In the last lesson, you learned about writing a literature review in an ordered and accessible way. We will now be changing our focus somewhat, discussing two distinct, but related, areas of concern when carrying out research with or about people (who, in research, are usually referred to as human subjects): ethics and politics. Research ethics is concerned primarily with the prevention of any harm that might result during the research, especially harm to the research subjects. Politics in research refers to the power relationships that exist between the researcher and other stakeholders in the research process and how those relationships are enacted, particularly in relation to data access.

The lesson will also continue the discussion of hypothesis testing; you will learn how to tell whether a research hypothesis should be accepted or rejected based on calculated confidence intervals.

 

Objectives

After successfully completing this lesson, you should be able to do the following things:

• Describe several fundamental ethical principles.
• Apply ethical principles to your proposed fictional research project with ESC.
• Operationalize ethical principles to ensure they are not contravened in research.
• Understand your obligations in relation to data management and protection.
• Recognize and deal with conflicts of interest.
• Determine whether research hypotheses should be accepted or rejected based on calculated confidence intervals.

 

Activity Planner

To help you plan your studies this week, here is a table of the activities you will be working on. Remember that these timings are approximate, and you will need to allow time for reflecting on what you have learned. Check the Course Schedule for specific due dates.

 

Table 6.1. Lesson 6 Activity Planner

Activity Category	Topic/Activity	Time
	Read Chapter 6 research methods book	90 minutes
	Read the Lesson 6 commentary	30 minutes
	Read “The Grey Area—Ethical Dilemmas in HR Analytics: Perspectives From the Global Workforce”	45 minutes
	Complete Lesson 6 Quiz	20 minutes
	Engage in project-related activity	120 minutes
	Work through Chapter 4 in the Excel textbook	120 minutes