This dissertation topic is in the business ethics arena of whistleblowing. Whistleblowing is an act that attempts to point out unlawful activities of an employer or organization. When employees see an unlawful act, or are asked to perform an unlawful act, they have a social, moral, or legal responsibility to report the action to authorities or someone that can effect action. This qualitative phenomenological study concerns the lived experiences of 18 individuals when they decided to blow the whistle after witnessing unethical activities. It answers the exploratory research questions of what are the critical incidents that led these people to make the difficult decision to blow the whistle; the experiences they went through in making the decision; and, knowing the ramifications they suffered, would they blow the whistle again? This study reveals that the participants felt that morally, blowing the whistle was the right thing to do; to do nothing made them complicit; and, they would blow the whistle again. Their professional codes would not allow them to do otherwise.
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