...Business Research Ethics Business Research Ethics Ethical decision making is important for researchers. Codes, policies, and principals are very important and useful, like any set of rules; however, they do not cover every situation. They often conflict, and they require considerable interpretation. It is therefore important for researchers to learn how to interpret, assess, and apply various research rules and how to make decisions and to act in various situations. There are many situations where research is not ethical. These actions would be regarded as unethical and some might even be illegal. These actions may also violate professional ethics codes or institutional policies. According to the article, “Accounts Offered for Unethical Research Practices: Effects on the Evaluations of Acts and Actors,” describes two scenarios of two psychologists fabricating data and using plagiarism in their research. One Psychologist, who was a professor at a large university, was accused of fabricating some of the data in a large, longitudinal research project. Evidence resulted in an investigation. It was determined that subjects reported to have begun their participation with this psychologist in 1975, really did not begin their participation until 1977. However, the participants did report that they were contacted to participate in 1975. Due to the fabrication of data, job security and salaries of the Psychology Department were in jeopardy. The Psychologist admitted to making up...
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...Business ethics is the principles and standards that determine acceptable conduct in business organizations. If there was any doubt that ethical standards can have a significant impact on work life, research has confirmed that such doubt is unwarranted. A multitude of research has demonstrated that ethics is related to a variety of important job related outcomes. For example, studies have shown that a higher ethical work climate (Mulki, Jaramillo, and Locander, 2008) and top leadership support for ethics and both positively relate to job satisfaction. Ethics codes (Valentine and Fisherman, 2008), ethics training, and perceived corporate social responsibility are also linked to job satisfaction. Unethical business research at work ranges from minor acts of deviance to immoral decisions that result in catastrophes such as the Enron and Merrill Lynch & Co Inc. These fields of research provide especially clear data on connection between unethical workplace acts and wellbeing: discrimination, bullying and injustice. Even though ethics is sometimes under looked in business it is an important conduct in the organization for a variety of reasons. Organizations have to ensure that they practice high standards of ethics in the organization to rip maximum benefits and avoid scandals such as the Enron And Merrill Lynch & Co Inc. Enron Corporation and Merrill Lynch & Co Inc, both practiced unethical business behavior, this is because two of their top officials were involved in fraudulent...
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...Business Research Ethics Kathleen Gatchell Res/351 September 28, 2015 Kristy Peterson Business Research Ethics “In recent years, Western organizations and companies have been increasingly using countries of the developing world as places of clinical trials. The involvement of human subjects in healthcare research evokes ethical concerns, especially when their culture is different and their socio-economic status is lower than the Western standards.” (Igoumenidis & Zyga, 2011) Ethical vs. Unethical Practices Bioethics is about ethical issues in the field of health care; it is the discipline which aims at ensuring that health care professionals, researchers, policy-makers, and even lawyers who deal with healthcare law, exercise their duties in the most just and ethically acceptable way. (Igoumenidis & Zyga, 2011) History is full of examples of humans being used as guinea pigs in experiments by people of power; the most famous being the Nazi human experimentation during WWII. “After the war, these crimes were tried at what became known as the Doctor’s Trial and this led to the development of the Nuremberg Code of Medical Ethics in 1949. “ (Igoumenidis & Zyga, 2011) This code led to the development of the Declaration of Helsinki in 1964, and its subsequent revisions – with the 6th Revision being the most recent one, in 2008. (Igoumenidis & Zyga, 2011) The basic principles of the code include: (Article 9): Respect for the individual (Article 8); that...
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... Ethics surrounding business practices has always been a highly debated and controversial topic. More recently, larger corporations have come into the spotlight and under scrutiny about their methodical ethics. While ethics is a concern in the general operations of a business, it should also be a major concern about ethics in the research of, for, or conducted by a business. Researchers have an important responsibility to practice ethical behavior, especially where their research results can have major impact. Clinical research will always have an ongoing and widespread impact because of the value of results for doctors and patients alike, as well as, the ongoing search for cures to ailments. In “Misleading Reporting of Research Results: A Widespread Problem”, Alan R. Gaby M.D. discusses the occurrences of skewing research results. While no specific companies or trials are mentioned in the article in regards to unethical business research, it does provide an overview of unethical research reporting in clinical research cases. The unethical research behavior involved is that which is called the “spin”. In the case of clinical research, as highlighted by this article, “spin” reporting strategies are...
