Discussion Question – Whistleblower: An Ethical Dilemma

Discussion Question – Whistleblower: An Ethical Dilemma
A whistleblower, by definition, is someone who brings an unethical, immoral, or illegal business practice to the public’s attention. Whistleblowers have a difficult time in doing this, and they often find their lives changed because of their actions. Sometimes they are shunned and also receive death threats. It is common for the family members to feel the effects of a whistleblower’s behavior.
Dr. Jeffrey Wigand became one of the best-known whistleblowers after his experience was turned into a movie, The Insider. He proved tobacco companies were deliberately boosting the nicotine content of cigarettes, making them more addictive and cancer causing. However, similar to other whistleblowers, he suffered from tremendous stress and received death threats and other forms of intimidation for doing the right thing. Do some research on Wigand’s actions.
Discuss
1).Assess how Dr. Wigand showed moral intelligence and leadership in this situation. Assess what you think he did for his own credibility based on his actions.
2) .Evaluate what you would do if you found an unethical practice in your workplace. Would your response depend on the severity of the unethical practice?
3).Provide a couple examples of potential unethical practices in your organization that could be considered very minor and that people have come to “accept” as opposed to reporting. How, exactly, does the organization or its members respond to the unethical practices? Assess any inconsistencies in the organizational response. Recommend any alternative response.
Conclude discussion with a three or four sentence summary of the most important point, lesson, or takeaways from your research and analysis for your initial post.