Analysis of Ethical Decision Making in Research: A Detailed Report

This report provides a detailed analysis of ethical decision-making in research, focusing on a scenario involving a company with hierarchical management. It examines employees' experiences with unethical research practices driven by a managing director and explores strategies to address these issues. The report emphasizes the importance of confidentiality, protecting human participants, and ensuring voluntary participation. It outlines formal workplace practices to deal with unethical conduct, including launching investigations and enhancing employee competence. Furthermore, it discusses various strategies for making ethical research decisions, such as ensuring the protection of human participants, avoiding unprofessional research methodologies, and the importance of researcher skills, including data collection and analysis. The conclusion underscores the significance of legal principles, ethical behavior, and adherence to professional codes of conduct in minimizing risks and promoting responsible research practices. The report stresses the importance of ethical decision-making in all stages of the research process, from data collection and analysis to reporting and publication.

2019
ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN
RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
System04129

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Employees formal workplace practices to deal with unethical misconduct....................................3
Confidentiality and anonymity.....................................................................................................3
Protecting people..........................................................................................................................3
Obligation to participants.............................................................................................................3
Launching investigation...............................................................................................................4
Practices conducted by employees in against of unethical misconduct by researchers...................4
Strategies With Supporting Research Decisions Based On Ethicality............................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9
1

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
Introduction
Research ethics focus on moral principles that enable, superior and subordinate to behave
ethically while involving in a particular research. Performing tasks in an ethical way leads to job
satisfaction, change management, confidentiality agreement, and succession planning in a best
way. In this case, company possess with a hierarchical management system of employees, which
is from junior to the most senior Managing director. Middle level manager and junior employees
indulged with good interpersonal relationship. As junior employees report flexibly at the end of
the day, to their respective middle level managers and it helps the management in judging the
effectiveness of their assigned tasks. Whereas reporting issues between higher managing and
middle level management, leads birth to the high level of job dissatisfaction among
organizational members. In addition, the autocratic quality of managing director makes the
employees discomfort and torture. As Director, strive to engage the employees forcefully in
research conducts through an unethical way at workplace. Therefore, the essay seeks to identify
the several ethical options and ethical strategies, which researches supposed to follow in research
decision-making process. Also, stress on human participant’s rights and examine a certain
number of practices for minimizing employee participant’s exploitation.
2

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
Employees formal workplace practices to deal with unethical misconduct
In the case scenario, this has been witnessed that employees are not much aware about the
research that is conducted within the organization. It is found that the employees co-opted or
found not interested, as the managing director is keen to see the results in the favor or against
him. The employees found that they do not have the rights to speak openly in the research that
has been conducted. In addition, to step out from the respective problems, employees should
focus on some options that research is required to be conducted in ethical manner.
Confidentiality and anonymity
While handling as well as dealing with the sensitive data, it is essential to keep in the mind that
the special attention should be offered to collect, process, handle and store the data throughout
the entire process of the research which is clearly mentioned in data protection act. The entire
information is required to be treated as confidential unless agreed otherwise in advance. At the
workplace, the researcher needs to ensure that the particular research data that include the views
and opinions shared by employees on job dissatisfaction are handled with full confidentiality. At
the workplace, the mistrust at the organization is one of the reason due to which the job
dissatisfaction is at the high level (Kornfeld & Titus, 2017). The mistrust can be handled by the
researcher effectively with the implementation of proper code of conduct of research. This
strategy more or less, prepares the employees in the respective case to decide and realize the
importance of human participant’s rights in a proper way.
Protecting people
In the research, this is for sure true that anyone who is taking the part in research has the right to
protected from different psychological as well as physical harm. At the workplace, the managing
director will get might get emotionally affected if they get to know the responses. High
emotional response like different religions, politics, culture and viewpoint might witness with the
participants who are the employees (Sekaran & Bougie, 2016). However, in this research it is
essential for employees to remain protected from emotional responses and to provide actual
response without getting emotional.
3

