“Whistleblowing and Professional Responsibility” by Sissela Bok Whistleblowers "sound an alarm from within the very organization in which they work, aiming to spotlight neglect or abuses that threaten the public interest” , according to Sissela Bok. In my opinion, “whistleblowing” can save an organization from operating unethical activities, however, it can be prejudicial to future employment of the whistleblower. I believe that under certain circumstances, whistle blowing is necessary for the company’s welfare, but when the whistleblower’s own career is at risk, is it worth it? Furthermore, in most circumstances when a person's career is not at risk, I believe that there is still no ethical obligation to blow the whistle. Simply put, per Sissela’s point of view, people have a moral obligation to prevent serious harm to others if they can do it with little cost to themselves. In most cases, the issue is to have the assurance that there is little cost to the denouncer, which is not necessarily true. Personally, there would be very few situations where I would blow the whistle because of the uncertainty of maintaining my employment. Summarizing, whistle blowing is seldom done successfully, however, when an employee is brave enough to speak out against unethical practices of the business in which they work, often, they are regarded as heroes and can save a company from losing everything and prevent harm for many of its customers and other employees. Whistle blowing is something that cannot be done in an impulse due to the damaging effects that can be displaced on the whistleblower. If I were in a situation where I might have to take an action, I would take the time to analyze if the situation could harm others, keeping in mind the consequences that would be displaced on me. But it is a valuable tool to enforce ethical practices.

Bibliography: “Whistleblowing and Professional Responsibility,” New York University Education Quarterly Vol. II, 4 (1980), 2-7. Quote is part of the 1st paragraph.