Ethical Approval Application Form, Business Studies Research Project

This document is a completed Ethical Approval Application Form submitted by a student for a Business Studies research project at the University of Bedfordshire. The project aims to analyze the impact of training and development on employee performance. The form includes sections detailing the project rationale, ethical considerations, project information (start date, duration, data collection methods, participant recruitment), ethical checklist (informed consent, confidentiality, data security), risk assessment, and considerations for vulnerable individuals. The student addresses ethical concerns such as informed consent, confidentiality, and data protection, ensuring that the research adheres to ethical guidelines. The form also includes declarations and signatures from the researcher and supervisor, and the document is submitted for ethical approval.

Ethical Approval Application Form, modified Spring 2012 TPM
Approval Code:
E1- APPLICATION FORM FOR APPROVAL TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
Dept/School
and unit
code:
Please select Postgraduate Project Undergraduate Project
(Double click on the box then click ‘Checked’ for a cross to appear in the box)
Project Title:
Researchers
Name(s):
Supervisor(s):
Date:
Applications should be submitted electronically to the Secretary of the School Research Ethics Committee as one single
file. One original hard copy must also be submitted with the signatures of all applicants and Supervisors.
Rationale: Please give a BRIEF description of the project in ‘lay language’. This summary will be reviewed by UREC
and may be published as part of its reporting procedures.
Ethical Considerations: Please give a BRIEF description of the ethical considerations of this project. Please mention
questions raised specifically in the form and, where appropriate, show that the basic ethical criteria have been met in
any use of (a) participant information sheets (b) consent forms (c) debriefing procedures.
This summary will be forwarded to and reviewed by UREC and may be published as part of its reporting procedures.
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Business Studies(General)/University of Bedfordshire(Luton
Campus)/BSS067-3
To analyse the impact of training and development to enhance the employee
performance.
.The rationale behind selecting this topic of the research is to develop an understating of the impact of training and development
on the overall performance of employees within an organization. The readers will benefit from this research because they will get
to know about the importance of training and how does it impact the performance of employees in the company. As a result, they
will be more engaged to their jobs.

Ethical Approval Application Form, modified Spring 2012 TPM
Section A: PROJECT INFORMATION
1. Estimated start date.
When do you plan to begin your project? 4th February, 2021
2. Estimated duration.
How long do you think it will take? 12th March, 2021
3. Does this research proposal involve...
3a. Potential conflicts of interest, eg. roles in research, intellectual property,
responsibilities of funders, research with policy or other social implications etc? Yes No
3b. Only unpublished data obtained with the permission of the owner/archive curator? Yes No
3c. Primary data collection (obtained through interviews, surveys, observation, etc...)? Yes No
If you answer ‘YES’ to any of these questions (3a 3b or 3c), you should elaborate in Q27.
4. Is this research proposal exclusively concerned with...
Only published secondary data sources (eg, material already in the public domain)*? *Yes No
*If you answer ‘YES’ to Q4, go directly to Q. 26, and Q. 27 
5. Your informants...
5a. Who are the intended participants? (eg. students)
5b. How will you recruit them?
6. Estimated duration of participants’ involvement...
(Eg, questionnaire 10 mins, Interview 20 mins, etc.)
7. Location of Research/Fieldwork to be conducted:
7a. Where will you conduct your research? (eg, LRC foyer)
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While undertaking this research, the researcher has taken into account various ethical considerations to ensure that the research
is completed in an effective manner. Also, there has been no compromise on the overall quality of then research. Informed
consent rules have been followed by the researcher. Apart from this, confidentiality and data protection are other ethical
considerations of this project. Only reliable and appropriate sources have been referred to in order to collect the data. Informed
consent has been obtained from the respondents through consent forms. And the information relating to the participants has also
been collected through participant information sheets. But the main issue with the consent forms was that some of the
respondents did not provide appropriate information.

Ethical Approval Application Form, modified Spring 2012 TPM
7b. Do you need to secure permission to conduct research at this location? Yes *No
*If you answered ‘NO’, say why permission is not needed.
8. Is this research funded by an external sponsor or agency?
Yes No
If ‘YES’ please provide the name(s) and elaborate in Q. 27
Section B: ETHICAL CHECKLIST
For Qs 9-21, tick the box to show if your answer is YES, NO or Not Applicable. Please elaborate in Q. 27 if necessary.
If you tick ‘NO’ to any question 9-21, please give a brief explanation in Q. 27.
If you answer ‘YES’, it must be clearly illustrated in the relevant paperwork which must be attached
(ie, Participant Information Sheet, Consent Form, Debriefing Form, Questionnaires, Advertisement, etc…)
9. Have you obtained permission to access to the site of
research?
If YES, provide the name, position and
business address of the person. Also, give
the name of the organisation.
A letter of confirmation is to be attached
to this form.
Yes No N/A
10. Does this research entail collaboration with other researchers?
If YES, provide the names and institutions of your collaborators.
11. Collaborative projects.
11a. If the research is collaborative, have you considered issues to do with roles in
research publication strategies/authorship?
11b. If the research is collaborative, have you devised a framework to ensure that all
participants are given appropriate recognition in any outputs?
12. Volition. Will you tell participants that their participation is voluntary?
13. Informed Consent. Will you describe the procedures to participants in advance so that
they can make an informed decision about whether or not to participate?
14. The right to withdraw. Will you tell participants that they may withdraw from the
research at any time and for any reason, without having to give an explanation?
15. Written consent. Will you obtain written consent from participants?
16. Recording. If the research involves making recordings (manuscript, digital, audio or
video), will you ask participants for their consent to be observed, videoed or taped?
17. Confidentiality. Will you tell participants that their data will be treated with full
confidentiality and that if published, it will not be identifiable as theirs?
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Yes No N/A

