Transparent Practices: Primary And Secondary Data In Business Ethics Dissertations

The authors explore the availability and use of data (primary and secondary) in the field of business ethics research. Specifically, the authors examine an international sample of doctoral dissertations since 1998, categorizing research topics, data collection, and availability of data. Findings suggest that use of only primary data pervades the discipline, despite strong methodological reasons to augment business ethics research with secondary data. Popular and scholarly treatment of ethical dealings in business continues to garner considerable attention, with recent books, dissertations, journal articles, and news reports supporting both applied and theoretical advances in this field.