Importance of Sustainable Beauty Products for Sales: A Case Study

This homework assignment analyzes the ethical implications of research, focusing on a dissertation proposal concerning sustainable beauty products and their impact on sales, using MAC as a case study. The assignment includes an introduction outlining the academic significance, business context, and importance of the topic, supported by cited sources and statistics. The proposal defines the research aim, objectives, and questions, including factors that make beauty products sustainable, consumer buying choices, and the generation of sales. It also addresses ethical issues related to participants, consent, confidentiality, and health and safety concerns. The assignment incorporates research instruments, consent forms, and details on recruitment, potential benefits, and data protection, ensuring compliance with university policies. The student confirms adherence to ethical guidelines and data privacy regulations. The goal is to evaluate how sustainable practices impact sales within the beauty industry.

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
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
1 (MG/LW 060319)

Title of project:
(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.
Many organizations of this industry are focusing on manufacturing sustainable beauty products for
their customers. Most of the organizations are using it as a strategy to increase and generate their
overall sales. On the other hand, there more level of manufacturing of the more level of sustainable
products has also helps the beauty industry in more way to take forward initiatives to move towards
better environments. MAC is company in beauty industry which is having the manufacturing all
level of beauty or cosmetic products in the global level in kore appropriate and effect way. The
company is majorly focusing on on manufacturing sustainable beauty products for their sustainable
beauty product lover customers in order to increase their overall sales and customer base.
In the todays world, there is increase level of demand on the more customisable products which is
increasing rate. The large numbers of the customer having optimization in more order for choosing
her level of green and sustainable products which are their made of the up renewable resources. As
in this topic for dissertation as there is more increase in demand of sustainable beauty products due
the changes in behaviour and buying perception of consumers. There will be more focus on the
different factors which are contributing to make the beauty products more sustainable which will
help the beauty industry to have their increase in over all sales.
As the scope is being discussed, this dissertation will help beauty industry and various companies to
have the increase in proper level of understandability or the importance of sustainable product. This
study has the clear focussing on different ways in which it can help beauty industry organizations to
generate and increase their overall sales. The primary research will be helpful in analysing their
sustainable products which will be help in granting more level of sale. However, it has not focused
on ways in which manufacturing of sustainable beauty products can help beauty industry
organizations to take a step towards environment sustainability. It is will helpful for the researcher in
upcoming or future years to carry out research in specific area.
2 (MG/LW 060319)

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.
.2 Aim
Main aim of this project is: “To critically evaluate importance of sustainable
beauty products for increasing overall sales. A case study of MAC”.
1.3 Objectives
Main research Objectives of this research project are:
 To determine factors that make the beauty products sustainable
 To investigate relationship between sustainable products and consumers buying choice
 To analyses the extent to which sustainable beauty products can help business in generating
sales
 To recommend ways in which sustainable beauty products can help beauty industry
organizations to increase their overall sales.
1.4 Research Questions
Main research question of this study is: “In what ways sustainable beauty
products can help in increasing overall sales of an organization?”
Subsidiary questions that can help in answering main research questions
are as follows:
 What are the factors that make beauty products sustainable?
 What is the relationship between sustainable products and consumers buying choice?
 How sustainable beauty products can help business in generating sales?
3 (MG/LW 060319)

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.
YES
4 (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.
. Business practises that makes a cosmetic or beauty product sustainable are:
first is ethical sourcing as it is a sign that a business is sustainable and ethical.
To have the proper level of salience without analyst basicness or the project
Use of the ethical secure which will be helpful in getting asthenic results
5 (MG/LW 060319)

