Firms in the current era are engaged in cut-throat rivalry and the desire to achieve far derived targets, and this leads to cases of corruption (Holzer & Schwester, 2014). This is because the management would do anything to gain a competitive edge against their rivals and corrupt practices in some way give them that edge. Whistle-blowing is relatively is a new phenomenon that has received the least of welcomes as it undermines the concept of loyalty.
Corporate integrity dictates that practicing good ethics come before profit maximization and even achieving ambitious targets (Kaur, 2012). However, there is a high probability that a senior officer or CEOs will always practice unethical practices in order to achieve their own goals. Strategies that encourage whistle-blowing for it to be considered a practical and significant technique in addressing unethical behavior in an organization. This would see employees call to account senior officials in matters that they deem were not well addressed.
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Several factors that undermine whistle-blowing lie in the process of its implementation. This includes the fact that whistle-blowers who are relatively low-income earners receive the least of consideration when they report their cases (Kaur, 2012). Their cases are seen as to be rather low-profile and might not even get to be aired in the media.
The whistle-blowing program may also not be able to be that practical since nature-culture does not encourage one to go for it (Pillay, 2014). This is because employees and any other person who might feel compelled to be a whistle-blower might at times go for the idea of shrugging it off as they think that the matter does not involve them. Shrugging it off might also provide them with peace of mind.
There are also cases when reported cases through whistle-blowing turn out to be an act of revenge, maybe against an individual who had done the same another (Kaur, 2012). This is seen when dedicates their life in tarnishing the life of another person and might even get out of their way to achieve this.
Whistle-blowing may turn out to be a costly initiative by the whistle-blower regarding the nature in which they are treated after being discovered. First, they expose themselves to high personal risk, receive threats and may start experiencing a cold treatment from their colleagues (Kaur, 2012) and seniors for being disloyal.
Whistle-blowing is helpful for employers and the public in cases that involve parastatals and other institutions that the public is involved in. This makes it essential for either the use of internal or external monitors who report irregularities to the right authorities who then take the initiative or correcting them before things turn sour ( Martin, 2014). The term is derived from the fact that police officers would whistle in a scenario where they needed the help of their colleagues after spotting a criminal.
In conclusion, whistle-blowers are essential in controlling the spread of unethical behaviour in firms; this is why they should be supported in any way possible. As illustrated above they face a couple of risks and dangers because of their role initiative to report cases culprits of acts such as corruption and embezzlement. Therefore, for them to be helpful in the fight against such actions, there is need to be an implementation of structures in the law that will encourage, and this should go beyond more than merely providing them with legal protection. There is also a need for a cultural change that will ensure whistle-blowing is encouraged in the firms.
References
Holzer, M., & Schwester, R. W. (2014). Public Administration : An Introduction. London, England: Routledge.
Kaur, C. (2012). Whistle-Blowing: An Anticorruption Tool. International Journal of Advanced Research in Management and Social Science. Vol. 1, No. 5.
Martin, A. N. (2014). Internal Investigations, Whistle-Blowing, and Cooperation. The Struggle for Information in the Criminal process. Preventing Corporate Corruption, 69-92. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-04480-4_5
Pillay, S. (2014). Systemic Factors Moderating Whistle-Blowing . Development Corruption in South Africa , 105-127. doi: 10.1057/97811373383501_5
