Whistleblowing and the Sarbanes

Whistleblowing and the Sarbanes The Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act was enacted with the aim of improving accountability, transparency and outright disclosure of financial information in publicly-traded companies. Whistle blowers are also protected by the same Ac t in section 1107. This brief essay explores a recent whistle blowing incident at the department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and relates the occurrence with provisions of SOX.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Whistleblowing and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the dominant characteristics of a whistleblower is that the individual is usually altruistically motivated. In other words, it is not possible to whistle blow against wrong doings in an organization without the element of motivation. In any case, whistleblowing is a risky undertaking owing to the underlying consequences. Second, utilitarianism is a common characteristic of most whistle blowers. This refers to a state whereby a person values normative ethics more than hiding the truth. Hence, such individuals are eager to optimize utility within their areas of influence or operation. Lack of suffering, economic wellbeing and pleasure are some of the key components of utility. Third, whistle blowers are not interested in changing their behaviors and that is why they act with an independent mind. They are self-driven. They also permit personal attitudes and beliefs to propel their actions. In most instances, whistle blowers are well-informed, educated and intelligent individuals who are well versed with knowledge from a particular discipline.  In June 2014, it was established that the Department of Veteran Affairs in the United States had been engaging in acts of sabotaging the views of staff members regarding its operations (Lichtblaujune, 2014). For example, falsified patient appointment program had been rife at the department for a long. Individuals who would attempt to raise their voices concerning malpractices in the department would be severely disciplined or even released from their jobs. Both former and current members of staff at the department recorded the same concerns. The fake scheduling books coupled with longer waiting times for patients were two major scandals affecting the reputation of V.A. as a result, several complaints regarding these improper practices have been forwarded to external whistle blower groups, lawmakers, unions and a number of federal watchdogs.Advertising Looking for research paper on business corporate law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Due to the whistle blowing incidence, the Veterans Affairs chief was compelled to resign and investigations started immediately. The whistle blowers did not suffer any consequence. They only faced retaliation actions when they were still active in employment.  The whistle blowers were indeed justified in reporting the malpr actices at the Veterans Affairs department because the vice reflected wrong information on the operations of the department. It aggravated service delivery to clients and worsened workplace relationship of employees. Citing doctor shortage as the reason for long wait by patients was just an excuse to cover up the scandal.  Second, employees who ever reported the vice in the past were victimized. Tis implied that the action was not good at all. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the whistle blowers could have been protected in a number of ways (Lenn, 2013). For instance, section 1107 of the Act prefers a criminal charge for any public officer who victimizes a whistle blower. Employees who have been threatened with either firing or demotion at VA would not have feared reporting the on-going scandal because any person charged with the offence of retaliating would face a criminal offence. The executive organ of the Veteran Affairs would have feared to face criminal charges leveled against them owing to retaliation attempts. In addition, the new piece of legislation would have compelled the management team of the VA to disclose all accounting information to the benefit of whistleblowers. Owing to such provisions in place, it would have been quite restrictive for the executive organ at VA to threaten, dismiss or even abuse the basic right of employees in the organization. References Lenn, L. E. (2013). Sarbanes- oxley act 2002 (SOX) 10 years later. Journal of Legal Issues and Cases in Business, 2 (1), 1-14. Lichtblaujune, E. (2014). V.A. Punished Critics on Staff, Doctors Assert. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/16/us/va-punished-critics-on-staff-doctors-assert.html?ref=topics

