Free Essay

Business Research Methods Res/351

In:

Submitted By emmcune
Words 854
Pages 4
I got an A on the paper.

Business Research Ethics
Elizabeth McUne
RES/351
January 14th, 2013
Abdulhamid Sukar

Business Research Ethics
In the article “Conflicted Medical Journals and the Failure of Trust” the issue of pharmaceutical businesses and their research, and how it is presented is outlined. The article covers one of the largest controversies with business research conducted by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and how the results were skewed and then reported by many medical journals as fact, even though the research did not support what was reported. The study was GSK 329, which showed a particular drug to be effective in adolescents with depression, even though the testing showed otherwise. (Jureidini & McHenry, 2011)
The biggest unethical behavior that was demonstrated by GSK, and medical journals was the skewing of results of a study. Medical journals published articles that misrepresented the findings of GSK’s research. Internal reports by the company showed that their trials of the drug had failed to benefit adolescents with depression, and positively showed that there were negative results. (Jureidini & McHenry, 2011) The internal report states that “it would be commercially unacceptable to include a statement that efficacy had not been demonstrated, as this would undermine the profile of paroxetine,” and that “to effectively manage the dissemination of data in order to minimize any potential negative commercial impact.” (Jureidini &McHenry, 2011) This indicates that they skewed the results of the study so that only selective data would be published. The authors also place blame on the medical journals that published the results as well, saying that they too are responsible for accurately presenting the results of the company’s research.
There were many injured parties in the case of GSK. To start the company was a huge injured party, as well as the company that did the clinical trials for them. The researchers were put under pressure by investigations that followed the discovery of GSK’s false reports. The negative attention alone can affect the trust others put in their research. (Jureidini & McHenry, 2011) Others affected by the misrepresented results are the medical journals that published their results. Even though they are given information to report, they do have a duty to make sure that they are printing what is accurate. Medical journals came under scrutiny after publishing the false information, and the journal that published the results had many indications that the research was skewed according to Jureidini & McHenry. (2011) Also consumers and medical professionals were also misled by the information that was presented in medical journals by GSK’s research.
The organization GSK was very adversely affected by the publication of false research. To start they went to trial against the state of New York, which cost them not only money but it publically hurt their reputation. Also they were made to post all results of any clinical trials online, so they now had lost the power of presenting them in a way that could benefit them. In other consumer trials GSK paid out over $100 million in refunds to parents and insurance companies. (Jureidini & McHenry, 2011) The results of the fraud were reported in many major media outlets, destroying the reputation of GSK. The medical journal also was affected, with the editor having to be interviewed by networks such as BBC. A book was also published about the study, in which much of the information, it was said, should have been apparent to the medical journal. The publishing of the book, and the interviews seemed to discredit the journal. (Jureidini & McHenry, 2011) I think that society as a whole is also affected by these kinds of cases. A company that is in business with the medical field should be one that we trust the most. These are businesses that put chemicals into our bodies for no other reason than to help us with an ailment. It puts great doubt in societies mind about medical professionals in general.
The unethical behavior was resolved through the hearings, and court fines that GSK had to pay back to consumers. GSK could have taken the ethical road and chose to only report the true findings of the study even though it had cost them all the time and money that went into the research. Money is a huge motivation for unethical behavior, which is why in business, it is critical to have management in place that understands that a good reputation, and trust of consumers is something that never can be bought. The journal that published the results could have avoided the unethical publication by being more thorough in its scrutiny of the article.
Having a strong ethical consideration in business is critical, and neither GSK nor the medical journal showed this. In the case of GSK’s study 329, management failed on many levels in order for it to reach all the way to results being published in a medical journal, where management then failed again.

