Ethics in the Business Research and Reporting Process - Assignment Example

? Ethics in the Business Research and Reporting Process Introduction Ethical considerations in business research and reporting have been gaining currency in recent times. Most corporations today acknowledge that an adherence to ethics in research and reporting is part of their corporate responsibility apart from enhancing their image. Adherence to ethical standards in research also enhances the quality of the research leading to more credibility and accuracy of the research. Business research and reporting also affects many people and hence the researcher has responsibilities and duties not only to the corporation but also to outside entities (Weaver &Trevino, 2003). Ethical Concerns in Business Research and Reporting Plagiarism Business research and reporting, calls for no condoning of plagiarism since it effects badly on the integrity of the business. Plagiarism in business research may include previous reviews, historical researches, methodological and even interpretations of other previous researchers. Every research conducted in business that uses ideas from previous research must acknowledge the source properly. Tenbrunsel and Messick argue that if research is conducted by a group it is unethical for one person to claim responsibility for the finished product. All members who participated in a research should be accorded proper acknowledgement wherever practical (1996). Misuse of Privileged Information In the course of undertaking business research and reporting, the researcher usually comes into contact with privileged information. The use of privileged information may take the form of plagiarism; for instance when information concerning proposals for grant applications is not kept in confidence by a researcher, or when an editor does not keep draft manuscripts in confidence which may preempt rights of first publication. Such actions may end up depriving the originator of the idea of due acknowledgement and profit. The breaching of confidentiality by a researcher is a serious matter as it may expose the researcher to legal obligations of intellectual theft if the information is subsequently used by unauthorized entities (Pimple, 2008). Data Management There are various ethical issues under data management which the business researcher has to adhere to such as; the integrity of data; the use or misuse of data; access and ownership to data and retention and storage of data. The significance of ensuring the integrity of data cannot be overstated. The giving of false or fabricated data is a serious breach of the ethical standards in business research and reporting. The business researcher will be held accountable for any findings presented which leads to erroneous decision making. The researcher should not release findings which are yet to be confirmed until he has confirmed them. It is the responsibility of the researcher to maintain clear record of his research which would enable a validation of the research conducted (Farell & Fraedrich, 2011). As such the researcher must store his research in a manner which enables other people to easily access it for review. A researcher who errs in the representation of material unknowingly is however exempted from liability unless reckless misconduct can be proved. A good example is a researcher who is supposed to interview 17 people in a firm, he has interviewed 13 but he is wary of getting late for his plane leaving for a holiday in Hawaii. He makes his conclusions based on the 13 which is a breach as the information is potentially misleading. Concerning the use and misuse of data, it is important for the researcher to acquaint himself with the relevant research methodology and use it in the right way. Ethical standards in reporting and research require that all information that is relevant be included in the final analysis. Disregard of any information should be explained if liability for gross misconduct is to be avoided. Any changes in methodology or protocol in an ongoing research must be sanctioned by management and should typically be avoided unless absolutely necessary (Hay & Israel, 2006). The ownership and access to data is a complex issue. After the completion of research, the research belongs to the business and the researcher gives up all the rights to it. Any distribution of the research is considered a violation of business ethics and makes the researcher liable to a civil suit. A continuation of research by the researcher is however not unethical even if the researcher has moved to another company. Publication and Authorship Issues Issues of authorship and publication are usually subject to other bodies which may halt or sanction the release of research findings. Ethics in business research require that all the participants in research must be acknowledged. However a person’s name should not be included in the final manuscript without his permission. In recent times, the trend is that any person appearing as author to a report, must attest to being an expert in the specific field to which he is acknowledged, or that he has read the manuscript and approves of it. Publication of research findings in research is in some instances subject to restrictions. Research commissioned by a specific corporation usually means that the corporation retains the rights to the findings unless explicitly agreed upon to the contrary. For instance, Steadman in their 1994 research on G4S used some aspects of the research on their review of American Security Services. Steadman was subsequently sued by Steadman and had to pay damages for ethical misconduct (Penslar, 1995). It is also unethical to release information before the agreed time as this may inconvenience the business. For instance the releasing of studies on the listing of a company usually depends on economic conditions and as such the company reserves the right to release the information at the most suitable time. Conflict of Interest Conflict of interest in business research is a serious issue which the researcher has to take into consideration. Conflict of interest may result to the compromising of the integrity of the research or lead to liability on the grounds of gross misconduct. In order to avoid conflicts of interest the researcher must take into account the various aspects which may lead to it and avoid them. A number of interventions that could be undertaken include; public disclosure, divestiture, a reduced role for the conflicted researcher, and internal continual assessment of the research. Business research must incorporate full disclosure of conflict of interest must be included in any research which incorporates conflicted researchers (Stead & Struwig, 2001). The lead researcher in a business researcher must have control over all the data collection and analysis and should also make the final decisions with regard to their publication. It is unethical for researcher to permit their names to be made use of in commercial undertakings as ghost writers. There usually happens instances in which researcher may take part in the commercialization of their research findings. In such an event the researcher must obtain from the contracting agency