Mar-Tex chemical: managing the research partnership between business and academia

Solutions to management's sensitive problems-compensation and turnover, for example-require the collection of sensitive data. While management desires research results that translate into answers, they are also hesitant to grant outsiders access to the very data that could result in effective solutions. At the same time, academics increasingly seek research projects with real world applications, but find it difficult to gain access to companies to study such problems. This case explores business and research partnerships, as well as the ethical dilemmas that academics face in field study research.