Theranos and Erica Cheung’s Whistleblower Cases Case Study

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The article “The Powerful Impact of the Theranos Whistleblower” presents the story of Erica Cheung, who acted as a whistleblower in a company that faked the results of blood tests to increase sales and investments.

Key stakeholders in this example were the company’s board, employees, companies purchasing Theranos devices, and people who submitted their blood to be tested by any of the Theranos equipment. The board members were among the largest investors and supporters of the idea, and the discovery of the fraud has negatively impacted their reputation and income. The businesses buying Theranos blood testing machines were endangering clients and losing revenue, while individuals undergoing testing were put at risk of misdiagnosis. Employees were also negatively affected as they performed false tests and participated in fraud by concealing results, which damaged their future career possibilities.

As a result, Elizabeth Holmes was arrested, fined, and imprisoned, and the company was dissolved. Her partner, Ramesh Balwani, was also arrested and charged with a similar sentence (Pearlman, 2021). The actions of Holmes and Balwani were morally wrong as they endangered many people’s health. The business owner also lied to investors to gain more revenue, falsely presenting the products as working (Pearlman, 2021).). The focus on deriving revenue and popularity for Holmes goes against the basis of utilitarianism, which focuses on benefits for a maximized number of people (Eggleston, 2020). According to this moral base, people should strive to find solutions that help people and bring positive results to as many individuals as possible (Gesang, 2021). Accounting for the number of people negatively affected by Theranos’ false advertising and misrepresentation of tests, many people were harmed, while only Holmes and Balwani profited. As Theranos hurt more people, the whistleblower, Erica Chaung, exposed the injustice.

To prevent such problems, the leadership needs to have a transparent system of accountability. All workers and management should be held to the same level of scrutiny, and proper equipment checks should be completed by employing outside experts. Additionally, each new invention needs to be adequately checked without the influence of the company’s owner or other high-ranking members to avoid the possibility of tampering.

References

Eggleston, B. (2020). . Utilitas, 32(1), 1-18. Web.

Gesang, B. (2021). . The Journal of Value Inquiry, 55, 705-723. Web.

Pearlman, S. (2021). . Forbes. Web.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, February 22). Theranos and Erica Cheung's Whistleblower Cases. https://ivypanda.com/essays/theranos-and-erica-cheungs-whistleblower-cases/

Work Cited

"Theranos and Erica Cheung's Whistleblower Cases." IvyPanda, 22 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/theranos-and-erica-cheungs-whistleblower-cases/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'Theranos and Erica Cheung's Whistleblower Cases'. 22 February.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "Theranos and Erica Cheung's Whistleblower Cases." February 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/theranos-and-erica-cheungs-whistleblower-cases/.

1. IvyPanda. "Theranos and Erica Cheung's Whistleblower Cases." February 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/theranos-and-erica-cheungs-whistleblower-cases/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Theranos and Erica Cheung's Whistleblower Cases." February 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/theranos-and-erica-cheungs-whistleblower-cases/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1