Regarding ethical concerns, my sample population comprises all American public firms that must report to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). I will collect secondary data and apply a quantitative event study methodology to address my research problem. Thus, to avoid any issues with the integrity of my study and quantitative approach, my responsibility is to adopt appropriate techniques for gathering quantitative data for statistical analysis. Producing inaccurate statistics can result in misunderstanding, misrepresentation, and manipulation of the results (Franco et al., 2023). Another ethical question that needs consideration when extracting data for quantitative analysis is the principle of objectivity. Presenting quantitative information in an objective fashion eliminates any potential biases, promotes replicability, ensures validity and reliability, and potentially allows for generalizability as it focuses on large sample sizes (Creswell & Creswell, 2023). Since my research does not involve human participants, I do not think I need to be concerned about seeking informed consent, anonymity, or causing harm to the participants.

Concerning potential barriers to accessing my sample population, as I have already highlighted in the preceding paragraph, my study population encompasses all American public companies. Secondary data on these firms will be obtained from existing databases, such as Fama-French-Carhart’s Four Factors (FFC4) and the Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP) from the Wharton Research Data Science (WRDS). As of now, I am not aware that the University is a subscriber to these databases. If the school is not, then that will pose a serious challenge in getting data on my research population to tackle my problem. Therefore, ethical considerations in research are necessary to ensure that the scholar adheres to guidelines to produce high-quality management scholarship and avoid any legal, cultural, or ethical dilemmas.

References

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research Design (6th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Franco, J., Lee, C., Vue, K., Bozonelos, D., Omae, M., & Cauchon, S. (2023, July 17). 
9.4: Research ethics in quantitative research. Social Sci LibreTexts. https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Political_Science_and_Civics/Introduction_to_Political_Science_Research_Methods_(Franco_et_al.)/09%3A_Research_Ethics/9.04%3A_Research_Ethics_in_Quantitative_Research#:~:text=According%20to%20this%20document%2C%20quantitatively,considered%20meeting%20the%20ethical%20standard.

Response two

When embarking on research, the two key components are ethical standard adherence and research standards.  The latter provides the baseline for ensuring that all participants are treated respectfully, while integrity requires that all studies are conducted with professionalism and honesty, as it will be available for public consumption.  Any ethical issue should be prioritized, due to the impact that it may have on the lives of any individual. This would include data security, resource protection, animal welfare, and the protection of human subjects.

As my research will depend heavily on a survey and mixed methodology, one of my cornerstones must be a morally sound interview process.  The dignity and rights of the participants must be prioritized through proactive communication of honest information, and informed consent for their participation must be obtained, demonstrating that they understand the process (Ozolinčiūtė et al., 2022)

Data security is also important, and steps should be taken to respect privacy and autonomy of all participants.  This includes extending anonymity and keeping any responses and data, including encryption (Katsarov et al., 2022)

As I am planning to use the company I work for as a research pool, I am planning to leverage a tool such as Survey Monkey, along with a third party firm to complete the research, both qualitative and quantitative, so that employees will feel free to respond honestly, without fear of reprisal or judgement.  It is my experience that those of Indian culture tend to be especially sensitive towards making judgements of others and are keen to avoid causing offense.  Given my role as a senior leader in the company, there is a risk of participants not having the required level of comfort if they believe I will know who provided the responses.  I have already been working with our global head of human resources on the matter, so that she will reach out to the global team on my behalf, and request participation;  this participation will not be required or incentivized in any way.  My hope is that using this approach will result in honest responses. 

References: 

Katsarov, J., Andorno, R., Krom, A., & van den Hoven, M. (2022). Effective strategies for research

integrity training—a meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 34(2), 935-955.

Ozolinčiūtė, E., Bülow, W., Bjelobaba, S., Gaižauskaitė, I., Krásničan, V., Dlabolová, D., &

Umbrasaitė, J. (2022). Guidelines for Research Ethics and Research Integrity in Citizen

Science. Research Ideas and Outcomes, 8, e97122.