1. IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN ANY 6 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN RESEARCH. DISCUSS
THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATING RESEARCH ETHICS
Introduction
Ethics refers to moral principles or values that generally govern the conduct of an individual or
group. Researchers have responsibilities to their profession, clients, and respondents, and
must adhere to high ethical standards to ensure that both the function and the information are
not brought into disrepute. The Marketing Research Association, Inc. (Chicago, Illinois) has
instituted a code of ethics that serves as a guideline for marketing ethical decisions. The
Council of American Survey Research Organization (CASRO) has also established a detailed
code of marketing research ethics to which its members adhere.
In recent years ethical considerations across the research community have come to the
forefront. This is partly a result greater awareness of human rights and data protection and
also a result of increased public concern about the limits of any inquiry. There has also been
enhanced concern for responsible behaviour within the workplace Many large organisations
are expressing a desire for higher ethical standards in any research project and in the way
business is done. This increased concern for accountability in these spheres has led to a high
demand for good ethics where it comes to any research as well as access to and the
management of information. This current reconsideration of research ethics matches a
contemporary mood in both the public and private sector and is helping to enhance
responsible behaviour.
Definition of Terms: Research?
Research
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2. This is the systematic process of collecting and analysing information to increase our
understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the function of the researcher to contribute
to the understanding of the phenomenon and to communicate that understanding to others.
(Pearson: 1995-2010 Prentice Hall)
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Ethics
Ethics are the principles and guidelines that help us to determine and uphold what is morally
justifiable
Background
Ethics in Research
Writers differ widely on ethical issues in research. They often disagree on what is and is not
ethically acceptable in social research. Debates about research ethics emphasized certain
extreme cases of alleged ethical transgression, while in fact the potential for unethical
research is much larger. Some cases of unethical research are often associated with particular
research methods, such as disguised observation and deception in experiments. Obviously,
ethical issues can be raised throughout all phases of research, notably problem definition,
stating research objectives/ hypotheses, literature review, choice of research design,
questionnaire design, data collection procedures, data editing and cleaning, choice of
statistical methods, data analysis, conclusions and recommendations, and even referencing.
Ethics apply at every stage of the research. Upholding of ethics is particularly important in
research as the research industry is mainly dependent on the following;
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3.  Goodwill- This is the goodwill of the individual respondents for their willingness to
volunteer personal information on their awareness, attitudes and behaviours
 Trust- Decision makers trust researchers to provide accurate information
 professionalism and confidentiality
This paper discusses the importance of ethics in research, ethical considerations researchers
must observe and the consequences of violating them. Research must be conducted in a safe
and ethical manner.
This paper discusses six ethical considerations in research and the consequences of violating
them. The author feels that when carrying out research it is extremely important that the
research is conducted in a safe and ethical manner. Researchers must ensure that the rights
of the research subjects are not violated in any way.
All researchers have good intentions, but if they are not careful, their studies can
place individuals in situations that involve risk" (Gall: 1996). Data collection, and
analysis, subject selection, research procedure, credibility of the researcher and
the worth of the study are all ethical issues that those wishing to perform a study
face. Often researchers are the victims of poor planning or inexperience and their
subjects suffer for it. " ( David B. Resnik)
The ethical considerations I am going to examine are as follows:
1. Informed Consent
A researcher should have the permission of the people who they are studying to conduct
research involving them. When carrying out a research, one should be sure they are not taking
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4. advantage of easy-to-access groups of people (such as children at a day-care) simply
because they are easy to access.
Sound ethical conduct suggests that it is the duty of researchers to preserve and protect the
privacy, dignity, well-being and freedom of research participants. This means explaining to
potential participants the purpose and nature of the research so they can freely choose
whether or not to become involved. Such explanations include warning of possible harm and
providing explicit opportunities to refuse to participate and to terminate at any time.
Where the research involves students and minors, permission should be obtained from the
parents and guardians. The students and minors shall not be allowed to participate unless
their parents or guardians have been counselled with respect to their participation.. Parents or
guardians shall have the right to withdraw their children from the research Project at any time.
Not all types of research require permission or informed consent however—for example, if one
is interested in analysing something that is available publicly (such as in the case of
commercials, public message boards, etc.) you do not necessarily need the permission of the
authors
2. Invasion of Privacy and confidentiality
In the case of marketing research, many consumers feel positively about it and believe that it
serves a useful purpose. Some actually enjoy being interviewed and giving their opinions.
