Aguinis, H., Hill, N. S., & Bailey, J. R. (2021). Best Practices in Data Collection and Preparation: Recommendations for Reviewers, Editors, and Authors. Organizational Research Methods, 24(4), 678–693. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428119836485

The article explains various methods for collecting data and emphasizes utilizing the best practices, which will eliminate challenges as a result of poor data collection. The article goes into depth on the best practices and gives a clear and concise roadmap as to how data can be ethically and accurately obtained. Some of the mentioned items are: format of research collection, sampling procedures, variables (controlled and confounding), and other key components of data collection.

The source is important in terms of our topic because it will provide the necessary background information for our audience to understand the nuances and challenges behind data collection, in an ethical process. In addition, the source gives context to our topic in terms of data collection methods, variables, and other factors that are important to our topic of exploring the ethical relationship between employers, employees and data mining.

AL-Saggaf. (2015). The Use of Data Mining by Private Health Insurance Companies and Customers’ Privacy. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 24(3), 281–292. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0963180114000607 

The article explores the relationship between data mining and ethics in the realm of Australian Private Health Insurance companies. The study was conducted with qualitative accounts and also some numerical data. The study found that while insurance companies are barred from using private information to cater to high-risk patients, using data mining in this context is still ethically wrong. 

The article is pertinent to our topic because it explores the ethicality of data mining and provides a key example for our topic. In addition, our topic focuses on whether or not managers should take more ethical responsibility and allow customers to opt out of data mining. The article is a perfect fit for our topic because the study found that the private health insurance companies did not give customers an option to consent, which raises some important questions for how the manager/employee relationship should be (ethically speaking).

Favaretto, De Clercq, E., Gaab, J., & Elger, B. S. (2020). First do no harm: An exploration of researchers’ ethics of conduct in Big Data behavioral studies. PloS One, 15(11), e0241865–e0241865. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241865 

Annotations- This article talks about the issues with Big Data, which is a term for collection of data that keeps on growing. Consent is the main issue when dealing with ethical data collection. Many digital customers are unaware of their data being collected and analyzed making them part of an autonomous participator. This allows for customers to have little to no control on what data they are showing to represent themselves. There was a research conducted where 39 academic scholars from the United States and Switzerland were interviewed. They all were asked about the ethics and morals of data collection. Consent and Privacy was at the top where 19 scholars said consent was important and 15 said privacy was needed. Respect and avoiding harm was at the bottom with harm at 3 votes and respect at 2. One scholar noted that it is not about consent anymore, it’s about awareness.

Garger, J. (2008), “Developing authentic leadership in organizations: some insights and observations”, Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 14-16. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/10.1108/14777280810840058 

Having an authentic leader in a company is desired by many. Authentic leaders allow for companies to grow in a way where conflict can be minimized. One crucial aspect of being an authentic leader is honesty. Being honest with employees allows for personal connections within the group that strengthens relationships. People who lack authenticity as a leader may seem like they are only “socially desirable.” To be able to reach the status of an authentic leader, they must “not fake leadership, not reach for status or personal gain, are original, and base actions on values and convictions.”

Ibrahim, Angelidis, J. P., & Howard, D. P. (2006). Corporate Social Responsibility: A Comparative Analysis of Perceptions of Practicing Accountants and Accounting Students. Journal of Business Ethics, 66(2/3), 157–167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-5572-4 

Annotation – This is primarily focused on students and those who are emerging into the work field. There’s conversation about young students and the naiveness towards economic needs of a business organization. They, “argue that their attitudes will change over time given the experiences they will face in the ‘‘real world.’ This would be in line with previous research findings suggesting that role bias may be the major contributor to differences in perceptions between business executives and others regarding corporate social responsibility,”

Roberts, J. A., & Wasieleski, D. M. (2012). Moral reasoning in computer-based task environments: Exploring the interplay between cognitive and technological factors on individuals’ propensity to break rules. Journal of Business Ethics, 110(3), 355–376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1196-z   

 Researchers at Duquesne University randomly assign subjects to 1 of 4 technology conditions to assess the relationship between their cognitive moral development and ethical misconduct on IT oriented work tasks. They hypothesize that the use of principled moral reasoning will be negatively associated with the occurrence of ethical misconduct, information technology will be positively associated with ethical misconduct, and greater technical leverage will increase ethical misconduct. They find that technology is a significant contributing factor to ethical misconduct. They state a number of practical implications related to employees, managers, and organizational behavior. Managers should be provided with information that certain technologies can have unwanted ethical consequences, and employees should be monitored for ethical conduct as the level of technology they are using or creating increases.

Stein, D., Hobson, N., Jachimowicz, J. M., & Whillans, A. (2021). How Companies Can Improve Employee Engagement Right Now. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 1–10. http://ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=153392912&site=ehost-live 

Annotation – This article focuses on methods to gain employee engagement. Employees from this study report, after 18 months of utilizing these practices, they experienced “their mental surge capacity is likely less”. As a manager, methods include; connecting the employees with tasks that they intrinsically care about, show how an employee’s work is related to the organization’s purpose, make work itself less stressful and more enjoyable, offer employees the flexibility to try new work tasks so they can discover their intrinsic interests, grant employees more autonomy, and creating time affluence by rewarding employees with time in addition to money. There’s more focus on respecting the employees work/life balance relationship and promoting their value to the company. 

Suar, D., & Khuntia, R. (2010). Influence of Personal Values and Value Congruence on Unethical Practices and Work Behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 97(3), 443–460. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40929464 

Annotation – The article conducted a study seeking if varying levels of managers would be more or less likely to operate unethically in a work environment based on if their personal values align with the organizational values. Their values were based on corporate excellence, organizational sustenance, social concern, and managerial virtues. “The more important personal values in private sector companies were product quality, obedience to organizational rules, customer service, and honesty, and the less important personal values were employee welfare, development of the community surrounding the industry, tolerance for diversity, and service to the general public,” (pg. 7). Middle-level executives in public sector attached more importance to “product quality, customer service, sincerity, and honesty and less importance to maintenance of physical work conditions, development of community, service to the general public, and tolerance for diversity,” (pg. 7). Organizational value of top-level managers on all the dimensions of values except that of social concerns. 

Van Gils, Van Quaquebeke, N., van Knippenberg, D., van Dijke, M., & De Cremer, D. (2015). Ethical leadership and follower organizational deviance: The moderating role of follower moral attentiveness. The Leadership Quarterly., 26(2), 190–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.08.005 

Annotation – This article explores how unethical leaders impact the morality and behavior of their employees depending on the employees’ level of moral attentiveness. The article investigates whether or not employees might take part in organizational deviance by conducting a study to demonstrate how often employees are willing to pay attention to moral issues. The study hypothesized that unethical leadership would have a strong impact on organizational deviance with employees who were more morally attentive. Participants in the study were asked to fill out an online form describing their relationship to ethical leadership, moral attentiveness, and organizational deviance. The participants’ supervisor and co-worker were asked to complete a similar form in order to get a bigger picture of the participants’ work environment. The study found that unethical leadership was likely to have a larger impact on employees with high moral attentiveness. The study also found that employees with low moral attentiveness remained relatively unimpacted when it came to working with unethical leaders. Employees who paid more attention to moral cues were more likely to follow unethical leaders and commit acts of organizational deviance because their social awareness caused them to act more strongly and take more notice when it came to acts of deviance.

Alaina Patton

Cole Fulton

Seth Quimzon

Devin Kim

Matt Karcher