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...Business Ethics Education RES/351 Business Ethics Education The research that will be described in the paper that follows is about Business ethics education, exploring the question whether a course on the ethical decision-making in business could positively influence students, moral efficacy, moral meaningfulness, and moral courage. To investigate whether a graduate-level course in business ethics could influence students in the areas previous mentioned, a rigorous quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a treatment and control group was used. Findings revealed that students who took part in the business ethics treatment course, compared to the control group, experienced significant positive increase in all three areas. Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guides moral choices about our behavior and our relationships with others. The goal of ethics in any place of business or in research is to see that no one is harmed, or suffers any consequences from job-related activities or research (Cooper, 2014,). There are two different approaches to ethics: a negative approach, or a positive approach. The negative approach will have a more narrow focus on enforceable rules, prohibited behaviors, and sanctions for misconduct, while a positive approach to ethics includes the promotion of positive morally praiseworthy ideals and behavior. MORAL EFFICACY The research here is to try and gain and understanding of the potential effect on business ethics education...
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...Business Research Ethics RES351 January 18, 2013 Business Research Ethics Proper business research is designed to reduce the risk of a management decision. Unfortunately, unethical business research occurs in all types of business circumstances. This type of practice increases risk for the individuals, companies, environments, and technologies involved (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). Several companies within the pharmaceutical industry have been found guilty of unethical practices. Pfizer Inc., one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, allegedly conducted unethical research the led to major disabilities and loss of life for many of the children involved. The development, marketing, and sale of pharmaceutical products are part of a multi-billion dollar industry. When a pharmaceutical company conducts unethical practices, the potential dangers to living things cannot be ignored. Pfizer allegedly conducted an unethical drug study in Nigeria. During a meningitis outbreak, in 1996, Pfizer used an untested drug on 200 children while failing to receive proper consent from their patients. The unethical drug trials led to the deaths of 11 children. The trials also left other children brain damaged, blind, deaf, or paralyzed (Stephens, 2007). The families of the victims affected by the drug study filed a two billion dollar lawsuit against Pfizer. Pfizer was accused of failing to obtain proper parental consent, and using drugs during the study that were unfit for...
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...Business Research Ethics Business Research Ethics Introduction There are many cases in which business researchers practice unethical behavior. The following article, The Case of Neurontin: Skewed Research in the Service of Selling, written by Annette B. Ramírez de Arellano, DrPH, gives insight to a perfect scenario. This article discusses how Pfizer illegally urged companies to prescribe a drug for off-label uses. Due to such behavior they were fined and penalized. Many companies that sold the drug made several attempts to convince the Food and Drug Administration, (FDA) to approve some of these uses. Pfizer and Parke-Davis skewed research results to get the FDA to extend the approved uses. Behavior Involved Many pharmaceuticals go through extreme lengths to prove that their product is not only safe but effective. This includes practices which are morally unethical. Neurontin is a drug manufactured by Pfizer and Parke-Davis and has been approved to treat epilepsy, and post-herpetic neuralgia (Annette B. Ramírez de Arellano, 2009). Despite there being only two approved uses, it’s often used for migraines, bipolar disorder, and restless leg syndrome. These uses have not been approved by the FDA. Physicians have been known to presribe Neurontin for other conditions such as hot flashes, insomnia, and ringing in the ears. As time went on and sales increased it was obvious that the unapproved uses by far exceeded the approved uses. Due to such a drastic increases in sales...
