Bucks New University: Research Ethics Panel Application Form - 2019

This document is a research ethics panel application submitted by a student at Bucks New University for a study titled "The impact of corporate strategy on sales and profitability." The application details the project's purpose, which is to understand the role and impact of corporate strategy on business operations, using a case study on Hennes & Mauritz AB. The research will utilize a pragmatist philosophy and a deductive approach, employing a mixed-methods design with qualitative data collection through primary and secondary sources, including questionnaires administered to 30 stakeholders. The application addresses ethical implications such as lack of carefulness of team mates and potential misbehavior from respondents, and outlines strategies to mitigate these risks, including weekly progress sharing and motivational techniques. The application also covers participant recruitment methods, consent procedures, and dissemination plans. The total cost of conducting this research is £450, funded from various sources, including the researcher's personal savings.

.Research Ethics Panel Application form
For additional guidance, please refer to the Ethics organisation on Blackboard, the University
Research Ethics Policy and the Code of Good Research Practice available on the Bucks
website https://bucks.ac.uk/about-us/governance-and-policies/policies
Section 1: Researcher details
1.1 Contact
details of
researcher
Title Mrs Forename Nadia Surname Danu
School: Bucks
New University
Status: Employee Postgraduate
Research
Postgraduate
Taught
Un
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rgr
ad
ua
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1.2 Co-applicants (please
include everyone who will be
involved in the research
project, including research
assistants)
Name Post held Organisation
Section 2: Project details
March 2016

2.1 Project title and timescale
Ethical approval is only valid for the time
period specified on your application.
Extension of period will require further
approval.
Title .“The impact of corporate strategy on sales and profitability.” A case
study on Hennes & Mauritz AB.
Proposed start date: 03/03/19
Proposed end date:
(of data collection)
09/07/19
2.2 Costs and funding
Please indicate the total costs and source of funding (if applicable):
Total cost of conducting this research is £450. There are different sources from which
funds are raised such as personal savings of researcher. Family and friends,
overdraft facility from bank.
2.3 Brief project description
Please summarise your proposal in non-scientific language, using words and terms that
can be easily understood. Your summary must include a clear statement of the purpose of
your research, how it will build on existing evidence where available, and its intended
benefits. You must also describe how the research will be conducted and how people will
be involved. Lay people may review this form. (Max 300 words)
This research is conducted in order to understand impact of corporate strategy on
organisational growth and development. These days, corporate strategy is important in
current market, so it is important to understand changes in better and relevant manner.
Purpose of this research is to understand role and impact of corporate strategy on
business operations. This research helps to understand different aspects which has to be
considered by managers in order to get success in industry. This investigation assist
reader to understand role of different parties in collecting information. Information is
collected in this investigation through online sources, books, journals and from
employees of association to know their experience regarding corporate strategy. Benefits
of this research is to understand changes in corporate policies in current market.
Information is collected from people through their consent. They are aware bout reason of
conducting investigation.
Section 3: Research Design
3.1 Research design
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Describe and justify the methodology (eg qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods) and
methods (eg interviews, focus groups, quantitative experiment, observations) you intend to
use. Include details of and reasons for your sample selection and size to enable robust
outcomes.
Pragmatist philosophy is used in this investigation because this makes clear about different
aspects and way in which while investigation will be done. Deductive approach is used in
this research because this focus on relevant and important aspects. While conducting this
research, there is use of qualitative method for conducting research. This research makes
easy to understand and present information in correct and appropriate manner. Information
is collected through primary as well as secondary sources. Secondary source is collect
through online mode, books, journals, etc. While primary information is collected from 30
stakeholders of organisation. Questionnaire is used to collect primary information. Random
sampling is used to select candidates, so there are equal possibilities of being selected for
analysing their views.
3.2 Ethical implications
Briefly outline any ethical implications of your research and how you propose to minimise
these risks.
While conducting this research, there is ethical implication of lack of carefulness of team
mates. Team mates are not careful regarding conducting research and proper storage of
information and data. There is lack of responsible monitoring which affects working style in
better and relevant manner.
In order to deal with this issue, researcher makes some strategy such sharing of achieved
task weekly, so this makes other individuals aware about progress rate and in case of any
issue in working style, then they are able to rectify it. Information is stored and share among
team mates through mails, Whatsapp, etc. This also assist in monitoring research activities.
3.3 Risks to research team
Briefly outline any risks of physical or mental harm to those conducting the research and
how you propose to minimise these risks. A risk assessment should be attached for any
research due to take place outside of the UK or where a researcher is placed in a potentially
vulnerable situation.
There is no physical harm while conducting this research. But when information is collected
from candidates, then there are some respondents, who misbehave with respondents. This
affects teammates emotionally and this motivates them. In order to deal with it, researcher
motivates individuals to change accent of asking questions and if respondents is rude, then
switch to other candidate.
3.4 Dissemination
Please state how you intend to disseminate research findings. Include details of any
Intellectual Property or security issues and whether dissemination is local or national.
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There is no issues related to security or intellectual property rights.
Section 4: Participants and Recruitment
Section 4.1: Participants
Describe who you are looking to recruit into the project and why, including any criteria for
inclusion / exclusion.
Recruitment of team mates are conducted on the basis if their knowledge, adaptability,
flexible nature, etc. With analysing these components, it is easy to accept changes while
conducting research and they are ready to work in team with different approaches.
Section 4.2: Recruitment method
Provide a brief outline of how potential participants will be approached and recruited into the
project (any recruitment materials should be included with the application). Please refer to the
Bucks Guidelines for recruitment of participants for research on Blackboard (Ethics, Ethics at
Bucks).
Participants are recruitment with their designation and role as stakeholder for
association. This makes easy for researcher to make them clear about reason of
conducting research and their view is authentic for getting correct recommendations
and conclusion.
Section 4.3: Vulnerability
Give details of any participants who may be considered vulnerable (children, those with
cognitive impairment, or those in unequal relationships such as your own students). Indicate
any necessary checks required by the researchers (eg Disclosure and Barring Service) and
any safeguards put in place to minimise vulnerability. Include de-brief details if required.
Please refer to our Safeguarding Policy,
While conducting this research, there is no vulnerable policy which has to be
considered. But candidates takes care of confidentiality of information which is
collected and identity of respondents from views are collected.
Section 4.4: Incentives
If your project will involve offering incentives of any kind, state what the incentives (financial
or otherwise) will be and provide a brief justification as to why you feel this is necessary for
March 2016

