GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Name of Student : Marlon Gwede

Student Number : C21147964U

Contact Details : 0775 814 296

Module Name : Business Research Methods

Module Code : MSCSM 609

Assignment Three : Individual Assignment

Due Date : 26 August 2022

Question One

Explain how you ensure any FOUR ETHICAL issues in business research (20)

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Research in general means search for knowledge which is obtained through scientific
investigation. Through research new knowledge or information is generated hence the
research can be named a movement from known to unknown. Therefore, research can be
defined as a cautious critical enquiry or examination seeking facts or principles, diligent
enquiry in order to ascertain of something. On the other hand, Best 2002 defined business
research as systematic and objective analysis of controlled observations that may be used to
the development of organizational, principles and possibility of ultimate control of events.
Every business research must be clearly guided by certain ethical issues in order for the
process to be successful. The development of a trustworthy relationship between the study
subjects and the researcher is at the heart of research ethics. Risks must be kept to a
minimum, benefits must be maximized, and communication must be properly planned and
handled to guarantee trust is built. The relevance of taking ethics into account in business
research has been getting more attention and focus. Therefore, it is imperative that everyone
is aware of the fundamentals of ethical research and how they may impact the research
efforts. This is crucial if the research entails interacting with companies or members of the
general public who are research participants. The investigation may involve a variety of
interactions, such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, or even observing the
behaviour of people and there are chances that interface with participants may unintentionally
harm them in some unintended way.

Definition of Ethics

Blumberg et al (2005) outline that ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the conduct
of people and guides the norms or standards of behaviour of people and relationships with
each other. Shah (2011, p.205) postulates that ethics refers to an “ethos” or “way of life”,
“social norms for conduct that distinguishes between acceptable and unacceptable
behaviour”.

Reasons for Ethical Concerns

Ethics are upheld while performing research for a variety of reasons. They first advance the
key goals of the study, which include, among other things, knowledge acquisition and the

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promotion of accuracy in research by preventing mistakes that can result from supplying
inaccurate information, falsifying information, or misrepresenting information. Research
demands a lot of work, which necessitates collaboration and coordination between numerous
individuals and researchers. Therefore, it is crucial that researchers and consumers have a
strong sense of mutual trust, respect for the opinions of other academics, treat them fairly,
and accountability for their research endeavors, since ethics builds public support, confidence
and benefits from the research. Research ethics molds social and moral values that builds
confidence of participants promoting the principle of doing no harm to others.

Objectivity

Any part of the research, including the design, data analysis, interpretation, and peer review,
should be free of bias. The researcher must be fair, impartial and intellectually honest, and
must not allow prejudice, conflict of interest or influence of others to override impartiality.
For instance, you should never suggest a peer reviewer someone you know or have already
worked with, and you should make sure that no groups are unintentionally left out of your
research. This implies that you must disclose any financial or personal interests that might
influence your research. Therefore, the researcher ought to ensure total avoidance of bias in
all aspects of research, including grant writing, peer review, personnel decisions, data
processing, data interpretation, and expert testimony.

Confidentiality

It is important that participants in research studies remain unspecified in published reports.

This indicates that their names and any other information that could be used to identify them
should not be used. Although confidentiality is a continuation of privacy, it explicitly refers
to the agreements reached between the researcher and participants over what can and cannot
be done with the information gathered throughout the course of a project. Although the
researcher is aware of the participants' identities, confidentiality states that no information
about them will be released in the final report. When researchers are looking at problems
inside a company and plan to offer managers a copy of the report, confidentiality is crucial.
When doing an industry-based study and the final report will be given to all participants,
some of whom may be rivals, it could also be crucial. Confidentiality also entails respecting

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anything that has been provided in confidence by the respondent thus following guidelines on
protection of sensitive information such as patient records or information.

Anonymity

Mugenda (2011) states that anonymity refers to keeping a secret by not identifying the ethnic
or cultural background of respondents, refrain from referring to them by their names or
divulging any other sensitive information about a participant and therefore, during research a
researcher must promise to protect the information given in confidence by the respondent.
Nevertheless, if any information must be revealed, then consent must be sought from the
respondent. By preventing physical and psychological harm to the research subject, this
improves objectivity toward them and prevents the researcher from asking the respondent
awkward questions that can mislead or even startle them.

If your research involves people, the researcher should make sure that they reduce any
possible harm to the minimum, and maximise the benefits both to participants and other
people. This means, for example, that one should not expose people to more tests than are
strictly necessary to fulfil your research aims. One should always respect human rights,
including the right to privacy and autonomy taking particular care with vulnerable groups,
which include, but are not limited to, children, older people, and those with learning
difficulties.

In order to ensure that on presentation that anonymity is observed the researcher must make
use of sudor names or letters in case such specification is required. On the other hand, the
researcher can present the data as grouped data which exonerates individuals and maintain
anonymity within the research instrument.

Informed Consent

Arminger 1997 avers that this is one of the major ethical issues in conducting research which
implies the fact that “a person knowingly, voluntarily, intelligently, and in a clear and
manifest way, gives his or her consent. Consent that is based on adequate information all
participants should be provided with adequate information regarding the study before they
give their consent to take part. This includes telling them what the study is about, what will
be expected of them, and if there are any risks or benefits to taking part in the study.

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Denzin and Lincoln (2011) assert that the cornerstone of ethical research is ‘informed
consent’ The term consists of two important elements, with each requiring careful
consideration, that is, ’informed’ and ‘consent’. Participants must be fully informed of what
will be asked of them, how the data will be used, and what (if any) consequences there could
be. The participants must provide explicit, active, signed consent to take part with the
research, including understanding their rights to access to their information and the right to
withdraw at any point. The informed consent process can be seen as the contract between
researcher and the participants. The aspects of ‘informed’ should include clear explanation
on: Who the researcher(s) are? What the intent of the research is? What data will be
collected from participants? How the data will be collected from participants? What level of
commitment is required from participants? How this data will be used and reported and
What are the potential risks of taking part in the research?
Informed consent also emphasizes the respondent’s right to autonomy which according to
Beauchamp & Childress (2001) point out that it is the ability for self-determination in action
according to a personal plan. It is at this moment that a respondent can make a decision to
partake in a study if he or she understands the benefit and risks of the study leading to new
knowledge. This factor also discourses how to counteract any form of physical harm or
discomfort, infringement of dignity, privacy and compensation. The informing component of
permission is frequently carried out using a brief, well designed information sheet, utilizing a
writing style suitable for the participants and avoiding the use of difficult academic jargon
meant to mislead the participants and their right to object should all be clearly stated as
aspects of consent.

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References

Arminger, B. (1997). “Ethics in Nursing Research: Profile, principles, perspective”. Nursing

Research. 26 (5):330-333.

Beauchamp T.L & Childress, J.F. (2001). Principles of Biomedical ethics, 5th ed, Oxford
University Press: Oxford.

Blumberg, B, Cooper D.R, & Schindler P.S. (2005). Business Research Methods, Mc Graw
Hill: Berkshire.

Denzin, N., & Lincoln, Y. (2011). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Mugenda A.G. (2011). Social Science Research Methods: Theory and Practice, ARTS Press:
Nairobi.

Shah, N. (2011). “Ethical Issues in biomedical Research publication”. Journal of

Conservative Dentistry, 14(3), 205-207.