References
Jureidini, J. N., & McHenry, L. B. (2011, Jan/Feb). Conflicted medical journals and the failure of trust. Accountability in Research: Policies & Quality Assurance, 18(1), 45-54. EbscoHost.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Res 351 Week 1

...RES 351 WEEK 1 A+ Graded Tutorial Available At: http://hwsoloutions.com/?product=res-351-week-1 Visit Our website: http://hwsoloutions.com/ Product Description PRODUCT DESCRIPTION RES 351 Week 1, Business research process involves the study of all aspects of the company and then that information will be used to make business decisions. This requires several steps to help the company achieve its goals, and evaluating its strengths and weaknesses to solve or to avoid problems. The research process also helps to have a clearer and updated idea of their industry (Suttle, 2014). After worked for more than seven years in the airlines industry, I decided to review an article titled “Customer Satisfaction in Airline Industry.” During my years of experience, I saw how many of the passengers left the airport frustrated with the services offered. I think this is a good topic for me to evaluate, because it help me to understand situations that are important within the airline industry. Current Event in Business Research In the summary of the article “Customer Satisfaction in Airline Industry” explain how the research followed on how the five dimensions of customer satisfaction was applied in the airline industry. Such articles can be used to design strategies specifically aimed to increase the level of customer satisfaction in the airline industry. At first I was a little confused about the method used in this article, but I have come to the conclusion that the method used...

Words: 509 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Res 351 Week 2

...RES 351 WEEK 2 A+ Graded Tutorial Available At: http://hwsoloutions.com/?product=res-351-week-2 Visit Our website: http://hwsoloutions.com/ Product Description PRODUCT DESCRIPTION RES 351 Week 2,RES 351 Week 2,Ethics has evolved over the years, and it is necessary for any business, whether by economic or personal reasons make the right decisions, doing meticulous analysis of its ethical values. In all serious ethical experience, we have to analyze our performance towards the society. Ethics in business research establishes rules that the researchers should use as a guide. Certain rules are based on trust not entirely by the honesty of the job of the researcher, but likewise by its sincerity in the method applied to conduct the research. It is not unusual for some researchers to stutter between what is ethical or not. Business Research Article This article is about an American energy company called Enron. Enron was the owner of power plants, gas distributors and other units involved in the provision of services to consumers and businesses. This company became a major broker into the energy market, taking huge financial risks and becoming one of the healthiest organizations in the United States, with thousands of employees. In December 2001, the company went into bankruptcy leaving everyone around in shock. The commercial operations of Enron relied heavily on complex business transactions, many of them associated with future business. It is mentioned that those future...

Words: 449 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Data Collection

...Data Collection - Ace Cable RES 351 Data Collection - Ace Cable As stated in the week two, Ace Cable is an established company that offers cable television, telephone and internet services to its customers. These services are available to customers across the United States and they have been in business since 2000. In recent years, the competition has grown and Ace Cable is experiencing a decrease in customer enrollments. Customers now have multiple options to consider before enrolling into an agreement and Ace Cable is conducting research to persuade more people to sign on with the company. The research included defining the population from which the samples were collected. When it comes to the population and the different samples collected, the main goal is to focus on customers and provide outstanding services by conducting customer interviews, and surveys including group interviews of all ages. There are several methods that have taken place concerning collecting samples. The individual interviews we have collected were samples by applying surveys, from face to face interviews, in-store feedback, and telephone surveys. These surveys and interviews are conducted on a daily basis. These surveys are taking place in order to better our business when it comes to Ace cable. Individuals are completing surveys by voicing their opinions when it comes to the services and the channels that are selected. By having these surveys and interviews in place, we are...

Words: 855 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Understanding Business Research Terms and Concepts: Part 2

...Understanding Business Research Terms and Concepts: Par RES/351 2/1/2016 University of Phoenix Understanding Business Research Terms and Concepts: Part 1 How can we embrace understanding business research terms and concepts by comparing Lender evaluations of start-up business prospects and understanding the effect of a web-based tutorial on problem formulation ability by using qualitative and quantitative research designs? The business of rental cars can benefit from both quantitative and qualitative research designs by combining both designs for maximum effect. Lender evaluations of start-up business prospects The study was collected in 2003 and 2005 from the data bases in Finnvera, a state-owned financial institution. The data collected allows the qualitative ways authors can examine the information based on personal history and firm-specific characteristics of business prospects, and market position impact firm performance. The weakness of using the qualitative design for lender evaluations is the understanding parts of the data because it can be misunderstood because of personal opinions of the researchers. By using the quantitative design, the researchers can begin to explain the data results and come to a more itemized way of using the data. Lenders struggle with the data results as stated Iselin (1988), “Some studies state that inconsistency in previous findings could result from improper measurement of information loads as well as failure to rule...

