Part 1: Ethics in Research
Utilizing the Internet, CTU Library, and your textbook, choose 1 example (or use one of those listed below) of unethical research in a business setting, and discuss the following:
- Explain why research might be considered unethical.
- For your research proposal project in this course, explain what ethical considerations there are and how to avoid them.
Examples of unethical business research:
You may also wish to review an example time line by clicking here.
Responses to Other Students: Respond to at least 1 of your fellow classmates with at least a 100-word reply about their Primary Task Response regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following questions:
- What did you learn from your classmate’s posting?
- What recommendations can you offer?
- What, if any, clarification do you need regarding your classmate’s research question/ hypothesis?
- What differences or similarities do you see between your posting and other classmates’ postings?
References
Hotten, R. (2015, December 10). Volkswagon: The scandal explained. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-34324772
Luca, M. (2014, July 29). Were OkCupid’s and Facebook’s experiments unethical? Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2014/07/were-okcupids-and-facebook…
Resnik, D. B. (2017). Research ethics timeline (1932-present). Retrieved from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioet…
jessica harris
Research may be considered unethical in many ways. For example, employees working for a company may have their personal reasons for being unethical in what they do. They may feel like being unethical will benefit for the company, when in turn, it does not. As the saying goes, what’s in the dark will come to light. So, if employees and staff are being sneaky and doing things “for the company and to benefit the company,” even though they know what they are doing is not right, it may come back to bite them. It may not come up right away, but down the line or eventually, it will come to light, which is why companies, their staff and employees should always be upon doing the right thing in their research. “Along with the developing of the research on Organizational Behavior, more and more scholars pay attention to the unethical pro-organizational behavior. It gives us a more depth and a new aspect in understanding in all sorts of phenomenon of organizational behavior” (Liu, Y., & Qiu, C, 2015).
Because there are many situations where companies are being unethical in their research and decision-making, they are definitely being watched. Unfortunately, the companies, staff, and employees that are being unethical, are making it hard for the companies who are honest, and want to do things the right way, stay ethical, and stay in compliance. “Gurchiek found that more than a third of the staff witnessed unethical behavior in the workplace, where 19% of unethical behavior is cheating employees, customers, suppliers, or the public. These unethical behaviors are called unethical pro—organizational behavior, which is short of UPB. UPB is an immoral behavior in order to keep interests of members and the organization” (Liu, Y., & Qiu, C, 2015).
So, with ethical considerations, what is done unethical can affect everyone in the company, the employees, the staff, and even the owner. “The rotten apple injures its neighbors. It is from this proverb that we derive the bad apple theory, which emphasizes the fact that mold from one apple could spread and infect the rest” (Akaranga, S. I., & Makau, B. K, 2016). There could be pressures with a company that pull them away from their normal, causing them to engage in misconduct. Does it make it right? No, it does not. Is it necessary to go into the unethical way of things? Absolutely not! There are ways to be ethical and still provide the necessary research for your company. There is a wealth of research and information out here to where you can stay ethical and get the data and information needed for success with your company. If an employee or anyone a part of the staff feels like they need to be unethical to get the data and information needed, then there may be a possible issue with communication. Personally, I would have a bi-weekly or monthly meetings with my staff to ensure that we are all on the same page with everything. I would make sure I got my input and opinions from my staff, and we would communicate and compromise (if needed) to be on the same page, as long as the company is not being jeopardized or at risk in any way. There are ways to stay in compliance and stay ethical without having to cross those lines.
References
Serebnick, J. (1991). Identifying unethical practices in journal publishing.
Liu, Y., & Qiu, C. (2015). Unethical pro-organizational behavior: Concept, measurement and empirical research. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies, 3(03), 150.
Akaranga, S. I., & Makau, B. K. (2016). Ethical Considerations and their Applications to Research: a Case of the University of Nairobi. Journal of educational policy and entrepreneurial research, 3(12), 1-9.
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