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
Obligation to participants
It has been found that social researcher must strive to protect the subject from any undue harm
that might arise as the consequences of participation in research. Thus, in the research it is
essential that the participants should be voluntary and fully informed as much as possible. In the
case, being the employee of company should ensure while conducting the research that
employees are volunteering from their own (Geuens & De Pelsmacker, 2017).
Launching investigation
The employees of the company who found any kind of misconduct at the workplace place can
take the steps by launching for the investigation against the person. In the concern scenario, there
should be proper launching of the misconduct in which the managing director of company should
follow the set research principles, which makes them, entitled for keep confidentially for the
participants and their research outcomes. Researchers should focus on the disinterestedness that
enables, eliminating corruption in results for personal gains (Hammersley & Traianou, 2012).
Practices conducted by employees in against of unethical
misconduct by researchers
Enhance own competence: competency refers the specific skills, ability and knowledge of an
individual employee to perform a particular tasks effectively and sufficiently related to the
research. Employees act as the individual who understand the situations, created by the
managing director and perform his/her responsibility according to competencies. Constantly
improving knowledge about new principles of protecting participants and accept positive change,
and employees always tries to accept the desired outcomes and change after taking successful
steps regarding ethical issues in the research (Kornfeld & Titus, 2017).
Understanding of Fidelity: “the term derived from the Latin word fidelis, which means
faithful or loyal”.it is a quality among people for ethical decision making. Fidelity reflects the
employee responsibilities to be truthful in fulfilling commitments. Employee tries to be loyal in
respect to their jobs due to which they should present their views when they are not interested
and are not willing to follow the unethical codes of conduct forcefully (Hartgerink & Wicherts,
2016).
4

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
Punishable for neglecting discrimination and fraud in research: a research possess with the
qualities like serious, credible and scientific discipline. Then only research able to communicate
its findings clear, straightforward, and appropriate to research populations. Prepare for
quantitative research for both experimental and non-experimental research, where employee
allow to self-disclosure their feelings, attitude and experiences. Employees will surely liable for
punishments like temporary pay cut, written reprimand, demotion and termination if tries to
neglecting any kind of fraud in research process through superior subordinates (Mustajok &
Mustajoki, 2017).
Stress on legality: stress on method, procedure, mutual respect and fairness while conducting
the research. Ethical lapses in research can leads to the harm for all employees, to avoid this
situation adhere to ethical norm in research is most important (Sekaran & Bougie, 2016). Stress
on evaluation of research, based on systematic pre-established and non-personal criteria.
Ethical judgment and decision-making : recognize moral issues and make moral judgment
with the consent of deontological theory, also based on individual employee knowledge,
experience, values and norms. In accordance the job context, organizational culture and
professional codes employees should prepare their decisions in shorter span of time. Employees
tries to mutually agrees based on ethical decision making process that include collection of
relevant data, recognize an ethical issues by dealing with right and wrong, recognize alternative
course of action for selecting the best rational decision, and last consist with moral action
(who.int, 2019).
Minimize avoiding ignorance, only for conflict: decisions making or release judgments
sometimes lead to the conflict among organization. “Fear of being a bad person” is the most
common reason of willful ignorance to unethical practices while conducting research. There
should be a clear link between actions and consequences of employees. Examine the difference
between just and unjust, and construct the environment that does not cause any harm to others.
Stress on communality that provide freedom to employees for freely and widely share findings
and views respective to particular problems in research.
Strategies With Supporting Research Decisions Based On Ethicality
Ensuring the protection of human participants
5

