Creating reporting agencies that know how to deal with such information in a proactive manner is necessary, rather than relying upon the media to publicize the negative information.
The lack of protective legislation is another problem. However, there is often great difficulty in generating legislative and popular support for protections to be accorded to whistle-blowers. Historically, many whistleblowers are like Daniel Ellsberg, who revealed the true nature of the war in Vietnam to the American public -- they have embarrassed organizations or companies with powerful interests in Congress. Other whistleblowers seem to have mixed motives for doing so, like whistle-blowing executives who testify against a corporation solely to protect their own skins in light of a coming financial debacle or ethical scandal.
Q3: What impact has it had on the standard of living and worker productivity?
In some ways, it has vastly improved the lives of workers -- workers can accomplish tasks faster, can communicate...
However, this has its downsides. Employees may feel as if they never truly leave the office because they are expected to check their email even on vacation. Also, employers may have higher expectations about worker productivity, as a result of the availability of the Internet and computer technology in generals. In retaliation for the greater workload, workers may frustrate employers (and their own careers) by procrastinating online.
The Internet improves worker's standards of living by enabling telecommuting and providing alternative modes of making a living, outside of the typical 9-5 office day. It facilitates offshore employment and often higher wages and better benefits for employees abroad. But working from home can thwart individual's attempts to network and build a viable career and meaningful social connections -- and foreign workers in offshore call centers may lose the opportunity to be part of vibrant and emerging locally-generated businesses.
