Roehampton Business School: Ethics Application Form for Dissertation

This document is an Ethics Application Form for an undergraduate business dissertation, likely submitted to Roehampton Business School. The form covers various aspects of ethical research conduct, including personal details, project specifics, and ethical considerations. The project investigates the impact of after-sales service in enhancing customer loyalty within the ICT sector, particularly focusing on companies like Dell Inc. The form details the research methods, including a deductive approach with interviews of at least 100 Dell customers, along with the ethical issues involved, such as participant consent, confidentiality, and the right to withdraw. Health and safety issues are also addressed, along with data protection measures. The form includes sections for supervisor approval, consent forms, and information sheets, ensuring compliance with university policies and data storage guidelines. The form emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations throughout the research process.

ETHICS
APPLICATION FORM
Undergraduate Students
Roehampton Business
School
(QA Higher Education March 2019)
The completion of this form should not be seen as an end in itself but as a vehicle to ensure that
you have gone through a process of considering the ethical implications of your research in detail
and that you are able to communicate this clearly.
SECTION 1: PERSONAL DETAILS & DECLARATION
Please complete the header with your name and Department
Name:
Student number:
UR email address:
Programme of Study:
Supervisor:
STUDENT’S SIGNATURE
I confirm that this submission accords with the University Code of Conduct and that
all information supplied on this form is correct
Student’s Signature:
Please use an electronic signature or type your name
Date:
SECTION 2: SUPERVISOR’S APPROVAL
1 (MG/LW 060319)

Dissertation supervisors, please:
 scrutinise the Ethics Application and all participant-facing documentation
 suggest and check any changes which need making before your final approval
Please tick the box to confirm that you have approved the application as ethically sound,
and the participant-facing documentation as appropriate
SUPERVISOR’S SIGNATURE
Signature:
Please use an electronic signature or type your name
Print name:
Date:
SECTION 3: PROJECT DETAILS
Title of project:
Investigating the impact of after sales service in enhancing
customer loyalty
(should be the same as on participant-facing documentation)
Proposed start date:
Duration:
Purpose of the proposed investigation (max 500 words):
This section should include the material which outlines the rationale for the project, i.e. why this study needs
to be done. This should be done in a way that is both accessible and scholarly, i.e. have proper cited sources.
The aim of the study would be delving into the roles which after sales services play in enhancing
customer loyalty. The fact holds more substance for multinational companies which operate in the
global information and communication technology market. The first positive result which after sales
services yield for global ICT companies like strengthening their marketing. Yu et al.(2018) points
2 (MG/LW 060319)

out after sales services enable global companies to strengthen their marketing capabilities. This is
because after sales services enable the after sales employees to use their skills to tackle challenging
questions of customers, thus sharpening their respective marketing scales. The second advantage of
after sales services is to generate revenue for the company (Antonio 2018). The sales employees can
exploit the opportunities to give after sales services to upsell or cross new products. Thus, after sales
enables the company to generate repeat business from existing customers. Kennedy, Welch and
Monshipouri (2017) throw light on the third advantage which after sales services yield for the
companies, capital generation. The multinational ICT companies like Dell Inc. have to give positive
returns to investors to be able to attract more investments from them. After sales services provide the
companies the opportunities to generate high revenue which can be channelized towards payments of
ROI to investors. . García-Madariaga and Rodríguez-Rivera (2017) throw light upon the fourth
advantage which after sales services usher upon the global ICT companies, goodwill enhancement.
This is because providing of superior after sales services enables the companies to generate positive
feedbacks from customers which are available on the digital platforms. These feedback actually
reflect the increasing market goodwill of companies. Allen and Kraakman (2016) point out the fifth
advantage of after sales services which is management of legal risks. Lemeilleur and Allaire (2017)
in this respect mentions that companies like Dell Inc are liable to provide replacement and repair
services, whichever is applicable to existing customers if the latter face problem with the products of
the respective companies as per the warranty contracts. Thus, providing of after sales services
actually enables the ICT companies avoid legal risks or at least minimise them. Rapp, Agnihotri and
Baker (2015) point out the sixth advantage which after sales services usher on the global ICT
companies like Dell Inc, employee development. They point out that after sales services enable the
sales staff secure additional sales to fulfil their respective targets. This achievement of respective
targets enable the sales employees to achieve higher performance targets which enables them to
secure professional developmental opportunities like appraisals and promotion. Sabbagha et al.
3 (MG/LW 060319)

