Unit 1 Marketing Research Assignment Details And Grading Rub

Unit 1 marketing Research assignment Details And Grading Rubricin This

In this assignment, you will engage in analyzing the marketing research process and ethical concerns that marketing research managers must consider while conducting research. Write a 2-3 page APA style formatted critical essay, answering the following questions:

Question 1. Using the steps of the research process to structure your thinking, analyze the following marketing research scenario based on your understanding of the Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 readings: The FlyRight Airline Company was interested in altering the interior layout of its aircraft to suit the tastes and needs of an increasing segment of its market businesspeople. Management was planning to reduce the number of seats and install small tables to enable businesspeople to work during long flights. Prior to the renovation, management decided to do some research to ensure that these changes would suit the needs of the passengers. To keep expenses to a minimum, the following strategy was employed: Questionnaires were completed by passengers during flights. Due to the ease of administration and collection, the questionnaires were distributed only on the short flights (those less than one hour). The study was conducted during the second and third week of December, as that was when flights were full. To increase the response rate, each flight attendant was responsible for a certain number of questionnaires. Management thought this was a good time to acquire as much information as possible; hence, the questionnaire included issues apart from the new seating arrangement. As a result, the questionnaire took 20 minutes to complete.

Question 2. In marketing as in other aspects of business, it is critical that professionals make sure to act in an ethical manner both legally and socially. In this age of interconnectedness, one unethical move can become an Internet video or comment that spreads rapidly, not just locally but potentially throughout the world. From a marketing standpoint, it is critical to take into account the impact of an organization’s decisions on other people and the environment. Consider the following situations. For each, discuss whether or not the action was morally ethical under the three methods of ethical reasoning (i.e., utility, rights, and justice approaches):

• a. The director of research for a financial institution, noting that the deadline for an important research report was fast approaching, decided to cut the required sample size in half and instructed her researchers not to mention the sample size on any of the slides that would be prepared for presentation to decision makers. She justified her actions by explaining that the research wasn’t all that important anyway and “certainly not worth the cost of potentially having to fire workers if the report wasn’t issued in time.”
• b. One of the researchers in the previous example also recognized that the project wasn’t going to be completed by the deadline. Fearing for his job—and working on his own—he proceeded to complete a number of surveys —106 in total—at home so that the project could move forward much more quickly.
• c. Knowing that many respondents want to “help” a researcher by supplying the answers that they think the researcher wants to hear, a marketing researcher for a well-known department store began sending surveys from the unknown “Taylor Research Group” instead of using the company’s name on the cover letter. He noted that after making the change, the responses to customer satisfaction questions became less positive.

For additional requirements in relation to this assignment, see the grading rubric below. Directions for Submitting this Assignment: Review the grading rubric before beginning this activity. For additional help with your writing and APA citation, please visit the Kaplan University Writing Center.

Compose your Assignment as a Microsoft® Word® document and save it with your first name initial and last name (Example: TAlex-MT355 Assignment-Unit 1.docx). Submit your file by selecting the Unit 1: Assignment Dropbox by the end of Unit 1.

Paper For Above instruction

The process of marketing research is critical in guiding organizations to make informed decisions that align with consumer needs and ethical standards. This essay analyzes a specific marketing research scenario faced by FlyRight Airline, examining the steps of the research process, and explores ethical considerations through various scenarios using three predominant ethical reasoning methods: utility, rights, and justice approaches.

Analyzing the FlyRight Airline Scenario Using the Research Process

The first step in the marketing research process involves defining the problem or opportunity. In this case, FlyRight Airline seeks to determine whether redesigning aircraft interiors to cater to business travelers’ preferences will enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. Recognizing the increase in market for business travelers and the potential to differentiate their service, the airline's management identified the need for tailored interior modifications.

Next is the development of the research plan, which involves identifying information sources, designing the research methodology, and determining data collection techniques. FlyRight's decision to utilize questionnaires distributed during flights exemplifies a convenience sampling approach aimed at reducing costs and increasing response rates. However, this convenience sampling introduces potential biases, such as limited demographic reach—since only short-flight passengers during busy holiday periods participated—and response biases due to long questionnaires.

