Reliable and Valid Measures: Ethics and Quantitative Business Research

Validity is important because inaccurate information can cause devastation for those relying on it to make critical decisions. Reliability refers to how duplicatable findings are and the likelihood that they will occur again. Therefore, if a result is accurate and happens often, people can expect it to happen and plan for or against it. Saunders et al. (2015) wrote that validity and reliability combine to define research quality.

Impact of Inappropriate Measures

Reliable and valid measures are the goal. Appropriate measures will yield valid results. If the wrong methods are used to collect and analyze data, bias views can be validated. For data to be accurate, it must come from unbiased means and be analyzed with the correct methods for the type of data. Frechtling and Boo (2012) revealed that tests such as Cohen’s kappa can show the degree to which pair agreements align with the agreements by chance. It is a test of reliability.

Ethical Outcomes of Quantitative Research

Thorough knowledge of quantitative processes and techniques is crucial to a valid and reliable outcome. Furthermore, in addition to validity and reliability, ethical considerations are intertwined with research methodology. Greenwood (2016) stated that the moral significance of research should always play a part, whereby researchers address how their work will make a difference in the lives of others. Although, the author also revealed that many journal editors claim that too many rules governing research may do more harm than good.

References

Frechtling, D., & Boo, S. (2012). On the ethics of management research: An exploratory investigation. Journal of Business Ethics106(2), 149–160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0986-7

Greenwood, M. (2016). Approving or improving research ethics in management journals. Journal of Business Ethics137(3), 507–520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2564-x

Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2015). Research methods for business students (7th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.

Check out the scheduling plugin for WordPress called Amelia. Check it out here.

You can list your business at TopLocal.org for extra exposure.

Check out the Squirrel Marketing Podcast for great tips.

Category
Tags

No responses yet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *