Research Methodology paper. In this paper we aim to investigate the extent to which there are alternative ways for responding to ethical issues, other than moral silence and whistle-blowing.

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Research proposal GRA 6721                 31.03.2011

Content

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………1

Literature review…………………………………………………………………………………………...2

Research questions…………………………………………………………………………………..…...3

Defining important concepts………………………………………………………………………..…4

Evaluation of methodology ……………………………………………………………………..…….5

Interviews………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….5

        Semi-structured interviews……………………………………………..…………….……6

Sampling of respondents………………………………………………………………...….7

Codification of qualitative data……….…………………………….…………….….....8

        Limitations…………………………………………………………………….…………….……..8

Socratic dialogues…………………………………………………………………………………………..8

What is a Socratic dialogue……………………………………………………………….…9        

Socratic dialogues in practice………………………………………………………….…..9

Choosing participants for Socratic Dialogues        ………………………………......10

Limitations…………………………………………………………………….………………....10

Validity and reliability in qualitative research………………………………………….…...11

Online surveys………………………………………………………………………………….…………..12

What characterizes Online surveys?.....................................................12

Unit of analysis and measurements…………………………………….…………….14

Limitations…………………………………………………………………………….………….15

Triangulations……………………………………………………………………………….….…………..15

Limitations for the overall research…………………………………………….….…………….16

Appendix

        Appendix 1: conceptual framework………………………………………………….19

        Appendix 2: examples of cases for the interviews……………………………19


Executive summary

Previous research on ethical communication has mainly been on reacting to moral issue through moral silence or whistle-blowing. Hence, alternatives in-between have been neglected or overlooked. In this paper we aim to investigate the extent to which there are alternative ways for responding to ethical issues, other than moral silence and whistle-blowing.

We argue that semi-structured qualitative interviews can reveal underlying constructs and patterns within the field of moral reaction, and provide us with exploratory understanding about alternatives to whistle-blowing.  Further we aim to use a Socratic dialogue in order to facilitate a philosophical discussion about moral reaction, and to gain even more in-depth knowledge about patterns of thinking and choice of alternatives.

By drawing on the results from the qualitative research methods, we argue that quantitative research methods can test if results are generalizable. By using the in-depth knowledge about social contexts and patterns gained through the proposed qualitative methods, we construct on a pre-existing online FaFo-survey about whistle-blowing developed by Trygstad (2010) (Bryman, Bell 2007:648).  We believe that that a triangulation of research methods is the suitable approach for further investigation of our research topic. By triangulating, we can refine, broaden and strengthen the conceptual linkages, check validity, and allow ourselves to understand various perspectives on the topic of alternatives to whistle-blowing (Berg 2007:7)

Our research has two main contributions. Firstly, the paper will contribute in filling the gap in the literature about alternatives to moral silence and whistle-blowing. Secondly, the findings may help the organizations to implement less extreme and risky alternatives to whistle-blowing, and hence lay a foundation for a firm culture that encourages the employees to address and prevent ethical misconduct.



Introduction

Ethical dilemmas can occur in professional settings due to numerous reasons. Due to close relational ties among business actors, addressing moral issues become difficult. The choice of either blowing the whistle or keeping silent has been considered as two opposite reaction-mechanisms toward ethical wrongdoings. Although whistle blowing is a well investigated topic (E.g. Miceli et al. 2008, Bird 1996), previous researches have presented a black and white picture, where whistleblowing and moral silence are perceived as an either-or choice, and alternatives between the two extremes have been neglected or overlooked. Such alternatives are challenging to map due to their less public characteristics and unclear labels.

In this paper we investigate the extent to which there are applicable alternatives towards addressing ethical issues in a business setting. We have chosen to focus on the banking sector due to numerous occurrences of morally questionable episodes. We will conduct an exploratory case study of DnB Nor, and draw benefit of our personal relations within the bank, thus ensuring easy access to critical data which otherwise would have been difficult to collect. The case study approach is characterized by a rich, detailed and in-depth data gathering, and is used to systematically investigate a topic with the aim of explaining and describing the field (Berg 2007). As a research design, the case study will allow us to investigate the complexity of the field of ethical communication, with unit of analysis varying from individual level to the overall organizational level.

Yin (1998) provides us with five guidelines when conducting a case study. We as researchers need to have an inquiring mindset, focused on asking questions before, during and after the data collection. We need to listen, observe and sense our surroundings when collecting data and assimilate large amounts of data without bias. Further, we need to be flexible enough to handle unanticipated events and rethink our research approach in order to ensure a fit with our research agenda. Also, we need to have a sufficient understanding of the research topic so that data can be interpreted correctly. Lastly, an unbiased interpretation of the data needs to be emphasized.

We believe that a research within the chosen area can contribute in two ways; first, the paper will provide more insight into different responses to ethical wrongdoings in an academic setting. Second, in cooperation with respondents from the banking industry, the findings may help the organizations to implement more suitable alternatives to whistle-blowing, and hence lay a foundation for a firm culture that encourages the employees to address and prevent ethical wrongdoings. With our research paper we aim to be one step closer towards filling the gap in the whistle-blowing literature and supplement it, to gain a better understanding of the field.

Literature review

The early literature within ethical issues in professions is in a large extent drawn upon the work of Bowie (1982) and Bok (1980). Both authors examine whistle-blowing as a response to ethical misconduct, claiming that each employee is obliged to be loyal to their working environment. The aspects of loyalty and trust can, however, make it difficult to publicly oppose unethical behavior. Employees blowing the whistle at their own team, without having the appropriate authority to do so, can be claimed of violating such loyalty. However, Bowie (1982) presents some conditions under which the duty to stay loyal can be overridden. If the act of blowing the whistle originates from an appropriate moral motive to prevent harm to others, if the whistle-blower is acting according to his/hers responsibility, if other non-public channels have been used to address the issue without achieving progress on the matter or if the whistle-blower has significant evidence of misconduct, the loyalty towards the company can be set in a different light.

The choice of not addressing unethical behavior in a professional setting is however not only based on aspects of trust and loyalty. Whistle-blowing can, in many cases, be perceived as an act of moral courage and self-sacrifice in the face of organizational indifference, and therefore not always be thought of as an immediate respond to difficult issues. In many instances, the context for socially responsible behavior may facilitate moral silence rather than explicitly addressing issues in the form of whistle blowing (Bird 1996). Hence, an equally extreme option of keeping silent may be chosen – as it might be perceived as the morally right thing to do.

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Bird (1996) addresses the challenges of moral muteness and investigates how cultural, individual and organizational factors within the business environment can enhance the practice of moral muteness, blindness and deafness. Micheli et al. (2008) gives a comprehensive summary of the research conducted on the topic since 1992, but simultaneously unveils the lack of understanding regarding the motives for whistle-blowing.

Going through the basic literature in the area of whistle-blowing, we argue that the research is more or less limited to the focus on two opposite, equally extreme, alternatives for responding to ethical issues in a business setting. Although the ...

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