Business Research Methods

William G. Zikmund

Chapter 5: Ethical Issues in Business Research

Ethical IssuesPhilosophical questionsSocietal normsCodes of behavior

Rights and Obligations of the Respondent The obligation to be truthful Privacy Deception The right to be informed

Rights and Obligations of the ResearcherThe purpose of research is researchObjectivityMisrepresenting researchProtect the right to confidentiality of both subjects and clientsDissemination of faulty conclusionsAdvocacy research

Rights and Obligations of the Client Sponsor (User)Ethics between buyer and sellerAn open relationship with research suppliersAn open relationship with interested partiesPrivacyCommitment to researchPseudo-pilot studies

Advocacy ResearchResearch to support a specific legal claim

Pseudo-Pilot StudiesThe researcher is told that the study is the first of many in a more comprehensive study