Marketing Research Ethics and History

Flashcards covering the ethics of marketing research, historical ethical breaches, the Belmont Report, and professional codes of conduct.

According to the transcript, who are the four parties involved in marketing research?

Researchers (people performing the research), Clients (the agent requesting the research), Participants (actual research respondents or subjects), and Society (anyone who stands to benefit from the research).

What two historical events during and after World War II heightened the awareness for a code of ethics in scientific research?

Experiments run on humans by the Nazi’s and Unit 731 in Japan.

What were the dates and specific impacts of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study noted in the text?

The study started in 1932 and ended in 1973. Of the 399 African-American participants, 128 died, 40 wives were infected, and 19 children were born with congenital syphilis.

What was the purpose of the National Research Act of 1974?

It created a commission to identify basic ethical principles and develop guidelines to protect human subjects in biomedical and behavioral research.

What are the three principles outlined in the Belmont Report (1978)?

1. Respect for persons (what a reasonable person would want to know); 2. Beneficence (risk compared to potential reward); 3. Justice (who is included or excluded).

What famous social science experiment involved subjects administering perceived electrical shocks to others to study submission to authority?

The Milgram experiment.

Who conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment in 1971, and what was a major ethical breach mentioned?

Philip Zimbardo; he did not allow students to leave even when they suggested they wanted to.

What is the role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Oregon State?

The IRB reviews all research involving human subjects at OSU to ensure the right thing is done and to protect the research enterprise.

What are the requirements for obtaining consent in marketing research according to the ethics code?

Consent must be obtained upfront, granted freely without coercion, may be withdrawn at any point, and must be granted expressly for participation in subsequent studies.

What is the ethical rule regarding audio or video recording during interviews or discussions?

Consent is required for the recording in addition to the consent for participation.

Under what conditions is public behavior considered 'fair game' for research without informing everyone?

When you are observing in a public place where there is no expectation of privacy, you are not taping it, and you are not interfering in any way.

What is the difference between Confidentiality and Anonymity in research?

Confidentiality means identifying information is collected but not shared with third parties; Anonymity means identifying information is not collected at all.

Which groups are considered 'vulnerable' populations in research?

Children (under 13 per COPPA), elderly, cognitively impaired persons, prisoners, students, employees, and educationally disadvantaged individuals.

What is the definition of a 'child' according to COPPA in the context of internet research?

Anyone under the age of $13$.

In marketing ethics, what does it mean to 'co-mingle' research with other activities?

Using respondent information for sales, solicitations, or push polling, which taints the pool of participants and undermines research integrity.

Why might managers resist marketing research results?

Because results may prove counter to managerial intuition or desires, and managers wish to predict the future while researchers measure current or past events.

Name three ways to reduce conflict between researchers and decision-makers.

Working closely together with clear communication, preparing written research proposals, and defining research objectives early in the process.