see or come across in the firm. Employees should be encouraged to practise whistleblowing, also, organisations should encourage them to act up against unethical behavior.
Whistle blowing is an attempt of an employee or former employee of a company to reveal what he or she believes to be a wrongdoing in or by a company or organization. Whistle blowing tries to make others aware of practices that are considered illegal or immoral. If the wrongdoing is reported to someone in the company it is said to be internal. Internal whistle blowing tends to do less damage to the company. There is also external whistle blowing. This is where the wrongdoing is reported to the media and brought to the attention of the public. This type of whistle blowing tends to affect the company in a negative way because of bad publicity. It is said that whistle blowing is personal if the wrongdoing affects the whistle blower alone (like sexual harassment), and said to be impersonal if the wrongdoing affects other people. Many people whistle blow for two main reasons: morality and revenge.