Conducting Ethical Market Research like a Pro - Part One

If you are wondering how you can ethically conduct market research for your business, then you have come to the right place! Almost every type of business requires market research to be successful. It is about lowering business risks, creating relevant promotional materials, knowing where to advertise, helping with decision making and beating competitors (Roque, 2018).

When people are involved, such as clients and the public, respondents and the researchers, it is very important that ethical processes are implemented. People have rights and obligations, and when marketing research methods don’t consider ethical practices, lines are easily crossed and laws are broken (Pribanic, 2018).

Some ethical considerations we will be going over in the next two blog posts, include research rigour, informed consent/confidentiality, data management/ protection, and ethical questioning. These four main topics will get you and your business on your way to successful, ethical market research!

Research Rigour

Rigour is the means by which a researcher will demonstrate integrity and competence throughout their study. Ultimately, rigour represents legitimacy of the research process. Without rigour, research is in danger of research becoming fictional journalism which essentially is worthless (Tobin & Begley, 2004).

Whilst there is no formal way to test rigour in qualitative data, one way to approach it is by measuring data against ‘validity’ and ‘reliability’.

• We can define validity as “the truthfulness of the findings”.

• We can define reliability as “ the stability of the findings”.

So, to break it down, the more valid and reliable your market research is, the more ethical it becomes. When findings are as close to the truth as possible, reached with an open mind and based on multiple sources of valid and reliable information and sources - you are conforming with research rigour. This ensures that your market research findings are trustworthy and accurate, meaning you will be able to make successful decisions for your business!

Informed Consent and Confidentiality

Informed consent means that participants are given information about the key facts of the market research before deciding whether or not to take part (Australian Government, 2018). It is necessary for all participants to be fully aware of any risks of physical harm involved, no matter how small they are. Only then, are participants able to give informed consent!

People may decide not to be involved in research for a number of reasons. Whilst possible risks may be one of them, sometimes participants also decide not to be involved in research that is conducted for public, political or commercial organisations. Being informed, not only means that a participant knows about the risks of the research but also the nature of the research and nature of the sponsor.

One way to easily obtain informed consent from a participant is by using a “consent form”. This form should include details about the study including the purpose, duration, required procedures, risks and potential benefits (Australian Government, 2018). Keep in mind that it is very important for market researchers to answer any questions and make sure all participants clearly understand the study.

Additionally you should also make sure to undertake correct procedures of confidentiality. We are able to do this by designing protocols and processes that minimise the need to collect and maintain identifiable information about the participants (University of California, 2019). Once a participant has given you consent to collect their data, it is up to you to protect their privacy - keep an eye out for our upcoming post on Privacy in Marketing!

So far we have learnt of research rigour and informed consent/confidentiality in market research. Hopefully it is starting to become clear of the importance that practicing ethical market research has. Though, we aren’t finished yet - stay tuned for our Ethics in Market Research blog post part 2, where we will cover data management and protection as well as ethical questions!