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Running head: ETHICS IN MARKETING RESEARCH

Ethics in Marketing Research

Student First and Last Name

Name of Class
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Ethics in Marketing Research
Integrity in market research is defined as “honesty and of moral character” (Timpany,

2012, para. 1). There should be no dishonesty from the respondents or the researcher. The

answers should be used as they were intended and not used to pretend that the results stand for

something else. Market research is used to make decisions therefore, integrity of the market

research must be upheld (Timpany, 2012). Researchers also face integrity issues if they

deceive respondents.

According to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, privacy is, “the

rights and obligations of individuals and organizations with respect to the collection, use,

retention, disclosure, and disposal of personal information” (AICPA, n.d., para. 1). Privacy is

important in market research because personal information is collected. The respondent has the

right to know who will receive their information. The participant should have the right to choose

if they want to be a part of a study.

There are also the ethical issues of confidentiality. If a respondent gives their personal

information, that information should go no further than the researcher. The researcher should not

in turn give out that information to other companies or even the sponsor of the research study.

Also, if information is identified, it should be held in confidence and not told to any other

agency. An example of this could be an employee survey. If an employee tells his or her

feelings toward his or her supervisor, that information should not be provided directly to the

supervisor.

The Belmont Report was created to describe how ethical research affects humans.

According to the Belmont Report, (1979),

… One of the charges to the Commission was to identify the basic ethical principles that

should underlie the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research involving human
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Ethics in Marketing Research
subjects and to develop guidelines which should be followed to assure that such research

is conducted in accordance with those principles (Summary, para. 1).

These principles also apply to informed consent. One of the required principles is the principle

of respect for persons. To have informed consent, the respondent must have enough information

about the market research that they can make a clear decision whether or not they want to

participate or not. They respondent should be able to ask questions and/or leave the study at any

time. The respondent should fully understand the risks and rewards of the market research.

The Belmont Report also addresses adults with diminished capacity. Diminished

capacity refers to those adults who do not have the ability to understand what has been told to

them. Maybe the subject has some form of mental retardation, they could be an older subject, or

they could have some sort of illness that prevents them to be able to make decisions for

themselves. One example that was used in the Belmont report is prisoners. It was stated that

even prisoners should have the ability to volunteer for market research. However, in prison, a

prisoner may be coerced to participate in a market research rather than by choosing to participate

from their own free will *The Belmont Report, 1979, para. 14).
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Ethics in Marketing Research
References

AICPA. (n. d.). Security and Privacy. Retrieved from:

http://www.aicpa.org/InterestAreas/InformationTechnology/Resources/Privacy/Pages/def

ault.aspx.

The Belmont Report. (1979). Retrieved from:

http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.html#.

Timpany, G. (2012, May 4). Ensuring Market Research Integrity. Retrieved from:

http://survey.cvent.com/blog/customer-insights-2/ensuring-integrity.