Research Ethics: SMEs Response to COVID-19 Disruption - UWL Project

This document presents a research ethics and data management statement for a project investigating the response of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the COVID-19 disruption, focusing on the United Kingdom. The research aims to explore immediate responses for SMEs, decision-making processes during the pandemic, major challenges faced, key opportunities available, and the effectiveness of national policy interventions. Using a descriptive research design and qualitative thematic analysis, the project will address research questions related to SME recovery strategies, decision-making, challenges, and government support measures. The document includes an ethics form addressing participant involvement, potential harm, and data confidentiality, along with a data management statement ensuring the security and ethical handling of collected data, in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998. This project from University of West London provides insight into ethical considerations and research design for business-related studies.

Secondary Data collection Only
University of West London Research Ethics
You are required to complete an ethics application BEFORE you
embark on the data collection exercise of the research project
Please complete all the following sections:
- Section A: Ethics Form
- Section B: Data management and storage form
RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY

RISK ASSESSMENT FORM
Section A: FORM A
For all Undergraduate/Postgraduate Dissertations and Research
Projects
Please fill in this form, then SAVE IT AS A PDF and submit as instructed by your supervisor
with your project proposal
Your name: (first) ……………………… (last) ………………………
Student number: …………… Your email address: ……………@student.uwl.ac.uk

PROJECT DESCRIPTON
Please answer the following questions:
1. Do you intend to involve human participants in the conduct of your research?
If no, please skip questions 2 & 3.
☐ Yes ☐No
2. Does your research involve vulnerable adults or under-18s?
☐ Yes ☐No
3. Could your research potentially expose you, anyone assisting you, or
participants to emotional harm?
☐ Yes ☐No
4. Will your research involve travelling to geo-politically unstable
regions/countries (e.g. areas affected by war, civil unrest, natural disasters, or
listed as unadvisable to travel by the UK government?
☐ Yes ☐No
5. Will your research involve access to security-sensitive material? If yes, you
must include a data management statement.
☐ Yes ☐No
This proposal must be completed with the assistance of your supervisor. You
can change the size of the boxes (below) by typing or deleting as necessary.
It is very important to convey with clarity:
• Your research questions/the problem/the theme or topic you are investigating
(what you are proposing to do and to find out or to create)
• The methodology or technical approach (for projects comprising in whole or
in part the creation of an artefact) you will adopt – methods, number of
participants, who the participants (if any) will be, survey instruments used
technology and equipment employed etc.; and what questions you are
planning to ask your respondents (if applicable); how you will deal with
technical challenges.
Title of project Response of small and medium sized enterprises to COVID-19
disruption___________________________________________________________________________
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Name of researcher(s)
_____________________________________Email:[e-mail]
Name of supervisor _____________________________Date:________________________
WHERE APPROPRIATE TO YOUR CHOSEN TOPIC/RESEARCH: YES NO N/A
1 Will you describe in writing the main procedures to participants in
advance, so that they are informed about what to expect? A copy of
this must be attached to this application
NA
2 Will you tell participants that their participation is voluntary? YES
3 Will you obtain written consent for participation and include within this
that they have a right to withdraw at any point? A copy of this must be
attached to this application
NA
4 If the research is observational, will you ask participants for their
consent to being observed?
YES
5 With questionnaires, will you give participants the option of omitting
questions they do not want to answer?
YES
6 Will you tell participants that their data will be treated with full
confidentiality and that, if published, it will not be identifiable as
theirs? This should be evidenced in the consent form and with a
signed copy of UWL’s data management form, attached to this
application.
NA
7 Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation (i.e. give
them a brief explanation of the study)? A copy of this must be
attached to this application
NA
If you have ticked No to any of Q1-7, but have ticked box A overleaf, please give an
explanation on a separate sheet.
[Note: N/A = not applicable]
YES NO N/A
8 Will your project involve deliberately misleading participants in any
way?
NO
9 Is there any realistic risk of any participants experiencing either
physical or psychological distress or discomfort? If Yes, give details
on a separate sheet and state what you will tell them to do if they
should experience any problems (e.g. who they can contact for help).
NO

If you have ticked Yes to 8 or 9, you should normally tick box B overleaf; if not, please
give a full explanation on a separate sheet
YES NO N/A
10 Does your project involve work with animals? If yes, please tick
box B overleaf.
NO
11 Do participants fall into any of
the following vulnerable
groups? If they do, please and
tick box B overleaf.
Note that you may also need
to obtain satisfactory DBS
clearance (or equivalent for
overseas students).
Schoolchildren (under 18 years of
age)
People with learning or
communication difficulties
Patients
People in custody
People engaged in illegal
activities (e.g. drug-taking)
Any other groups who could be
reasonably argued as
representing any form of
vulnerability – please specify
12 Will you be accessing materials which may be considered security-
sensitive under the Counter Terrorism Act (2015)?
There is an obligation on the researcher to bring to the attention of the School Ethics Panel any
issues with ethical implications not clearly covered by the above checklist.
PLEASE TICK EITHER BOX A OR BOX B BELOW AND PROVIDE THE DETAILS REQUIRED
IN SUPPORT OF YOUR APPLICATION. THEN SIGN THE FORM.
Please tick
A. I consider that this project has no significant ethical implications to be brought
before the School Ethics Panel.
B. I consider that this project may have ethical implications that should be brought
before the School Ethics Panel, and/or it will be carried out with children or other
vulnerable populations.
I have received guidance on ethical research practices relevant to my subject as part of
my preparation for this module.
Signed ___________________________ Print Name ______________________ Date
_______________
(UG Researcher(s))
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Signed ___________________________ Print Name ______________________ Date
_______________
(Supervisor)

