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Product cover image for Theranos: Whistle-Blowing in the Workplace

Theranos: Whistle-Blowing in the Workplace

Julie Gosse, Esther Thorne

Product #:W39726
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:Human Resource Management, Organizational Behaviour/Leadership
Setting:United States, 2015
Details:Case (PDF) • 7 pages • 2024-11-14

Subjects:

WhistleblowingLeadershipBusiness law and ethicsLeadership and managing peopleBusiness ethicsOrganizational cultureOrganizational behavior

Industries:

Healthcare sector

Geography:

North AmericaUnited States
Your Price:$9.71

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In September 2015, Erika Cheung, a former employee at the private biotechnology company Theranos, must decide if she will blow the whistle on the company’s unethical practices, including inconsistent test results, data manipulation, and mishandling of patient blood samples. She must decide whether to contact the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an American federal health regulator, with this information. However, she could also face significant legal consequences due to the non-disclosure agreements she signed with Theranos. Personally, Cheung is wrestling with how to act in accordance with her commitment to improving the quality and affordability of health care and working in service of others.

Learning Objectives

This case can be used in the organizational behaviour module of an introductory business course at the undergraduate level. It can also be used as a testing or reporting vehicle.

Through completing this case, students will have an opportunity to do the following:

  • Evaluate how leadership and culture impact an organization’s success.
  • Discuss the role of personal values and ethics in a difficult situation.
  • Discuss the value of whistle-blowing when faced with an ethical dilemma.
  • Evaluate what went wrong at an organization and suggest what could have been done differently to eliminate or reduce these issues.
  • Propose an action plan with immediate and longer-term steps to reach an ideal outcome.
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Case Study: Theranos: Whistle-Blowing in the Workplace (English version) | Ivey Publishing