Words: 577 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Starbucks, Bank One & Visa Launch Starbucks Card

...RES/351 Business Research Starbucks, Bank One & Visa Launch Starbucks Card 1. What types of research were done at each stage? Discuss the strengths of each different type given the stage of the project. Starbucks used the scientific method which consists of three different studies based on product functionality, product optimization, and brand tracking. The scientific method used to gather information about the target markets that they had or trying to approach. The product functionality study was carried out at the concept testing stage of the research, through the use of an online survey. The purpose was to understand which of the two credit card concepts customers preferred of the dual-function or two separate cards. This would determine if the product would or would not function as Starbucks desired, the findings of this study would be pertinent information to assist Starbucks and its affiliates in determining the strengths and/or weaknesses of the study’s design. The study of product optimization was used to see the concept stages of research. Starbucks used this study to see if certain features from the dual action card would determine if customer’s decision to apply for a credit card. The brand tracking was used to measure the return on the marketing investments based on the feedback after they launched the card. 2. Build the management-research question hierarchy for this project. The first question Starbucks had to answer was whether or...

Words: 887 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Current Events in Business Research

...Current Events in Business Research RES/351 University of Phoenix Current Events in Business Research The “Bringing Research to Life” section of Chapter 3 of Business Research Methods describes a scenario in which Myra Wines is part of a research team hired by the U.S. Army to determine whether the military’s munitions testing area was contributing to the high civilian death rate. Local activists believed the area was an environmental hazard and were attempting to force the closure of the firing range. The Army’s hypothesis was that its dud shells would only ignite if another live bomb caused it to explode and the civilian deaths were unrelated to the munitions testing area. Wines hypothesized that the duds could ignite and cause harm to civilians without leaving evidence of the event (University of Phoenix, 2011, Week One Reading). The text indicates that the research team met with Army personnel to review reports on the duds, to understand the management question, and to clarify the research question. The team observed Army personnel firing shells, the effects of the explosions, and the frequency of duds to understand the dilemma and develop research questions. As a result of a dud exploding unexpectedly, the team created a research design strategy and began collecting data through an observations study. The study revealed that civilians were scavenging salvageable metals from the duds;...

Words: 524 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Statistics

... | | | |6:00pm to 10:00pm | | | |School of Business | | | |QNT/351 | | | |Quantitative Analysis for Business | | | |Dr. Jacquelyn B. Frausto | | Copyright © 2013, 2012, 2011 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course integrates applied business research and descriptive statistics. Students will learn to apply business research and descriptive statistics in making better business decisions. Other topics include examination of the role of statistics in research, statistical terminology, the appropriate use of statistical techniques, and interpretation of statistical findings in business and research. Policies Faculty and students will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged...

Words: 3466 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Business Ethics

...Alexandra Matamoros RES/351 August 12, 2013 Dr. Barry Adkins Business Research Process The business research process involves learning everything possible about a company, costumers, competitors and the industry. The major objectives of doing a research is to determined what products or services to offer, which costumers are most likely to buy them, as well as a good location to sell the product, and how to price and promote them. There are many things that a new business must consider before choosing to open, and doing a research is one of them. In order to achieve a good research the scientific method should be followed. These steps are, purpose clearly defined, research process detailed, research design thoroughly planned, high ethical standards applied, limitations frankly revealed, adequate analysis for decision maker’s needs, findings presented unambiguously, conclusions justified, and researcher’s experience reflected. A few years ago my aunt opened a small restaurant without doing research. What was discussed was where the store was going to be open, and the cost involved. Although, the basic steps were covered (location and cost), the business failed a year later of the grand opening, because while doing research for the location, my aunt and the person helping her did not identify the competitors in the industry. Also she didn’t know where to buy everything for the restaurant. The location was great, but unfortunately, she opens her traditional restaurant...

