The blog discusses current affairs and development of national economic and social health through unique idea generation. Consider the blog a type of thought experiment where ideas are generated to be pondered but should never be considered definitive as a final conclusion. It is just a pathway to understanding and one may equally reject as accept ideas as theoretical dribble. New perspectives, new opportunities, for a new generation. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”—Thomas Jefferson
Located near the front of the restaurant is a small wine bar
with a large selection of glasses for under $9 and bottles under $30. Flat
screen television sets surround the bar to offer the latest updates on your
favorite game or CNN event. As you sip your alcoholic beverage you can listen
to a folk singer lightly singing tunes of a time long gone bye while discussing
politics with the bar tender.
Bernini’s Bistro is considered a La Jolla local’s favorite.
The European style eatery has been featured on Chanel 10’s Restaurant Row,
Chanel 8 Unknown Eatery, Winner of 2005 poll, and as one of best places to have
birthdays.It is also listed as 26 out
of 184 restaurants in La Jolla by Trip Advisor. It comes highly recommended by
residents.
Patrons can choose between Italian, seafood, continental and
steakhouse options on the menu for prices between $20-$30. The food is rated
above the many other comparable establishments in the area and provides a nice
atmosphere with just the right amount of lighting and murals to make it
interesting. It is seen as a cozy environment with simplicity and class all
mixed together.
Within the immediate enclave are a few shopping options that
include clothing stores, coffee shop, bakery, eye glasses, and other small treasures.
During the day visitors can sit in the court and meet the locals who frequent
the place often. If you are single it is a great place to people watch and get
caught up on local gossip.
We are in the massive explosive age of knowledge sharing and
virtual information transference. Organizations are scrambling to find ways of
capitalizing on the large movement of information in order to create more efficient
and innovative firms. Research helps to support the concepts that effective
knowledge sharing is part communication technology and part human motivation.
Knowledge sharing creates opportunities for organizations to
meet the needs of customers, generate solutions and create efficiencies that
provide opportunity for organizations to more effectively compete on the open
market (Reid, 2003). Through this sharing of knowledge workers can better
enhance both their personal efforts as well as the resources of the
organization.
Organization innovation often rests on the ability to make
meaning of important information and then applying it to solve important problems.
According to Scarbrough (2003) knowledge sharing is essential to the
development of higher levels of innovative output. Problem solving requires the
collaboration of skills and information in order to effectively complete and
this is where knowledge sharing has its value.
Simply because an organization has developed knowledge
sharing networks does not necessarily mean that they will be utilized
effectively. There are individual, organizational, and technology related
factors to the success of such networks (Taylor and Write, 2004). Each of these
factors can influence the viability and practical utility of such systems
making them either profitable or sunk costs with no opportunity for recovery.
Employees must also willingly engage in such knowledge sharing
projects. Without employee participation and belief that the networks are
important to them they won’t be utilized to their fullest extent. Thus such
networks need to have value for the members and contribute to their personal
goals.
Research conducted by Hsiu-Fen from the National Taiwan
Ocean University in 2007 helps to determine the individual, organizational, and
technology related factors in the on knowledge sharing and where or not such
factors influence organizational innovation.After initial pilot testing the study included 172 participants from 50
organizations and analyzed results using the structural equation modeling
(SEM).
Results:
-Enjoyment of helping others and knowledge self-efficiency
were strongly associated with employee willingness to share knowledge.
-Top management support was effective for employee willingness
to share and collect knowledge on such networks.
-Positive relationship of information networking and
knowledge collecting but not necessarily with the desire to share knowledge.
-The willingness of employees to both donate and share knowledge
has a marked impact on a firm’s innovation capacity.
Analysis:
Through the study it is possible to see that knowledge
sharing networks have an impact on organizational innovative capacities.
However, employees must find a beneficial use in the information they are
finding as well as a willingness to donate their energy to sharing knowledge.
This sharing motivation is rooted in the desire to help others but also is
enhanced through the rewards of performance. Organizations that implement such
knowledge sharing networks should also consider the human elements of motivation
and ease of usage.
Hsiu-Fen, L. (2007). Knowledge sharing and firm innovation
capability: an empirical study. International
Journal of Manpower, 28 (3/4).
Reid, F. (2003). Creating a knowledge sharing culture among
diverse business units. Employment
Relations Today, 30 (3).
Scarbrough, H. (2003). Knowledge management, HRM and
innovation process. International journal
of Manpower, 24 (5).
