Research Methodology in the Human Sciences

The present study aims to review the literature on professional ethics within the field of operational research. It examines articles bearing the keyword “professional ethics” alongside other related terms such as “ethics,” “professional ethics,” “operational research,” and “development of ethics in operational research” in their titles, which have been published in national journal databases, the Humanities Gateway, the Noor Specialized Journals Database, and the Scientific Information Database (SID) of Jahad-e-Daneshgahi. To enhance validity, the process of categorization was conducted through discussion and scholarly exchange, culminating in the classification of the articles into three principal categories: ethics, professional ethics, and professional ethics in operational research—each of which was further subdivided analytically into three more specific categories. One of the central issues addressed in managerial discourse is the notion that management, devoid of attention to ethical and value-based considerations, is essentially meaningless within organizational contexts. Moreover, given the inherent dynamism of human systems, fixed and immutable models are ill-suited to such contexts, and in light of the rapid transformations of contemporary times, the necessity for dynamic models is increasingly evident. The subject of “ethics in operational research,” in addition to its novelty, has also attracted particular interest among scholars in this field. The present article undertakes a comprehensive review of ethical considerations in operational research.