14/10/2021
WHISTLE BLOWING IN BUSINESS
Whistle blowing is an essential part of the football game. Without whistle blowing, a football game will be awkward, chaotic and disorderly. Referees blow the whistle most often, when there is a foul play or when an infringement is committed by a player.
In the field of play, football players do express emotions like trading insults, making abusive gesticulations, assault or even causing physical harm. These emotions can only be checked by a referee’s whistle. Imagine a football match without a whistle; the result can only be one thing – commotion.
*Consider the case below:*
Player A, during a group stage match was brought down on account of Player B’s front sliding tackle, a play which got unnoticed by the referee. Player A, having felt cheated for the unintentional tackle and for the referee’s refusal to blow the whistle, thought he would pay back whenever he had the opportunity to do same to Player B. During the second half of the game, Player B had a one-to-one chance with the Player A’s goal keeper within the 18-yard box only for Player A to suddenly appear from behind Player B with a sliding tackle that swept both the latter and the ball outside the touchline. The referee immediately made a long blast of the whistle signaling a serious foul committed by Player A.
Player A intentionally played the hard tackles against Player B as a revenge for Player B’s initial sliding tackle made against him but he was caught by the referee. But for the whistle of the impartial referee, Player A would have robbed Player B’s team of their well-deserved penalty kick, the only goal that qualified them for the quarterfinals.
Every entrepreneur should operate his business like the football game, knowing when to blow the whistle. Entrepreneurs, especially the sole proprietors, most of the time, play against the rules. This is due to the fact that, unlike the game of football where the player is different from the referee, in sole proprietorship, the player is also the referee. Therefore it makes it a herculean task for the player to blow the whistle against himself. Hence, fouls are committed at will unchecked.
Entrepreneurs in other forms of business, including partnership, private and public limited liabilities, where there is more than one shareholder, have a better sense of responsibility and are hence, more committed to fair play.
What Is Whistle Blowing in Business?
So far, so much has been said about whistle blowing in football. At this point, we shall be talking about the term in the context of business. Whistle blowing in business is a term that is used to refer to a cautionary tool for engendering strict compliance and adherence to business rules and fair play. Entrepreneurs, like football players, are often caught in their own emotional web, a situation which makes them to take certain irrational decisions that are not only harmful, but dangerous to the survival of their businesses. To ensure that entrepreneurs play the business game according to the rule, a system must be in place to check them. This system is called Whistle Blowing.
*Some whistle blowing indicators in business*
There are certain indicators that call for whistle blowing in business. When the following indicators flash at you, then it is time that you must blow the whistle:
1. When there is an attempt to convert business money for personal use or frivolities;
2. When there is an attempt to give out your product or service to a family member for free;
3. When there is an attempt to convert the product of your business or that of your employer for personal use; with or without an intention of replacing it later or paying for it later;
4. When, as an employee in a business, you begin to sign in at work later than the time officially allowed;
5. When you use the official hours for personal business;
6. When you use the asset, property, equipment, consumables or materials of your business or your employer’s business for personal gains;
7. When you use a personal bank account to receive business money or vice versa. You may be wondering why it is a foul play to use business bank account to receive personal money. You should not be tempted to do this because each time you make a withdrawal of your personal money from your business account, the business loses. Bank charges (Commission on transaction or COT) are deducted from the account;
8. When there is an attempt to spend business money saved, set aside or reserved for a certain purpose for other purposes.
For further reading on Whistle Blowing, as well as other soccer rules that are sine qua non for business success, kindly visit:
https://www.amazon.com/SOCCER-SUCCESS-BUSINESS-Brendan-Michael/dp/B095LFLJNZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=soccer+rules+for+success+in+business&qid=1634228178&sr=8-1
Football (soccer) has come a long way; from the time it was merely a recreational activity to the point where it became a career. Over the years, the game has evolved, and as it developed, more rules were implemented and more historical landmarks were set. For example, the penalty was introduced in....
