Ethics and Moral Agency
INTRODUCTION
Whistle-blowing is the revelation by prior or present employees of the organization of illicit, dissolute or dishonest acts under the governance of their employers, to persons or organizations who can distress signal (Near & Miceli 1985). Persuading employees to blow the whistle when they are conscious of their organizational misdemeanor enforces a constructive duty on whistleblowers, a duty to do well to others or to put a stop to the harm that the organization may cause to others (Vandekerckhove & Tsahuridu 2010).
In July 2005, Singapore revised her code of Corporate Governance to encourage the confession of company whistle-blowing practices and procedures. According to the European Corporate Governance Institute (2005), policy 12.7 of the Singapore code of Corporate Governance states that the Audit Committee should assess the policy and arrangements by which employees of the organization and any other persons may, in confidence, report any possible improprieties in terms of financial reporting or other matters. Whistle-blowing policy should be made known in the company’s Annual Report, and measures for bringing up such concerns should be revealed publicly as appropriate.
Tsahuridu and Vandekerckhove (2008) argued that organizations must execute internal measures to allow employees to bring up issues internally so as to secure the right to whistle-blowing. However, by executing these measures, employees are then morally obliged to blow the whistle. In this essay, we will talk about the importance of whistle-blowing, ethics and corporate governance in an organization, moral agency and responsibility as well as whistle-blowing as an internal control mechanism. Based on all these factors, we will then conclude on whether employees should have a duty to blow the whistle on unethical or illegal acts.
IMPORTANCE OF WHISTLE-BLOWING
Recent fraud cases in the public sector and non-profit organizations like National Kidney Foundation as well
Whistle-blowing is the revelation by prior or present employees of the organization of illicit, dissolute or dishonest acts under the governance of their employers, to persons or organizations who can distress signal (Near & Miceli 1985). Persuading employees to blow the whistle when they are conscious of their organizational misdemeanor enforces a constructive duty on whistleblowers, a duty to do well to others or to put a stop to the harm that the organization may cause to others (Vandekerckhove & Tsahuridu 2010).
In July 2005, Singapore revised her code of Corporate Governance to encourage the confession of company whistle-blowing practices and procedures. According to the European Corporate Governance Institute (2005), policy 12.7 of the Singapore code of Corporate Governance states that the Audit Committee should assess the policy and arrangements by which employees of the organization and any other persons may, in confidence, report any possible improprieties in terms of financial reporting or other matters. Whistle-blowing policy should be made known in the company’s Annual Report, and measures for bringing up such concerns should be revealed publicly as appropriate.
Tsahuridu and Vandekerckhove (2008) argued that organizations must execute internal measures to allow employees to bring up issues internally so as to secure the right to whistle-blowing. However, by executing these measures, employees are then morally obliged to blow the whistle. In this essay, we will talk about the importance of whistle-blowing, ethics and corporate governance in an organization, moral agency and responsibility as well as whistle-blowing as an internal control mechanism. Based on all these factors, we will then conclude on whether employees should have a duty to blow the whistle on unethical or illegal acts.
IMPORTANCE OF WHISTLE-BLOWING
Recent fraud cases in the public sector and non-profit organizations like National Kidney Foundation as well