Anonymity and whistleblowing

This paper examines the moral arguments for and against employees' blowing the whistle on illegal or immoral actions of their employers. It asks whether such professional dissidents are justified in disclosing wrongdoing by others while concealing their own identity. Part I examines the concept...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Elliston, Frederick A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer 1982
In: Journal of business ethics
Year: 1982, Volume: 1, Issue: 3, Pages: 167-177
Further subjects:B Social Benefit
B Similar Concept
B Immoral Action
B Moral Argument
B Economic Growth
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Description
Summary:This paper examines the moral arguments for and against employees' blowing the whistle on illegal or immoral actions of their employers. It asks whether such professional dissidents are justified in disclosing wrongdoing by others while concealing their own identity. Part I examines the concept of anonymity, distinguishing it from two similar concepts — secrecy and privacy. Part II analyzes the concept of whistleblowing using recent definitions by Bok, Bowie and De George. Various arguments against anonymous whistleblowing are identified and evaluated. The author concludes with a defense of the practice in terms of social benefits — primarily the redressing of wrongdoing.
ISSN:1573-0697
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of business ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/BF00382768