When the sponsor is private enterprise and the researcher owns stock in the enterprise it may be assumed that as the research prospers so does the enterprise and its stockholders. In this case the researcher's motivations in the direction of self-aggrandizement are moderated by the intricacies and uncertainties of the market system. There are no guarantees. But, when the researcher owns a significant amount of stock suspicion begins to develop about the priorities among the researcher's values. This is the classical financial conflict.
Clearly, it would be silly for the researcher to falsify research results, so the question about truth-seeking is moot. The question about truth-sharing is not. The results of academic research are meant for public consumption, particularly by fellow researchers. It is generally perceived that the mixing of proprietary (secret) corporate R&D into academic research whether or not there is an inducement of financial gain (apart from the research funding itself) is a conflict of interests. This is one example of what may be termed the "confidentiality conflict," which more broadly stated is the "publication or sharing and access conflict."
| Back | Next |