How Unobtrusive Can You bBe?

          When thinking of unobtrusive research, crisis management is not really something that would come to mind as a situation that would require this specific method. Unobtrusive research is a method that doesn't require the subject's knowledge of you researching and studying them. It can either be done in a social setting, or can be as secretive as looking at someones police records. As we've been discussing in class, unobtrusive research can have its pros and its cons, and has a lot to do with the ethics of the situation. On the positive side, it is able to reduce bias in the research situation, and it's very accesible to do and also very cost effective, because usually unobtrusive research requires you to either observe a subject, or gather information that has already been researched for you. The cons that are usually presented include the validity of the researchers findings and the lack of control the researcher has on the experiment.
        The one aspect of unobtrusive research we discussed in class that I could see being put to use in a crisis management situation would be the historical and legal aspect of the method. Through this avenue, the researcher is able to find out information about a subject through legal records, criminal records, online photos, newspapers etc, really anything avaliable to the public. Another way of looking at it is if your company or business is going through a crisis situation, they can be being researched through all of these ways and you wouldn't know it because it is unobtrusive. For example, last year it was such a scandal that "raunchy" pictures of Miley Cyrus  were being shown all over the internet. No one claims to know how those pictures got realeased, and none were truly bad, but they were out there for the public to see. For someone who simply googled Miley Cyrus, those pictures would come up, and that could be considered unobtrusive research on that specific celebrity. Whoever Cyrus' agent or "go-to" person for a crisis situation had to have been all over that scandal, making sure Cyrus was protected throughout the entire process.
      To me, I don't see all unobtrusive research being "unethical" or something we shouldn't partake in as both PR and research professionals. It is a creative way to go about research with getting serious, not skewed results from your participants. Yes, there are lines that should never be crossed ethically, but overall it is a good research method in my eyes. In regards to using this method with a crisis situation, there aren't too many I can think of, except making sure whoever or whatever you are representing you make sure any unobtrusive research being done about them or your company is limited so they are protected at all times and crisises can be avoided.