WHISTLE BLOWING
Defination
Whistle blowing is an attempt by an employee or former employer of an organization to disclose what she or he believes to be wrong doing sin or by the organization (James 1995)
In Whistleblowing, raising concerns and speaking up are all phrases which describe disclosing information to an employer or where appropriate a regulator, police or the media about malpractice, wrongdoing or a risk to safety.
Whistleblowing is providing a solution to resolve such situations: it opens nonexistent or hidden information sources and channels. The reasons for revealing information can be manifold: e.g. when someone notices such an abuse at his/her place of work and would like to discuss it with the relevant person within the organization. We may call it whistleblowing as well when an employee is forced to try to put an end to some kind of unlawful or malignant activities with the help of extra-organizational channels as within the organization either the proper investigation of the case is not guaranteed or the employee might be subject to reprisals. In many cases someone considers it a cause enough to publicize confidential information when the information in question concerns the public at large. In such cases the whistleblower maintains that informing the public is of much stronger interest (namely of public interest) then reserving the confidentiality, exclusivity of the information.
A Whistleblower is an informant who exposes wrongdoing within an organization in the hope of stopping it
Introduction
Whistle blowing brings into conflict the moral values of fairness and loyalty. An example to explain the values and show the conflict is where a company weighs the option of promoting one employee based on their talent or to promote a long standing but unskilled employee for a vacant position.
Other values that come into play in whistle blowing are responsibility and accountability. Responsible people blow the whistle when they believe more harm than good will occur if the whistleblower stays silent. A virtuous whistleblower acts in an ethical manner if she truly believes a responsibility exists to protect the public interest. Such a person is willing to accept the consequences of her actions. i.e., she is accountable for her actions.
Loyalty is a powerful ethical value and may inhibit a would-be-whistleblower from coming forward. However, an example would be of where loyalty trumped higher ethical values, such as honesty and integrity, with the result being that financial fraud was not disclosed as it would have devastating results to shareholders.

We need to ensure that all workers are able to raise concerns about such issues early and effectively, as it is in everyone’s interests that suspected malpractice or wrong doing is dealt with properly. Speaking up promptly can make the difference between a disaster averted and long term damage to business and the wider public.

Is whistle blowing ethical or moral?
The most important consideration in assessing whether a whistleblower acts in an ethical manner is the intention for one’s action. Is it to right a wrong? Is it to give voice to one’s values in the face of countervailing forces? Or, is the basis for the action the pursuit of self-interests, which may manifest itself in blowing the whistle in order to cash in on the whistle-blower award? After all, greed is a powerful motivating force when considering whether to blow the whistle on financial wrongdoing.
An ethical person is one who possesses strong character traits built on courage and informed by the belief that integrity is the backbone of ethical decision-making. A would-be-whistleblower is willing to stand her ground even in the face of pressure from higher-ups to stay silent. It’s not because of the possibility of receiving a whistleblower’s award. Instead, the whistleblower believes in principled behavior and leads her life in accordance with ethical values.
Different theories are used to argue the ethics on whistle blowing

1.The Kantian theory instructs people to act in harmony with universally accepted rules telling the truth is at the heart of the deontological theory (Kant 1996). Kant however did not consider the self sacrifice that is often required in whistle blowing though it would be implied that Kant would want an individual to stand firm in telling the truth, regardless of personal outcome.

2.The virtue theory requires an individual to personify integrity and courage. (Adams, 2006: Bolsin et al, 2005) We use the example of a doctor working in a hospital. Reporting unethical colleague, or health care fraud requires the integrity found in professional character. The primary goal of a doctor is to remain loyal to providing relief to a patient in suffering. Turning a blind eye to practices that go against the primary aim would not only breach the doctor’s code of ethics but it would also violate the basic virtues of honesty and courage.

3.The ethical theory of consequentialism (utilitarian) provides a powerful justification for whistle blowing: maximizing the human benefit and minimizing the harm. The theory by Davis describes when whistle blowing is morally required for the greatest good of society

1. The organization to which the would-be whistle blower belongs will, through its product or policy, do considerable harm to the public. That is whether to users of is product, to innocent by standers or to the public at large
2. The would be whistle blower has exhausted other internal procedures within the organization for example going up the organization ladder as far as allowed or at least make use of many internal procedures as the danger to theirs and his or her own safety make reasonable
3. The would be whistle blower has (or has accessible) evidence that would convince a reasonable, impartial observer that his or her view of the threat is correct
4. The would be whistle blowers has good reason to believe that revealing the threat will probably prevent the harm at reasonable cost, all things considered

Positive effects of whistler blowing to the blower
1.Peace of mind
The wrong doings in the company constantly offend the whistle blower to the point that they are always stressed. Blowing the whistle gives the relief lifting the burden thus peace of mind
2. Empowering other honest people.
When the whistle blower wins a case against the offending company or person he sets precedence for other individuals in the society to stand up for what is right. They find that other people will look up to them and this will give them some satisfaction.
3. Financial gain
If laws in a country or company have policies to reward whistle blowers then the whistle blowers would get some financial gain adding comfort to his life
4.Strengthening of bonds
The whistle blower will find that the relationships with the people that stood beside them are strengthened thus providing emotional satisfaction to the blower
5.Support by the law
In many case whistle blowers are usually telling the trust. The whistle blowers can get relief from knowing that justice will be served as that is the aim of the laws this gives them confidence in proceeding of opposing the wrong doing.
6.Safety
By speaking out on a wrong doing the whistle blower ensures that they not only protect themselves from the wrong doing but the also protect others giving them a sense of heroism.
7.Awake sympathy
Whistle blowers can be seen as “saviors” who ultimately helped create important changes in organizations. Thus being of great benefit to themselves as a better working environment is achieved

Negative effects of whistler blowing to the blower
1.Challenge trust
Whistle blowing can lead to a breakdown of trust by the management and co-workers. Companies typically prefer that employees use internal communication system if they are uncomfortable with activities going on in their departments or the company. This gives the company a chance to monitor itself internally before the employee decides to go elsewhere. If trust breaks down between managers and employees, tension and effective working relationships among employees become challenging.
2.Retaliation
Whistle blowers may face hostility and resentment from peers and superiors. They are seen as conflicting conflict cultural norms. Retaliation creates a hostile workplace for the employers and distracts employees from their tasks
3.Possible firing
The whistle blower faces the possibility of being laid off from work if he discloses information to
4.Assassination of character
The whistle blower finds that colleagues and managers start to label them names such as snitch which is not a true reflection of who they are. Their main motive was to prevent a wrong doing. This labels can damage ones career within or outside the company being accused.
4.Formal reprimand
The whistle blower may find that they are issued with warning letters informing them of dire consequences against them should they persist with the matter.
5.Civil action
The whistle blower may find that civil action against a company may be burdensome to them as they may have to bear the financial cost of for example lawyers before they can be compensated if they win the case. May time this cases take a very long time to be resolved as extensive investigations must be conducted
6.Threats
The whistle blowers may be intimidated by threats of firing or even being blacklisted from similar companies with a view to silencing them

7.Difficult court proceedings
The whistle blower would have to act as a witness in court proceedings if action is taken aganaist the company. This will required a lot of emotional effort as intrusive questions will be asked with a bid to discrediting them.
8.Imprisonment
if the whistle blowers losses the case against presumed wrong doing company, the company may decide to take action against the whistle blowers for damage of the image of the company and thy may find themselves in jail.
Conclusions
We can conclude that whistle blowing is an ethical action if done in the correct manner and also done for correct reasons because morally it is the correct thing to do, to prevent something bad that would have otherwise occurred.