The Impact of Physical Layout on Workplace Culture at Dhillon Farm

This document presents a research ethics application and a project proposal examining the impact of physical layout on workplace culture at Dhillon Farm. The research aims to assess this impact using both quantitative and qualitative methods, including questionnaires for customers and interviews with a manager. The application meticulously addresses ethical considerations, including informed consent, participant rights, and data confidentiality. The project outlines the recruitment process, the methods used, and the research instruments employed to gather data. The questionnaires and interview questions are provided in the appendix. The project is designed to explore the relationship between the physical environment and the workplace culture, providing valuable insights into how the layout affects employee productivity and customer experience. The document also includes the supervisor's approval and the necessary permission letter, ensuring adherence to ethical guidelines and research protocols. This assignment is a valuable resource for students studying organizational culture and research ethics. This resource is available on Desklib, a platform offering past papers and solved assignments for students.

Faculty of Business and Law
Postgraduate Taught Research Ethics Application Form
Title of Project
Impact of physical layout on the workplace
culture: A case study of Dhillon Farm
Name of Researcher
SECTION A
YES NO N/A
1 Will you describe the main research procedure to
participants in advance, so that they are informed
what to expect?

2 Will you tell participants that their participation is
voluntary?

3 Will you obtain consent from participants? 
4 If the research is observational, will you ask
participants for their consent to being observed?

5 Will you tell participants that they may withdraw
from the research at any time and for any reason?

6 With questionnaires/interviews, will you give
participants the option of omitting questions they
do not want to answer?

7 Will you describe the main research procedure to
participants in advance, so that they are informed
what to expect?

If you have ticked No to any of questions 1-7, then your project is NOT
low risk
8 Will your project involve deliberately misleading
participants in any way?

9 Is there any realistic risk of any participants
experiencing either physical or psychological
distress or discomfort?

10 Will it be possible to link identities or trace
information back to individual participants in any
way?

11 Will the study involve discussion of sensitive 

topics (e.g. sexual activity, drug use, ethnicity,
political behaviour, potentially illegal activities)?
12 Will financial inducements (other than reasonable
expenses, compensation for time or a lottery /
draw ticket) be offered to participants?

If you have ticked Yes to questions 8-12, then your project is NOT low
risk
YES NO N/A
13 Does your project involve work with animals? 
14 Do participants fall into any of the following special groups?
If they do, please outline on page 2 how you will take account of their
needs.
Note that you may also need to obtain satisfactory Disclosure
and Barring Service (DBS) clearance
YES NO N/A
a) School Children? 
b) People with learning or communication
difficulties

c) Patients 
d) People in custody 
e) People engaged in illegal activities (e.g.
drug-taking)

SECTION B
Please provide full details of your project below
(if insufficient detail is provided and the precise nature of the study is
not clear your supervisor will NOT approve the project and your form
will be returned)
State the aims and objectives of this research:
Aim- To assess the impact of physical layout of Dhillon Farm on the workplace
culture
Objectives- To explore the impact created by physical layout on the workplace
culture of
Dhillon Farm through the application of quantitative and qualitative research
methods
How will participants be recruited? Who will they be (i.e. number,
age, and gender?):

Questionnaires would be prepared for gaining data from 24 customers of
Dhillon Farm. Along with this, interview would be conducted on 1 manager.
The customers would be both male and female, above 18 years
Details of the informed consent process (If required, use the Informed
Consent and Participant Information Sheet templates provided and
submit with this form):
 Self introduction
 Disseminating information related to the aim and purpose of the project
 Informing the samples that they are at liberty to withdraw from the data
collection process once they feel uncomfortable
 Assuring them that their responses would be used solely for the
research purpose instead of commercialization
Description of the method (please submit your research instrument
(survey questionnaire, interview questions that you will be using to
collect data with this form if relevant):
(Refer to Appendix 1)
Where will this research be conducted?
Interview room of Dhillon farm
What steps have been taken or will be taken to ensure appropriate
permissions are obtained? (N.B. provide a copy of correspondence i.e.
letter, emails granting you permission must be submitted with your
ethics submission):
Permission letter (refer to attached permission letter)
Name (PRINT) Signature of Student Date:
18th April 2019
This project has been
approved in its current form
approved subject to conditions
declined and will need to be revised and resubmitted

The following required revisions are stipulated:
Supervisor NAME
(PRINT)
Signature Date:

Appendix 1
1. For how long are you the customers of Dhillon Farm
 3 months
 6 months
 1 year
2. Which of the following gender do you belong to?
 Male
 Female
3. To which age group do you belong to?
 18-20
 20-35
 Above 40 years
4. To what extent do you think that closed office spaces are appropriate?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
5. To what extent do you think that physical layout impacts on the workplace culture?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
Interview question for the manager:
How far do you think that changing the furniture setting has helped the employees in exposing productive
approach to the activities?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree