MBA8000: Business Ethics- The Facebook experiment- Emotional State of Their Users- Report Writing Assignment

Internal Code: 1HDAC

Report Writing Assignment:

The Facebook experiment of 2014 manipulated the contents of users’ News Feeds to induce changes in their emotions (Kramer et al., 2014). Facebook had tampered with the news feeds of nearly 700,000 people, showing them an abnormally low number of either positive or negative posts. The experiment aimed to determine whether the company could alter the emotional state of its users. The experiment was designed to assess whether more positive or negative comments in a Facebook newsfeed would impact how the user updated their own page. Researchers found those shown more negative comments posted more negative comments and vice versa. This experiment was widely criticized on ethical grounds regarding informed consent and other issues related to a poor Research Design. The Facebook Report Kramer, A., Guillory, J., & Hancock, J 2014, Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111(24), 8788–8790. Available from http://www.pnas.org/content/111/24/8788.full Task A different social network (XYZ) would also like to know if they could alter the emotional state of their users but they do not want to be accused of being unethical. You have been asked to do the research for them. However, before you do the research they want you to do a Research Design so they can approve it before you begin your research. They want you to submit your Research Design in the format of a formal report. In your research design, you must address the relevant ethical issues. You must show XYZ how your research will not be perceived as being unethical. Depending on the type of research you are designing you might discuss some of the following:

• Informed participant consent
• Voluntary participation and right of withdrawal without sanction
• Confidentiality of participants and records
• Secure storage of relevant data after completion of a research project
• Clear, coherent expression of research proposals
• Regular monitoring of research outcomes.
• Privacy and the internet
• Recruitment
• Feedback to participants
• Protection of participants
• Deception
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Bias
• Respect for Intellectual Property
• Carefulness
• Objectivity
• Codes and Policies for Research Ethics
• Professional Conduct
• Non-Discrimination
• Legality
• Human Subjects Protection