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
To protect the participants in an investigation is the most important ethical aspect of every
researcher. According, to The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the
American Psychological association (APA), “the welfare and protection of the individual and
groups with whom psychologists work” (Levitt et al., 2018).
Consent: consent act as a right for a person whether an individual wants to participate in a
research study or not, with this participant also allows to withdraw himself from the study at any
time. Managing director should ensure the consent of employees rather than co-opted or against
the will of employees. Managing director can use both direct and substitute consent as it a part of
ethical research and able to protect right of human participants.
Privacy: privacy is the fundamental human right, although total privacy is not possible. Case
depicts that managing director knowingly and secretly adopted an unethical way in research
conduct, to know his performance. It hinders sensitivity of an individuals and it makes able to
identify the particular employee’s confidential feedback against their director. As a result, it
leads to high risk for harm to involved employees while research (sagepub.com, 2007).
Avoiding Unprofessional research methodology : an inappropriate research methodology
only leads to the breach the principle of justice, wastage of time and scare resources, generate a
feeling off mistrust and at the end the stage of job dissatisfaction will arise. A Well-design
guideline should develop by managing director and follows up in ethical way for the research
while designing, conducting, recording and reporting in the research (Keefe & Brien, 2018).
Required skills as a researcher
Importance of researcher skills: a researcher should posses with required skills about data
collection, analysis of information, critical thinking, knowledge about planning and scheduling,
and positive attitude toward the specific research and investigation (Taennsjoe, 2013). In context
with case, managing director has an autocratic behavior that is somewhere decreases the research
result’s validity, reliability, and quality of data collection. Job dissatisfaction among employees
also increased because of exerting pressure by autocratic leader.
Managing and democratic team leading: for effective teamwork and positive working
experience, a proper communication with all employees is important. As like democratic leader,
6

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
ask every employee to perform their task, listening to them and give chance to present their new
ideas and feedbacks on decision making.
Handling and ethically collection of data: well organized and planning makes able to handling
and ethically collection of data more authentic and reliable. Ask employees to fill out a
questionnaire in a voluntary, informed, safe and confidential (O'Keefe & Brien, 2018).
Neglecting unethical practices as managing director and stress on maintained confidentiality
producers rather than knowingly follow unethical practices of data collection.
7

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
Conclusion
Legal principles and rules of ethical behavior minimize the causing risks and harm to the
research participants. Ethical decisions making while conducting research, leads to the
responsibility for researcher to follow moral rules and professional codes of conduct. Data
collection, analysis, reporting and publication of information about the research in a way that
legal rights to be adhere like right to privacy, confidentiality and informed consent. In addition,
Research ethics enable the researchers to develop the ethical research activities in a way that at
last, it leads to the right consequences in a reliable manner.
8

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
References
Geuens, M. & De Pelsmacker, P., 2017. Planning and conducting experimental advertising research and
questionnaire design. Journal of Advertising, 46(1), pp.83-100.
Hammersley, M. & Traianou, , 2012. Ethics in Qualitative Research: Controversies and Contexts. London:
SAGE.
Hartgerink, C.H.J. & Wicherts, J.M., 2016. ScienceOpen Research. Research practices and assessment of
research misconduct, 2 August.
Keefe, K.O. & Brien, D.O., 2018. Ethical Data and Information Management: Concepts, Tools and
Methods. 1st ed. US: Kogan Page limited.
Kornfeld, D.S. & Titus, S.L., 2017. Ethics: More research won't crack misconduct. Nature. 548(7665),
p.31.
Levitt, H.M., Creswell, J.W., Josselson, R. & Bamberg, M., 2018. Journal article reporting standards for
qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA
Publications and Communications Board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1), pp.26-46.
Mustajok, H. & Mustajoki, , 2017. A New Approach to Research Ethics: Using Guided Dialogue to
Strengthen Research Communities. New York: Routledge.
O'Keefe, K. & Brien, D.O., 2018. Ethical Data and Information Management: Concepts, Tools and
Methods. US: Kogan Page Limited.
sagepub.com, 2007. Ethical Issues in conducting research. [Online] Available at:
https://in.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/26094_3.pdf [Accessed 13/5/2019 June 2019].
Sekaran, U. & Bougie, R., 2016. Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley &
Sons.
Taennsjoe, T., 2013. Understanding Ethics. 3rd ed. UK: EDINBURGH.
who.int, 2019. Ethical standards and procedures for research with human beings. [Online] Available at:
https://www.who.int/ethics/research/en/ [Accessed 13/6/2019 June 2019].
9

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN RESEARCH: AS A RESEARCHER
10