M.Phil. / Whistleblowers have become known as being disloyal employees and troublemakers. This perception has caused whistle blowing to be despised rather than encouraged. Whistle blowing is effectively raising a concern about an impropriety that assists in ensuring individual responsibility and organisational accountability. Making disclosures causes employees to be victimised by their employers as well as fellow employees. Employees generally did not feel protected enough to come forward with information on corruption, even though the witness protection system had been reformed and was working well. A well functioning hotline system is of importance and should be linked to the implementation of a protection regime for whistle blowers. Employees making anonymous disclosures are difficult to investigate, in that problems in corroborating the information as well as in not being able to remedy the underlying cause of the disclosure exist. Hotlines through which the public and employees anonymously report suspected corruption does not satisfactory deal with the issues when the purpose of whistle blowing is to promote a culture of transparency and accountability. The aim is to provide provisions for employees to disclose information about suspected criminals or other irregular conduct without fear or reprisals. The Protected Disclosures Act is an important step in providing protection for those who expose corruption in the workplace. Employers and employees should be treated on an equal basis with regards to whistle blowing. It is in the best interest of both employees and employers to have internal channels that encourage protected disclosures, providing protection to both employers and employees. Different measures exist to protect whistleblowers. One such measure is by means of legislation. Secondly, courts have also developed principles in this regard. However, in certain instances, the labour law will not provide protection were a professional individual acts in breach of the confidentiality obligation vested upon him within the client professional relationship. Legislation relating to general protection such as the right to freedom of association and access to information, also provide protection. The codes of conduct and ethical rules of professional bodies can also be adapted to provide protection to professionals, including employment contracts that provide for protection in certain instances. Despite all of the above, instances will always arise where tensions exist and problems arise, such as the continuous tension between the monopoly of the state in respect of certain information and the question on which information should be protected under legislation. It is therefore clear that many instances arise where protection is not afforded to whistleblowers. To apply the protection afforded by the Protected Disclosure Act horizontally between private bodies, private bodies should be protected from detriment. A tax consultant aware that a client is defrauding the South African Revenue Service will fear that if it challenges the client or threatens to report the fraud, the client will cancel the contract. It is recommended that a more inclusive approach to employment is to be followed as "atypical" employment is on the increase in South Africa as in many other countries. Homework, where a person undertakes to work on contract from home as well as workers supplied by temporary employment services, enable the organisations to vary the number of workers deployed so as to ensure flexibility. Independent contractors are often in a good position to uncover and disclose irregular conduct in the private or public sector. In addition, it is also advised that applicants for employment in the definition of an employee in the Protected Disclosures Act be included. In order to protect whistle blowers further, the definition of occupational detriment in the above act should also be extended to include reprisal by employers such as the use or treat to use defamation suites and suites based on the alleged breach of confidentiality, a loss of a contract or the inexplicable failure to be given a contract in the instance of contract workers. In addition, the list of forms of occupational detriment to be suffered should be left open ended to allow recognition of further types of victimisation. The effectiveness of measures put in place within organisations to encourage employees to speak out against impropriety and misconduct will be difficult to determine as only when there has been non-adherence to the Protected Disclosures Act and the whistle blower has been detrimentally affected, will it come into force to protect bona fide whistleblowers.

Existing whistle-blower research has found that retaliation affects the whistle-blowing process. However, there is little literature focusing on the personal and emotional effects that retaliation can have on the whistle-blower’s life. Furthermore, while whistle-blowing has been studied in various organizational contexts, both public and private, virtually no research exists on whistle-blowing in the context of the public school system. This study examines the effects of the whistle-blowing process, specifically the effects of retaliation, on the life of the whistle-blower through a narrative identity construct in the context of the Texas Public School System. This study utilizes narrative analysis to understand the relationship between retaliation and the whistle-blowers’ narrative identity. the analysis reveals that whistle-blowers’ decisions to disclose instances of wrong-doing are motivated by their desired narrative identities. Furthermore, this study shows that retaliation has the greatest effect when it directly attacks the whistle-blowers’ identities.

