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Ch. 1-8 -- As area sales manager for a company manufacturing and marketing outboard engines, you have been assigned the responsibility of conducting a research study to estimate the sales potential of your products in the domestic (U.S. or Canadian) market. Discuss key issues and concerns arising from the fact that you, the manager, are also the researcher.

A manager and a researcher have different mind-sets when it comes to conducting business. Accordingly, this could create an ethical issue when one person is both a manager and a researcher for a particular company. For instance, a manager would want to show that sales potential within the business was high; however, as an outside researcher it is apparent that he/she showed the true sales potential which would be supported by documented research. Subsequently, if one person is the manager and the researcher it would be imperative that the results of the research were not misrepresented. Ultimately, a manager must ensure that deception is not used to improve the response rate of the business as a whole. Additionally, some mangers do not have the expertise or knowledge needed to conduct a thorough research for the business which could create a knowledge gap. Subsequently, a researcher is experienced in conducting, surveying, and analyzing businesses in order to capture strengthens and weaknesses of the company. Therefore, it would be a significant advantage to bring an outside researcher to survey the business in order to capture the true potential of the business as a whole. Accordingly, this ensures that the results of the research will not be compromised, and the proper documentation is presented to gain knowledge needed to ensure the success of the business.