Unit 4

Addressing Ethical Issues

Kimberly A. Peligrino
Topics 01 The Nature of Ethics

02 Why do I Need to Learn

About Ethics?

03 Ethical Responsibilities to
Research Stakeholders

04 Ethics Across Cultures

05 Ethical Approval for

Research Involving
Human Subjects
• Infographic Style

The Nature of
Ethics
 Ethics

Linda Treviño and Katherine Nelson defines ethics as:

“The principles, norms, and standards of conduct

governing an individual or group.”

 Social Responsibility Ethics

Relates to the public’s Relates to morality rather than

expectations of companies to society’s interest.
act in a manner that is socially
responsible.
 Research Stakeholders

Project Employer
Supervisor

Your
University/ research Organizational
College project participants

Individual Researchers
participants and community
 Research Stakeholders

Rowley (2004) suggested that “conducting research

ethically is concerned with respecting privacy and

confidentiality, and being transparent about the use of

research data."
Ethics in Business
According to Tony Proctor (2010), the obligations a
market researcher must undertake are as follows;

Methods used and results obtained must be accurately

represented.

The client’s identity as well as the information obtained

must be held in confidence.

Research should not be undertaken for a client’s

competitor if such research will jeopardize the confidential
nature of the client-researcher relationship.
 Ethics in Business

Russ-Eft et al. (1999) suggested that when conducting

business management research, your work should be

professional and responsible, use an appropriate means

of data collection and be carefully interpreted.

 HSBC’s Ethical Code of Conduct (2013)

HSBC’s Ethical Code of Conduct (2013)

Supplier must embed basic business principles in a Code of
1 Business Standards or a similar policy.

HSBC’s Ethical Code of Conduct (2013)

Suppliers must abide by all legislation and regulations related to
2 protection of environmental and the handling of dangerous and
hazardous materials.

HSBC’s Ethical Code of Conduct (2013)

Suppliers must treat all employees fairly and not discriminate
3 against any group in its employment practices.

HSBC’s Ethical Code of Conduct (2013)

4
Suppliers should have reasonable payment policies with their own
suppliers and subcontractors.
Co-operative Bank’s Ethical Policy
Corporate Responsibility and
Global Trade

Human Rights The Arms Trade

Genetic Social
Modification Enterprise

Economic
Animal Welfare
Impact
Ethics and Marketing
Much interest in marketing ethics is motivated by the

basic premise that employees’ unethical activities may

have negative consequences for the well-being of the firm

by eroding consumer trust (Mascarenhas, 1995).

Ethics and Accounting

The society has an extremely high ethical

expectations of accounting professionals.

Ethics and other
business functions
Ethical values need to be considered in relation to

all business functions.

Ethical considerations can be viewed fro a nuber of

different perspectives. These include consumer

perspectives, corporate perspectives and

respective internal business fucntion.

Why Do I Need to
Learn About Ethics?

First, when undertaking your research project, you will

need to be aware of a range of ethical issues that can
impact a wide variety of research participants

Second, learning about business ethics can give you

transferable skills that can be used in the workplace.

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Ethical Responsibilities
To Research Stakeholders
01 02 03
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 Research Stakeholders

Project Employer
Supervisor

Your
University/ research Organizational
College project participants

Individual Researchers
participants and community
 Individual Participants

Your responsibilities towards

research participants are
primarily to offer the level of
protection that participants
expect.
Ethical Protection of participants

considerations Safety of the researcher

relating to individual Recruitment and informed consent

Anonymity
participants Confidentiality

Data Privacy Act of 2012

START
Advice to participants
 Protection of Participants

As a researcher it is your responsibility to ensure the

welfare of all your research participants. This includes

both their physical and mental-being. Protection of

participants should be based on the same thorough

professional process, irrespective of age, gender or

ethnic background.
 Safety of the Researcher

Your own welfare is something that you need to consider

when undertaking your research design. Remember that

potential risks are not only physical, but also

psychological.
 Recruitment and Informed Consent

Recruitment relates to the process of inviting people to

take part in your research.

Consent can be defined as ‘seeking permission of

something to happen or for something to be done’.

 Recruitment and Informed Consent

Another important aspect of consent is informed

consent. This means that is the responsibility of the

researcher to accurately explain the nature of the

research and the role the individual is likely to play in it.

According to O’Leary (2004) informed consent implies that participants are:
Aware of the right to discontinue

Involved Voluntarily Not deceived

Autonomous Not coerced

Competent Not induced

 Anonymity

You should offer all respondents taking part in your

research the option to be anonymous. If a respondent

wants anonymity, then this means that he or she does

not wish to reveal their name.

