External disclosure of a wrong — whistleblowing — is warranted when:

Answer

Internal channels are exhausted, the harm is serious, and you have facts

Options - A. Internal channels are exhausted, the harm is serious, and you have facts - B. You disagree with a management decision that affects your team - C. The disclosure can be made anonymously, so that reprisal is impossible - D. Never for a student or junior — only members may go outside the firm Why - A. Correct — all three conditions must hold. An overheard remark with nothing raised internally fails two of them; two count sheets and two months of ignored memos satisfy all three. - B. Disagreement is not harm, and management decisions are not wrongs. This fails the seriousness condition outright. - C. Anonymity is not a condition and does not by itself warrant disclosure. An anonymous claim without evidence fails the facts condition. - D. Seniority is not a condition. A junior with facts and exhausted channels can and should use step 5.

Business Ethics (CNX v3.1) ch 36; Smith 10.2.4.1 (unethical persuasive techniques); OSC Whistleblower Program (protections page, read 2026-09-17); concept map C17, C18