Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Blowing the
Whistle
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Learning Outcomes
• Explain the term whistle-blower, and distinguish between
internal and external whistle-blowing.
• Understand the different motivations of a whistle-blower.
• Evaluate the possible consequences of ignoring the concerns
of a whistle-blower.
• Recommend how to build internal policies to address the
needs of whistle-blowers.
• Analyze the possible risks involved in becoming a whistle-
blower.
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
What is Whistle-Blowing?
Whistle-blower
• Employee who discovers corporate misconduct and chooses to bring it to
the attention of others.
Internal whistle-blowing
External whistle-blowing
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Ethics of Whistle-Blowing 1
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Ethics of Whistle-Blowing 2
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
When is Whistle-Blowing Ethical? 1
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
When is Whistle-Blowing Ethical? 2
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Civil False Claims Act
• Whistle-blowers who expose fraudulent behavior against the
government are entitled to between 10 and 30 percent of the
amount recovered.
• Strengthened to make it easier and safer for whistle-blowers
to come forward.
• Qui Tam lawsuits: Brought on behalf of the federal
government by a whistle-blower under the False Claims Act of
1863.
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
When is Whistle-Blowing Unethical?
• Motivated by financial gain or media attention.
• Employee is carrying out a vendetta against the company.
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Duty to Respond
• Employees are becoming increasingly willing to respond to
any questionable behavior they observe in the workplace.
• Responding to whistle-blowers means addressing their
concerns and not firing them.
• Prior to 2002, legal protection for whistle-blowers existed only
through legislation that did not offer any safeguards against
retaliation aimed at them.
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989
• Addressed the issue of retaliation against federal employees.
• Imposed specific performance deadlines in processing
whistle-blower complaints.
• Guaranteed anonymity of the whistle-blower.
• Required prompt payment of any portion of the settlement
entitled to the whistle-blower.
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Takes an integrated approach of whistle-blowing by:
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Protection Act
Introduced a new reward program for whistle-blowers who
report securities law violations to:
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Addressing the Needs of Whistle-Blowers
• Well-defined process to document how whistle-blower
complaints are handled.
• Whistle-blower hotline: Telephone line by which employees
can leave messages to alert a company of suspected
misconduct without revealing their identity.
• Prompt and thorough investigation of all complaints.
• Detailed report of all investigations.
Copyright © 2021 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Whistle Blowing as a Last Resort
Unceasing media attention and the terminal damage should be
considered a catalyst for the organization to take remedial steps.
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