In today's business world, the ability to work efficiently and effectively with others in a group is a mandatory skill. Many employers rank "ability to work with a group" as one of the most important attributes for business school graduates to possess. Therefore, it is important for instructors to understand the factors that influence group dynamics and outcomes and students' attitudes toward group experiences. The objective of this research is to test whether the method of group member assignment (i.e., random or self-selected) affects the nature of group dynamics and outcomes, and students' attitudes toward the group experience. The results indicate that the method of group member assignment does influence group dynamics, attitudes toward the group experience, and group outcomes.

Deception and debriefing are commonly used marketing research procedures. However, marketers have paid little attention to the ethical and methodological issues inherent in the use of these practices. One explanation may be that greater emphasis has traditionally been placed on research outcomes than on how the research results were generated. In this article we attempt to redress this situation by examining the methodological and ethical issues concerning deception and debriefing from a process perspective. We review the past research on deception and debriefing, identify key psychological processes by which deception and debriefing influence participants, and present a framework for understanding the effects of both deceptions and debriefings on research participants. We then show how the results generated from this framework can be examined from an ethical perspective to provide a better understanding of the benefits and costs of the research to all stakeholders. ᭧

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