The concept of whistleblowing in modern days differs from citizens to public servants. From citizens’ perspective, this action is perceived positively because it promotes the public good, and for most public servants, this action is perceived negatively because it damages the reputation of the organization and can ultimately jeopardize national security. The level of importance that is given to whistleblowing depends on its nature, its political context, and how the media portrays it. In the Off-Road Vehicles in Hoosier National Forest case, the supervisor made decisions oblivious to the facts presented by his staff and scientists’ opinions. The Hoosier National Forest’s (HNF) supervisor Girton created a conflict due to his lack of …show more content…
The motivation will determine how the public perceives the whistleblowing. The supervisor was motivated by personal incentives. For example, his two children received trail bikes from American Motorcycle Association (AMA) (O’Leary, p.70). There could be more discussion about conflict of interest on his part, and subsequently the reason of no reaching an outcome that goes according to the regulations and the law. On the other hand, Ferguson was motivated to become a whistleblower when he observed that Girton’s personal interests collide with public interests. Not only the decision of allowing ORV in protected lands in 1971, but the consequences it would bring for the National Forest Service Agency, the organization that he belonged since 1940. He had stepped down from the position of forest supervisor when he married another service employee. This shows he was concerned with any ethical implication that emerged from this relationship in the workplace (O’ Leary, 69). Ferguson proved to be a person of good character and integrity as well as a highly experienced professional in the environmental field. With Girton’s approval of ORV trails— a policy that allowed limited use of the vehicles in a small number of approved areas— Ferguson felt that the organization was being misrepresented and taking a path that did not serve its mission. Therefore, he arrived to the conclusion of changing the path and setting up an example for the future;
In addition, whistleblowers should be portrayed as being good in order for society to begin seeing them in a positive way. Furthermore, the government should make this type of crimes a public matter. Allowing the public to be able to see all charges and outcome regarding these cases could bring out other wrongdoings in other organizations. The government should also impose greater punishment such as jail time for these types of crimes rather than imposing fines that they are able to
7a. In the sermon, “from Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God”, by Jonathan Edwards, there is passion within the text that he believes strongly about the multiple tenets of Puritanism, one of the Puritan philosophical beliefs can be seen as Backsliding. As explained, it would not really matter if compared a person who strayed from the path or a person who has “reformed life in many things, and may had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in [their] families, and closets, it is nothing but [God’s] mere pleasure that [kept] them from being swallowed up in everlasting destruction” (Edward 108). Even though an prestigious church member respects and have an all love towards God, there is no confirmation that one can be truly safe from His wrath. Edward’s sermon brought on, and is repeated of, that people should be aware of their situation in the eyes of God, with metaphors, and a literal sense, the dangers a person could face, and only to be saved through an Irresistable Grace, a slight opening in which one could be saved from their damnation, by denying the call of their true nature. The warning of Backsliding inside the sermon comes from the his own belief that no one is perfectly safe from God, for there is the chance backing away from their beliefs, tempted to disobey, or fall out of place, because in the eyes of Jonathan Edwards, it is but everlasting wrath to everyone.
1. Describe the key characteristics of a whistleblower, and briefly summarize one (1) researched instance of whistleblowing in one (1) publicly traded company within the last 12 months. Include the details of the issue that the whistleblower reported and the effect of the whistleblower’s actions on both the whistleblower himself and the company.
What is the explanation of the standard view on whistleblowing presented by Sissela Bok and reported by Robert Larmer in his article?
The various forms of retribution that whistle-blowers endure at the hands of employers both financially and psychologically for attempting to correct mismanagement, fraud, and dishonesty are often too much for the whistle-blower to bear. Careers are in jeopardy because individuals with strong ethics decide to pursue law suits against their employers. One example is where the US Forest Service employees found their careers ruined by either demotions or loss of jobs when caught speaking out in favor of the environment or sound science, or when
A Study of the literary techniques used by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in Crime and Punishment to convey the downfall and subsequent rise of the main character. "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is the story of a young student Raskolnikov and his need to murder an old woman to prove one of his many philosophies. The book begins with the murder, but the primary focus is on his reasoning and reactions before and after the act. It is set in St Petersburg where the main character, Raskolnikov, appears to be an ex-student living, in poverty, a life of lethargy.
