Ethics in Qualitative Marketing Research
Like all research involving human participants, implementing qualitative marketing research raises ethical considerations. Some research designs employ a very direct approach: they clearly disclose the objectives of the study, the organization that commissioned it, and utilize transparent questions. Other designs conceal the study objectives and/or the commissioning organization, or utilize questions that stymie participants' attempts to learn of the study design.
Some researchers have ethical misgivings about the deceit involved in some approaches. They argue that if disguised methods are used, all respondents should, on completion, attend a debriefing session in which the true purpose of the research is given and the reason for the deception explained.
In commercial qualitative marketing research, ethical questions center on protecting the privacy of the participant and the privacy of the research sponsor. For this reason, qualitative marketing research firms are often employed to execute the research and guard privacy throughout the process. Firms protect the privacy of participants by promising that the data collected will be presented to the sponsor either in aggregate or in a format stripped of any personally identifiable information. Likewise, firms protect the privacy of sponsors by serving as a liaison between the sponsor and the research participant, which eliminates a situation that would otherwise invite much deceit. Further, most research firms join associations where membership is subject to compliance with industry standards.
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