Whistleblowing: A Survey of Literature
The IUP Journal of Corporate Governance, Vol. IX, No. 4, pp. 57-70, October 2010
Posted: 10 Jan 2011
Date Written: January 10, 2011
Abstract
Corporate whistleblowing can play a crucial role in protecting shareholder interests. When an employee of an organization makes public, any illegal or illegitimate act of the organization, undesirable public scrutiny, legal action and regulatory act may result. Regardless of an enormous increase in whistleblowing activities in organizations recently, little research has been done about the types of organizational wrongdoings, the whistleblowing process, what distinguishes whistleblowing from organizational loyalty, and what are the various laws to protect whistleblowers from organizational retaliation. This paper first highlights the relevant literatures regarding the types of whistleblowing and the whistleblowing process. Second, it discusses about how organizational loyalty differs from whistleblowing. Next, this paper discusses about the reasons and the motivations of the whistleblowers. Finally, it emphasizes the consequences of whistleblowing and what are some of the various laws to protect the whistleblowers.
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