However, others strongly resent or even mistrust marketing research. A few consumers fear
that researchers might use sophisticated techniques to probe their deepest feelings and then
use this knowledge to manipulate their buying. Or they worry that marketers are building huge
data bases full of personal information about customers.
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5. Other respondents may have been taken in by previous research surveys that actually turned
out to be attempts to sell them something. Still other consumers confuse legitimate marketing
research studies with telemarketing efforts and say ‗no‘ before the interviewer can even begin.
Most, however simply resent the intrusion into their private opinions and perceptions. They
dislike mail or telephone surveys that are too long or too personal or that interrupt them at
inconvenient times. Increasing customer resentment has become a major problem for the
research industry.
Any business that deals with respondents‘ information has to take privacy issues seriously.
Some researchers view privacy as way to gain competitive advantage as something that leads
consumers to choose one company over another. The best approach is for researchers to ask
only for the information they need, to use it responsibly to provide value, and to avoid sharing
information without customers‘ permission.
Many types of research, such as surveys or observations, should be conducted under the
assumption that you will keep your findings anonymous. Many interviews, however, are not
done under the condition of anonymity. A researcher must let the subjects know whether the
research results will be anonymous or not.
The researcher must agree not to reveal the identity of the participant to anyone other than
the researcher and his staff who have access to the data.
Respondents are more willing to express their views and opinions if they know that the
information is going to be used in a confidential manner (i.e. the participation will not result in
the respondent becoming subject to sales calls, political lobbying or fund raising The identity of
individuals from whom information is obtained in the course of the research project shall be
kept strictly confidential. At the conclusion of the project, any information that reveals the
identity of individuals who were subjects of research shall be destroyed unless the individual
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6. concerned has consented in writing to its inclusion beforehand. No information revealing the
identity of any individual shall be included in the final report or in any other communication
prepared in the course of the Project, unless the individual concerned has consented in writing
to its inclusion beforehand.
3. Deception
Deception happens when the researcher provides misleading or withholding information from
participants about the project. Deception is allowable when the benefits outweigh the costs.
This occurs when researchers present their research as something other than what it is.
Deception should be minimized and when necessary, the degree and effects must be
mitigated as much as possible. Researchers should carefully weigh the gains achieved against
the cost in human dignity. To the extent that concealment or deception is necessary, the
researcher must provide a full and accurate explanation to participants at the conclusion of the
study, including counselling, if appropriate. An example is when a researcher pretends to be
who they are not in order to study a certain class of people.
This method can also result in a serious invasion of privacy and the researcher obtains
information they would probably never have known. An example was given during the lectures
of a prominent academic who disguised herself as a maid in order to study housewives and
maids‘ behaviours. This position gave her access to the couple‘s private lives which she would
have never known had she used direct questions. When the deception method is used,
debriefing becomes a must at the conclusion of the project. Debriefing is a post study interview
in which all aspects of the research are revealed. Any reasons for deception are explained and
any questions are answered.
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7. 4. Protection from Harm
You don‘t want to do anything that would cause physical or emotional harm to your subjects.
This could be something as simple as being careful how sensitive or difficult questions are
worded during the interviews. The researcher should take the responsibility to protect the
subjects from whatever harm which might befall them e.g. physical discomfort, emotional
stress, humiliation, embarrassment or any other situation that puts the participant at a
disadvantage. There should be no harm to participants‘ career prospects, development or self-
esteem.
5 Data Protection
Routine collection and storing of electronic data and use of data mining techniques has raised
new concerns about confidentiality of information. The information may be used for different
purposes than what it was collected for. Personal data must be processed fairly and lawfully.
The data must be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes and not further
processed in any manner incompatible with the original purpose. Personal data must be
adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are
processed. The data must be accurate and where necessary, be kept up to date and must not
be kept longer than necessary. Data must not fall into the wrong hands as this will be a breach
of confidentiality. The researcher must put in place measures to ensure data is protected from
unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss or destruction of or, damage.
Results must not be falsified. When reporting at the end of the research the correct results
must be accurately presented. What was observed or what the researcher was told must be
reported in an honest and accurate manner. Interview responses must not be taken out of
context and not discussed in small parts of observations without putting them into the
appropriate context.
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8. 6. Affiliation and conflicts of Interests
Ethical implications arise when research is finally underwritten by a source that has a vested
interest in the results. This does not mean that it is automatically biased; rather it may be
perceived to be biased and hence may be discredited. Research studies can be powerful
persuasion tools; companies often use study results as claims in their advertising and
promotion. Today, however, many research studies appear to be little more than vehicles for
promoting the sponsor‘s products. In fact, in some cases, the research surveys appear to have
been designed just to produce the desired results. Subtle manipulations of the study‘s sample
or the choice or wording of questions can greatly affect the conclusions reached.
