Ethics

Ethics is a major area of concern in business. Your text discusses various aspects of ethics in marketing research, such as in research design, observational research, survey administration, etc. Also, marketing research has experienced a resurgence with the widespread use of the Internet and the popularity of social networking. It is easier than ever before for companies to connect directly with customers and collect individual information that goes into a computer database to be matched with other pieces of data collected during unrelated transactions. The way a company conducts its marketing research these days can have serious ethical repercussions, impacting the lives of consumers in ways that have yet to be fully understood. Further, companies can be faced with a public backlash if their research practices are perceived as unethical. The ease with which a company can access and gather data about its customers can lead to deceptive practices and dishonesty in the company's research methods.

Discuss at least two unethical practices in various aspects of Marketing Research (not marketing in general) and what can management do to avoid/discourage this type of behavior?