(2019) throw light onto the seventh advantage of after sales services which is making decisions.
However, Dell Inc fails to provide efficient after sales to its customers which results in the company
losing these business opportunities to its competitors like Lenovo. The project shows that importance
of providing after sales services to generate the advantages of customer loyalty and global market
leadership in global ICT companies like Dell Inc..
Outline of the project:
This section should include the details of the research methods i.e. what will be done and how. Please start
by giving a brief summary (one paragraph) including how many participants there are likely to be, where the
research will take place and an indication of how long participation will take for each section (interviews,
questionnaires etc.) and in total.
The research method would consist of deductive approach. The research would take into account the
after sales services gap which customers face in global ICT companies like Dell Inc. These
information technology giants sell high-involvement electronic products like laptops most of which
are expensive. These products require hardware components of specific makes to function
efficiently. This gives rise to the need of the company offer after sales services to customers so that
they are able to use these highly expensive high-involvement products for prolonged periods. This
requires the companies offer highly specialised after sales services to their existing customers by
continuous communication on the customer care numbers and emails. These global ICT companies
are also supposed to give after sales services to customers they fail to resolve the issue(s) on the
phone or email. After sales services apparently are only important to customers to enable the latter to
use ICT products for prolonged period. However, in reality after sales services hold importance for
the companies as well. Provision of after sales services enable companies to create loyalty among
customers by enhancing their customer satisfaction. This integration of customer satisfaction and
customer loyalty yields strong positive results for the multinational ICT companies like Dell Inc. In
order to gain sufficiently large number of samples, it would require interviewing at least a 100 Dell
customers. The interview would take at half an hour to be able to generate sufficient response to
strengthen the research.
You should attach all the research instruments you are planning to use in your research,
e.g. interview questionnaire, online questionnaire template, etc. These should be checked
by your supervisor prior to Ethics application approval)
Please confirm that
1) you have attached all research instruments you intend to use, and
2) you will notify your supervisor of any major changes.
4 (MG/LW 060319)

YES
5 (MG/LW 060319)

SECTION 4: ETHICS ISSUES
Ethical issues raised by the project and how these will be addressed:
Points that should be considered include:
 Participants and consent
 Confidentiality and anonymity
 Right to withdrawal
 Deception
 Permissions from organisations involved
 Whether any vulnerable populations are involved (including under 18s) (also see Section 6)
This section should have some comment and not left blank.
The consent of the participants would be taken. The confidentiality of the answers would be
maintained. The prior consent of the participants would be taken to use their response to conduct the
research. The participants would have to right to withdraw their responses. The participants should
not be deceived and the prior permission of relevant organisations would be obtained. The interview
will not include any vulnerable population like Dell consumers under 18 years since they are minors.
SECTION 5: HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUES
Health & safety issues raised by the project, including any risks to participants and/or
researcher and sole working. Think of hazards, who can be harmed, how can someone be
harmed, number of people affected, what are the consequences, what are the existing or
possible control measures.
You should clearly indicate how these H&S issues will be addressed. This section should
have some comment and not left blank.
6 (MG/LW 060319)

 Please discuss these with your Supervisor, who should contact the Head of Health & Safety if
necessary.
NA
7 (MG/LW 060319)

