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How
do we decide what is ethically correct in Marketing
research?
When it comes to marketing research, there are certain dos and donts that should be
considered when collecting and delivering findings. This following topic covers definition of
ethics, importance of ethics and various different ethical issues that occur in market
research and suitable approaches for analyzing the collected data.
Definition of Ethics:
Oxford Dictionary defines Ethics as moral principles that govern a
persons behaviour or the conducting of an activity.
The branch of philosophy that deals with morality. Ethics is concerned with
distinguishing between good and evil in the world, between right and wrong
human actions, and between virtuous and non virtuous characteristics of
people.
It refers to rules for distinguishing between right and wrong.
It is refers to Norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and
unacceptable behaviour.
Importance of Ethics:
Research ethics is an important part of professional life of every researcher and it
influences society in multiple ways. However, perception of ethics, its principles and its
importance may significantly vary between individuals, disciplines, and countries. Different
perceptions and lack of awareness have led to controversial debates about the benefits of
science, innovation and new technologies, as well as the societal responsibility of
researchers. In an era of digital science, where information communication technologies
(ICT) are both the subject of and a tool for research, communication and collaboration,
ethical issues are gaining increasingly in importance.
One way of defining 'ethics' focuses on the disciplines that study standards of conduct,
such as philosophy, theology, law, psychology, or sociology. For example, a "medical
ethicist" is someone who studies ethical standards in medicine. Another way defines ethics
as a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how to act and for analyzing
complex problems and issues. For instance, in considering a complex issue like global
warming, one may take an economic, ecological, political, or ethical perspective on the
problem. While an economist might examine the cost and benefits of various policies related
to global warming, an environmental ethicist could examine the ethical values and principles
at stake.
Many different disciplines, institutions, and professions have norms for behavior that suit
their particular aims and goals. These norms also help members of the discipline to
coordinate their actions or activities and to establish the public's trust of the discipline. For
instance, ethical norms govern conduct in medicine, law, engineering, and business. Ethical
norms also serve the aims or goals of research and apply to people who conduct scientific
research or other scholarly or creative activities. There is even a specialized discipline,
research ethics, which studies these norms.
There are few points that focus on importance of ethics in research;
Ethics promote the aim of Research: It promotes the purpose of research and it also
emphasizes that research must have knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error. For
example, prohibitions against fabricating, falsifying, or misrepresenting research data
Many of the norms of research promote a variety of other important moral and social values,
such as social responsibility, human rights, and animal welfare, compliance with the law,
and health and safety.
obligation to answer anything the investigator asks them. This is often the case
when partakers are older, uneducated or underprivileged so as ethical
researchers, it is our duty to inform them about their entitlements.
v. Participants also must be informed about what is involved in a given investigation.
For example, they must be debriefed at the end of a study, especially if an experimental
manipulation is used. They must be informed of one-way mirrors, microphones in the room
or projective techniques been used as to not to invade their privacy. Similarly, if
confidentiality about respondents personal information is promised but not kept, their right
to safety will be breached.
vi. There are types of personal information that can often be associated with invasion
of privacy. A researcher therefore must be aware that asking participants
questions about their sexual orientation, religion, political affiliations or income can
be seen as discriminative or irrelevant thus invading their privacy. If such
questions are necessary to the study, it is important to explain participant the
relevance of these questions and to warrant them that such information will be
kept anonymous and confidential.
For Example:
As we can see, respecting respondents privacy and keeping their information confidential
plays a big role in being ethical when doing marketing research. As researchers, it is
important to be aware of our duties and obligations with the people we interview or observe.
We must let them know of their rights: right to choose, right to safety and right to be
informed. Finally, we must also respect the information they contribute for a given
investigation by managing it well and by keeping it secure and confidential.
2. Honesty in Presenting and Analyzing Results:
Analyzing results is the procedure of assessing, illustrating, and reviewing data by using
statistical and logical techniques. To curb the misleading of marketing research and errors of
statistics, its necessary for researchers to honestly present and analyze results. The reports
should be written in a way that is logical and persuasive. Both primary data and secondary
data can be used for presenting and analyzing. Secondary data may be brought into the
analysis to help find results. However, in order to avoid unreliable information, researchers
need to consider the following items:
3. Responsibility of Researchers:
Individuals all have responsibility to ensure that they have ability to meet the goal of
research when they work with a research project. Responsibility of researchers plays an
important role in research project, and it can help the people perform the project efficiently.
Researchers who are working on a project need to have the following responsibility:
Researchers have overall responsibility for the project and accountable to the employer of
the research; therefore, they are required to provide appropriated management to all
working, ensure all the date is appropriated, and report any of misconduct.
4. Other points that must be considered in conducting research ethically:
i.
Honesty: Strive for honesty in all scientific communications. Honestly report data,
results, methods and procedures, and publication status. Do not fabricate, falsify, or
ii.
iii.
affect research.
Integrity: Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for
iv.
v.
journals.
Openness: Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources. Be open to criticism and
vi.
new ideas.
Respect for Intellectual Property: Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of
intellectual property. Do not use unpublished data, methods, or results without
permission. Give credit where credit is due. Give proper acknowledgement or credit
vii.
viii.
records.
Responsible Publication: Publish in order to advance research and scholarship,
ix.
not to advance just your own career. Avoid wasteful and duplicative publication.
Responsible Mentoring: Help to educate, mentor, and advise students. Promote
x.
xi.
xii.
xiii.
xiv.
in science as a whole.
Legality: Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental policies.
Case 2:
Dr. T has just discovered a mathematical error in a paper that has been accepted for
publication in a journal. The error does not affect the overall results of his research, but it is
potentially misleading. The journal has just gone to press, so it is too late to catch the error
before it appears in print. In order to avoid embarrassment, Dr. T decides to ignore the error.
Dr. T's error is not misconduct nor is his decision to take no action to correct the error. Most
researchers, as well as many different policies and codes, including ECU's policies, would
say that Dr. T should tell the journal about the error and consider publishing a correction or
errata. Failing to publish a correction would be unethical because it would violate norms
relating to honesty and objectivity in research.
There are many other activities that the government does not define as "misconduct" but
which are still regarded by most researchers as unethical. These are called "other
deviations" from acceptable research practices and include:
Publishing the same paper in two different journals without telling the editors
Submitting the same paper to different journals without telling the editors
Not informing a collaborator of your intent to file a patent in order to make sure that
you are the sole inventor
Including a colleague as an author on a paper in return for a favor even though the
colleague did not make a serious contribution to the paper
Discussing with your colleagues confidential data from a paper that you are
reviewing for a journal
Trimming outliers from a data set without discussing your reasons in paper
By passing the peer review process and announcing your results through a press
conference without giving peers adequate information to review your work
Stretching the truth on a grant application in order to convince reviewers that your
project will make a significant contribution to the field
Giving the same research project to two graduate students in order to see who can
do it the fastest
Owning over $10,000 in stock in a company that sponsors your research and not
disclosing this financial interest
These actions would be regarded as unethical by most scientists and some might even be
illegal. Most of these would also violate different professional ethics codes or institutional
policies. However, they do not fall into the narrow category of actions that the government
classifies as research misconduct. Indeed, there has been considerable debate about the
definition of "research misconduct" and many researchers and policy makers are not
satisfied with the government's narrow definition that focuses on FFP. However, given the
huge list of potential offenses that might fall into the category "other serious deviations," and
the practical problems with defining and policing these other deviations, it is understandable
why government officials have chosen to limit their focus.
References:
www.google.com
Wikipedia.com
Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA)