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Ethical Climate Theory, Whistle-blowing, and the Code of Silence in Police Agencies in the State of Georgia

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  • Gary Rothwell
  • J. Baldwin

Abstract

This article reports the findings from a study that investigates the relationship between ethical climates and police whistle-blowing on five forms of misconduct in the State of Georgia. The results indicate that a friendship or team climate generally explains willingness to blow the whistle, but not the actual frequency of blowing the whistle. Instead, supervisory status, a control variable investigated in previous studies, is the most consistent predictor of both willingness to blow the whistle and frequency of blowing the whistle. Contrary to popular belief, the results also generally indicate that police are more inclined than civilian employees to blow the whistle in Georgia – in other words, they are less inclined to maintain a code of silence. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007

Suggested Citation

  • Gary Rothwell & J. Baldwin, 2007. "Ethical Climate Theory, Whistle-blowing, and the Code of Silence in Police Agencies in the State of Georgia," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 70(4), pages 341-361, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:70:y:2007:i:4:p:341-361
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-006-9114-5
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    15. Syahrul Ahmar Ahmad Author_Email: syahrul.ahmar@johor.uitm.edu.my & Malcolm Smith & Zubaidah Ismail & Rahimah Mohamed Yunos, 2011. "Internal Whistleblowing Intentions: Influence Of Internal Auditors’ Demographic And Individual Factors," Annual Summit on Business and Entrepreneurial Studies (ASBES 2011) Proceeding 2011-051-155, Conference Master Resources.
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