RCH 7301, Critical Thinking for Doctoral Learners ESSAY

RCH 7301, Critical Thinking for Doctoral Learners 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Summarize critical concepts of business scholarship in research writing. 1.1 Define the dissertation within business research. 1.2 Compose a sample problem statement.

6. Evaluate the responsibilities of business administration research.

6.1 Apply an ethical framework to research. 6.2 Explain why ethics are important to businesses and researchers.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

1.1

Unit Lesson Chapter 1 Article: “It’s a Dissertation, Not a Book” Webpage: Project Planner Unit I Assignment

1.2

Unit Lesson Chapter 1 Chapter 4 Article: “It’s a Dissertation, Not a Book” Webpage: Project Planner Unit I Assignment

6.1

Unit Lesson Chapter 4 Article: “It’s a Dissertation, Not a Book” Webpage: Project Planner Unit I Assignment

6.2.

Unit Lesson Chapter 4 Article: “It’s a Dissertation, Not a Book” Webpage: Project Planner Unit I Assignment

Required Unit Resources Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 4: Business Research Ethics In order to access the resources below, utilize the CSU Online Library to begin your research. Review the research stages on the Project Planner webpage. Byrne, D. (2017). Project planner. SAGE Research Methods.

http://methods.sagepub.com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/project-planner Cassuto, L. (2011, July 29). It’s a dissertation, not a book. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 57(42).

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

Demystifying the Dissertation: Ethics of Research

RCH 7301, Critical Thinking for Doctoral Learners 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Unit Lesson

Ethics and Research Ethics Business research, like all research, is guided foremost by the concept of ethics. Blumberg et al. (2005) offer a general definition of ethics as being a set of moral norms that we use to guide the moral choices underpinning both our behavior and the ways that we create relationships with others. While most individuals have thought about morals and morality, applying the definition of ethics to research requires a consideration of ethics in general and in relation to how ethics pertain to the appropriateness of a researcher’s behavior toward the subjects of research and/or toward those entities affected by the research. All research is based on problems that we find in the real world, and people are impacted by not only the solutions that others might devise for those problems but also by researchers’ investigations into problems. The nuanced moral territory where right and wrong are not clear-cut or immediately discernible and where our actions as researchers can affect others is where our ethical principles are most important to guide our research. The deontological approach to ethics teaches us that ethical principles should never be compromised in favor of getting results. The root deon comes from the Greek for duty or obligation, and it is the researcher’s obligation to avoid doing any harm to research subjects. Thus, a deontological approach to research seeks to protect the subject’s right to privacy, the right to stop taking part in the research at any point, the right to voluntary and informed consent, and the right to self-determination during the course of a study—among other rights. As researchers in a doctoral program, students’ plans for ethical research are reviewed by their university’s institutional review board (IRB). The IRB process ensures that proposed studies contain explanations about how researchers will protect their subjects’ ethically defined rights and abide by the following guidelines:

• avoid harm to participants,

• ensure informed consent of participants,

• respect the privacy of participants, and

• avoid the use of deception. The IRB ensures that everyone engaged in research under the university’s auspices, across schools and disciplines, is abiding by the same set of concerns with regard to performing research on human subjects. Avoid Harm to Participants Research focuses on problems that exist in the real world and involves testing variables to see how they affect one another, testing theories to see if they are apt, and looking for solutions to issues that affect human beings. In that respect, all research adds to the body of human knowledge and understanding about our world. As the agents of creating knowledge, participants should gain some benefit for their involvement, including seeing the final results of the research project or gaining some self-insight during the process. Ensure Informed Consent of Participants The basis of informed consent is that participants in a research study receive enough information about the project to allow them to decide whether they want to be involved (Crow et al., 2006). When business researchers are developing a study on an organization or one that is proposed to take place within an organization, the organization’s stakeholders, including senior leadership, make decisions to protect the organization’s interests based on informed consent. Thus, in business research, stakeholders can, and do, influence the course of a research proposal, giving researchers the opportunity to tighten their focus on universal or more general problems that exist in the business world. Respect the Privacy of Participants The right to privacy is one of the tenets of a free, democratic society, and business researchers abide by the participants’ reasonable right to expect privacy, even during the course of a study in which participants willingly join. As a doctoral student designing a business research study, you will ensure that you have measures in place to protect your participants’ anonymity and confidentiality.