SECTION 6: RESEARCH INVOLVING PARTICIPANTS
 You should amend the attached Participant Consent Form template to be given to
participants as required
 You should also attach any other information to be given to participants
You should consider carefully what information you provide to participants, e.g. scope of
study, number of participants, duration of study, risks/benefits of the project. It is
recommended that the participant has two copies of the consent form so they can retain one
for information.
 If images or anything else which might allow the identification of participants is to be
publicly accessible (e.g. on the web), further written consent must be secured.
A separate section regarding this should be included on the participant consent form.
Please confirm that
1) you have attached the amended consent form and information sheet (if applicable) to be
given to participants, and
2) you will notify your supervisor of any major changes.
YES
Give details of 1) the method of recruitment, and 2) potential benefits or incentives to
participants if any (include any financial benefits where appropriate).
(NB: Please remember that written permission will have to be sought from any organisations where
recruitment is carried out or posters placed (e.g. if you recruit in GP’s surgeries you will require NHS
approval)
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
Please confirm that you have attached written permission from any organisations where
recruitment is carried out or posters placed
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
Will your research involve participants who are aged under 18?
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
Will you be approaching participants who might be considered to be vulnerable (please give
details if not addressed elsewhere on this form)?
8

This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
If you have answered Yes please refer to the Ethics Guidelines (especially section 3.4.j if
your research involves participants who are aged under 18) and highlight the particular
issues raised by working with these participants and how these issues have been
addressed.
If you have answered yes to either of the above you will need to obtain DBS clearance.
Please contact your supervisor.
(Please note: if you are unsure whether DBS clearance is required, please discuss it with
your supervisor)
Y Please tick the box to confirm that the appropriate DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)
check has been applied for.
If you have already obtained DBS clearance, please provide details of DBS check (date,
disclosure number, issuing organisation (if applicable) and place of issue).
If issued by another organisation please advise if you have registered this with the DBS
Update Service and provide reference number and date.
SECTION 7: DATA PROTECTION
Before completing this section of the form, you should read the Data Protection and Storage
Guidance for Researchers. It is the responsibility of students to ensure that they comply
with the University’s policies and procedures regarding data protection.
All research data must also be processed in line with the University’s IT Policy, which
states,
You must not create, download, store or transmit unlawful material, or material that is
indecent, offensive, threatening or discriminatory or extremist.
QA Higher Education (University of Roehampton partnership) has procedures to enable
students to store downloaded research materials and data, electronically via email into a
9

specially provisioned university secure safe storage area
[e-mail].
SAFE STORAGE AREA – DOCUMENTS TO EMAIL
Before dissertation submission:
Please send the completed Ethics form and attachments (e.g. consent/access/survey forms
and letters) for approval to [e-mail].
After dissertation submission on Turnit In:
After submitting the final dissertation on Turnitin, please also email a copy of the
dissertation with your data collection instruments and attach all of the electronic data
collection/analysis files (all participant related/anonymised documents and ‘personal data’
(also see below): questionnaires, interview forms, interview transcripts, focus group data
and observation records etc.) to [e-mail].
Questions relating to personal data processing:
‘Personal Data’ is defined as, “Any information relating to an identified or identifiable person (a
10

‘data subject) or from which a person can be identified either directly or indirectly.” Examples of
personal data include:
 Name
 Age
 Address
 Job title
Will the research project involve collecting, storing or processing personal data relating to
research participants?
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
If yes, other than signed consent forms, what types of personal data will be collected/
stored/ processed as part of the research project?
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
Please give details of how this data will be anonymised:
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
Will you be storing your research data (both raw and processed data) and documents
containing personal details of any participants using University IT facilities?
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
If no, please specify the storage medium you intend to use, e.g. personal laptop, USB stick,
etc.
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
Please give details of how they will be kept secure (please ensure that all electronic data is
password protected, and also encrypted if on personal devices):
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
Please confirm that personal data will NOT be transferred to any party or organisation
11

outside of the University.
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
All research participants should be provided with information about how their personal data
will be used. The attached Data Privacy Notice for Research Participants document should
be given to participants along the Participant Consent Form.
Please confirm that the Data Privacy Notice for Research Participants will be handed out as
a hard copy along with the consent form (unless using an online questionnaire etc). ( Please
include the Privacy Notice along with your other documentation when submitting your
ethics application).
This section is not applicable as secondary data collection method has been used.
PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM (and Privacy Notice)
Title of Research Project:
Brief Description of Research Project, and What Participation Involves:
12