Social Media Marketing and Ethical Issues: A Case Study of Amazon

This report critically reflects on the ethical issues associated with social media marketing, using Amazon as a case study. It examines the aim to analyze the impact of social media marketing on a retail organization's performance, with objectives including understanding the concept of social media marketing, analyzing its impact on Amazon, and developing effective strategies. The methodology involves an inductive research approach, descriptive research design, and a combination of primary (questionnaires from 50 Amazon employees) and secondary data collection. The report details ethical considerations such as consent, anonymity, and transparency, along with adherence to principles of autonomy, privacy, dignity, scientific integrity, social responsibility, and minimizing harm. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations in maximizing profits and leveraging social media strategies. The report also includes references to relevant literature.

CRITICAL REFLECTIONS
OF ETHICAL ISSUES

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This assessment had focused upon identifying ethical considerations of
project ‘To analyse the concept of social media marketing and its impact on
performance of retail organisation. A case study of Amazon’. This
assessment further focused upon way in which Respect for the autonomy,
privacy and dignity of individuals and communities was adhered in an
appropriate manner with explanation of scientific integrity and adherence of
social responsibility.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................2
Aim..................................................................................................................................................1
Objectives....................................................................................................................................1
Methodology...............................................................................................................................1
Ethical Considerations.............................................................................................................2
Respect for the autonomy, privacy and dignity of individuals and
communities...............................................................................................................................2
Scientific integrity.....................................................................................................................3
Social responsibility.................................................................................................................3
Maximising benefit and minimising harm........................................................................4
CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................5

Aim
To analyse the concept of social media marketing and its impact on
performance of retail organisation. A case study of Amazon.
Objectives
Main objectives of this project are as follows:
 To understand the concept of social media marketing.
 To analyse the impact of social media marketing on the performance of
Amazon.
 To develop the strategies of social media marketing for Amazon.
Methodology
Main research methods chosen for this project are as follows:
Research Approach: Inductive research approach has been selected for this
project as it will directly help in gaining positive results out of primary data
collected by researcher.
Research design: In this descriptive research design has been selected as
this design will directly help in describing all the main elements of this
research.
Research methods and participants: In this both primary and secondary data
collection methods have been selected in which secondary data will be
collected from already published articles, journals, newspaper and
magazines. Whereas, primary data will be collected with the help of
questionnaire that will be filled by 50 employees of Amazon.
Validity and reliability: In order to check validity and reliability of data,
questionnaire will be directly filled by the employees of Amazon in front of
the researcher, and for secondary data authenticity of articles and other
sources of secondary data will be done such as authenticity of publisher who
is publishing paper will be checked, whether paper has been published in last
five years or not will be checked.
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Data Analysis: In these, mathematical formulas will be used for analysis of
primary data in which graphs and pic chart will be used for data analysis.
Ethical Considerations
Some of the main ethical considerations that are related to this research
project are as follows:
 Complete consent of all the participants will be taken before the study
and only if they agree to participate only then their will be asked to
participate within this research. It is one f the most important ethical
consideration which is required to be considered (Rapley, 2020).
 Anonymity of all the participants will be ensured by maintaining adequate
level of confidentiality all personal details of participation and of research
data as well. It is one of the most important ethical consideration which is
required to be considered as not focusing upon this ethical consideration
can create ethical issues.
 None type of misleading information will be provided to the participants
about the research. In fact, thy will be provided with complete
background information of the research, and main motive of doing this
research as well as importance of data provided by participants for the
research. Only after this, participants will be asked to participate in the
research. At any time if any participant feel that they do not want to
participate they will be allowed to withdraw their names from participants
list.
Respect for the autonomy, privacy and dignity of
individuals and communities
In order to check validity of consent of participants, their
confidentiality, anonymity of participates as well as ensuring that every
participant is treated fairly first of all: participants information form was
filled. In this form participant will be provided information such as: title of
research, purpose of research, reason because of which they have been
chosen, importance of participants and need of taking part in study, things
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that they have to do, benefits those participants will get after participation,
results of project, sources from where funding of project will be done, ethical
view point of study and information to contact researcher will be provided to
participants (Roulet and et. al 2017). Other than this, participants consent
form will be asked to be filled by the participants. This form will be
confirming that participants understand complete information sheet, they
will be confirming in this form that they got the opportunity to ask questions
and clarify their doubts and will confirm that they will be participating in
study (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017).
This procedure will help in respecting e autonomy, privacy and dignity of
individuals and communities.
Scientific integrity
Measures that will be taken to ensure that research is based upon
authentic data collected from participants are: participants will be asked to
fill questionnaire in front of the researcher. English will be used as
communication tool by me to communicate with participants so that
confusion or misunderstanding between researcher and participants can be
avoided. Participants will be asked to fill an authenticity from in which they
will be conforming that all the information provided by them is true and
authentic in best of their knowledge and designation within organization
(Shaw and Satalkar, 2018). Participants will be provided time period to fill
questionnaire i.e. they will not be forced to fill the questionnaire on the spot.
This will directly help me in ensuring that participates fill trust information
and their negative mood do not impact authenticity information provided by
then.
Social responsibility
In order to respect dignity and integrity of participants and Amazon
organization, I will respect privacy of all the participants, none of them will
be forced to participant within the study. If any one of them want to take a
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step back from participating within the study, then they will be free to
backout from participating within the study any time they want. Their privacy
will also be maintained. Use of offensive language within research was also
avoided and none of the participants were discriminated on basis of their
designation, post, cast, colour etc.
Maximising benefit and minimising harm
In order to avoid potential risk, I will be focusing upon providing
information form to all the participants in which all the important and
necessary details will be provided to participants that will help them to
understand whether they want to participant or not. Personal information of
participants and data provided by them was not shared by anyone. This
helped me in ensuring privacy of participants. In order to maintain
psychological well-being of participants, they were provided with their own
space to fill questionnaire and were free not to answer questions if they did
not feel like answering. This research will benefit retail sector organizations
and they will be able to understand concept of social media marketing, its
impact upon performance of company.
CONCLUSION
In order to maximise the profits of the organization and grab the eye balls
with the lucrative offers and products, Amazon targets its social media
strategies using various ways of understanding the market. Primary and
Secondary research are in turn the best ways to understand the market and
then further enhance and augment the social media strategies.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Rapley, A., 2020. Participant information–an ethics committee view. Medical
Writing. 29. pp.30-31.
Roulet, T.J., and et. al 2017. Reconsidering the value of covert research: The
role of ambiguous consent in participant observation. Organizational
Research Methods. 20(3). pp.487-517.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017. Fostering
integrity in research. National Academies Press.
Shaw, D. and Satalkar, P., 2018. Researchers’ interpretations of research
integrity: A qualitative study. Accountability in research. 25(2). pp.79-
93.
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