Ethics and social responsibility in a leadership context specifically focusing on Australian anti doping authority investigation into drug use in the national rugby league and Australian football league
It was easier to gather information about ethics and social responsibility in sports because it falls in my area of specialization. In the research on ethics and social responsibilities in leadership context, various instruments of research were used to collect the relevant data. Because the research involved gathering of information from a large group of participants, secondary information was gathered from books, journals, newspapers and Australian Anti Doping Agency investigation (ASADA) publications. The outcomes from the methods used was good way of understanding the characteristics of leaders and their followers. In addition, the type information retrieved from these articles was accurate since it reflected on what really happens in the National Rugby League and Australian Football League.
Newspapers
Latest information regarding the state of ethics and social responsibility among players in these two games was searched for in newspapers. The main focus was on the role of staff members from Australian football clubs leaders, the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Australian Football League (AFL) in promoting ethics and social responsibilities in their respective offices. The search focused more on the issue of ethics and values shown by leaders and how they help guide the direction of their specific organizations and duties. In addition, the newspaper findings sought to understand how individual set ethics and values guide a person in a leadership position on decision making process. The information retrieve from newspapers played a significant role in understanding the nature of activities taking place in NRL and AFL worldwide (Byers, Slack & Parent, 2009).
The following procedures were followed in the process of analyzing information written on newspapers. Firstly, a number of newspapers from different publishers, not more than two years old, were collected for analysis. Any story related to ethics and social responsibility in a leadership context among rugby and football clubs was carefully sorted out. The researcher focused more on the issue of ethics and social responsibility among leaders and players in these teams. After all the information was sorted out, it was carefully studied paying more attention on the main issues involving ethics, social responsibility, drug use and doping.
Actions towards newspapers
In most cases, information written on media articles like newspapers is prone to biases. The main concern for undertaking this strategy was for the researcher to analyze different information from different perspectives to come up with a general conclusion about the issue of ethics and social responsibility among leaders. The following strategy aimed at covering both factual and meaning levels of the study. The following actions were experienced while retrieving information from newspapers.
Firstly, there was a smooth flow of operations when it came to the implementation of the strategy. Many people, especially my colleagues and senior managers were willing to assist in collecting the information because the issue of ethics and social responsibility because it had affected the workplace. The above strategy helped in gathering more information and it was not tiresome because some information was directly retrieved from the publisher’s websits. On the other hand, this strategy formed the only way the research could easily meet its objectives because it involved gathering already documented information increasing the reliability and validity of information retrieved. In addition, it was easier to compare the views of one writer with those of others reducing biases.
On the other hand, during the process some problems were encountered that affected the quality of information gathered. There was a challenge retrieving information about drug use and doping because most of the materials seemed to exaggerate the issue. This led to the researcher generalizing some issues because some stories about the drug use and doping among players never seemed to add up to anything substantial. For instance, the issue of unethical behaviors demonstrated by leaders was not clearly researched and the information available was inadequate to make a conclusion. The following problems came into being because newspaper publishers feared destroying the reputation of their famous clubs and losing funs.
In order to make the information more reliable, some changes were made. In the start, all related information was placed together and each article given a number. The article that received higher scores was used for the analysis because some writings were not making any sense, while others concentrated more on the negative behaviors of players and their leaders.
Journals formed another strategy used to gather information about ethics and social responsibilities in a leadership context in the NRL and AFL. This represented one of the commonly used forms of secondary research where information from related studies was studied. Journal articles enable a researcher get effective information because they are time saving, allows a person develop critical thinking about the issues at hand, and broadens one’s mind and understanding of the topic (Stewart & Kamins, 1993). The most useful journal articles were those from ASADA because they portrayed all the needed information about drug use and doping in sports and the parties involved. The view of players was also needed in achieving the goals of the research. In order to ensure the voices of players were heard, journals concentrating more on the players were researched and their outcomes recorded (Tuan, 2012).
A close look at the processes used by journal article researchers in gathering information revealed that they used interviews. The process of a team of researchers obtaining information from leaders personally worked best compared to when employees were used to gather information. Although it seemed hard to contact leaders in the NRL and AFL organizations, it raises questions as to how the research people management to interview the target group.
Major themes
Two major themes emerged from the data collected. The first theme involved the level of influence coaches and staff has over players. The second theme revealed was the impact of ethics and social responsiveness of leaders in an organization. These two themes emerged as more interviews and surveys were answered by respondents. The information retrieved from ASADA publications played a major role in confirming the information used to develop themes and the already researched literature. These themes came up because of using two strategies that colored the image of the research, and made goals achievable.
Analysis and evaluation
Contracts based on newspapers
The first strategy on searching information from newspapers was very effective in assisting the study analyze the presence of ethics and social responsibility in an organization. This strategy helped the research achieve its goals in the following ways. Firstly, the information collected from analyzing club managers in the National Rugby League and Australian Football League was useful in analyzing the how organization view the issue. Characteristics of an ethical leader as described in the literature review were also analyzed. According to Durbin (2013), ethical and social responsible leaders must display high levels of integrity. From the number of newspapers analyzed, some demonstrated leaders showing low levels of integrity depending on the answers they gave to posted interview questions from journalists. Some demonstrated lack of honesty, as shown by some players, and unfairness in distributing duties and other essential aspects in the company.