Ethical Approval Application Form, modified Spring 2012 TPM
18. Data Security. Will participants be clearly informed of how the data will be stored, who
will have access to it, and when the data will be destroyed?
19. Debriefing. Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation, i.e. give them a
brief explanation in writing of the study?
20. Omission. With interviews and questionnaires, will you give participants the option of
omitting questions they do not want to answer?
21. Relationships. Are any of the participants in a dependent relationship with the
investigator (eg lecturer/student)?
If YES, please give full explanation in Q27.
Section C: RISK AND SAFETY
For Qs 22-25, tick the box to show if your answer is YES, or NO. You should elaborate in Q. 27 where appropriate.
Yes No
22. Deception. Will your project involve deliberately misleading participants in any way?
If YES, explain in Q. 27 why it is necessary and how debriefing will occur.
23. Risk to Participant(s). Is there any realistic risk to any paid or unpaid participant, field
assistant, helper or student involved in the project? (Nb, ‘risk’ means experiencing any
physical, psychological distress or discomfort)
If YES, please explain in Q.27, saying what you will do if they should
experience any problems, eg who to contact for help.
24. Risk to Researcher(s) Is there any realistic risk to the investigator?
If YES, have the appropriate risk assessment forms been submitted to
the appropriate Safety Committee(s)?
25. Risk of Harm or Damage. Do you think the results of your research have the potential to
cause any damage, harm or other problems for people in your study area?
If YES, explain in Q. 27 why it is necessary and how debriefing will occur
Section D: WORKING WITH CHILDREN/VULNERABLE PEOPLE
For Qs 26a-g, tick the box to show if your answer is YES, or NO. You must elaborate in Q. 27 any ‘YES response in this section.
26. Vulnerable individuals. Do participants in this study fall into any of the following special groups?
If they do, please tick the appropriate answer, refer to the relevant guidelines and complete Q.27.
Yes No
a. Children (under 18 years of age).
b. People with learning or communication difficulties.
c. Patients (including careers of NHS patients).
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Ethical Approval Application Form, modified Spring 2012 TPM
d. People in custody.
e. Institutionalised persons.
f. People engaged in illegal activities, eg drug-taking.
g. Other vulnerable groups.
(please specify)
There is an obligation on the Lead Researcher & Supervisor to bring to the attention of the School Ethics Committee
(S.E.C.) any issues with ethical implications not clearly covered by the above checklist.
Section E: ETHICAL STATEMENT
27. Write a clear but concise statement of the ethical considerations of this project, clearly stating how you intend
to address each of them.
There are different ethical considerations that have been taken into account by the researcher while undertaking this project.
The researcher has made sure that all of the data that has been collected is kept confidential. The data has been protected from
any kind of theft or external harm. The quality of the research has been maintained and the rules of informed consent have been
complied to by the researcher. Apart from this, the researcher has ensured that only reliable sources were referred to in order to
include the data within the research. In order to address the issues, the sources of information will be first reviewed thoroughly in
order to make sure that all of the information that is included in the report is reliable and relevant. Also, only websites that have
copyrights will be used for collecting the information.
28. Assuring Confidentiality. As we regard informants’ consent to be finite, please say how and where you will
store your data (to guard against accidental data loss) and the date by which your data will be destroyed
(usually, within 6 months after the completion of your course).
In order to store or protect the data, the researcher has used their personal laptop. This will help in guarding the data against loss
accidentally. Also, the collected data will ben destroyed as soon as the research will be completed.
Section E: DECLARATION
I, the researcher declare that...
(i) I am familiar with the ESCRC (insert appropriate guidelines for your discipline,
eg BPS, ESRC, BAAL, MRC and ASA) Guidelines for Ethical Research Guidelines
for Research practices, and I have discussed them with all researchers
involved
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No Yes

Ethical Approval Application Form, modified Spring 2012 TPM
in this project.
(ii) I have attached all relevant paperwork linked to this project.
(Nb, supervisors may need to seek guidance before giving approval.)
(iii) I understand that any substantive changes to this proposal will require
a new application to the School Ethics Committee.
Researcher(s)
Signature
Date
Supervisors must ensure they have read both the application and the guidelines before signing below.
Supervisor(s)
Signature
Date
O F F I C I A L U S E O N L Y
STATEMENT OF ETHICAL APPROVAL
This project has been considered using agreed University Procedures and has been:
Not Approved Approved
More Clarification Required
New Submission Recommended
Referred to UREC
Convener’s Name
Signature
Date:
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No Yes
Marius Alin Mitroi
MMarius
David Williams
dd/mm/year
No Yes
dd/mm/year