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Boatright
Chapter 4
Whistle-Blowing
C. H. Quah USM
.
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define what is whistle-blowing? distinguish between blowing the whistle and sounding the alarm. discuss the arguments for and against whistleblowing. identify the elements of a good whistle-blowing policy.
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Whistle-Blower
This terminology was initially used to describe government employees who went public with complaints of corruption or mismanagement but it is now applied to employees in the private sector as well.
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What is Whistle-Blowing?
The voluntary release of non-public information, as a moral protest, by a member or former member of an organization to an appropriate audience outside the normal channels of communication regarding illegal and/or immoral conduct in the organization that is opposed to the public interest.
J. Boatright (1997)
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Must be a member or former member of an organization and not an outsider. Information that is revealed must be non-public information and not facts that are already known.
Information must concern some significant misconduct by the organization or some of its members.
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As agents, they are obligated to work as directed, to protect confidential information and to act in the principals best interest.
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Albert O. Hirschman in his book Exit, Voice and Loyalty, states that:
Members of organizations can respond to
dissatisfaction by:
Leaving the organization Speaking up and making the dissatisfaction known in the hope of bringing about change
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right track.
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The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) provides protection for private sector employees who whistle-blow. employer who retaliates against a whistle-blower may be subject to a fine or imprisonment or both.
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No employer shall dismiss an employee, injure him in his employment, or alter his position to his detriment by reason only that the employee:
(a) Makes a complaint about a matter which he considers is not safe
or is a risk to health;
(b) is a member of a safety and health committee established
(c) exercises any of his functions as a member of the safety and health committee.
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Gazetted in June 2009 and came into force on December 15, 2010. What is the Act about?
To protect individuals who disclose
information on corrupt practices or improper conduct in the public and private sector.
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improper conduct to any enforcement agency based on his belief that any person has, or is preparing to engage in improper conduct. Section 13: the whistleblower shall be informed in the event that the enforcement agency finds that there is not substantial case.
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whistleblowers identity and other information will still be protected even if the case was dropped.
agencies for whistleblowers may be cancelled depending on several factors e.g. if the whistleblower himself has participated in improper conduct or wilfully made a false statement which he/she knew or did not believe to be true.
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place of employment to the whistleblower or any person associated with him to prevent reprisal action being taken against him.
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benefits society through the exposure of illegal activity, waste and mismanagement
employees ought to have a right to act in accordance with ones own conscience.
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their employers
Cover up their own incompetence or inadequate
performance
Would encroach on the right of employers to
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Misuse of government resources by the Director of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department.
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Neil Kinnock for going public three years earlier with revelations of a 130 million discrepancy between two sets of EU accounts.
In a 55-page judgment, the EUs civil tribunal
rejected her appeal to have her dismissal annulled and upheld every single complaint made against her by the commission.
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open their mouth and make any criticism, even strictly professional as I did, they will pay a high price. They will have to prepare to be dismissed and to have no defense.
(Marta Andreasen) Source: www.telegraph.co.uk (15 January 2008)
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Case of McDonald admitting using beef fat to fry their fries [New Straits Times, 21 May 2001]. Case of Jiang Yanyong, an army doctor in China exposing Chinas attempt in covering up the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS] outbreak in 2003
[Star, 27 August 2004]
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An effectively communicated statement of responsibility. A clearly defined procedure for reporting. Trained personnel to receive and investigate reports. A commitment to take appropriate action. A guarantee against retaliation.
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Conclusion
Whistle-blowing involves a conflict between two competing duties, viz. to protect the public or to be loyal to ones organization. As far as the loyalty argument holds, an agent only has an obligation to obey reasonable directives of the principal and not to do anything illegal or immoral. At present, whistle-blowers still suffer persecution or retaliation from employers. Hence, there should be greater legislation in this area to provide whistleblowers greater protection.
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