Ethics: the concept in management research

All professions are guided by a code of ethics that has evolved over the years to accommodate the changing ethos, values, needs and expectations of those who hold a stake in the profes­sions. Some professions are more advanced than others in terms of the level of development of their code of ethics. Some have very strict guidelines, monitor conduct effectively and take appropriate steps against those who do not abide by the guidelines.

Most professions have an overall code of conduct that also governs the way they carry out research. In addition, many research bodies have evolved a code of ethics separately for research. Medicine, epidemiology, business, law, education, psychology and other social sciences have well-established codes of ethics for research.

Let us first examine what we mean by ‘ethics’ or ‘ethical behaviour’. According to the Collins Dictionary (1979: 502), ethical means ‘in accordance with principles of conduct that are considered correct, especially those of a given profession or group’. The keywords here, ‘principles of conduct’ and ‘considered correct’, raise certain questions:

• What are these principles of conduct?
• Who determines them?
• In whose judgement must they be considered correct?

Closely related questions are as follows:

• are there universal principles of conduct that can be applied to all professions?
• Do these change with time?
• Should they?
• What happens when a professional does not abide by them?

The subject of ethics needs to be considered in light of these questions.

The way each profession serves society is continuously changing in accordance with socie­ty’s needs and expectations and with the technology available for the delivery of a service. The ethical codes governing the manner in which a service is delivered also need to change. What has been considered ethical in the past may not be so judged at present, and what is ethical now may not remain so in the future. Any judgement about whether a particular practice is ethical is made on the basis of the code of conduct prevalent at that point in time.

As the service and its manner of delivery differ from profession to profession, no code of conduct can be uniformly applied across all professions. Each profession has its own code of ethics, though there are commonalities. If you want guidelines on ethical conduct for a particu­lar profession, you need to consult the code of ethics adopted by that profession or discipline.

‘What are these principles of conduct?’ is the most important question as it addresses the issue of the contents of ethical practice in a profession. As the code of conduct varies from profession to profession, it is not possible to provide a universal answer to this question. However, in research, any dilemma stemming from a moral quandary is a basis of ethical con­duct. There are certain behaviours in research — such as causing harm to individuals, breach­ing confidentiality, using information improperly and introducing bias — that are considered unethical in any profession.

The next question is: in whose judgement must a code of conduct be considered correct? Who decides whether a particular practice is wrong? If a procedure is carried out wrongly, what penalties should be imposed? It is the overall body of professionals or government organisations that collectively develops a professional code of conduct and forms a judgement as to whether or not it is being followed.

As mentioned, most professions have established an overall code of ethics and also a code of ethics for conducting research in their respective fields. As this book is designed for researchers in the social sciences, we will examine ethical issues relating to research in general and issues that are applicable to most social science disciplines.

Source: Kumar Ranjit (2012), Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners, SAGE Publications Ltd; Third edition.