Research Ethics In Marketing: Challenges And Importance

Challenges in Marketing Research Ethics

Question:

Topics such as online consumer behaviour, engagement with social media and responses to smartphone advertising have become areas of profound interest to the marketing academic and practitioner alike. …digital technologies have also brought new challenges to doing research in an ethical manner. Questions of privacy and confidentiality, reliability of data collected and distribution of results have become problematic in the digital world where people can perceive they are hiding their identity but actually leave traces of their activities and intentions, and where the rallying cry of the internet [sic] in the 1990s – information wants to be free – has no fee or ownership.write a literature review (comparing and contrasting different authors’ views on the subject) that addresses the research ethics that should be employed, and why it is so important; pay particular attention to the ‘Cookie Law’ of 2011 and the subject of informed consent).

With the advent of new technology and areas of marketing technique, the research on ethical practices surrounding these new developments have become more and more relevant. New and advanced areas in research have emerged in the form of online customer behaviour, consumer engagement using social media as well as advertising through smart phone, which has attracted interest from marketing researchers and practitioner. By virtue of nature of certain processes in these marketing, the research on these aspects often experience different ethical dilemma. Due to these challenges many professionals involve in marketing study do not follow ethical principles to fuller extent and various tactics in misuse of data often surface. Hence it has been considered in research at large that there is need to review various issue in ethical perceptions mainly in marketing practice and research (Aggarwal et al., 2012).

As it is well known that post 1990s the challenges for marketing researchers in maintaining ethical integrity have increased enormously lot of care is being taken in many quarter including the practitioners. The job involved in marketing research ethics have greatly some under greater magnitude of scrutiny from consumer bodies and governmental authorities due to a number of practices. Most of such practice emerges from new and advanced technology and sophisticated tools and techniques in marketing research. Mainly the area of concern centres round the relationship between the researcher and the general public and areas of gathering new corporate intelligence.

An opinion based article by Clark (2014) tries to unearth the phenomenon of pooling of experience by market researchers and practitioners in the process of overcoming ethics related objections towards some standard level practices in market research mainly in the new digital world culture. In addition the digital technology leads to further challenges in research following ethical approach. The concepts such as privacy and confidentiality at one hand and reliability over the information and their distribution in other have taken more challenging shape. The article has found the contrasting behaviour of people in terms of perception of people to keep the identity confidential vis-a-vis arguing the freedom of information sharing without any cost or ownership as such. New challenges from legal and regulatory authorities are also equally discussed mainly n the line of Cookie Laws during 2011 that warrants need for explicit consent of data users for storing and retrieving the data. These behaviours are seen as producing confusion in ethical aspects in marketing research mainly by the actual meaning of consent, its role in regulating advertisers and protecting users at the same time keeping the latest technology intact and in place.

Marketing Research Ethics in the Digital Age

In case of researchers involved in topics of marketing ethics at academic level, further pressure accrue from Ethical Review boards mainly institutional ones, at the time of funding, publications and disseminations (Clark, 2014). The new areas such as digital marketing research, online marketing are increasingly coming under strict scrutiny about issues for coping with conflicts of norms followed by research institutions. Practices such as incentivization to conduct survey and data collection by market researchers and practitioners are another ethical dilemmas that the review boards face online and digital marketing issues. Often the boards claim these practice violate the principles associated of anonymity of participant and their information. These practices are expected to be implemented by academics as well as practitioners following highest standard of ethics in terms of providing incentives in online data collection methods such as surveys. Since the incentivization may be counter-productive nature thereby posing more challenges the market researchers, practitioners and academics should take enough precaution without compromising with efficacy of their works (Clark, 2014).