Data collection occurred during peak holiday weeks, which likely influenced the responses, considering passenger demographics and travel purposes during that period. The questionnaires' length of 20 minutes posed a risk of respondent fatigue, potentially impacting data quality. While distributing questionnaires through flight attendants simplifies logistics, it may also introduce respondent bias if passengers feel compelled to respond quickly or anonymously feel pressured.

The third step involves analyzing the collected data. Given that the questionnaires included questions unrelated to the new seating arrangement, the data might have been cluttered or less focused, reducing the clarity of insights related to the primary research objective. Analyzing such data requires careful segmentation and filtering to extract meaningful information about passenger preferences for the interior redesign.

The final step is to interpret and present findings, which should inform management decisions regarding interior modifications. Based on the process, FlyRight could improve future research by adopting randomized sampling, ensuring questions are concise and targeted, and conducting studies over more diverse flight types and times to obtain more representative data.

Ethical Considerations in Marketing Research

Ethical decision-making in marketing research encompasses respect for participants, integrity in data collection, and transparency—principles that safeguard the rights of respondents and uphold social responsibility. The three methods of ethical reasoning—utility, rights, and justice—offer different lenses for evaluating the morality of specific actions.

a. Ethical Evaluation of Reducing Sample Size and Hiding Data

The decision by the research director at the financial institution to cut the sample size by half and conceal this from decision-makers raises ethical concerns. From a utility perspective, this action diminishes the overall benefit by providing potentially misleading information that could lead to suboptimal decisions, adversely affecting stakeholders, including employees and clients. The rights approach emphasizes respect for the decision-makers' right to accurate information; intentionally withholding or falsifying data infringes their right to honest data. The justice approach, which focuses on fairness, suggests that reducing the accuracy of research results unfairly disadvantages all parties relying on this information, potentially causing harm due to poor decision-making.

In this scenario, the actions are morally unethical across all three frameworks, as they jeopardize stakeholder trust, violate principles of honesty, and compromise fairness in decision-making.

b. Ethical Implications of the Researcher Completing Surveys at Home

The researcher who completed surveys at home to meet deadlines did so to facilitate project progress but bypassed standard data collection procedures. From a utility standpoint, this act may seem justified if it leads to more efficient decision-making; however, it undermines data integrity, which could result in flawed insights and poor strategic decisions, ultimately harming the organization and consumers.

Regarding rights, this behavior breaches the rights of respondents, who expect their responses to be collected ethically and under proper conditions, and of the organization that relies on valid data. Concerning justice, such an action creates unfair advantages for one researcher over others and undermines procedural fairness, risking inconsistency and bias in the research process.

Overall, this action is unethical, as it compromises data validity and breaches professional standards for research conduct.

c. Ethical Assessment of Sending Surveys Internally as an Unknown Group

The marketing researcher’s decision to send surveys from an anonymous “Taylor Research Group” instead of the company's name, coupled with intentionally masking the source to reduce positive bias, raises ethical questions. From a utility perspective, this deception may produce more honest responses but risks eroding trust if respondents later discover the concealment, potentially damaging brand reputation and future research efforts. The rights approach stresses honesty and transparency; misleading respondents violates their right to fair and truthful engagement. The justice framework emphasizes fairness and honesty—deceiving respondents undermines trust and damages social equity, as participants are not adequately informed.

Therefore, this behavior is morally unethical since it involves deception, breaches respondent rights, and compromises the fairness and credibility vital to ethical research practices.

Conclusion

In conclusion, conducting marketing research ethically requires careful adherence to principles that respect participant rights, promote fairness, and maximize societal benefits. The examined scenarios highlight various ethical lapses, such as data concealment, procedural dishonesty, and deception, all of which threaten the integrity of research and stakeholder trust. Ethical frameworks—utilitarianism, rights, and justice—serve as essential guides for evaluating such actions, emphasizing the importance of transparency, honesty, and fairness in marketing research efforts. Organizations must foster ethical standards to sustain credibility and social responsibility in an interconnected world where information spreads rapidly and trust is paramount.

References

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