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...Business research practices should remain ethical at all times. It is important to adhere to ethical norms because they promote values that are essential to collaborative work, they build public support, and they promote a variety of important moral and social values such as human rights, compliance with law, and health and safety (Resnick, 2013). Ethic is the moral principles that govern a person’s behavior. When we think of ethics in business research the hospital is the last place one would think practices unethical behaviors. Just like any other organization the health care industry also experiences unethical business research. After all health care professionals have to take an oath of ethical behavior. In 2005 ACPE conducted a survey about ethical behavior. Close to 15,000 physician leaders participated in the survey. Some of the results may be alarming. 54.6 percent surveyed stated they were very concerned about unethical business practices affecting U.S. health care today. Only .6 percent at not concerned at all. The survey also asked if there were unethical physicians at the respondents’ organization and 33.1 percent answered yes. The survey asked a plethora of questions such as: physicians being influenced by pharmaceutical companies to prescribe a certain drug, board members with conflicts of interest, board members accepting gifts or favors from vendors, physician over-treating patients to boost their income, and physicians discharging patients from the hospital...
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...Business Research Ethics Charlynse Hayes RES/351 05/19/2015 Dr. Maja Zelihic Business Research Ethics Target is one of the world’s largest Retail organizations, well next to Walmart but unlike them, Target has been named one of the world’s most ethical business on Forbes list this year. Target is a company that is committed to conducting business lawfully and ethically. Target expects their employees to act at all times with honesty and integrity. They expect their employees to have good judgement towards business decisions and to know the corporation’s policies and comply with them. Target as a whole sets reachable goals for their corporation which allows them to be considered an ethical business. All companies can have moments of downfall and that brings moments of when certain situations can be unethical. One particular incident that happened with Target was in 2013, when more than seventy million of Target’s customers were targeted by a credit card hacker, which lead to Target losing a lot of profit months afterwards. The hackers were able to hack into Target’s system and retrieve credit card information from the cardholder’s name all the way to the CVV number on the back. This allowed the hacker to sell this type of information on the black market and allow people all over the world to use those cardholder’s information and get away with it. The unethical part of this situation is Target not taking responsibility for their action in not...
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...Business Research Ethics 1 Business Research Ethics RES/351 Dennette James Debra Marrano-Lucas November 30, 2015 Business Research Ethics 2 The Salvation Army It is an international, nonprofit, religious organization. It is committed to helping the less fortunate and help by giving assistance to the very needed. They focus on helping people to change their way of life. An English Methodist minister by the name of William Booth founded the Salvation Army in 1865. The Salvation Army was first known as the “ Christian Mission “ that would help with issues like social welfare for the people who lived in the Urban slums. Their mission was to help with prostitution, alcoholism, gambling and other things that put people in the situations like homelessness. Catherine Booth the wife of William was the co-founder. The first international site for the Salvation Army which...
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...Business Research Ethics Lisa Goodman RES/351 5/5/2015 James Bankston Business Research Ethics “As in other aspects of business, all parties in research should exhibit ethical behavior. Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guide moral choices about our behavior and our relationships with others. The goal of ethics in research is to ensure that no one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences from research activities. This objective is usually achieved. However, unethical activities are pervasive and include violating nondisclosure agreements, breaking participant confidentiality, misrepresenting results, deceiving people, using invoicing irregularities, avoiding legal liability, and more. (Cooper, & Schindler, 2014, p. 28). “The recognition of ethics as a problem for economic organizations is repeatedly revealed in surveys. Despite an increase in awareness of formal ethics programs and the presence of written ethical codes of conduct (83 percent), one survey reports that although 52 percent of U.S. workers claim to have observed at least one type of ethical misconduct, only 55 percent of those observing misconduct reported the violation (a decline of 10 percent from a similar study done two years before). Strong ethical-culture organizations were 1.6 times as likely to report incidents as weak-ethical-culture organizations. Such lack of action raises questions about the effectiveness of codes of conduct and reporting systems”. (Cooper, & Schindler...
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...Business Torts and Ethics Jason Harris Business Torts and Ethics The definition of Tort is: A civil wrong, which can be redressed by awarding damages (Cornell University Of Law, 1993). In other text it states that it is a wrongful act or an infringement of rights that leads to civil legal liability. In this case where the tenant were attacked at her place of residence the intruder was solely responsible for his actions. The intruder infringed on the rights of my tenant Sharon by unlawfully entering her residence through her sliding door. In other research I have done it further states that a tortious act can cause injury to a person, which is exactly what happened to Sharon and Darryl. As they attempted to scare away the intruder they were brutally attacked which caused injury to each individual. The intruder had no right to be on the premises at all which in that moment made him liable for any illegal activity that happen from that point. Whether the intruder intentionally or unintentionally harmed Sharon or Darryl he was still in the wrong because he had broken into Sharon’s apartment. Owners Legal Responsibility As the apartment owner my responsible is to make sure that the apartment complex is secure and that the common areas are safe from criminal activity. As the owner I have to ensure that each apartment has fully functional locks and make sure all repairs that are reported are dealt with in a timely manner. In a case like this my obligation to the tenant is to ensure...