The Wright Brothers Make the First Flight

The Wright Brothers Make the First Flight At 10:35 a.m. on December 17, 1903, Orville Wright flew the Flyer for 12 seconds over 120 feet of the ground. This flight, conducted on Kill Devil Hill just outside of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, was the very first flight by a manned, controlled, heavier-than-air aircraft that flew under its own power. In other words, it was the first flight of an airplane. Who Were the Wright Brothers? Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) and Orville Wright (1871-1948) were brothers who ran both a printing shop and a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. The skills they learned from working on printing presses and bicycles were invaluable in trying to design and build a working airplane. Although the brothers interest in flight had stemmed from a small helicopter toy from their childhood, they didnt begin experimenting with aeronautics until 1899, when Wilbur was 32 and Orville was 28. Wilbur and Orville began by studying aeronautical books, then talked with civil engineers. Next, they built kites. Wing Warping Wilbur and Orville Wright studied the designs and accomplishments of other experimenters but soon realized that no one had yet found a way to control aircraft while in the air. By studiously observing birds in flight, the Wright brothers came up with the concept of wing warping.​ Wing warping allowed the pilot to control the roll of the plane (horizontal movement) by raising or lowering flaps located along the planes wingtips. For instance, by raising up one flap and lowering the other, the plane would then begin to bank (turn). The Wright brothers tested their ideas using kites and then, in 1900, built their first glider. Testing at Kitty Hawk Needing a place that had regular winds, hills, and sand (to provide a soft landing), the Wright brothers selected Kitty Hawk in North Carolina to conduct their tests. Wilbur and Orville Wright took their glider into the Kill Devil Hills, located just south of Kitty Hawk, and flew it. However, the glider did not do as well as they had hoped. In 1901, they built another glider and tested it, but it too did not work well. Realizing that the problem was in the experimental data they had used from others, they decided to conduct their own experiments. To do so, they went back to Dayton, Ohio and built a small wind tunnel. With the information gained from their own experiments in the wind tunnel, Wilbur and Orville built another glider in 1902. This one, when tested, did exactly what the Wrights expected. Wilbur and Orville Wright had successfully solved the problem of control in flight. Next, they needed to build an aircraft that had both control and motorized power. The Wright Brothers Build the Flyer The Wrights needed an engine that would be powerful enough to lift a plane from the ground, but not weigh it down significantly. After contacting a number of engine manufacturers and not finding any engines light enough for their task, the Wrights realized that in order to get an engine with the specifications they needed, they must design and build their own. While the Wilbur and Orville Wright designed the engine, it was the clever and able Charlie Taylor, a machinist who worked with the Wright brothers in their bicycle shop, who built it carefully crafting each individual, unique piece. With little experience working with engines, the three men managed to put together a 4-cylinder, 8 horsepower, gasoline engine that weighed 152 pounds in just six weeks. However, after some testing, the engine block cracked. It took another two months to make a new one, but this time, the engine had a whopping 12 horsepower. Another engineering struggle was determining the shape and size of the propellers. Orville and Wilbur would constantly discuss the intricacies of their engineering problems. Although they hoped to find solutions in nautical engineering books, they ultimately discovered their own answers through trial, error, and lots of discussion. When the engine was completed and the two propellers created, Wilbur and Orville placed these into their newly built, 21-foot long, spruce-and-ash framed Flyer. With the finished product weighing 605 pounds, the Wright brothers hoped that the motor would be strong enough to lift the plane. It was time to test their new, controlled, motorized aircraft. The December 14, 1903 Test Wilbur and Orville Wright traveled to Kitty Hawk in September 1903. Technical difficulties and weather problems delayed the first test until December 14, 1903. Wilbur and Orville flipped a coin to see who would get to make the first test flight and Wilbur won. However, there wasnt enough wind that day, so the Wright brothers took the Flyer up to a hill and flew it. Although it did take flight, it crashed at the end and needed a couple days to repair. Nothing definitive was gained from this flight since the Flyer had taken off from a hill. The First Flight at Kitty Hawk On December 17, 1903, the Flyer was fixed and ready to go. The weather was cold and windy, with winds reported around 20 to 27 miles per hour. The brothers tried to wait until the weather improved but by 10 a.m. it had not, so they decided to try a flight anyway. The two brothers, plus several helpers, set up the 60-foot monorail track that helped keep the Flyer in line for lift-off. Since Wilbur had won the coin toss on December 14,  it was Orvilles turn to pilot. Orville  clambered onto the Flyer, laying flat on his tummy on the middle of the bottom wing. The biplane, which had a 40-foot 4-inch wingspan, was ready to go. At 10:35 a.m. the Flyer started off with Orville as pilot and Wilbur running along the right side, holding onto the lower wing to help stabilize the plane. Around 40 feet along the track, the Flyer took flight, staying in the air for 12 seconds and traveling 120 feet from liftoff. They had done it. They had made the very first flight with a manned, controlled, powered, heavier-than-air aircraft. Three More Flights That Day The men were excited about their triumph but they were not done for the day. They went back inside to warm up by a fire and then went back outside for three more flights. The fourth and final flight proved their best. During that last flight, Wilbur piloted the Flyer for 59 seconds over 852 feet. After the fourth test flight, a strong gust of wind blew the Flyer over, making it tumble and breaking it so severely that it would never be flown again.   After Kitty Hawk Over the next several years, the Wright Brothers would continue perfecting their airplane designs but would suffer a major setback in 1908 when they were involved in the first fatal airplane crash. In this crash, Orville Wright was severely injured but  passenger Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge died. Four years later, having recently returned from a six-month trip to Europe for business, Wilbur Wright became ill with typhoid fever. Wilbur never recovered, passing away on May 30, 1912, at the age of 45. Orville Wright continued to fly for the next six years, making daring stunts and setting speed records, stopping only when aches left over from his 1908 crash would no longer let him fly. Over the next three decades, Orville kept busy continuing scientific research, making public appearances, and battling lawsuits. He lived long enough to witness the historic flights of great aviators such as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart as well as recognize the  important roles that planes played in World War I and World War II. On January 30, 1948, Orville Wright died at age 77 of a massive heart attack.