Ethical Considerations in Research: Examining the Impact of Effective Leadership on Reducing Unfairness, Inequality, and Discrimination at Sainsbury
Question
Task: What are the important ethical considerations to be addressed when conducting a research project on the impact of effective leadership on reducing unfairness, inequality, and discrimination at Sainsbury's?
Answer
Introduction
Research ethics are an important element of conducting research projects effectively (Hasan et al., 2021). They impact the research process as well as the researcher and the research participants. It is essential to consider ethical considerations while conducting research as it helps in ensuring the safety and well-being of the researcher and the participants. Analysing the Impact of Effective Leadership on Reducing Unfairness,Inequality, and Discrimination at Sainsbury's is a research project that will be the subject of this critical reflection, which will cover the ethical issues and requirements for a researcher involved in it.
Research aim
The purpose of this study is to examine how strong leadership can lower levels of discrimination, unfairness, and inequality at Sainsbury's.
Research Objectives
Analysis of the influence of strong leadership on lowering discrimination, unfairness, and inequality at Sainsbury's is the main goal of the research project. Here, the research study will examine the various leadership philosophies and tactics that may be used in the workplace to guarantee respect, equality, and fairness for every employee, regardless of their social, economic, or cultural backgrounds.
The research study's secondary goals are to comprehend the significance of impactful leadership in organisations, investigate the various leadership philosophies used there, analyse how leadership affects the reduction of inequality, unfairness, and discrimination, and identify effective leadership approaches for Sainsbury's to ensure equality and fairness..
Brief methodology
The positivist research methodology used in this study takes into account the notion that knowledge is acquired through observation as well as other means by gathering and evaluating the data. The deductive approach utilised in this study's research design allows the researcher to investigate the claim that good leadership leads to less injustice, inequalities, and discrimination at the workplace. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed in this study to gather pertinent information regarding the research issue(Gilad, 2021). Here, the qualitative approach will be utilised to collect data about the leadership philosophies and tactics employed by Sainsbury's managers and executives. On the other hand, quantifiable information about the organization's persistence of equity, justice, and anti-discrimination will also be gathered. The interviewing technique will be employed to gather data regarding the various leadership philosophies and methods used at Sainsbury's.
On the other hand, data on equality, justice, and non-discrimination in the case study organisation will be gathered using the survey approach (Ball, 2019). There will be about 10 sample Sainsbury's employees and managers that will participate in the interview. Considering availability, willingness to participate, and geography, the convenience sampling approach will be used to select participants in this study. On the other hand, about 30 participants who have been selected from the company will receive the survey questionnaire (Aithal and Aithal, 2020). In this case, sampling procedure will be taken into account while choosing sample participants in order to provide each one an equal opportunity to be chosen for the study.
Ethical consideration
Confidentiality, autonomy, and dignity of individual & community
The primary ethical consideration in this research study is to ensure that the autonomy, privacy, and dignity of all stakeholders involved in the research is maintained (Pietilä et al., 2020). For this purpose, the researcher has taken the following measures:
• A Participant Information Form (PIF) will be developed that will provide information about the research topic, objectives, and methods of data collection (Leving et al., 2021). Besides, the purpose of the study will also be explained here for ensuring the informed consent of the participants.
• A Participant Consent Form (PCF) will also be developed for ensuring the voluntary, informed, and explicit consent of all participants involved in the research. This will explain the research topic, objectives, methods, and ethical considerations of the study.
• The researcher will ensure to maintain the confidentiality of all participants and the data collected from them. Here, the researcher will avoid using any personal information of the participants that may identify them.
• The researcher will ensure to treat all participants in a fair and just manner without any form of discrimination or prejudice.
Social responsibility
The researcher will also make sure that the work is done in a way that respects and represents the integrity and dignity of the people and organisations involved. In the research project, it will be examined how good leadership affects Sainsbury's' efforts to combat unfairness, discrimination, and inequality. In this study, the researcher will examine several leadership philosophies and tactics that can be used in the workplace to promote fairness, equality, and respect for all employees, regardless of their social, economic, or cultural backgrounds. Such study will support the organization's stakeholders in advancing organisational justice and social responsibility.
Scientific integrity
The study's validity will be ensured by the researcher's use of specific precautions and the use of real participant data. For this purpose, the researcher will ensure that the data collection methods used in the study are reliable and valid. In addition, the researcher will also ensure to use the same data collection methods for collecting data from all the participants involved in the research. Furthermore, the researcher will also ensure to use valid and reliable data analysis techniques for analysing the data collected from the participants.
Maximizing benefits and minimizing harm
The researcher will take certain precautions to prevent any potential danger to the participants' psychological well-being, privacy invasion, or personal values. The researcher will take care to protect the privacy and identity of all research participants. Besides, the researcher will also ensure that the ethical guidelines and requirements are followed in the organization. Furthermore, the researcher will ensure to provide participants with the Participant Information Form and the Participant Consent Form before collecting data from them. This will help in understanding the research topic and objectives, thereby avoiding any potential risks associated with the research. The research's conclusions will aid in understanding how good leadership affects Sainsbury's' efforts to reduce inequality, injustice, and prejudice. This will help the organization in improving its organizational culture, employee performance, and productivity.
Conclusion
The ethical considerations discussed in this reflection are important for ensuring the safety and well-being of the researcher and the research participants. These considerations are essential for conducting a successful research project and will help in avoiding potential risks associated with the research process. The ethical considerations discussed here include considerations related to confidentiality, autonomy, and dignity of the individual & community; social responsibility; scientific integrity; and maximizing benefits and minimizing harm. Following these ethical considerations will help in ensuring that the research is carried out successfully and ethically.
References (Minimum 20)
Aithal, A. and Aithal, P.S., 2020. Development and Validation of Survey Questionnaire & Experimental Data–A Systematical Review-based Statistical Approach. International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social Sciences (IJMTS), 5(2), pp.233-251. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3724105
Ball, H.L., 2019. Conducting online surveys. Journal of human lactation, 35(3), pp.413-417. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0890334419848734
Gilad, S., 2021. Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods in pursuit of richer answers to real-world questions. Public Performance & Management Review, 44(5), pp.1075-1099. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15309576.2019.1694546
Hasan, N., Rana, R.U., Chowdhury, S., Dola, A.J. and Rony, M.K.K., 2021. Ethical considerations in research. Journal of Nursing Research, Patient Safety and Practise (JNRPSP) 2799-1210, 1(01), pp.1-4. http://journal.hmjournals.com/index.php/JNRPSP/article/view/93
Leving, M., Wouters, H., de la Hoz, A., Bosnic-Anticevich, S., Dekhuijzen, R., Gardev, A., Lavorini, F., Meijer, J., Price, D., Rodríguez, M.R. and Tsiligianni, I., 2021. Impact of PIF, inhalation technique and medication adherence on health status and exacerbations in COPD: protocol of a real-world observational study (PIFotal COPD Study). Pulmonary Therapy, 7(2), pp.591-606. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41030-021-00172-7
Pietilä, A.M., Nurmi, S.M., Halkoaho, A. and Kyngäs, H., 2020. Qualitative research: Ethical considerations. In The application of content analysis in nursing science research (pp. 49-69). Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-30199-6_6