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.
 Please discuss these with your Supervisor, who should contact the Head of Health & Safety if
necessary.
Have the proper care while collecting the questionnaire and analysing th participant have been
taken.
6 (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)
1) Effective level of participants who are interest in research
2) Lacks of errors
Please confirm that you have attached written permission from any organisations where
recruitment is carried out or posters placed
YES
Will your research involve participants who are aged under 18?
YES NO
Will you be approaching participants who might be considered to be vulnerable (please give
details if not addressed elsewhere on this form)?
YES NO
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.
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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)
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.
ETHICS FORM COMPLETION AND APPROVAL
Before starting data collection for the dissertation:
After ethics form completion with attachments (e.g. consent/access/survey forms and
letters) email it to your supervisor. The Ethics form and attachments should be agreed with,
and signed off by your supervisor, and it should be signed by you.
Then, you and your supervisor must keep an electronic copy of the completed Ethics form
(with attachments e.g. consent/access/survey forms and letters) that is signed by your
supervisor and you. It must be stored in a safe place because it may be required for
inspection at a later date.
SAFE STORAGE: OF YOUR RESEARCH MATERIAL/DATA COLLECTION
DOCUMENTS
Safely saving your research material during data collection and after dissertation
submission on Turnit In:
Keep a copy of the dissertation documents with your data collection instruments and all of
the electronic data collection/analysis files (all participant related/anonymised documents
and ‘personal data’ (also see the definition below): questionnaires, interview forms,
interview transcripts, focus group data, survey data and observation records etc.) within
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your QAHE Roehampton account document folder or in another secure storage area, laptop
or personal computer that is password protected – not in USB sticks that can get easily lost.
Questions relating to personal data processing:
‘Personal Data’ is defined as, “Any information relating to an identified or
identifiable person (a ‘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?
YES NO
If yes, other than signed consent forms, what types of personal data will be collected/
stored/ processed as part of the research project?
Please give details of how this data will be anonymised:
Will you be storing your research data (both raw and processed data) and documents
containing personal details of any participants using University IT facilities?
YES NO
If no, please specify the storage medium you intend to use, e.g. personal laptop, USB stick,
etc.
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):
Please confirm that personal data will NOT be transferred to any party or organisation
outside of the University.
YES
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
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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).
YES
PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM (and Privacy Notice)
Title of Research Project:
Brief Description of Research Project, and What Participation Involves:
Note: Please include what participation involves (if appropriate), where it will take place,
how long it will take and how many participants there are likely to be.
For interview based studies: State any limits on confidentiality
Please use wording along the lines of:
The interview will be tape recorded, and transcribed with any identifying details removed.
The transcript, or extracts from, may appear in my report and in publications arising from
it. The tapes may be heard by my supervisor and others who might be involved in
examining the report.
Everything you say will be treated confidentiality, but there is a limit to this: if you disclose
a risk of serious harm then I may need to take appropriate action (this adheres to the
ethical guidelines of the …………).
For questionnaire based studies:
State that the data will be collected in a way that makes it fully anonymous.
Please use wording along the lines of:
No identifying details will be recorded on your questionnaire response so that your data
will be completely anonymous and it will therefore not be possible to link your consent
form to your questionnaire response or to the data arising from it. You will be asked to
assign a code number to your data which only you will know, so if you wish to withdraw
your data you will be able to do this by providing the research with your code number.
Investigator Contact Details:
Name
Department
University Address
Postcode
Email
Telephone
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Consent Statement:
I agree to take part in this research, and am aware that I am free to withdraw at any point
without giving a reason, although if I do so I understand that my data might still be used
in a collated form. I understand that the information I provide will be treated in confidence
by the investigator and that my identity will be protected in the publication of any findings.
By signing this form, you are confirming that you have read, understood and agree with
the University’s Data Privacy Notice for Research Participants.
Name ………………………………….
Signature ………………………………
Date ……………………………………
Please note: if you have a concern about any aspect of your participation or any other
queries please raise this with the investigator or the Supervisor. However, if you would
like to contact an independent party please contact the Head of Department.
Supervisor Contact Details: Head of Department Contact Details:
Name Name
Department Department
QAHE University Address QAHE University Address
Postcode Postcode
Email Email
Telephone Telephone
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*** Form to be used if appropriate ***
Participant Number: ……………………………………….__________
PARTICIPANT DEBRIEF
Title of Research Project:
Thank you very much for taking part in our study, we greatly appreciate your contribution.
This study is designed to examine the factors that might … Brief Description of
Research Project, and your participation is extremely valuable.
All data gathered during this study will be held securely and anonymously. If you wish to
withdraw from the study, contact us with your participant number (above) and your
information will be deleted from our files.
Should you have any concern about any aspect of your participation in this study, please
raise it with the investigator in the first instance or with the Project Supervisor or Head of
Department.
Investigator Project Supervisor Head of Department
Name Name Name
Department Department Department
Address Address Address
Email: Email: Email:
Tel: Tel: Tel :
If you are a student at QAHE (Roehampton University partnership) and are troubled or
worried about any aspect of the study, or issues it may have raised, you may find it
helpful to contact the following. The Welfare Service will be able to advise you on
agencies that can deal with your particular concern or if you feel your concerns are more
serious:
Student Welfare Officers:
THE WELFARE SERVICE (LOCATED ON THE 1ST FLOOR)
QA Higher Education, St James House, 10 Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TF.
CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER 0207 656 8443
EMAIL: [e-mail]
If you are a non-student you may find it helpful to contact your GP or The Welfare
Services above who will be able to advise you on agencies that can deal with your
particular concern.
[Agree with Student Welfare on appropriate agencies]
DATA PRIVACY NOTICE FOR RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
Research Participants - How the University uses your personal data
Why have I been directed here?
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