Journal of Management Research

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Ethical Issues Encountered by Marketing Researchers in India


Affiliations
1 University School of Management Studies Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Kashmere Gate, Delhi 110006
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


With the growth of the marketing research function, the significance of ethical issues in the field is also increasing. The validity of research findings and their utilization, respondent willingness to cooperate, the rights of the various stakeholders in the research process as well as the very credibility of the profession are impacted by research ethics. This paper provides the findings of an empirical investigation into the frequency with which major ethical issues are encountered by marketing researchers-in marketing departments and research agencies in India. The study finds that though the overall reported frequency of encountering unethical practices is on the lower side, there is nevertheless a general acknowledgment of the existence of these practices and that opinions on what constitutes unethical practice is divided with regard to certain issues.

Keywords

Ethics, Marketing Research, Respondent Abuse, Research Integrity
User
Notifications

  • Akaah, I. P. (1990), Attitudes of Marketing Professionals towards Ethics in Marketing Research: A Cross-national Comparison, Journal of Business Ethics, 9: 45-53.

  • Akaah, I. P. (1993), Organizational Culture and Ethical Research Behavior, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 21(1): 59-63.

  • Akaah, I. P. and Riordan, E. A. (1989), Judgments of Marketing Professionals about Ethical Issues in Marketing Research: A Replication and Extension, Journal of Marketing Research, 26 (February): 112-20.

  • Baumhart, R. C. (1961), How Ethical are Businessmen? Harvard Business Review, 39(4): 6-19.

  • Bezilla, R., Joel, B., Haynes, J. B. and Elliot, C. (1976), Ethics in Marketing Research, Business Horizons, 19(April): 83-86.

  • Blankenship, A. B. (1964), Some Aspects of Ethics in Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing Research, 1(May): 26-31.

  • Brenner, S. N. and Molander, E. A. (1977), Is the Ethics of Business Changing, Harvard Business Review, 55, (January-February): 57-71.

  • Bogart L. (1962), The Researcher's Dilemma, Journal of Marketing, 26 (January): 6-11.

  • Bowers D. (1999), A Snapshot of US Research, Market Research, (Fall): 34-35.

  • Coe, T. L. and Coe, B. (1976), Marketing Research: The Search for Professionalism, in Bernhardt, K. L. (Ed.), Marketing: 1776- 1976, and Beyond, pp. 257-9, American Marketing Association, Chicago, IL.

  • Coney, K. A. and Murphy. J. H. (1976), Attitudes of Marketers toward Ethical and Professional Marketing Research Practices, in Nash, Henry W. and Robin, Donald P. (Eds.), Proceedings: Southern Marketing Association, pp. 172-4.

  • Crawford, M. C. (1970), Attitudes of Marketing Executives toward Ethics in Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, 34 (April): 46-52.

  • Day, G. S. (1975), The Threats to Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing Research, 12 (November): 462-467.

  • Day, R. L. (1975), Comment on Ethics in Marketing Research – Their Practical Relevance, Journal of Marketing Research, 12(May): 232-3.

  • Ferrell, O. C. and Skinner, S. J. (1988), Ethical Behavior and Bureaucratic Structure in Marketing Research Organizations, Journal of Marketing Research, XXV(February): 103-109.

  • Ferrell, O. C., Hartline, M. D. and McDaniel, S. W. (1998), Code of Ethics among Corporate Research Departments, Marketing Research Firms and Data Subcontractors: An Examination of a Three Communities Metaphor, Journal of Business Ethics, 17: 503-516.

  • Fraedrich, J. and Ferrell, O. C. (1992), Cognitive Consistency of Marketing Managers in Ethical Situations, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 20(3): 245-252.

  • Frey, C. J. and Kinnear, T. C. (1979), Legal Constraints and Marketing Research: Review and Call to Action, Journal of Marketing Research, 16(August): 295-302.

  • Giacobbe, R. W. and Segal, M. N. (2000), A Comparative Analysis of Ethical Perceptions in Marketing Research: USA vs. Canada, Journal of Business Ethics, 27(3): 229-245.

  • Hunt, S. D., Chocko, L. B. and Wilcox, J. B. (1984) Ethical Problems of Marketing Researchers, Journal of Marketing Research, 21(August): 309-24.

  • Malhotra, N. K. and Miller, G. L. (1998), An Integrated Model for Ethical Decisions in Marketing Research, Journal of Business Ethics, (17): 263-268.

  • McDaniel, S. W., Verille, P. and Madden, C. S. (1985), The Threats to Marketing Research: An Empirical Reappraisal, Journal of Marketing Research, 22(February): 74-80.

  • Moorman, C., Zaltman, G. and Deshpande, R. (1992), Relationships between Providers and Users of Market Research: The

  • Dynamics of Trust Within and between Organizations, Journal of Marketing Research, 24: 314-328.

  • Murphy, P. E. and Laczniak, G. R. (1981), Marketing Ethics: A Review with Implications for Managers, Educators and Researchers, in Enis, B. M. and Roering, K. J. (Eds.), Review of Marketing, pp. 251-66, American Marketing Association, Chicago.

  • Murphy P. E. and Laczniak G. R. (1992), Traditional Ethical Issues Facing Marketing Researchers, Marketing Research: A Magazine of Management and Applications, March: 8-21.

  • Schneider, K. C. (1977), Subject and Respondent Abuse in Marketing Research, MSU Business Topics, 25(Spring): 13-19.

  • Schneider, K. C. and Holm, C. K. (1982), Deceptive Practices in Marketing Research: The Consumer's Viewpoint, California Management Review, 24(Spring): 89-96.

  • Skinner, S. J., Ferrell, O. C. and Dubinsky, A. J. (1988), Organizational Dimensions of Marketing Research Ethics, Journal of Business Research, 16(May): 209-23.

  • Smith S. A. (1974), Research and Pseudo-research in Marketing, Harvard Business Review, (March-April): 73-76.

  • Tybout, A. M. and Zaltman, G. (1974), Ethics in Marketing Research: Their Practical Relevance, Journal of Marketing Research, 11(November): 357-68.

  • Vitell, S. J. and Muncy, J. (1992), Consumer Ethics: An Empirical Investigation of Factors Influencing Ethical Judgments of the Final Consumer, Journal of Business Ethics, 11: 585-97.

  • Webster, F. E. Jr. (1978), Is Industrial Marketing Coming of Age? in Bonoma, T. V. and Zaltman, G. (Eds.), Review of Marketing, pp. 138-59, American Marketing Association, Chicago.

  • Zay-Ferrell M., Weaver, K. and Ferrell, O. C. (1979), Predicting Unethical Behavior among Marketing Practitioners, Human Relations, 32(July): 557-569.


Abstract Views: 497

PDF Views: 1




  • Ethical Issues Encountered by Marketing Researchers in India

Abstract Views: 497  |  PDF Views: 1

Authors

Meenakshi Handa
University School of Management Studies Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Kashmere Gate, Delhi 110006

Abstract


With the growth of the marketing research function, the significance of ethical issues in the field is also increasing. The validity of research findings and their utilization, respondent willingness to cooperate, the rights of the various stakeholders in the research process as well as the very credibility of the profession are impacted by research ethics. This paper provides the findings of an empirical investigation into the frequency with which major ethical issues are encountered by marketing researchers-in marketing departments and research agencies in India. The study finds that though the overall reported frequency of encountering unethical practices is on the lower side, there is nevertheless a general acknowledgment of the existence of these practices and that opinions on what constitutes unethical practice is divided with regard to certain issues.

Keywords


Ethics, Marketing Research, Respondent Abuse, Research Integrity

References