Several flow control schemes were designed and tested to determine the most suitable method for reducing the momentum deficit in a rotor wake and thus attenuate rotor-stator interaction noise. A secondary concern of the project was to reduce the amount of blowing required air for wake filling and thus limit the efficiency penalty in an aircraft engine environment. Testing was performed in a linear blow down cascade wind tunnel, which produced an inlet Mach number of 0.345. The cascade consisted of five blades with the stagger angle, pitch, and airfoil cross-section representative of 90% span of the rotor geometry for NASA's Active Noise Control Fan (ANCF) test rig. The Reynolds number for the tests was based on inlet conditions and a chord length of 4 inches. Trailing edge jets, trailing edge slots, ejector pumps, and pressure/suction side jets were among the configurations tested for wake filling. A range of mass flow percentages were applied to each configuration and a pressure loss coefficient was determined for each. Considerable reduction in wake losses took place for discrete jet blowing techniques as well as pressure side and suction side jets. In the case of the pressure and suction side jets, near full wake filling occurred at 0.75% of the total mass flow. In terms of loss coefficients and calculated momentum coefficients, the suction/pressure surface jets were the most successful. Jets located upstream of the trailing edge helped to re-energize the momentum deficits in the wake region by using a flow pattern capable of mixing the region while also adding momentum to the wake. The slotted configuration was modeled after NASA's current blowing scheme and served as a baseline for comparison for all data. Digital particle image velocimetry was performed for flow visualizations as well as velocity analysis in the wake region. / Master of Science

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research project examines the concept and practice of whistle blowing with the aim of answering the fundamental question: when is whistle blowing morally justified or unjustified? While the different forms of whistle blowing receive attention, the focus is on the corporate world, or non-governmental whistle blowing. Whistle blowing in the corporate world has become a moral and strategic point of debate with the issue being how it can be employed as a mechanism against corruption and other forms of abuse in a way that is fair to employees, employers, and the public .. The project focuses on the moral justification of whistle blowing and the ethical framework within which it needs to function. The methodology used is that of an extensive literature study. The views of researchers' from different countries are discussed and analyzed, and the deontological and utilitarian approaches to ethical decision-making are used to arrive at deductive conclusions. It is concluded that from an ethical viewpoint, employees are morally obliged to blow the whistle to prevent potential harm to e.g. the public or the environment. Specific conditions must be satisfied, however, before whistle blowing against a corporation or employer can be regarded as morally justified. With reference to the views of researchers and a South African case study, it is established that whistle blowers need to be protected against retaliation from employers and that legislation in this regard has been lacking. An important mechanism to protect whistle blowers would be the introduction of laws to protect them against retaliatory actions such as dismissals or demotion. One of the aims of South Africa's Protected Disclosures Act (Act. No. 26, 2000) is to protect employees against any occupational detriment as a result of having blown the whistle in a manner consistent with the conditions outlined in the Act. It Is concluded that it is to the advantage of employers to promote a culture in which justified and responsible whistle blowing is encouraged and protected. Suggested ways to achieve this include developing an ethic of whistle blowing, involving unions, introducing rewards, instituting codes of ethics, and establishing specific complaint recipients within organizations. On the basis of a US case study and a study of relevant literature, it is concluded that employers and corporations also need to be protected against unethical whistle blowing. By laying down conditions that have to be met before an act of whistle blowing can be justified, the Protected Disclosures Act (Act No. 26, 2000) provides protection in this regard. The study concludes with a critical appraisal of the positive as well as the negative aspects of the Protected Disclosures Act. The Act provides the necessary legal framework and guidelines for fair and responsible whistle blowing with protection for both employees and employers, and as such could help to reduce crime and corruption in both the public and private sectors. In the South African context of high levels of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment, however, certain shortcomings are identified that may diminish the potential value of the Act. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingsprojek ondersoek die konsep en praktyk van onthulling ("whistle blowing") met die doeI om die fundamentele vraag te beantvlloord: wanneer is onthulling moreel geregverdig of ongeregverdig? Hoewel daar gekyk word na die verskillende vorms wat onthulling kan aanneem is die fokus op die korporatiewe wêreld, of nieregeringsonthulling. Onthulling het in die korporatiewe wêreld 'n morele en strategiese besprekingspunt geword, met die strydvraag hoe dit as 'n meganisme teen korrupsie en ander skadelike praktyke aangewend kan word op 'n manier wat billik teenoor werknemers, werkgewers en die publiek is. Die projek fokus op die morele regverdiging van onthulling en die etiese raamwerk waarbinne dit moet funksioneer. Die metodologie behels 'n omvattende literatuurstudie. Die sienings van navorsers van verskillende lande word bespreek en ontleed, en die deontologiese en utilitaristiese benaderings tot etiese besluitneming word gebruik om deduktiewe afleidings te maak. Die gevolgtrekking is dat uit 'n etiese oogpunt, werknemers moreel verplig is om as onthulIers op te tree om potensiële skade vir bv. die publiek of die omgewing te voorkom. Daar moet egter aan spesifieke voorwaardes voldoen word voordat onthulling wat 'n korporasie of werkgewer benadeel, as moreel geregverdig beskou kan word. Met verwysing na die sienings van navorsers en 'n Suid-Afrikaanse gevallestudie word vasgestel dat onthulIers beskerm moet word teen wraakneming van werkgewers en dat wetgewing in hierdie verband ontbreek het. 'n Belangrike meganisme om onthulIers te beskerm sou wees die instelling van wette om beskerming te bied teen vergeldingsaksies van werkgewers soos ontslag of demosie. Een van die oogmerke van Suid-Afrika se Wet op Beskermde Bekendmakings (Wet. No. 26, 2000) is om werknemers te beskerm teen enige beroepsverwante nadeel as gevolg van 'n bekendmaking wat voldoen aan die voorwaardes wat in die Wet gestipuleer word. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat dit tot werkgewers se voordeel is om 'n kultuur te bevorder waar geregverdigde en verantvlloordelike onthulling aangemoedig en beskerm word. Voorgestelde wyses waarop dit gedoen kan word, sluit in die ontwikkeling van 'n onthullingsetiek, om vakbonde te betrek, die instelling van belonings, die aanneem van etiese kodes en om spesifieke klagte-ontvangers binne organisasies te vestig. Na aanleiding van 'n VSA-gevallestudie en 'n studie van tersaaklike literatuur word die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat werkgewers en korporasies ook teen onetiese onthulling beskerm moet word. Die Wet op Beskermde Bekendmakings (Wet No. 26, 2000) bied beskerming in hierdie verband deur voorwaardes te stipuleer waaraan 'n bekendmaking moet voldoen voordat dit geregverdig is. Die studie word afgesluit met 'n kritiese evaluasie van die positiewe sowel as die negatiewe aspekte van die Wet op Beskermde Bekendmakings. Die Wet stel die nodige wetlike raamwerk en riglyne vir billike en verantwoordelike onthulling daar met beskerming vir werknemers sowel as werkgewers, en as sulks kan dit help om misdaad en korrupsie in beide die openbare en die private sektor te laat afneem. In die Suid- Afrikaanse konteks van hoë vlakke van armoede, ongeletterdheid en werkloosheid word daar egter bepaalde gebreke geïdentifiseer wat die potensiële waarde van die Wet mag verminder.