Words: 333 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Current Events

...in Business Research Jessica Barbera RES 351 October 6, 2014 Edoardo Naggiar Current Events in Business Research In order for companies to set themselves apart from their competitors, it is vital to gather as much information on the industry that is being considered. Researching a business helps to provide information on such things like what consumers like and do not like to purchase, what it will cost to start up, whether or not the idea for a new business is viable based upon facts and not on emotion. Researching a business will also show if the new business idea has potential to be profitable or not and also provide essential information about competitors so that a new owner does not price their products or services too high, how to layout the store and also where to purchase merchandise while being able to determine if there is any and what will it cost to advertise so customers are aware of the products and services that are newly available to them in their area. Research also aids management when certain decisions that need to be made that involve or affect the company and their employees. Working for one of the largest coffee companies in the world, Starbucks Coffee Company, it is important for them to stay on top of what the coffee industry is doing so that they can keep a competitive edge. Starbucks uses what is called an SWOT Analysis. The SWOT Analysis covers the company’s entire profile while examining the key business structure...

Words: 651 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Stages of a Research Process

...Stages of the Research Process RES/351 November 09, 2015 Stages of the Research Process For this particular assignment, I will be researching two very important topics, bullying and the No Child Left Behind Act. I chose these two topics to write about as they are very close to my heart with having young kids in the school system. Our young kids deserve to have the best opportunities and to have all learning advantages that they can get. The no child left behind act defiantly helps to make sure every child is given a fair shake. Bullying in the school systems and elsewhere is something that the adults in the young kids lives need to make certain is being monitored and controlled. This is a very serious problem that can have a very negative impact to young kids. I beg the question as I research these two topics of are we doing enough? If there are measures currently in place are they doing all that they were designed to do? The truth that was found within research done by Educational Equity Concepts (EEC) was quite alarming! "A stunning (and probably stunned) 71% of teachers stay out of or ignore teasing and bullying of students, according to a recent study of elementary-school bullying and teasing by Educational Equity Concepts (EEC), a national nonprofit organization that promotes bias-free learning" (Schroeder, 1999). There are many training and developmental tools being introduced to both teachers and the students. These tools are teaching the children how to ward...

Words: 715 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Paper

...Business Research Process Nathaniel Holley University Of Phoenix Res/351 December 24, 2012 Charlene Dunfee Business Research Process The business research process is a valuable tool to help mangers, investors, and owners to make more informed decision when faced with a dilemma facing their organization. Business research gives managers a systematic way to identify issues within the organization or the need for new strategies, use extensive information collected and make educated decisions for their organization. Managers in organization in all industries face many question every day about how to improve the efficiency of processes throughout the company to maximize their return on investment. One major benefit of business research is that the first stage allows managers to identify the question or problem that faces the organization. In order for managers to make decisions that will have a positive impact on the company’s bottom line, they must first identify the major question that faces their organization. A good example of the use of the business research process can be found at the company that I currently work at. The retail organization that I work at had received a lot of customer complaints and negative attention concerning the amount of out of stocks the store was having. The company took notice of the complaints and researched the issue. Due to the fact that sales from the store didn’t justify problem with the out of stocks, but they identified the issues...

Words: 442 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Week Four Learning Team Reflection

...Samuel Bowers, Martha Martin Jennifer Payton RES/351 November 4, 2013 Joshua West Reflections Week Four Learning Team E The objectives for week four reflections are: Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative methods of research. Explain commonly used qualitative research designs and quantitative research designs. Select the appropriate type of research design in a given business situation. Team member Mandy discussed that qualitative research is a systematic subjective approach used to describe life experiences and give them meaning. This includes focus groups, in-depth interviews, and reviews of documents for types of themes. This most commonly used in Health Care. Quantitative research is a formal, objective, systematic process for obtaining the precise measurement of something. This includes surveys, structural interviews and observation, reviews of records or documents for numeric information. This is commonly used in Education research. If a clothing company sells blue jeans and they want to measure the impact of the company by changing the product from blue jeans to black jeans, this would be a causal research design. Further discussion within the subject by team member Joann consisted of the importance to understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative methods of research. In qualitative method of research is designed to know more about the subject’s feelings. This would be a type of research that could be used in determining how to motivate...

