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Business Research Ethics

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Submitted By shaylalia11
Words 701
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Business Research Ethics
University of Phoenix
Shayla L. Morales
RES/351
September 23, 2014
Ray Rivera

Business Research Ethics

Business research is a key aspect to the longevity and profitability of any business. Safety and profits are the key ingredients for Pharmaceutical industries. Some companies place their trust on individuals who perform the research and they entrust on the results when their products are incorporated into the market. A pharmaceutical company has surveillance from Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It guards the population from malicious activities of a rogue researcher. Any unethical behavior or choice done by an individual the organization can be fueled. In this paper, I will examine the unethical behavior and conviction of Steve Eaton who worked in the Pharmaceutical Apuit. He manipulated important safety tests on several potentially new drugs.
Steven Eaton was scientist in a pharmaceutical company in Edinburgh. From 2003- 2009 Eaton researched data while working for a drug development firm. The research process, within the pharmaceutical industry, consisted of numerous verified tests which were falsified. The potential product results had to be safe before the product is able to move to clinical trials on human beings. Without passing results on all pre-tests, new potential pharmaceutical products will not make it to human trials. Eaton falsified data in order to secure funding for the clinical trials on people. However, his bosses recognized serious abnormalities in his work. This case was later referred to The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) who in turn launched a deeper investigation. This investigation was done to determine the extent of damage these abnormalities caused.

Steve Eaton actions altering the test results to gain it is a risk to public health and extremely unethical. The MHRA investigated and discovered that Eaton had selected what to report regarding research data on 2003. The degradation guaranteed that even if the results were failing, Eaton would demonstrate that it had passed. His actions injured him and the development firm.
Upon researching, it has been seen that the MHRA has only made investigation two times in 2009 that involves falsification of research in pharmaceuticals. The cases that were investigated in 2009, only one has been convicted which was Eaton. The organization is affected by this unethical behavior and it loses the public’s trust. The pharmaceutical industry is based of products for the public, when the public’s trust is lost, it marks the company’s image in such a drastic way that the company may not survive.
After a pharmaceutical or employee in convicted, it will affect the work of the development firm. The results of health due to public utilization or the false product consumption are deadly. We as consumers trust blindly in products that the pharmaceuticals create. We want would want to be reassured that the product is being properly researched and that there is an oversight in every product that will be brought out to consume. Not trusting in this system, the waterfall affect can occur. MHRA was created to place conviction and protect the consumers of this unethical practice. “The goal of ethics in research is to ensure that no one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences from research activities” (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p. 32). This unethical behavior can be avoided by guaranteeing consequences for altering research that is serious enough to harm.

For falsifying research, Eaton on faced 3 months of prison and penalty fine. This is not a consequence that will make employees avoid unethical behavior. If for research that is conducted, they place a balance and systematic check, it would hold accountable the researcher and director, they will be both responsible for that particular research. It will guarantee a practice of excellence and it will avoid any employee who will want to falsify research results. We all know that the pharmaceutical business profits are from the drugs and medications they create. If this is not done properly and ethically, not only will it close down but also, we will be affected as consumers.

References
Cooper, D., & Schindler, P. (2011). Business Research Methods (11th ed.).
Chemistry World. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/03/aptuit-former-researcher-guilty-clinical-data-tampering

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