RCH 7301, Critical Thinking for Doctoral Learners 3

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Participants’ right to privacy is underpinned by informed consent. When participants have enough information to help them to decide whether they want to take part in a study, they are also given assurance in clear language that their participation is voluntary, that their data used in the study will be secured and protected by the researcher, and that they have a right to withdraw from the study at any point. Avoid the Use of Deception Any covert action, including covert observation, constitutes deception within the definitions of research ethics. Deception means a lack of absolute, honest transparency about any known elements of a study. Those elements can include anything from the number of questions and estimated completion time of a survey to the anticipated uses of participants’ data.

Conclusion Ethics in business research, marketing, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, corporate community involvement—throughout segments of the business world—are quickly evolving because of the continually changing nature of interactions between businesses, organizations, groups of people, and individuals. Ethics in academics and in the business world work together. As you consider the parameters of a research study in business management, recall the checklist of ethical issues (Table 4.7) on page 99 of the textbook. The Academy of Management (AOM) publishes their ethics on their website. The AOM Code of Ethics is not only about academic research and involvement in publication and conferencing, but it also provides a framework for internationally recognized professional ethics; it would be helpful for you as you begin your research study to look up this material. It would also be beneficial to review the Business Ethics: Introduction LibGuide for more information on ethics.

References Blumberg, B., Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2005). Business research methods. McGraw-Hill Education. Crow, G., Wiles, R., Heath, S., & Charles, V. (2006). Research ethics and data quality: The implications

of informed consent. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 9(2), 83–95

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the resources below, utilize the CSU Online Library to begin your research. The resource listed below is strongly suggested. Single (2009) gives you a perspective on a system for writing academic, scholarly material. As a beginning doctoral writer, exploring a variety of resources about scholarly writing will benefit you. Review Chapter 1 of the following resource, which is linked below. Single, P. B. (2009). The single system for academic writing. In Demystifying dissertation writing: A

streamlined process from choice of topic to final text. Stylus. The following LibGuides created by the CSU Online Library will be helpful resources for conducting research, using APA Style, and writing your dissertation:

• Library Video Tour: Home

• Research Guide for DBA Students: Introduction

• How to Do Research: Introduction

• Writing the Dissertation or Research Project: The Writing Process

• Business Ethics (Graduate): APA Style https://libguides.columbiasouthern.edu/businessethicsunderhttps://libguides.columbiasouthern.edu/businessethicsunderhttps://libguides.columbiasouthern.edu/librarytourhttps://libguides.columbiasouthern.edu/dba_researchhttps://libguides.columbiasouthern.edu/research101https://libguides.columbiasouthern.edu/dissertationhttps://libguides.columbiasouthern.edu/c.php?g=452224&p=3088095

RCH 7301, Critical Thinking for Doctoral Learners 4

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

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The following websites will serve as helpful reference resources as you begin your dissertation-writing process.

• The American Heritage Dictionary

• Merriam-Webster Thesaurus

• APA Style Blog (Click on the Style and Grammar Guidelines drop-down menu for more.) https://www.ahdictionary.com/https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurushttps://apastyle.apa.org/blog

• Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I
• Required Unit Resources
• Unit Lesson
  • Ethics and Research Ethics
    • Avoid Harm to Participants
    • Ensure Informed Consent of Participants
    • Respect the Privacy of Participants
    • Avoid the Use of Deception
  • Conclusion
  • References
• Suggested Unit Resources