PART 2
SPECIFICATIONS OF PROJECT
Please answer the following question:
1. Do you intend to use only secondary data in the conduct of your research?
☐ Yes ☐No
Introduction to the research
Background
Background: Currently the whole world is suffering from the very negative impact of the
corona virus aka Covid 19, in which government of each country has taken different
steps towards systemically dealing with this pandemic. Basically, this pandemic has
putted very bad impact on different SMEs of the United Kingdom, because small and
medium-sized businesses of this country currently don’t have appropriate customers to
sale their different products and services.
Aims and Objectives
Aim
To investigate the response of small and medium sized enterprises
to COVID-19 disruption: implications for the United Kingdom (UK). A case
study of John Lewis & Partners.
Objectives
 To know about the positive immediate responses for SMEs should be for recovering
from the Covid 19.
 To highly the decision-making process of SME in the time period of pandemic.
 For identifying major challenges which has faced small and medium-sized businesses
due to Covid 19.
 For analyzing key opportunities to SMEs that has suitably placed and prepared.
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 To know the effectiveness of national policy interventions and schemes for supporting
SMEs.
Research Questions
 What are the positive immediate responses for SMEs to systematically recover from
Covid 19 pandemic?
 What types of decisions are taken by different small and medium-sized ventures in the
current pandemic time period?
 What are the major challenges of Covid 19 which are currently faced by different
small businesses?
 Government of the UK takes which steps for helping or supporting different SMEs in
the current pandemic time period.
Method
Research design: It is one of the main key elements of research methodology that refers
the main purpose of selecting ways in which study has been conducted. It is being
divided into 2 types such as: descriptive and explanatory. In descriptive types of design,
researcher explains or describe target or sample population in detailed manner and in
explanatory, they explore the main problem that was not well researched before.
Descriptive design has been used for this study for discussing and validating data for
getting answers of what, why and how.
Analysis: After collecting data, there is requirement of analysing them for making use of
them in an effective manner. Data analysis tools make gathered data accurate and
effective. There are 2 main types of data analysis tools such as: qualitative and
quantitative. In qualitative type, researcher analysis numerical data and with the help of
qualitative data analysis tools they analysis non-numerical data. This study is qualitative
so, thematic analysis as qualitative data analysis has been used for this study.
Research Type: It is other main element that shows a form in which researcher gathers
data. There are mainly 2 forms in which researcher can collect data such as: qualitative

and quantitative. In qualitative type, scholar gathers non-numerical data in the form of
words and feelings. Whereas, in quantitative type, data are being gathered in numerical
or numbers form. Qualitative research has been selected for conducting study on Covid-
19 in detailed manner.
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Section B: RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
DATA MANAGEMENT AND STORAGE STATEMENT
All applicants should familiarise themselves with the Data Protection Act
1998, and adhere to its principles in all aspects of their research:
Research data covers a broad range of types of information (see examples
below), and digital data can be structured and stored in a variety of file
formats.
EXAMPLES OF RESEARCH DATA
Some examples of research data:
Documents (text, Word), spreadsheets
Laboratory notebooks, field notebooks, diaries
Questionnaires, transcripts, codebooks
Audiotapes, videotapes
Photographs, films
Test responses
Slides, artefacts, specimens, samples
Collection of digital objects acquired and generated during the process of
research
Database contents (video, audio, text, images)
Models, algorithms, scripts
Contents of an application (input, output, logfiles for analysis software,
simulation software, schemas)
Methodologies and workflows
Standard operating procedures and protocols

As a student or member of staff undertaking a research project, I
understand that I am responsible for the following:
 The security and confidentiality of all data collected
 Mitigating all risks to anonymity, privacy and confidentiality posed
by all kinds of personal information storage, processing, including
computer and paper files, e-mail records, audio and video files, and
any information that directly identifies an individual. It is
recommended that data be anonymised at the point of collection.
I will ensure that:
 Data and codes and all identifying information will be kept in
separate locked filing cabinets/files and working files will contain no
identifying information, and will only be accessed by one or two
persons
 All audiotapes will be transcribed using codes or pseudonyms for
identification of individuals and destroyed upon completion of the
research project
 Access to computer files will be available by password only
 Research data will be stored for up to 5 years after the end of the
project, after which they should be disposed of safely.
Name:
Application ID:
Project title:
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