Many market researchers have taken a lead in comparison to other research disciplines with a lot of emphasis on ethical aspects (Bernardi et al.2008). Many academics from marketing topics have examined issues on research ethics in several points of view (Hunt and Vitell, 1986) some of which focussed on alterative models in explaining ethical aspects in disentangling the decision-making process of marketing professionals in varying contexts (Murphy and Laczniak 1992). Some studies even have devised a host of issues in marketing ethics which were tested empirically and illustrated conceptually (Hair and Clark 2007).In the backdrop of dramatic change in the processes involved in market research due to use of technology and failure in the part of prior research to systematically analyse the ethical lapses in marketing research and practice, Aggarwal et al. (2012) evaluate the public level perceptions on unethical practices in marketing research. The article tests the perceptual changes across time among various practices in research practices. The judgments from marketing professional about ethicality of new marketing research situations both offline and online circumstances. The article also examines the public level judgments on unethical practices in marketing research and found there is a growth in disapproval of such practice among marketing researchers as well as managers, mainly in online environment rather than offline environment. While the frequency of unethical practice is reported higher among practitioners, the tolerance to such practice is lower among the market researchers.

Aggarwal et al. (2012) in their study apprehends that such kind of unethical pressures may be occurring with less frequency in most organisation who maintain stronger code of ethics and the employees of such firms being aware of these codes. While many other studies suggest that practitioners believe a code of ethics may have limited effect in contexts where the competitions become intense (Ibrahim et al. 2009), the study by Aggarwal et al. (2012) foresee that the code would continue to exert an positive effect on employees behaviour. The study finds a consensus among people that breaches in ethical code occur infrequently but there continues to have a disapproval of such breach of conductAnother area mostly used in marketing practice and of utmost ethical importance is the informed consent of users and use of cookies my agencies for some sort of research process. The criteria of procuring the consent in online marketing practice and research pose the real ethical challenge in term of questioning the ‘informed’ aspect. Millett e al. (2001) in their study examined the process through which the cookie based technology and the web based browser design responds to the concerns related to the informed consent. The study in particular, documents design changes in navigators like Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer and some others in five year long study from 1995 following a retrospective approach. It found that across subsequent time periods, the cookies were used in terms of invading substantively users’ privacy, without knowledge of the later (Millett e al. 2001). This is also used in tracking online activity of users across the web sites and frequency of visits into those web sites. These activities and such other concerns have already garnered much attention across countries. The major and continued problem is categorized in terms of involving the informed consent which users have neither been adequately informed on what cookies would do and the use of personal information, nor given adequate choice for declining participation in his process of consent. Hence it is important to understand the process of supporting informed consent through the cookies and web browsers too (Millett e al. 2001).

Importance of Following Ethical Principles in Marketing Research

The study by Millett e al. (2001) examined five criteria such as disclosure, voluntariness, comprehension, agreement and competence to assess the performance of cookies, in supporting the informed consent in online marketing practice. The observations of this study dwelt upon the retrospective level analysis and found that even if cookie based technology improved across time in terms of informed consent, still major problems remained existent at large. Of these challenges some may be remedied easily following certain practice in the line of ethical marketing principles such as redesign of Web browsers that allows the users to delete easily the cookies as per convenience or define the date of expiration of cookie. Some other option could be setting of browser preference on Explorer being redesigned for inclusion of comprehensibly and well labelled option for declining all cookies which then be returned to the web sites of the third party. Some remedies may be found to have some difficulty in implementation due to changes in levels and browsers. In order to foster usability of and informed consent from the users it may be served when default condition is declined for all cookies. Alternatively, some of the better available options may not be possible enough to be implemented if there is any delay in identifying the actual problems and designing the action to be taken thereof.Besides the ethical issues that that has surfaced in marketing research and practice with the advent of new technology and approaches, stakeholders’ relationship too has been challenging. A critical review by Murphy and Laczniak. (1992 b) examines closely the role of general public in the form of relevant stakeholder within the space of marketing research since they form the main option of dissemination. Many of the market research outputs are disseminated to public by different medium such as advertising for a host of reasons. The inaccuracy in use of outputs from marketing research may create wrong impressions about the results in the public. Any deviation in practice followed in marketing research which may deceive the attention of public can undermine purpose of the enterprise as a whole. The study finds a host of unethical research practice and the repercussion in general public as well as policy makers mainly in 3 points. They are incorrect and incomplete reporting, misleading reporting, and non-objective type of research. The article also find out possible alternative ideas for ethical action in overcoming these challenges altogether. The inaccurate, complete and incorrect findings from the market research and practice when disseminated among the general public can impair research activities which would have been legitimate in nature by spoiling the willingness of public in participating in market survey based research. In addition to these problems, the response rate, statistical level of reliability, quality of response from them and many such outputs can be affected adversely. Even the inaccurate findings from market research may pose other serious problems like distorting perception of policy makers over public opinion and issues related to business. Incorrect feedback may even result into misinterpretation of consumer sentiments by policy makers thereby making the research procedure invalid. Misreporting of information resulted from unethical market research can also play as confounding factor for the ability of public in distinguishing valid research findings from invalid market research results. In turn the result of even valid market research results may mix with inconsistent as well as contradictory finding leave the public into a state of indifferentness, confusion and distrustful when they read and interact with research results of the survey based research. At the end, the findings may lead to widespread distorted awareness.