ABSTRACT THE IMPACT OF MATERIALITY, PERSONALITY TRAITS, AND ETHICAL POSITION ON WHISTLE-BLOWING INTENTIONS By Karl Bryan Menk A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Business at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Dissertation Director: Dr. Benson Wier, Ph.D. Professor of Accounting, School of Business Throughout the previous decade, numerous scandals have been reported through employees engaging in whistle-blowing activities. The importance of whistle-blowing in a corporate environment is encouraged through the protections provided to employees engaging in whistle-blowing activities and has been identified as a significant factor in fraud prevention. Despite the importance of the role of whistle-blowing, employees are often hesitant to report a problem due to potential repercussions and retaliations. This study was motivated by the importance of whistle-blowing actions on businesses and the environment in which businesses operate as well as a desire to better understand the underlying causes of an individual’s decision to engage in whistle-blowing practices. This study examines the impact of personality traits, ethical position, and the materiality of a problem on an individual’s decision to engage in whistle-blowing activities. Participants were asked to evaluate a scenario involving the improper recording of revenues. In the high materiality scenario, the inappropriate revenues represented 10 percent of the annual revenues of the firm. Only 1 percent of the annual revenues were incorrectly reported in the low materiality scenario. The study tested multiple hypotheses using survey data collected from upper level accounting students attending a 4 year university. The results of this study indicate that the ethical position of an individual is the most strongly related to an individual’s intention to engage in whistle-blowing activities. The presence of more pro-social personality traits in the decision maker is also positively related to the decision to whistle-blow but not as significantly as ethical position.

We prove that the blowup term of a blowup solution of Jang's equation on an initial data set (M,g,k) near an arbitrary strictly stable MOTS Σ is exactly −1/√λlog τ, where τ is the distance from Σ and λ is the principal eigenvalue of the MOTS stability operator of Σ. We also prove that the gradient of the solution is of order τ^(-1). Moreover, we apply these results to get a Penrose-like inequality under additional assumptions.

