The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has received several complaints over the past six months that certain local automotive dealers are engaging in subtle forms of racial discrimination. The alleged discrimination concerns such things as overly restrictive credit terms, lack of salesperson assistance, and refusals to perform routine maintenance services in a timely manner. The BBB has surveyed the firms in question and found no evidence of discriminatory practices, yet complaints continue to be received. The BBB decided to call in professional researchers and has contracted with your marketing research firm to collect data for use in their investigation of these allegations.
Briefly outline the manner in which you would collect information for the BBB using observation techniques. Be sure to address the issues of structure, disguise, natural vs. contrived, and mechanical vs. human administration in your answer. Do you think an observational study will yield information as good as, better than, or worse than, the survey?
Is it ethical and/or proper for a marketing research firm to conduct this type of research project? Why or why not?