the permission to commercialize the research findings. In case of preexisting patent rights or by predetermined agreement the researcher need no seek prior authorization for commercialization of the research (Seppala & Griseri, 2010). The business researcher being a professional may in some instance be contracted to offer consulting services. As regard research findings which the corporation may require to be kept in confidence, the researcher in the provision of consultancy work for outside sources should not make use of the research done by the business as it is the legitimate intellectual work of the company that contracted him in the first instance. A business researcher must also avoid conflict of appointment by not taking up work that is beside that contracted by the principal business. For instance a researcher contracted by AIG also got contracted by Lehmann Brothers to offer consulting services. In the course of the research the demand for consultancy from Lehmann brothers increased making the researcher lag behind in his research with AIG. The researcher got sued by AIG for breach of contract (Gregory, 2003). Conflict of commitment may also lead to the production of substandard research which may be detrimental to company investment and decision making. Responsibility to Report The responsibility to report in business research and reporting encompasses; reporting of suspected transgression, the correction of mistakes and the submission of final report (McNeill, 2005). The researcher in the business must ensure that any suspicion concerning the withholding, falsification or fabrication of information is reported or documented in his report. While errors in a report are inevitable, it is the responsibility of the researcher to correct them if they are discovered by the final user or by him. Errors in report findings such as plagiarism must be corrected by the researcher. The reporting of errors is of particular importance since it prevents the making of decisions which may be wrong and expensive to the business. The most elemental aspect of the business researcher’s work is the provision of the final report (McNeill, 2005). The researcher is obligated to give the final report on the date agreed upon in order to prevent unanticipated expenses by the business. The report must be furnished by the researcher to the business and certified as his own work. Roles and Responsibilities of the Researcher The researcher has several roles and responsibilities required of him in the performance of his work. The business researcher plays a supervisory role in the work done by the members of his research team. It is the responsibility of the researcher to ensure that integrity standards of the research are maintained art all times. It is his responsibility to check whether proper protocol and procedures are being adhered to, and if not take remedial action. While most of the administrative and fiscal framework is offered by the business, it is the responsibility of the researcher to ensure that he has adequate financial and administrative support systems (Weaver, & Trevino, 2003). The researcher has the duty of finishing the research in a timely manner as stipulated. The researcher has the responsibility of checking his research for quality and relevance by comparing it to other works in the same field. The researcher has a very important role of confidentiality in ensuring that the intellectual property rights of the business are not violated. While a researcher is allowed to collaborate with other experts while conducting research, the issues of which materials are to be shared and publication and authorship must be sanctioned by the business. The researcher while having responsibilities to the industry also has responsibility to the financiers of the research. The researcher has the responsibility of providing progress reports and of the final report. The researcher has the responsibility of ensuring that resources allocated to him for purposes of the research are used prudently. Lastly the researcher is responsible for familiarizing himself with the company in order that he may produce quality research. The requirements of ethics hold true not only for the lone researcher but also for the group of researchers (Tenbrunse & Messick, 1996). Roles and Responsibilities of the Funding Agency While the researcher is mostly responsible for many aspects of the research, the financiers also have a role to play in ensuring that the research runs smoothly. The financiers have to provide the administrative, financial and logistical framework to enable the researcher do his work. It is also the role of the financier of the research to offer the guidelines upon which the researcher is expected to operate. A lack of a provision of guidelines leads to arbitrariness which may offer loopholes which may be exploited by the researcher (Gregory, 2003). It is also important for the financier to provide proper remuneration to the researcher in order to provide issues of conflict of interest such as consulting. Conclusion The adherence of ethical norms in business reporting is growing and will continue to grow in coming times. Ethical research promotes truth, knowledge and eliminates error. All these attributes would make research to be of more value to the business. Ethical research also develops the reputation of a business which puts it in good standing to other competing businesses. Ethical research also promotes a culture of ethical standards in the business since the process of business research and reporting is usually a group process involving many people. It also leads to cohesion since the process of ethical research encourages collaboration. Ethical research and reporting also leads to public trust which makes financiers more likely to support research. The non adherence to ethical research and reporting on the other hand leads to a lack of confidence which impacts on the integrity of the business scares away financiers and loses the business money. References Farell, L., & Fraedrich, J. (2011). Business ethics: ethical decision making and cases. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Gregory, I. (2003). Ethics in research. New York: Continuum, cop. Hay, L., & Israel, M. (2006). Research ethics for social scientists: between ethical conduct and regulatory compliance. London: Sage Publ. McNeill, R. (2005). Business to business market research: understanding and measuring business markets. Sterling, VA: Kogan Page. Penslar, R. (1995). Research ethics: cases and materials. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Pimple, K. (2008). Research ethics. Burlington, VT: Ashgate. Seppala, N., & Griseri, P. (2010). Business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Andover: South-Western Cengage Learning. Stead, G., & Struwig, F. (2001). Planning, designing and reporting research. Cape Town: Pearson Education South Africa. Tenbrunsel, A., & Messick, D. (1996). Codes of conduct: behavioral research into business ethics. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Weaver, G., & Trevino, L. (2003). Managing ethics in business organizations: social scientific perspectives. Stanford: Stanford Business Books. Read More