 Confidentiality

Confidentiality means that information is restricted to

those authorised to have access to it. Access restriction

is only one aspect of confidentiality. The researcher's

assurance of confidentiality to the research subject is

also important. The strictness of confidentiality normally

increases with the degree of sensitivity of the

information, and with the degree of vulnerability of the

research subject. (Fossheim, 2015)

 Republic Act 10173 – Data Privacy Act of 2012

It is the policy of the State to protect the fundamental human

right of privacy, of communication while ensuring free flow of

information to promote innovation and growth. The State

recognizes the vital role of information and communications

technology in nation-building and its inherent obligation to

ensure that personal information in information and

communications systems in the government and in the private

sector are secured and protected. (Data Privacy Act of 2012.

Sec. 2)
SEC. 11. General Data Privacy Principles. – The processing of personal information shall be allowed, subject to
compliance with the requirements of this Act and other laws allowing disclosure of information to the public and
adherence to the principles of transparency, legitimate purpose and proportionality.
Personal information must, be:

General Data Privacy Principles

a Collected for specified and legitimate purposes determined and declared before, or as soon as reasonably
practicable after collection, and later processed in a way compatible with such declared, specified and legitimate
purposes only;
General Data Privacy Principles

b Processed fairly and lawfully;

General Data Privacy Principles

c Accurate, relevant and, where necessary for purposes for which it is to be used the processing of personal information, kept
up to date; inaccurate or incomplete data must be rectified, supplemented, destroyed or their further processing restricted;

General Data Privacy Principles

d Adequate and not excessive in relation to the purposes for which they are collected and processed;
SEC. 11. General Data Privacy Principles. – The processing of personal information shall be allowed, subject to
compliance with the requirements of this Act and other laws allowing disclosure of information to the public and
adherence to the principles of transparency, legitimate purpose and proportionality.
Personal information must, be:

General Data Privacy Principles

e Retained only for as long as necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes for which the data was obtained or for the
establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims, or for legitimate business purposes, or as provided by law; and

General Data Privacy Principles

 Kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the
f data were collected and processed: Provided, That personal information collected for other purposes may lie processed for
historical, statistical or scientific purposes, and in cases laid down in law may be stored for longer periods:  Provided, further,
That adequate safeguards are guaranteed by said laws authorizing their processing.
 Advice to Participants

It is important that you fully brief your participants prior,

during and after your research. The most important of

these is prior to conducting your research.

Responsibility to Other researchers and the Wider
Community

Failure to acknowledge the

work of other researchers is
considered highly unethical.
 Plagiarism Self-plagiarism

Plagiarism is the deliberate Self-plagiarism is including

copying of someone else’s work work in your research project
and presenting it as one’s own. that you have already submitted
as part of a previous piece of
assessment.
 Project Supervisor

In any, supervised research

project, it is unethical to be
secretive and dishonest
about your research with
your supervisor.
 University/ College

As an ‘ambassador’ for your

institution, you need to
conduct yourself in a manner
that follows the highest
ethical standards.
 Employer

Remember that you have a

responsibility to your
employer to conduct your
research in accordance with
your employer’s ethical
requirements.
 Organizational Participants

It is ethical to inform
participants from external
organizations the purpose of
the research and to gain
their informed consent prior
to their participation.
 Professional Standards

Personal
Respect Dissemination Collusion
Conduct
Conflict of
Deception Interest Text Here
Debriefing
Ethics Across Cultures
Ethics Across
Cultures
First, as a researcher you need to
show respect and willingness to adapt
to different cultures.

Second, be prepared to follow ‘written’

and ‘unwritten’ codes of conduct.

Third, understand sensitive issues

when compiling questionnaire surveys.

And finally, respect varying degrees of

confidentiality and anonymity.
Ethical Approval for Research Involving Human Subjects
Ethical approval for research with human subjects
is requires for the following reasons;

02 To protect your rights as a

researcher to carry out
To protect the rights and
welfare of participants and 01 legitimate investigation as well
as the reputation of the
minimize the risk of physical or
university for research
mental discomfort, harm and
conducted and sponsored by it.
danger from research
procedures.

To minimize the potential for
claims of negligence against you,
the university and any
collaborating individual or
organization.
04 Because, increasingly,
external funding bodies and
referred journals require a
statement of ethical practice in
applications for research funds
03 and as a precondition of
publication.
A man without
ethics is a wild
beast loosed
upon this world.

- Albert Camus
Thank You