Unfortunately, even though the events of the film are based on real life, the reality is that most whistleblowers are not seen in a positive light. Take, for example, Edward Snowden. Many people believe he is a traitor, while others see him as a patriot standing up for people’s rights. In the business world, whistleblowing is generally regarded as a bad thing. That is unless you are in a position of authority.
In recent history, one extremely controversial case of whistleblowing has been the government leaks caused by Edward Snowden, in which he exposed secret documents from the National Security Agency (NSA), for the entire world to see. The information he released revealed that the communication records of millions of Americans have been kept, whether or not these people had been involved with any suspicious activity (Greenwald). Snowden felt he was justified in releasing the documents, under his belief that collecting private information about innocent citizens is malpractice and that it violates the ideals of democracy (Snowden). This particular example of whistleblowing has been largely disputed among all types of people, from leaders of countries, to CEOs and workers at technology companies, to everyday Americans wondering just how much information the government has filed on them. This enormous controversy can be best understood by recognizing the two principle factors that have lead to dispute.
This report was due to the leak of classified document by Edward Joseph Snowden, a former contractor for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and former worker of the NSA (National Security Agency) through subcontractor Booz Allen Hamilton, a tech consulting firm. Based in the NSA's Oahu office, Edward Snowden was a system administrator as described by intelligence officials. As a system administrator, Snowden action of whistle blowing can be analyzed from different angle with different perspective. The impact of his act on the intelligence gathering itself was devastating. According to Keith Alexander, former NSA director, what Snowden has uncovered has brought about irreversible and noteworthy harm to the United States and its allies (Ackerman and Rushe, 2013). By discussing the harm caused by Snowden leaking the classified documents, we will be evaluating the damage that can be caused by unethical act done by a system administrator. Later on, the impact and reform that Snowden whistle blowing brought to system administration will be
Hayley, I absolutely agree with you. Each individual must make his or her own decision as to whether the disturbing unethical offense is worth the personal cost (Reece 2014, pg 111). When I was personal faced with trying to decide to whistle blow or keep quiet and do nothing at all; I had to tell. I tried to just keep my head down and be silent but, the silence was literally making me sick. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, and what I knew was constantly on my mind, I felt like I couldn’t function properly. The reason I was unable to function was because not being honest was not in my charter. I made the decision to be the whistleblower, and yes I did receive some back lash but for me that was better than the silence. Every individual is different,
Law enforcement has always been an example to their citizens because of the values that these institutions represent like leadership, integrity, fairness, team work and service orientation. When one of these values is broken the rest start falling apart and it slowly starts spreading among the rest of the personnel in the institution until one decides to stand up for what is right. These officers are called “whistleblowers” this term was created in the early 1970s by US civic activist Ralph Nader, this word was used to avoid the negative terms like “snitches” or “informers” and it makes reference to a referee who uses its whistle to call out a foul play. Just like some officers who have spoken out on their colleagues actions. Most
The annotated bibliography is the second of four main projects in this writing course. I have never done an annotated bibliography before, so this was a learning experience. The expectations for myself on this assignment was to find good credible sources from the URI libraries database and write thorough summaries on the main points from each of them. I met most of the expectations where I explained the source material well and why it correlates to the argument. I formatted the citations well. I think one thing i should have done better to fulfill the expectations completely is to find better sources that contain data and statistics to support an argument. I learned from this project that credible sources are important and that for an annotations
The whistleblower him or herself must be carefully scrutinized. What are the personal and the professional reputations of the whistleblower? What is the motive driving the whistleblower? Is it to benefit the client or the organization, or is it a need for attention or revenge? Is the whistleblower's cause seen as legitimate and significant by trustworthy colleagues and friends? Is the whistleblower aware of the potential consequences of blowing the whistle and still willing to accept responsibility for actions taken?
At the start of this century, unprecedented collapses of Enron and WorldCom have sparked heated world discussions over corporate whistle-blowing. In light of this, legislations and professional codes of conduct are implemented to provide framework on ethical and financial decision-making particularly for auditors. This essay covers prerequisites for an effective corporate whistle-blower hotline, measures to avoid potential pitfalls, as well as analysis on benefits and drawbacks of having a whistle-blower hotline.
But by the time he recognized he could gain profit out of blowing the whistle on this case, he followed the wrong path. Instead of telling the right people inside the company, he collected material to prove his theory and did not hesitate to trap colleagues which weren’t really part of the fraud, just to get a good amount of money for him out of it. So he chose his own interests above the interests of the organization.