WHISTLEBLOWING

Whistle blowing in its most general form

involves calling(public)attention to wrong
doing, typically in order to avert harm.
Whistle blowing is an attempt by a member or
former member of an organization to
disclose wrong doing in or by the
organization.
 Kinds of Whistle blowing:
 Internal Whistle blowing is made to someone
within the organization.
 Personal Whistle blowing is blowing the
whistle on the offender, here the charge is
not against the organization or system but
against one individual.
 3. The impersonal, External Whistle
Blowing.

Rarely whistleblower are honored as

heroes by their fellow workers, for the
following reasons:
 Those did not blow the whistle guilty of
immorality.

 They doubt the loyalty of the whistle blower

to the employer.

 The whistleblower is perceived as a traitor, as

someone who has damage the firm - the
working family to which he/she belongs.
  CRITERIA FOR JUSTIFIABLE
WHISTLEBLOWING:
 According to Richard T De George there are
three conditions that must hold for whistle-
blowing to be morally permissible, and two
additional conditions that must hold for it to
be morally obligatory. The three conditions
that must hold for it to be morally permissible
are:
 1. The firm through its product or policy will
do serious and considerable harm to the
public, whether in the person of the user of
its product, an innocent bystander, or the
general public.
2. Once an employee identifies a serious
threat to the user of a product or to the
general public, he or she should report it to
his or her immediate superior and make his
or her moral concern known. Unless he or
she does so, the act of Whistle blowing is not
justifiable.
 3. If one's immediate superior does nothing
effective about the concern or complaint, the
employee should exhaust the internal
procedures and possibilities within the firm.
This usually will involve taking the matter up
the managerial ladder, and if necessary and
possible to the board of directors.
 The two additional conditions for
Whistle blowing to be morally
obligatory:
 4. Whistleblower must have accessible
documented evidence that would convince a
reasonable, impartial observer that one's view
of the situation is correct, and that the
company's product or practice posses a
serious and likely danger to the public or to
the user of the product.
 5. The employee must have good
reason to believe that by going
public the necessary changes will
be brought about. The chance of
being successful must be worth the
risk one takes and danger to which
one is exposed.
 George further believes that situation which
involve serious body harm or death are so
different from non-physical harm, such as
financial harm as a result of fraud. He says
non physical harm is not as serious an injury
as suffering physical harm.
 Morally justifiable whistle-blowing are
easier, safer and more efficacious.
 Because directors share holders and
other authorities don't pay much
attention to pretty or unproven
complaints.