The Peaceful Coexistence of Ethics and Quantitative Research

Jeffrey R. Edwards ()
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Jeffrey R. Edwards: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Journal of Business Ethics, 2020, vol. 167, issue 1, No 3, 40 pages

Abstract: Abstract This essay concerns the extent to which quantitative research (QR) in management and organizational studies is divorced from ethics, as alleged in a recent JBE editorial by Zyphur and Pierides (2017). After carefully examining the criticisms set forth by Zyphur and Pierides and the merits of the alternative they propose, I conclude that the problems with QR and the researchers who conduct it are arguably much less extreme that Zyphur and Pierides claim. This conclusion is informed by a sampling of QR studies recently published in management journals, which could be further corroborated by a more thorough review and evaluation of QR studies using principles drawn from the ethics literature. I believe this assessment would indicate that, despite room for improvement, QR and ethics can and do peacefully coexist, and quantitative researchers are largely aware of the problems and opportunities associated with integrating their work with ethics.

Keywords: Quantitative research; Ethics; Research methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-019-04197-6

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