Business

Ethics
Business Data Research

J. Oloba Z.
+256-785552288
Slide Outline
 Research & ethics
 Approaches
 Issues
 Principles
Research & Ethics

• In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions,

Thomas Kuhn (1962) suggested that
mature scientific disciplines rely upon a
paradigm that defines:
– what to study (relevance of social
phenomena),
– why to study (formulating explanatory
hypotheses)
– and how to study (through which methods).
Research & Ethics

• In normal times the presence of a paradigm,

based upon previous acquisitions in a discipline,
allows for the accumulation of knowledge.
• In times of turbulence, scientific revolutions
produce changes of paradigm.
• An important element of a paradigm is that it is
accepted by the whole community of scientists
active in a certain discipline.
• According to Kuhn, in the 1960s the existence
of a paradigm in the social sciences was an open
question; in the 2020s, it remains so.
Research & Ethics

• Some social scientists insist that there is only

one approach (and thus one paradigm) in the
social sciences.
• King, Keohane and Verba (1994: 6) synthesized
the ‘ideal to which any actual quantitative and
qualitative research’ should aim in the following
definition of ‘scientific research’:
Research & Ethics

• The goal is inference.

– Scientific research is designed to make descriptive or
explanatory inferences on the bases of empirical
information about the world . . .
• The procedures are public.
– Scientific research uses explicit, codified, and public
methods to generate and analyse data whose reliability
can therefore be assessed . . .
• The conclusions are uncertain . . .
• The content is the method. . . .
– scientific research adheres to a set of rules of inference
on which its validity depends.
Research & Ethics

• Not all social scientists, however, share all these

assumptions or even believe in the possibility of
a common definition of scientific research.
Research & Ethics: Approaches

• Research approaches are plans and the

procedures for research that span the
steps from broad assumptions to detailed
methods of data collection, analysis, and
interpretation.
• This plan involves several decisions, and
they need not be taken in the order in
which they make sense to me and the
order of their presentation here.
Research & Ethics: Approaches

• The overall decision involves which

approach should be used to study a
topic.
• Informing this decision should be the:
– philosophical assumptions the researcher
brings to the study;
– procedures of inquiry (called research
designs);
– and specific research methods of data
collection, analysis, and interpretation.
Research & Ethics: Approaches

• The selection of a research approach is also

based on the nature of the research problem or
issue being addressed, the researchers’ personal
experiences, and the audiences for the study.
• Thus, in this excerpt,
 research approaches,
 research designs,
 and research methods

-are three key terms that represent a perspective about research that
presents information in a successive way from broad constructions of
research to the narrow procedures of methods.
Research & Ethics: Approaches

 Quantitative research
 Qualitative research
 Pragmatic approach to research (mixed
methods)
 Advocacy/participatory approach to research
(emancipatory)

– (Alzheimer, 2009)
Research & Ethics: Approaches

Being able to mix different approaches has the

advantages of enabling triangulation.
 Triangulation is a common feature of mixed
methods studies. It involves, for example:
– the use of a variety of data sources (data
triangulation)
– the use of several different researchers (investigator
triangulation)
– the use of multiple perspectives to interpret the
results (theory triangulation)
– the use of multiple methods to study a research
problem (methodological triangulation)
Research & Ethics: Issues

• Research ethics involve requirements on daily

work, the protection of dignity of subjects and
the publication of the information in the
research.

• Georgia Fouka1, Marianna Mantzorou2*

– 1RN, PhD, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Department
of Nursing Β΄, Technological Educational Institute (TEI)
of Athens, Greece
– 2RN, MSc, Lecturer, Department of Nursing Β΄,
Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens,
Greece

• HEALTH SCIENCE JOURNAL

Research & Ethics: Issues

Ethics is rooted in the ancient Greek

philosophical inquiry of moral life.
It refers to a system of principles which can
critically change previous considerations
about choices and actions (Johnstone, 2009).

 It is said that ethics is the branch of philosophy

which deals with the dynamics of decision making
concerning what is right and wrong.

 Scientific research work, as all human activities, is governed

by individual, community and social values: Ethics!
Research & Ethics: Issues

Major ethical issues in conducting research

Informed consent
Beneficence- Do not harm
Respect for anonymity and confidentiality
Respect for privacy
Vulnerable groups of people
Skills of the researcher
The nature of the industry
Advocacy
Conflicts
Researcher role conflict
Research & Ethics: Five Principles - APA

1. Discuss intellectual property frankly

2. Be conscious of multiple roles
3. Follow informed-consent rules
4. Respect confidentiality and privacy
Discuss the limits of confidentiality.
Know federal and state law.
Take practical security measures.
Think about data sharing before research begins.
5. Tap into ethics resources
Conclusion

APA's Ethics Code mandates that psychologists

who conduct research should inform participants
about:
• The purpose of the research, expected duration and
procedures.
• Participants' rights to decline to participate and to
withdraw from the research once it has started, as
well as the anticipated consequences of doing so.
• Reasonably foreseeable factors that may influence
their willingness to participate, such as potential
risks, discomfort or adverse effects.
Conclusion

APA's Ethics Code mandates that psychologists

who conduct research should inform participants
about:
• Any prospective research benefits.
• Limits of confidentiality, such as data coding,
disposal, sharing and archiving, and when
confidentiality must be broken.
• Incentives for participation. Who participants can
contact with questions.
Easy Life!