The MCom Marketing Management students were given an expert guest lecture on ethics in research early in May 2019. The lecture was presented by Prof Natasja Holtzhausen, who is an associate professor at the School of Public Management and Administration, and who specialises in ethics, accountability and whistleblowing.
Prof Holtzhausen commenced her lecture by asking the students’ views on the difference between law and ethics. She led the discussion further by sharing some examples of highly unethical research practices conducted throughout history. The students were appalled to hear about, for example, the medical experiments conducted on Jewish and other prisoners at Nazi concentration camps in the name of advancing medical science. Such unethical practices were condoned by the reigning authorities and were lawful at the time.
Front (left to right): M Venter, L van Niekerk, R Moleki, V Kaunda
Middle (left to right): S Selahle, B Vlok, Prof Holtzhausen, E Botha
Back (left to right): H Mupfunya, B Chidawaya, S Collins, K Moloabi, L Kareithi
Prof Holtzhausen, who is also one of the ten members of the Gauteng Ethics Advisory Council, emphasised how research procedures may seem to be justified, and even lawful, but still skirt the edges of morality and ethical behaviour. A discussion on how ethics should play a role in research implementation followed. The guest lecture concluded with an outline of the ethics processes at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of EMS, and Prof Holtzhausen wished the students best of luck – and an ethical research journey – in their studies.
Front (left to right): M Venter, L van Niekerk, R Moleki, V Kaunda
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