Goodearl and Aldred Versus Hughes strongAircraftstrong A Whistle-Blo wing.pdfVIP

Goodearl and Aldred Versus Hughes Aircraft: A Whistle-Blowing Case Study Kevin W. Bowyer Department of Computer Science and Engineering University of South Florida Tampa, Florida 33620-5399 kwb@ In the work environment the computing pr ofes- Abstract – Whistle-blowing is a core topicfor any ”ethics” sional has the additional obligation to report any or ”professionalism” course offer ed for IS/CS/CE/EE ma- signs of systems dangers that might result in seri- jor s. Thispaper documents a real whistle-blowing case that ous per sonal or social damage. If one’s superiors is ideal for use in teaching. The incident is set in the com- do not act to curtail or mitigate such dangers, it puting industry, specifically in the supply of micro-electronic may be necessary to “blow the whistle” to help chips for use in safety-critical systems. The incident is well correct the pr oblems or reduce the risk. documented, with decisions in both a criminal case and a civil case. It touches on all the major issues involved in The AITP Standards of Conduct (see chapter 3 of [6], also whistle-blowing. ) includes the statement that members will: 1. Introduction Never misrepresent or withhold information that is germane to a pr oblem or situation of public con-