A ‘whistle-blower’ is an employee who reports wrongdoing inside his or her own organisation to the authorities or to the public. Which of the following situations is the best example of a whistle-blower?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → An accountant at a medicine company finds that the company is putting new date labels on expired tablets and selling them. She informs the drug-control office.
A whistle-blower must meet three conditions: the person is an employee, the wrongdoing is inside his or her own organisation, and the person reports it to the authorities or the public.
In Option (1) the accountant works at the company, the relabelling of expired tablets happens in that company, and she informs the drug-control office. All three conditions are met.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (2) A customer finds that the tablets he bought from a medicine company had expired, and he complains to the drug-control office. — Incorrect. The customer is not an employee of the company.
Option (3) An accountant at a medicine company finds that it is relabelling expired tablets, but she decides to say nothing. — Incorrect. The accountant reports nothing to the authorities or the public.
Option (4) An employee of one medicine company tells the newspapers that a rival company is selling expired tablets. — Incorrect. The wrongdoing is in a rival company, not in the employee’s own organisation.