Whistle Blower Case Analyze. Mr. Richard Bagley - Admission/Application Essay Example

?Whistle Blower Case Analyse THESIS MENT The study aims to critically analyze a case related to Mr. Richard Bagley who had won a major sum of award from governmental Justice Department after blowing whistle against his organization i.e. TRW Inc. The study also intends to shed light on the difficult circumstances faced by a whistleblower following his/her act which at times is termed as bravery and often a whistleblower is left to only rejoice his/her achievement as virtue and being a good Samaritan. With this consideration, the study aims to evaluate the attitude of the colleagues of Mr. Bagley when he became a whistle blower. Taking references from the a few case examples under Federal law, the study will thus aim at representing personal conducts based on professional and/or ethical standards in a similar scenario as faced by Mr. Bagley. ANALYSIS OF THE CASE AND ARGUMENT From an overall evaluation of the case scenario, it is determined that Richard Bagley was a senior financial officer in TRW Inc’s space division. After completing his MBA from UCLA, he joined TRW as a staff accountant. However, within a span of few years, he proved himself to be an honest and hardworking company person which facilitated him to gain promotion as a top financial manager. Consequently, in the period of late 1980s, he commenced to divulge and take more note of the activities performed by top managers of the company. He asked questions about TRW’s practice related to shifting research and development (R&D) expenses with regard to commercial projects on government contracts. In due course of time, he became quite isolated and was laid off by his company from his position as a chief financial officer primarily because of raising concerns internally regarding the organizational unit’s accounting related practices. It is found that he, with the aid of Federal officials and supportive legal system, was able to attain a positive verdict for his whistleblowing case and derive a major reward. The government Justice Department awarded near about US$27.2 million. Moreover, after the acquisition of TRW by Northrop Grumman Corp, it agreed to pay US$111.2 million for resolving the claims filed against it. Under federal law, the monetary share bestowed to Richard Bagley as settlement amounted to around 24.5%, which can be termed as nearly the maximum possible figure. Consequently, it has been analyzed from the case that despite such a major victory it hardly brought overwhelming satisfaction to Mr. Bagley as for his act of sacrifice through whistle-blowing he was rendered almost homeless and with very little monetary asset. It is further evaluated that such an act can severely affect a person’s health and reputation. At times, similar to Mr. Bagley, a person can find it quite hard to find another job which in turn certainly affects his/her livelihood. It is further analyzed from a number of related case examples provided in the case that without support from government authorities chances of winning become quite less for a person in whistleblowing cases. A whistleblower can become quite devastated following the loss of such cases which can even lead the person to commit suicide. Therefore, it can be said the despite the presence of False Claims Act and prospective support from legal authorities and government, there are generally rare cases of whistleblowing as people find it quite alarming to raise their voices against organizational hierarchies to bring to light organizational malpractices (Los Angeles Times, “For Whistle-Blowers, Virtue May Be the Only Reward”). DISCUSSION ABOUT THE ATTITUDE OF MR. BAGLEY’S COLLEGAUES According to the provided case scenario, it can be observed that the attitude of colleagues of Mr. Bagley became quite altered when they knew that he became a whistle blower against the organization. It is determined that after his act he became quite isolated as his colleagues started to refrain from him. Many of the colleagues were a close associate to him for a long period of time however, they desired to distance themselves so that they can remain in good books of the organization. This kind of behavior is often a common practice which further accentuates the hardship faced by a whistleblower. On one hand, he/she becomes a prime target of contention of the organizational authorities; on the other hand, a social isolation creates a major havoc for the person in terms of psychological viewpoint. This kind of attitude of the colleagues can be evaluated from two perspectives. One is that they might have become fearful about their job security in the organization as such an act of whistleblowing generally transcends a person towards becoming a prime target of rage and anger from higher authorities. Moreover, the other viewpoint can be a lack of belief related to the evidences determined by Mr. Bagley. Nevertheless, the first facet primarily acts as a decisive factor to direct colleagues’ behavior. COUNTER ARGUMENTS IN TERMS OF PATH THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN IF FACED WITH SIMILAR SCENARIO LIKE MR. BAGLEY After evaluating the above case, it can be said that if an individual faces similar kind of quandary as faced by Mr. Bagley then the person should be encouraged to take a brave path and act similar to Mr. Bagley. In previous history of federal cases about whistleblowing, it has been seen that the employees have dared to blow whistle blow against their company’s corrupt activities against government, as can be evidently determined from the case of Garcetti et al. v. Ceballos. It was seen that the employees get protection if they blow whistle against their organization. The person gets benefit from the government who protests about his/her organizational malpractices against the government. According to the United States Department of Labor’s acts most of the employees are protected in case of whistleblowing, who complain about the violation of law by their organization (United States Department of Labor, “Summary of the major Laws of the Department of Labor”). In addition, apart from gaining requisite support from governmental authorities which can be a professional factor for whistleblowing, in terms of ethical viewpoint it can be affirmed that a person needs to blow whistle against any kind of unlawful conducts within the organization. This is because as a professional and as a human being, no unfair practices should be encouraged or supported. Any such ignorance can never act as deterrence for others who constantly aim to misuse their power and position to meet their own needs. Works Cited “For Whistle-Blowers, Virtue May Be the Only Reward.” Los Angeles Times. 2003. Web. 07 Oct. 2013. “Summary of the Major Laws of the Department of Labor.” United States Department of Labour. n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013. Read More