From ‘Whodunit’ to ‘How’: Detective Stories and Auditability in Qualitative Business Ethics Research

Abstract

Ethical considerations in today's businesses are manifold and range from human rights issues and the well-being of employees to income inequality and environmental sustainability. Regardless of the specific topic being investigated, an integral part of business ethics research consists of deeply comprehending the personal meanings, intentions, behaviors, judgements, and attitudes that people possess. To this end, researchers are often encouraged to use more qualitative methods to understand the dynamic and fuzzy field of business ethics, which involves collecting in-depth information in real time. Qualitative methods in business ethics research, however, raise the twofold responsibility of not only conducting such investigations fairly and appropriately, but also clearly communicating the research processes and outcomes to readers. Especially leading journals in the field such as Journal of Business Ethics have a responsibility to conduct their business (i.e., the business of high standard publishing) ethically, by making sure that their content represents clear and honest communications of research concerning a wide range of business systems. Unfortunately, the question of how to effectively facilitate transparent insight into the research process of qualitative business ethics studies is still unresolved. Both the lack of a clear communication of methods and results and the iterative nature of qualitative methods often make it difficult for the readers to properly assess a qualitative business ethics study and understand its results. We propose the use of narratives to remedy this situation. Specifically, we suggest a new classification of audits, named second-party audits, to facilitate a better understanding of research procedures ex-post for the readers. To illustrate this new narrative-based reconceptualization of audits, we use Agatha Christie's detective novel The Murder on the Links as a frame of reference.

To discard or to ado(a)pt? Looking at qualitative research templates through the lens of organizational routines

“…It is crucial to understand the purpose of a specific template before making any decisions regarding its use. I do concur that the rigid rule books on reporting will lead to standardized, formalized accounts of the research procedures and that they should be replaced with more praxis-oriented approaches (Nair, 2020). At the same time, the use of well-established templates has assisted inexperienced or novice researchers in conducting their investigations in a recognizable, socially appropriate manner that is consistent with the widely held norms of qualitative research (Sonpar et al, 2010).…”

“…Furthermore, certain other templates promote transparency by helping researchers narrate the diversity and entirety of their investigations within the word/page limits set by journals (Weiss et al, 2015;Nair, 2020). I think that the use of templates should therefore not be considered taboo altogether, since its use can contribute to better designing, conducting and understanding of qualitative studies.…”

How ethical are my millennials? A qualitative study

“…The majority of studies on consumer ethics faces methodological bias. Quantitative studies using quantitative scales (Vitell and Muncy, 1992) dominate the existing literature (Nair, 2020). Interpretative approaches based on qualitative data appear to be under-used despite offering substantial epistemological potential (Nair, 2020; Lehnert et al , 2016).…”

“…Quantitative studies using quantitative scales (Vitell and Muncy, 1992) dominate the existing literature (Nair, 2020). Interpretative approaches based on qualitative data appear to be under-used despite offering substantial epistemological potential (Nair, 2020; Lehnert et al , 2016). Much of the studies are conducted in western context and few focus on the developing countries (Berg and Holtbrügge, 2001), which is experiencing a wave of capitalism and has one of the largest consumer bases in Asia (Tait et al , 2016).…”