Scribd
Upload
383 views1 page

Whistleblowing at Avco Environmental

Jessica, a clerk at a toxic waste disposal company, discovers documents showing the company has been illegally dumping medical waste in a local landfill. Her superiors tell her to drop the issue, saying it's a minor cost-cutting measure with little real danger. Jessica must now decide whether to report the illegal dumping externally or trust her company's management that the risk is minimal.

Uploaded by

Sameen Fatima
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
383 views1 page

Whistleblowing at Avco Environmental

Jessica, a clerk at a toxic waste disposal company, discovers documents showing the company has been illegally dumping medical waste in a local landfill. Her superiors tell her to drop the issue, saying it's a minor cost-cutting measure with little real danger. Jessica must now decide whether to report the illegal dumping externally or trust her company's management that the risk is minimal.

Uploaded by

Sameen Fatima
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Case Study: Whistle-Blowing and the Environment

Jessica Smith works as a clerk for Avco Environmental Services, a small toxic-waste disposal
company. The company has a contract to dispose of medical waste from a local hospital. During
the course of her work, Jessica comes across documents that suggest Avco has actually been
disposing of some of this medical waste in a local municipal landfill. Jessica is shocked. She
knows this practice is illegal. And even though only a small portion of the medical waste that
Avco handles is disposed of this way, any amount at all seems a worrisome threat to public
health. Jessica gathers the appropriate documents and takes them to her immediate superior,
Dave Lamb. Dave says, “Look, I don't think that sort of thing is your concern, or mine. We're in
charge of record keeping, not making decisions about where this stuff gets dumped. I suggest
you drop it.” The next day, Jessica decides to go one step further and talk to Angela van
Oldenburg, the company's operations manager. Angela is clearly irritated. Angela says, “This
isn't your concern. Look, these are the sorts of cost-cutting moves that let a little company like
ours compete with our giant competitors. Besides, everyone knows that the regulations in this
area are overly cautious. There's no real danger to anyone from the tiny amount of medical waste
that 'slips' into the municipal dump. I consider this matter closed.” Jessica considers her situation.
The message from her superiors was loud and clear. She strongly suspects that making further
noises about this issue could jeopardize her job. Further, she generally has faith in the company's
management. They've always seemed like honest, trustworthy people. But she is troubled by this
apparent disregard for public safety. On the other hand, she asks herself whether maybe Angela
is right in arguing that the danger is minimal. Jessica looks up the phone number of an old friend
who worked for the local newspaper.

1. What ethical dilemma is Jessica facing?

2. Is Avco Environmental demonstrating socially responsible behavior? Why or why not?

3. What do you think Jessica should do? Explain your reasoning.

You might also like