Film blowing is a highly complex industrial process used to manufacture thin plastic films for uses in a wide range of applications; for example, plastic bags. The mathematical modelling of this process involves the analysis of highly nonlinear differential equations describing the complex phenomena arising in the film blowing process, and requires a sophisticated mathematical approach. This dissertation applies an innovative combination of tools, namely analytic, numerical and heuristic mathematical techniques to the analysis of the film blowing process. The research undertaken examines, in particular, a two-point boundary value problem arising from the modelling of the radial profile of the polymer film. For even the simplest modelling of this process, namely the isothermal Newtonian model, the resulting differential equation is a highly nonlinear, second order one, with an extra degree of difficulty due to the presence of a small parameter multiplying the highest derivative. Thus, the problem falls into the category of a nonlinear singular perturbation problem. Analytic techniques are applied to the isothermal Newtonian blown film model to obtain a closed form explicit approximation to the film bubble radius. This is then used as a base approximation for an iterative numerical scheme to obtain an improved numerical solution of the problem. The process is extended to include temperature variations, varying viscosity (Power law model) and viscoelastic effects (Maxwell model). As before, closed form approximations are constructed for these models which are used to launch numerical schemes, whose solutions display good accuracy. The results compare well with results obtained by purely numerical solutions in the literature.

Snow is a common overlying surface during winter-time and the redistribution of snow by wind is a very important concept for any hydrological research project located within the cryosphere. Wind redistributes snow by eroding it from areas of high wind speed, such as ridge tops and windward slopes, and deposits it in areas of lower wind speeds, such as the lees of ridge tops, vegetation stands, and topographic depressions. The accurate modelling of blowing snow processes such as erosion, deposition, and sublimation have proven to be rather problematic. The largest issue that many modellers must deal with is the accurate collection of solid precipitation throughout the winter season. Without this, incorrect energy and mass balances can occur. This thesis makes use of a new method of acquiring solid precipitation values through the use of an SR50a ultrasonic snow depth sensor and then incorporates it into a version of the Cold Regions Hydrological Model (CRHM) which includes the Prairie Blowing Snow Model (PBSM) and the Minimal Snowmelt Model (MSM) modules. The model is used to simulate seasonal snow depth over an agricultural field in southern Ontario, Canada and is driven with half-hourly locally acquired meteorological data for 83 days during the 2008-2009 winter season. Semi-automated snow surveys are conducted throughout the winter season and the collected in situ snow depth values are compared to the simulated snow depth values at multiple scales. Two modelling approaches are taken to temporally and spatially test model performance. A lumped approach tests the model‟s ability to simulate snow depth from a small point scale and from a larger field scale. A distributed approach separates the entire field site into three hydrological response units (HRUs) and tests the model‟s ability to spatially discretize at the field scale. HRUs are differentiated by varying vegetation heights throughout the field site. Temporal analysis compares the simulated results to each day of snow survey and for the entire field season. Model performance is statistically analyzed through the use of a Root Mean Square Difference (RMSD), Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (NS), and Model Bias (MB). Both the lumped and distributed modelling approaches fail to simulate the early on-set of snow but once the snow-holding capacities are reached within the field site the model does well to simulate the average snow depth during the latter few days of snow survey as well as throughout the entire field season. Several model limitations are present which prevent the model from incorporating the scaling effects of topography, vegetation, and man-made objects as well as the effects from certain energy fluxes. These limitations are discussed further.

In todays highly maneuverable jet aircraft designs, aircraft are required to have a propulsion system that can operate during sudden accelerations and rapid changes in angle-of-attack. Consequently, the compressor of the jet engine occasionally must operate at low-flow rates and rapid changes in inlet conditions. The high angle-of-attack and low-flow regime of compressor operation is often plagued by rotating stall and surge. Rotating stall and surge can result in loss of engine performance, rapid heating of the blades, and severe mechanical stresses. Traditional methods for suppressing rotating stall and surge only partially protect against rotating stall or reduce compressor efficiency. The objective of this research is to design a stall suppression system that will introduce oscillatory blowing into one of the rotor blade (stall suppression blade). This oscillatory blowing method has been tested on a wing section in a wind tunnel and has shown to increase the stall angle-of-attack by several degrees.\cite{gilarranzetal02} This increase in stall angle-of-attack will eliminate stall cells as they form in the compressor. The goal of this research is to design a single stage axial compressor that will incorporate the new oscillatory blowing stall suppression system; moreover, this research will design, build, and test a scaled down version of this suppression system.

No description available.