Business Research Assignment

Week Two Assignment

Rebecca Campbell

BUS 642 Business Research Methods and Tools

Mirza Murtaza

October 17, 2012

Week Two Assignment

Week 2 Part 1 Making research decisions

1. A competitive Coup in the In-Flight Magazine.

When the manager for market intelligence of Auto Corp, a major automotive manufacturer, boarded the plane in Chicago, her mind was on shrinking market share and late product announcements. As she settled back to enjoy the remains of a hectic day, she reached for the in-flight magazine. It was jammed into the seat pocket in front of her.

Crammed into this already tiny space was a report with a competitor’s logo, marked "confidential-restricted circulation". It contained a description of new product announcements for the next two years. Not only was it intended for a small circle of senior executives, but it also answered the questions she had recently proposed to an external research firm.

The proposal for the solicited research could be canceled. Her research budget, already savaged, could be saved. She was home free, legally and career-wise.

She foresaw only one problem. In the last few months, AutoCorp's newly hired ethicist had revised the firm’s Business Conduct Guidelines. They now required company employees in possession of a competitor's information to return it or face dismissal. But it was still a draft and not formally approved. She had the rest of the flight to decide whether to return the document to the airline or slip it into her briefcase.

a. What are the most prudent decisions she can make about her responsibilities to herself and others?

To start with, the Business Conduct Guidelines require her to return the competitor’s information that she found on the airplane or face dismissal. If she were to use it someone from the other company would find out sooner or later and call her company. Ethically, it is wrong to take someone else’s work and use it as your own. It doesn’t matter if it is a draft or the completed work. She will...