Ethical Issues in Marketing Research

Ethical Issues in Marketing Research [First Name, Last Name] [Institutional Affiliation] [Date] Ethical Issues in Marketing Research Inherently, marketing research involves making direct contact with various stakeholders inside and outside the research process, including respondents, clients, experimental subjects, and society as a whole. These interactions build relationships between the researcher and these parties. Such connections are the primary cause of ethical issues (Malhotra, 2015). Babin & Zikmund (2015) posit that techniques and other practices used in marketing research are additional sources of potential ethical problems. Sometimes, the root of these ethical problems lies deeper. Often, participants are unable to differentiate between proper marketing research and unethical direct marketing. Thus, professional bodies such as CASRO provide codes of conduct that offer a clear distinction between the two (Malhotra, Nunan & Birks, 2017). Basing on CASRO’s code of ethics, this paper reports on the major ethical issues in marketing research. Also, it details recommendations for reducing these ethical problems. Changes in Marketing Research To understand the ethical issues in marketing research, one must fully comprehend the changes and the changing role of marketing research. Research organizations need to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Fundamental changes over the past decade and a half have been technological (Malhotra, Nunan & Birks, 2017). Social networking, social media, and other digital data collection methods have entirely transformed how marketing research is conducted in the present day. With these advances, came ethical issues and dilemmas. Although they have their merits, social platforms have been linked with an increase in privacy concerns among respondents of all population groups (Kotler et al., 2015). The CASRO Code of ethics has been quick to update provisions that govern the areas of technology but still, marketing research continues to face several ethical issues (CASRO, 2011). The challenges that come with these changes demand creativity in research. Creativity will not only encourage profitable innovations but also improve the performance of teams and their skills (Burns, Bush & Veeck, 2017). Key Ethical Issues Confidentiality and Informed Consent Confidentiality is a sensitive topic to research participants. It primarily means that one does not reveal the identity of a respondent even though they have this knowledge. Maintaining confidentiality has become more challenging since researchers today are collecting more confidential information (Malhotra, Nunan & Birks, 2017). This ethical issue closely ties with the third ethical issue discussed in this report. Assuring a subject or participant about maintaining confidentiality helps build trust with them, build long-term relationships and gain valuable information. Researcher use informed consent to assure their respondents about confidentiality; thus these two concepts are closely related. The dilemma surrounding this issue in marketing research lies in dealing with consent when gathering information online. Recent studies confirm that there has been an increase in the use of social networks when collecting data for ma...