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...Business Research Ethics Felipe Perez RES/351 December 16, 2013 Dr. Sean Kenney Business Research Ethics Enron named Most Innovated in America and listed on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies fell from grace. Its success led it to shift its “vision form being the World’s Leading Energy Company to becoming the World’s Leading Company” (Verschoor). Businesses have a social responsibility both legally and ethically. There is nothing illegal about making money, but the manner in which you do so is. Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guide moral choices about our behavior and our relationships with others. The goal of ethics in research is to ensure that no one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences from research activities (Cooper, Schindler). Enron’s ethical behavior started with its accounting department and the desire for greed. Without a governing body to ensure ethical responsibilities Enron continued to borrow money from itself eventually went bankrupt. In the wake of its missteps were retirements, stock, and countless employees. Enron’s lack of social responsibility, ethical failures, and poor management environment continued a cycle of irresponsibility. The ethical guidelines established by Enron were window dressing, to say the least. The mentality was utilitarian and the unethical cultural dominated poor decisions. “On the surface Enron kept projecting its image of being stalwart and responsible corporate citizen” (Verschoor). Enron’s management decided...
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...Running head: BUSINESS RESEARCH ETHICS 1 Business Research Ethics RES 351 February 28, 2013 BUSINESS RESEARCH ETHICS 2 Business Research Ethics Before the debt crisis of 2008 exploded, one of the two American banks that backed a large portion of United States mortgages was fined in 2006 because of improper accounting practices. Ethics are a set of standards derived by individual or company ideals of what is right and wrong. Looking back, it should have been clear the poor ethics of this bank would contribute to the economic disaster that would follow. A report conducted by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) from 1998 to 2004 discovered that Fannie Mae’s senior management deliberately influenced improper accounting by swaying internal auditors resulting in undeserved large bonuses. This was accomplished without advising any stockholder or other interested parties; the rest of the world. During this time, Fannie Mae reported unfettered profit growth and reaching publicized earnings targets per share for each quarter. "The image of Fannie Mae as one of the lowest-risk and 'best in class' institutions was a façade" (Fannie mae: Unethical, 2006). During this investigation, Fannie Mae evaded the OFHEO further adding to their harsh fine levied by them and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fannie Mae’s mismanagement, manipulation of earnings, and unhindered growth culminated in $10.6 billion in losses, “well over a billion dollars in expenses...
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...Business Research Ethics RES/351 August 13, 2012 Business Research Ethics Introduction Chinese-born researcher Bin Han found not guilty after he was accused of stealing research materials with plans to sell them in China (Lawler, 2002). Han is a prime example of what can happen when unethical behavior surfaces in business research. Individuals and in some cases entire firms are injured because of such behaviors. Placing internal controls in business related research can help to ensure the chance for unethical behaviors are not presented (Cooper, & Schindler, 2011). Suspected Unethical Behavior According to an article in Science found in University of Phoenix library, Bin Han who worked in the ophthalmology department at the University of California “for 13 years was fired in May” (Lawler, 2002, p1463). Approximately seven days later he was arrested and put in jail for allegedly stealing protein gel vials that were part of the University of California’s cornea-transplant research. Among his charges “were theft of trade secrets, possession of stolen property, and embezzlement” (Lawler, 2002, p1463). Some of the things found in Han’s home by investigators were part of a batch of vials owned by the university, and a plane ticket that was later discovered as an open-ended ticket to China (Lawler, 2002). Thanks to Han’s attorneys the charges got dropped down from a felony charge and changed to a lesser theft charge and embezzlement. Han’s lawyers proved the gels...
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