The following principles summarize the ideas enshrined in the MRIA Code of Conduct. These principles are founded upon the history of practice of marketing research in Canada, the ICC /ESOMAR Code of Marketing and Social Research and the principles underlying the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA ).
Contact with members of the public is at all times to be undertaken with their consent and with observance of their right to withdraw at any time.
Members should act in a manner that serves to promote and augment, not diminish, the confidence of the public in research in general.
The use of research data should extend only to those purposes for which consent was received.The public’s desire for privacy and anonymity is to be respected.
Members agree to recommend those research methods which are appropriate to the research goals, and to avoid conducting research which would be inaccurate or misleading. Members must be accurate in all aspects of research and refrain from purporting or suggesting levels of accuracy which are greater than is warranted by the nature of the research. Members shall report and interpret their results in a manner that represents these results accurately and acknowledges such limitations on the research which, in the absence of such acknowledgement, might mislead.
Members shall at all times act honestly, ethically and fairly in their dealings with all members of the public, clients, employers, sub-contractors and each other.They will refrain from activities which show disrespect or otherwise unjustifiably demean, criticize or disparage others.
Members shall protect the interests of their clients and clients’ rights to confidentiality. Members shall ensure that records of research will be held for the appropriate periods and that these will be protected from theft, misuse and inadvertent destruction.
Members, in their conduct of research, shall abide by the prevailing provincial, national and international legislation which applies to the research they conduct.
Members agree to uphold high standards of general competency in the design, execution, analysis, reporting, interpretation and consulting phases of all research.
Members will undertake to keep themselves, their co-workers and clients informed about the code of conduct to avoid breaches of it, and will undertake also to inform themselves of any recent changes made by assessing, where necessary, such sources as the MRIA website or other material.
Members commit themselves to the goal of seeking to continuously improve themselves in their chosen profession.