Newspaper findings also assisted in fulfilling the research goals because the strategy was aimed at analyzing the ethical issues surrounding drugs in sports. From the outcomes of many studies, it was realized that most players make use of performance enhancing drugs in order to improve their performances. When questioned about this issue, leaders claimed that it was a usual activity and they promoted it so that their teams could win. Some of the reasons why leaders promoted drug use among their players were attributed to the fact that some were more gifted than others.
The outcomes of the above strategy mean that it was the most effective method of collecting information for the research. The responses given by writers were used to analyze the characteristics of ethical and unethical leaders, and their contributions in promoting social responsiveness in NRL and AFL. The outcomes also affected the researcher and target group because they helped improve ethical issues in the organization and growing a team of responsible players. From the information collected it was realized that some leaders, especially in NRL and AFL were hardly accepted in the organization because of their unethical behaviors. This outcome supports Durbin’s argument that a moral manager should transfer his or her characteristics to the workplace and influence followers to behave in a socially acceptable manner acting as an example.
Contracts based on journal articles
The second strategy involved the use of journal articles to gather data on ethical and social responsibility in a leadership context. The outcomes from many journal articles showed similarities from data gathered from ASADA archives. The outcomes were aimed at investigating whether player behaved in ethical manners in terms of drug. The code of conduct in any play states that all players must condemn the use of performance enhancing drugs and doping practices. ASADA surveys revealed that still some players used these drugs and claimed to be advised by their coaches (Mottram, 2003).
The major problems arising from this contract was the inability of some articles to state clearly the main reasons that led to some players using drugs to enhance their performance. Managers had warned players against exposing their characters to the researchers because it would destroy the reputation of the organization. On the other hand, some articles seemed to collect little information regarding the unethical behaviors demonstrated by leaders. This made the information gathered in adequate and no suitable for achieving the research objectives.
Recommendations
The following recommendations were arrived at from the outcomes of survey reports. To start with, researchers should notify organizations on their intentions to conduct analysis in their organizations. This strategy will make the respondents more prepared for the research by gathering information about the possible questions the researcher intends to ask. On the other hand, it is recommendable for researchers to only focus on information that touches more on objectives and not the general topic. Most of the journals and newspapers reviewed had little information regarding the issue of ethics and social responsibility because they concentrated more on bad behaviors demonstrated by players. These include drug taking and involving in quarrels.
General (for all contracts)
Both newspapers and journal articles acted as perfect ways of gathering information about ethics and social responsibility in leadership context in drug use among NRL and AFL. The main events that led to the achievement of these contracts were the availability of much literature concerning drug use and doping among rugby and football players in America. In order to gather the correct information, I travelled in most libraries across the country searching for useful journals to assist me in retrieving the information. In addition, I visited various clubs and requested for their reports that also assisted in gathering the exact information about the study. The main area that indicated a success for the research was the outcome from newspapers. The response given by managers was overwhelming and it clearly stated their stand when it came to ethics and social responsiveness in organizations. These outcomes were in line with the results from ASADA on drug use among rugby and football players.
There were, however, some unexpected outcomes that came along with the research achievements. It was not expected that some journal articles would favor some teams because they show good performance internationally. A study conducted on the Australian Football Team showed many cases of drug use although the issue was ignored by many articles, and press houses too. Altered results led to unexpected outcomes that affected the overall analysis of the data. In addition, there was lack of correlation as some people gave totally invalid answers to interview questions asked.
The main reason why the research used journal articles and newspapers was because they were the most reliable and valid strategies for collecting information. If different strategies such as primary methods would have been used, a totally different outcome would have been experienced far away from the expected results. For instance, the use of interviews would have interfered with respondent’s innocence through allowing them a chance to lie. In addition, observations would have delivered any good results because to achieve the research goals, an interaction between the researcher and the target group was a requirement. On the other hand, primary research techniques require contact between the researcher and the respondent. It becomes hard to convince leaders in sports clubs to avail themselves for interviews or answer survey questions because they are always busy. In addition, the organization does not allow researchers to conduct studies in their premises because they are kept under high secrets.
In order to achieve all the expected goals, the following changes on the methodology would be necessary. Firstly, the procedure of information gathering would have been allocated more periods to allow the researcher time to analyze various studies. Secondly, a pilot study would be a better recommendation before the actual research starts. The pilot study would be necessary in testing the suitability of selected strategies in meeting the required objectives. In addition, the pilot study would help in determining the validity and reliability of research instruments, and how to work with the target group. Finally, future researchers should focus more on the main factors that influence players to involve in drug use and doping in clubs and develop mitigation measures for those problems.
Reference
Byers, T., Slack, T., & Parent, M. M. (2012). Key concepts in sport management.
Dubrin, A. (2013). Leadership, Research Findings, Practice: Cengage Learning, 7th edition
Mottram, D. R. (2003). Drugs in sport(3rd ed.). London: Routledge.
Stewart, D. W. C., & Kamins, M. A. (1993). Secondary research: Information sources and
methods. Newbury Park u.a: Sage Publ.
Tuan, L. T. (2012). Corporate social responsibility, ethics, and corporate governance. Social
Responsibility Journal,8(4), 547-560.
