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The purpose of this assignment is to write a report on the ethical issues involved in marketing research focusing on three or four of the main issues within the Council of American Survey Research Organizations, Code of standards and ethics for survey research document.

The Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) was founded in 1975 and it represents over 300 companies and market research operations in the United States and abroad. CASRO’s Code of Standards and Ethics for Survey Research is to be adhered to by all of its members. It is a tough, internationally-cited set of standards, which has long been the benchmark for the industry. This Code of Standards and Ethics for Survey Research sets forth the agreed upon rules of ethical conduct for Survey Research Organizations (Burns & Bush, 2012).

For the most part, ethics emerge from value conflicts and are expressed in many ways such as from individuals' rights to privacy, and individual confidentiality. Every decision that is made in research in some form or another involves the potential compromise of one value for another. It is however up to the researcher to try to minimize risks to any participant, colleague, and/or society while attempting to maximize the quality of information they produce.

According to the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (2011), research ethics are guidelines that help reconcile conflicts. Although ethical codes provide direction, the decisions made in research must be reached by considering the specific alternatives available. The choices made in each case weigh the potential contribution of the research against the potential risks to the participants. Weighing these alternatives is essentially subjective, entails matters of degree rather than kind, and involves a comparison between the experiences required in the research and those expected in everyday life (CASRO, 2011).

Ethical standards in research stipulate areas of responsibilities...