Taylor, W. & Wright, G. (2004). Organizational readiness
for successful knowledge sharing: challenges for public sector managers. Information Resource management Journal, 17
(2).
Depending on who one asks, different definitions of
whistleblowing exist.Eaton and Akers
(2007) stated that “In its simplest form, whistleblowing involves the act of
reporting wrongdoing within an organization to internal or external parties”
(para. What is Whistleblowing).Most
organizations have Whistleblower hotlines.Conducting a quick Google search searching for hotlines resulted in most
state government, state schools, and major corporations.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX)
Of impetus in the creation of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002 (SOX) was the scandalous affairs of Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco (Eaton &
Akers).SOX set forth rules for
corporate governance that were not in place prior to 2002, thus the
scandals.“After all, SOX was developed
in response to high-profile corporate scandals that included Enron, WorldCom,
and Tyco, and was not designed to address problems in other sectors” (Eaton
& Akers, 2007, p. 1).From the
WorldCom and Enron situations two whistleblowers emerged.“In 2002, Time magazine named whistleblowers
Cynthia Cooper of WorldCom, Sherron Watkins of Enron” (para. What is
Whistleblowing).
From the WorldCom and Enron situations, two
whistleblowers emerged.“In 2002, Time
magazine named whistleblowers Cynthia Cooper of WorldCom, Sherron Watkins of
Enron” (para. What is Whistleblowing).One of the most famous whistleblowers was Sherron Watkins who turned in
Ken Lay in the Enron scandle.It seems
that the employees who lost money have found ways to make money from the
situation. Right after the company filed bankruptcy, Enron-related products
appeared all over eBay, the online auction.At one point, in 2002, there were up to 4200 auctions (Hageman, 2002).
Sherron Watkins Today
Sherron Watkins is now presenting on ethics and
reminds college students today of the importance of ethics in the workplace.
Don’t be afraid to speak the truth. The real tragedy
is when people stay silent.” And, don’t allow big bucks to lure you into
overlooking wrongs.
Students entering the workforce should pay attention
to the tone set by an employer’s CEO, and associate with those who demonstrate
pristine ethics and values, and who love the organization. “I used to think the
person at the top didn’t matter, but now, I believe the complete opposite. The
one person at the top makes all the difference,” Watkins said. (Heidleberg
University, 2010)
Dr. Jeffrey Wigand
Interesting, there is another tale of whistleblowing
that was made into a movie called The Insider.This movie was based on another corporate whistle blower, Dr. Jeffrey
Wigand.(“A research chemist comes under
personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a "60
Minutes" expose on Big Tobacco”)
“Dr. Wigand decided to go public by delivering a
damning courtroom deposition against his employer – a move that eventually led
to the tobacco industry’s $246 billion litigation settlement in 1998 to help
pay for smoking-related health care bills in the U.S." (Thomas,
2010).Although Dr Wigand endured severe
retaliation, much like Sherron Watson, he advises young people to stand up for
ethical behavior.“With regard to Dr.
Wigand's advice to young people, what astonishes me is that despite his own
experience of severe retaliation and negative effects on his life, he advises
young people to try to change the system” (Marcia, 2004, para. 4).
More on whistleblower retaliation in future
articles.
Author: Dr. Andree Swason
References
Eaton, T. V., & Akers, M. D. (2007).
Whistleblowing and good governance: Policies for universities, government
entities, and nonprofit organizations. The CPA Journal Online. Retrieved from
http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/2007/607/essentials/p58.htm
Enron whistleblower: Ethics matter in corporate
culture. (2010). Heidleberg University. From
http://www.heidelberg.edu/newsevents/2010/patadamsfall2010
Hageman, W. (2002, Jan 28). Enron ethics manual and
much more for sale on eBay. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/462313204?accountid=32521
Marcia, P. M. (2004). Whistle-blowing research and
the insider: Lessons learned and yet to be learned. Journal of Management
Inquiry, 13(4), 364-366. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/203306587?accountid=32521
Thomas, C. (2010, Nov.). Whistleblowing is dangerous
to your health. The Ethical Nag. Retrieved from
http://ethicalnag.org/2010/11/20/whistleblowing-is-dangerous-to-your-health/
Patrons can choose between Italian, seafood, continental and
steakhouse options on the menu for prices between $20-$30. The food is rated
above the many other comparable establishments in the area and provides a nice
atmosphere with just the right amount of lighting and murals to make it
interesting. It is seen as a cozy environment with simplicity and class all
mixed together. 