the project.
Financial incentives are provided to team mates. This is important because this
makes them important and perform activities according to set benchmarks. This assist
in performing research activities in authentic and reliable manner.
Section 4.5: Permission / Gatekeeper
Please give details if permission is required for initial contact with participants or to access
data (eg Headmaster, NHS R&D committee, Company manager, Head of School, HR).
Include any documents for seeking permission or where permission has been granted.
Please also explain whether a gatekeeper is required to negotiate that access to
participants/data, and if so who would act in that capacity.
Permission is required of gate keeper of organisations where stakeholders are
workers. Some information is collected on holiday, so negotiation is required to done
with gate keeper regarding meeting with individual.
Section 5: Consent procedure
This section will demonstrate how you will obtain informed consent from the participants.
Please include all supporting documents (eg Information Sheets, Consent forms and
questionnaires). Please answer YES, NO or NOT APPLICABLE (N/A) to each of the
following:
Yes No N/A
5.1 All respondents will be given an Information Sheet and enough
time to read it before being asked to agree to participate.
5.2 All participants taking part in an interview, focus group,
observation (or other activity which is not questionnaire-based) will
be asked to sign a consent form.
5.3 All participants completing a questionnaire will be informed on the
Information Sheet that returning the completed questionnaire
implies consent to participate.
5.4 All participants being asked to provide personal data will have the
following statement on the consent form or on the bottom of their
questionnaire “I consent to the processing of my personal
information for the purposes of this research study. I understand
that such information will be treated as strictly confidential and
handled in accordance with current UK Data Protection
legislation’’. A tick box should be included to allow participants to
give explicit consent for the collection and use of such data.
5.5 All respondents will be told that they can withdraw at any time, ask
for their interview tape to be destroyed and/or their data removed
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from the project until it is no longer practical to do so (e.g. when
the report has been written up).
5.6 Where full information cannot be given prior to participation
(because it could influence outcomes) participants will be fully de-
briefed after participation.
5.7 If you answered NO to any of the
above (or think more information
could be useful to the reviewer)
please state why here:
Section 6: Confidentiality, Anonymity & Data and Records Management
This section will show how participants can expect confidentiality and/or anonymity and will
show how any research data collected will be managed during and after the study.
Confidential data is not disclosed to other people; Anonymous data cannot be linked to the
participant’s personal details. Confidentiality cannot always be guaranteed in the event of
disclosure of illegal activity or unsafe practice.
Please answer YES, NO or NOT APPLICABLE (N/A) to each of the following:
Yes No N/A
6.1 Questionnaires will be returned anonymously and indirectly.
Please note that questionnaire data cannot then be followed
up/clarified.
6.2 Questionnaires and/or interview transcripts will only be identifiable
by a unique identifier (e.g. code/pseudonym)
6.3 Data will be stored securely and lists of identity number or
pseudonyms linked to names and/or addresses will be stored
securely and separately from research data
6.4 All place names and institutions which could lead to the
identification of individuals or organisations will be changed
6.5 I confirm that all processing of personal information related to the
study will be in full compliance with UK Data Protection legislation
(including the Data Protection Principles)
6.6 Consideration has been given to the limitations of confidentiality eg
disclosure of illegal behaviour or unsafe practice.
6.7 I confirm that processing of all security sensitive information will be
in full compliance with the “Oversight of security - sensitive
research material in UK universities: guidance (October 2012)”
(Universities UK, recommended by the Association of Chief Police
Officers)
6.8 If you answered NO to any of the
above (or think more information
could be useful to the reviewer)
please state why here:
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Section 7: Authorisation
Authorisation of this application indicates satisfaction that the details are accurate,
the proposed methods are appropriate, ethical concerns have been considered and
that time and resources are available for the research to take place. The authoriser
accepts responsibility for the applicant who is undertaking the work.
For Bucks employees:
Signed: …………………………………………….
Line manager
Date ………………………….
For postgraduate researchers, postgraduate taught students and
undergraduate students:
Signed ………………………………………………
Supervisor
Date ………………………….
If original signatures are not supplied, the applicant must forward an email from the line
manager / supervisor including the above authorisation statement.
Section 8: Checklist for Applicant
The Ethics application form
The Participant Information Sheet
The Consent Form
Letters seeking/granting permission for access to data/participants
Materials for recruitment of participants
Questionnaire
Interview schedule
Authorisation received
Risk assessment
Line manager / supervisor approval
March 2016