Words: 452 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Res351 R1 Final Examination Study Guide

...RES/351 Final Exam Answers Study Guide Created by ACCNerd.com HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE – Read Me First! The following study guide will NOT have the same exact questions on your test! However, this study guide WILL help you ace the RES/351 Final Exam. The guide covers the same topics and will help you gain a deeper understanding of the concepts. Best of all, you are guaranteed a score of 90% or higher or your money back! Tip #1: Use CRTL+F to search a related keyword to quickly find the topic you need. Tip #2: If a topic is missing, please email us at support@accnerd.com. We can usually provide immediate custom support during normal business hours. Thank you for choosing ACCNerd.com! Let’s get started… 1. What do we call the process of stating the basic dilemma and then developing other questions by progressively breaking down the original question into more specific ones? Management-research question hierarchy Explanation: This is a questions hierarchy that enables research data to become more refined as specific as smaller questions are developed. 2.  Minute Maid is creating its own proprietary methods for performing research. In this scenario, what hierarchy of business decision makers does Minute Maid operate? Top tier Explanation: Minute Maid is at the top tier because it is creating its own custom methods of research. Lower tiers use past data as a basic framework for conducting research. 3. Northwest Airlines used mathematical models to find out which...

Words: 1263 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Qnt 351 Course Career Path Begins / Tutorialrank.Com

...QNT 351 Final Exam Guide (New) For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com Q1 The Director of Golf for a local course wants to study the number of rounds played by members on weekdays. He gathered the sample information shown below for 520 rounds. At the .05 significance level, is there a difference in the number of rounds played by day of the week? 2. An auditor for American Health Insurance reports that 20% of policyholders submit a claim during the year. 15 policyholders are selected randomly. What is the probability that at least 3 of them submitted a claim the previous year? 3. When a class interval is expressed as 100 up to 200, _________________________. 4. A coffee manufacturer is interested in whether the mean daily consumption of regular-coffee drinkers is less than that of decaffeinated-coffee drinkers. A random sample of 50 regular-coffee drinkers showed a mean of 4.35 cups per day, with a standard deviation of 1.2 cups per day. A sample of 40 decaffeinated coffee drinkers showed a mean of 5.84 cups per day, with a standard deviation of 1.36 cups per day. What is your computed z-statistic? 5. You perform a hypothesis test at the .05 level of significance. Your computed p-value turns out to .042. What is your decision about the hypothesis? 6. In a distribution, the second quartile corresponds with the __________. 7. The MacBurger restaurant chain claims that the waiting time of customers for service is normally distributed, with a mean of 3 minutes...

Words: 7155 - Pages: 29

Premium Essay

Current Event in Business Research Process

...Current Event in Business Research Process Nicole Smith RES/351 October 15, 2012 Dr. Sean Kenney Current Event in Business Research Process Business research can be described as a systematic and organized effort to investigate a specific problem encountered in the work setting that needs a solution. It comprises a series of steps designed and executed, with the goal of finding answers to the issues that are of concern to the manager in the work environment. I work for one of the largest Inventory Specialist in the States and has inventory specialist we do a great deal of traveling within the State and sometimes State-to-State. We do inventory for stores like Wal-mart, Kholes, Sears, CVS, 7-11, and many more and our number goal is to provide an accurate count for our customers and not spend a great deal of time in the store. The first step in the research process is to indentifying the problem or dilemma. Our dilemma was employee turnover rate which has went up in the last year. After we identified the issues management came up with a list of questions regarding why employee tuner over was high. Questions like what is the cause, when it started occurring, and what can be done. After identifying the dilemma they collected data from employees to determine a solution to the turnover rate. With the data that gathered they were able to get a better understand of why the turnover rate was so high and come up a solution to lower the turnover rate. The research design for fulfilling...

Words: 455 - Pages: 2