In some cases, so-called independent research studies are actually paid for by companies with
an interest in their desired outcome. Small changes in the study samples or in how results are
interpreted can subtly affect the direction of the results.
Recognizing that surveys can be abused, several associations have developed codes of
research ethics and standards of conduct. However, in as much as legislation is put in place,
unethical or inappropriate actions cannot be totally eradicated. Each company must accept
responsibility for policing the conduct and reporting of its own marketing research to protect
consumers‘ best interests and its own.
Consequences of Violating Ethics
There are drawbacks to violation of ethics. An example is given of the methodological
argument against deceptive research which contends that
deception increases the suspiciousness of future research subjects, thereby
exhausting the pool of naïve participants (Ortmann & Hertwig, 1997).
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9. This view reflects the concern that as the incidence of deception continues to rise; participants‘
growing sophistication about deceptive practices may cause them to behave unnaturally in the
research. By extension, if the prevalence of deception over the years has decreased naiveté
among prospective participants, this would diminish the methodological value of using
deception in the first place. Further, even honest investigators might not be trusted by
participants who view apparent ―openness‖ with suspicion (Resnick & Schwartz, 1973).Such
participant expectations could have a counter-productive effect on future research projects and
their results, and also motivating individuals to behave in ways that do not reflect their natural
behaviours or compelling them to behave in uncooperative ways in active attempts to
undermine the research. (Tessar, 1994).states that
In light of research showing that consumers evaluate some unethical practices
(such as misrepresentation of interview length or study purpose) as
inappropriate, it is feared that they not only will be less likely to participate in
future research, but that their research experience will negatively influence their
image of the study sponsor, at least in commercial market research contexts
It is further argued that the very practice of violating ethics and of justifying such procedures
can weaken researchers‘ respect for their participants and undermine their own integrity and
commitment to the truth. At the same time, the public‘s confidence in research projects and in
the credibility of those who engage in it is likely to be weakened, thereby jeopardizing
community support for future researches. If ethics are violated the respondents feel denigrated
and this may create anger and hostility in the participants hence jeopardizing future
cooperation.
Conclusion
Simply put, ethics in research involves considering what is right or wrong, and then doing the
right thing -- but "the right thing" is not nearly as straightforward as conveyed in a great deal of
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10. business ethics literature. (Many ethicists assert there's always a right thing to do based on
moral principle, and others believe the right thing to do depends on the situation -- ultimately
it's up to the individual.) Many philosophers consider ethics to be the "science of conduct."
Twin Cities consultants Doug Wallace and John Pekel (of the Twin Cities-based Fulcrum
Group; 651-714-9033; e-mail at jonpekel@atti.com) explain that ethics includes the
fundamental ground rules by which we live our lives. The way ethical conduct is perceived
differs among individuals. What becomes an ethical guideline today is often translated to a
law, regulation or rule tomorrow. Ethical consideration in research therefore has come to mean
various things to various people, but generally it's coming to know what it right or wrong in the
workplace and doing what's right -- this is in regard to effects of products/services and in
relationships with stakeholders.
Attention to research ethics is critical. Values that were previously taken for granted are now
strongly questioned. Many of these values are no longer followed. Consequently, there is no
clear moral compass to guide researchers through complex dilemmas about what is right or
wrong. Attention to ethics in research sensitizes participants on to how they should act.
Perhaps most important, attention to ethics in research helps ensure that when researchers
are struggling in times of crises and confusion, they retain a strong moral compass which is
necessary to maintain the participants‘ faith in future researches
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11. Bibliography
Alemaheyu Dekeba: (2001-2011) Basic Marketing Research Methods: Globus publishing,
Berlin
Carter McNamara: Complete Guide to Ethics Management: An Ethics Toolkit for Managers:
http://managementhelp.org/ethics/
Internationally Indexed Journal Vol–II, Issue -3 March 2011; www.scholarshub.net
Allan Wilson: Ethics in Marketing; An integrated approach: 2006 2nd Edition Prentice Hall
Alan Byman and Emma Bell: Business Research Methods: 2007 2nd Edition Oxford University
Press
Social Research Association: Ethical guidelines: 2003
(Pearson: 1995-2010 Prentice Hall)-
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