The Role of the ‘Cookie Law’ of 2011 and Informed Consent

Murphy and Laczniak. (1992 b) apprehends that incomplete reporting may occur in a condition in which market practitioners or researchers knowingly or inadvertently leave relevant piece of information from the analyse and a report followed by circulation the same among the general public. This is prevalent among some firms who are involved with undertaking market research and then publicizing in trade press the results out of such research. Commonly omissions occur in facts and figures which the firm itself chooses to unearth the markets components and the areas they are involved in strong distribution and reputation. Hence, the findings of the market research would probably be looking like skewed in certain favourable direction thereby giving wrong reflection about the firm’s issues. The positive kinds of developments often temper various such practices thereby leading to lower quality and incomplete form of reporting. Instances from recent most practice by major research publication house like Wall Street Journal publishing the poll based information in specific inserts providing full details about the sample drawing procedures and steps in reaching the study respondents in their market research. While some uses may find this information to be not very useful by them, this may provide those people a base and interest to know the basis used for judging and identifying limitations and scientific level validity of the results. Moreover guidelines form expert institutions for public Use of research results out of market research are available to general public giving the details on design, origin and execution of research. Even the study (Murphy and Laczniak, 1992 b) provides detailed repercussion of misleading reporting from market research and ethical underlining on general public, researchers and firm’s altogether. This misleading reporting practice presents research findings in a way in which the conclusion drawn by intended audience may become unjustified. In non-objective reporting type of unethical marketing research practice the general public sometime may not be in a position for judging whether the piece of marketing research has been conducted in an objective manner. For this they may continue to rely on the aggregate percentage and read merely the main points of an advertisement without studying the procedure or methodology the research has followed in bringing out the results. Major problem emerge in case of use of the leading type of questions used in the survey research which may promote the finding to public only.

Based on a detailed analysis of various stakeholders, their response to the research results, quality and quality of reporting from research results, the article by Murphy and Laczniak (1992 b) provides a host of ideas which can be used by market researchers interested in raising the ethical bar of the profession of market research and practice. Most of these ideas pose to intend as stimulating the thinking process and possible action on implement to the best possible level the ethical policies inside the firms and industries in general. Certain specific option like establishment of ground rules followed by familiarising these rule as ethical standards of market research d practice for people and organisations that the market researchers would deal in day to day life and future.

Academic Perspectives on Marketing Research Ethics

Market researcher’s treating the clients, respondents, competitors and public at large should follow ethical principle both at legal as well as competitive basis. The professionalization of existing market research could be another option for ethical practice. While market researchers and practitioner should have many more obligations towards clients, respondents and the public, the clients likewise too would owe the market researchers some sense of fairness so as to produce better, durable and ethical results.Based on the understanding of ethical challenges and its effect on market research, several areas can be taken seriously. The experience of practitioners in these areas can be of use to academics too fro proper education and sensitisation. They can be useful in identifying the potential challenges in ethical aspects as well as and developing appropriate options.The discussion on ethical aspects in marketing research suggests some interventions such as resolution of such issues by use of well defined guidelines which should be and non-negotiable in nature and these should be disseminated widely across organizations and institutions so as to combat unethical conducts. The stakeholder’s aspects are important equally for ethical reasons.

References

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Clark, L. (2014). Opinion Piece – Ethical marketing research in the digital age – How can academics and practitioners work together? Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Practice, 15(4), 258-261. doi: 10.1057/dddmp.2013.54.

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