Abstract
Whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing often face several concerns, pressures, and threats of retaliation before reaching a final decision. Specifically, this study examines the effects of perceived seriousness of wrongdoing (PSW) and perceived threat of retaliation (PTR), as well as the impact of rationalization (RNL), comparing perceived seriousness of wrongdoing, perceived threat of retaliation and whistleblowing intention. Furthermore, this study aims to determine the mediating effect of anticipated regret (AR) on the relationship between perceived seriousness of wrongdoing and whistleblowing intention. We validated our model by analyzing data gathered across three stages from employees in the telecom sector in Pakistan. The key findings of our research may be summarized as follows: (i) individuals’ willingness to ‘blow the whistle’ increases as a result of perceived seriousness of wrongdoing; (ii) whistleblowers are more likely to opt to remain silent if they anticipate a greater threat of retaliation, and (iii) our study establishes a positive connection between perceived seriousness of wrongdoing and whistleblowing intention, indicating that perceived seriousness of wrongdoing enhances people’s willingness to blow the whistle, and whistleblowers are more likely to choose to emerge if the behaviour is more serious in nature; (iv) the data we have uncovered indicates a moderating role of rationalization in regulating the connections between perceived seriousness of wrongdoing, perceived threat of retaliation, and whistleblowing intention; and (v) the findings demonstrate that anticipated regret mediates the connection between perceived seriousness of wrongdoing and the intention to report wrongdoing. Additionally, the results are discussed in terms of their significance for corporate ethics researchers and managers, as well as for end-users who are interested in whistleblowing.
Highlights
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.In July 2010, Congress approved the Dodd-Frank Act, which established the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Initiative in response to the global financial crisis of 2008
Using the context above as motivation, the purpose of this study is to look at the relationship between perceived threat of retaliation, perceived seriousness of wrongdoing, anticipated regret, and its impact on whistleblowing intention, as moderated by the rationalization approach
We found that anticipated regret partially mediated the path between perceived seriousness of wrongdoing and whistleblowing intention (β = −0.07, −0.1253 to −0.0268), and that the indirect effect exists as a consequence of the confidence interval excluding zero between the upper and lower boundaries
Summary
In July 2010, Congress approved the Dodd-Frank Act, which established the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Initiative in response to the global financial crisis of 2008. The program has produced high-quality recommendations that have helped the SEC to uncover and stop fraud schemes while protecting investors. $700 million in compensation for whistleblowers has been given out by the SEC Office of the Whistleblower since 2012. Penalties against wrongdoers published maps and institutional affil-.
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