Ethical Considerations

Ethical principles are fundamental to the conduct of every stage of the research study and are vital for the protection of both researcher and participants. Ethical standards safeguard the rights and the wellbeing of participants and are designed to reduce the risk of mental and physical harm, danger or discomfort which may arise from research processes (Belk, 2007).

From the researcher perspective adherence to ethical guidelines protects the right to conduct legitimate studies in addition to preserving the reputation of academic institutions or sponsoring bodies and avoiding claims of negligence or unethical practices (CCCU, 2006).

The main ethical principles involve the fidelity, justice, and veracity of the researcher, the autonomy, confidentiality and non-harm of participants, and the wider benefit of the research.

This research was undertaken following in-depth consideration of how this research may advantage participants and have wider societal benefit. In promoting increased understanding

Page | 92 of risk management and the role of risk awareness this study provides an important contribution towards knowledge for the safety and protection of enterprises from risk particularly in the under-researched context of UAE organisations. Moreover the outcomes of the study provide in-depth insight and will have significant impact on the practices of the ADP which in turn may lead to increased public service effectiveness.

The conduct of this investigation has conformed to the key principles underlying ethical research of which one of the most prominent is to ensure that the risk of harm to either participant or researcher is minimised (Saunders et al., 2009). Accordingly substantial prior consideration has been given to research design and processes to reduce any inherent risk of harm and to safeguard the rights of participants. One significant risk which has been recognised and scrutinised links to the principle of autonomy for participants. This requires that the right of individuals to make their own decisions is acknowledged and respected and forms the foundation upon which the entitlement to free and informed consent is based (Cohen et al., 2013). Adhering to three major elements of informed consent this study provided accurate, truthful and sufficient information to allow comprehension of the nature of the research, its purpose and the processes and procedures followed in addition to detailing any potential risks or benefits. Participants´ volition was fully supported through the voluntary nature of the study of which participants were informed of their right to withdraw at any point in the research (CCCU, 2006).

The research was conducted in accordance with the ethical research policies and procedures of the University of Gloucester. Further, during the course of this research steps were also taken to avoid harm to participants through the negligent exposure of information which compromises their entitlement to privacy and confidentiality (Cohen et al., 2013). The principle of the protection of privacy and confidentiality is essential to ensure that freely given information does not impact the welfare of participants (CCCU, 2006) and was safeguarded in this study through protection of access, control and dissemination of personal identifying details.

This study further acknowledged that ethically it was important to build a trusting relationship with participants without which the fidelity and quality of the data can be compromised (Saunders et al., 2009). Besides ensuring that participants were fully informed of their rights trust-building extended to engaging with any concerns or issues the participants

Page | 93 may have had. Further the wellbeing of participants was continually monitored during the participant elements of the research process and considerable reflection was focused on ensuring justice and fairness, including making certain that all participants were fairly and equally treated and selection procedures were impartial.

The researcher is a Senior Police Officer in the UAE police force on sabbatical to research risk management. His position in the police force may be a cause for concern amongst some participants. However, a strict code of conduct was formulated for collecting data from the participants. To resolve ethical issues involved in the study, all participants were volunteers and were provided with a clause of confidentiality. This ensured that the identity of the participants was kept confidential. In this regard, a consent agreement to this effect was provided to the participants. They were also informed about how the information provided by them would be used in the study. Only relevant information would be collected and used for the purpose of the research.

4.10 Conclusion

This study has introduced a robust research design employing various different methods to collect both quantitative and qualitative data to answer the research question. A realist philosophical approach was adopted aligning with a mixed methods research design viewed as critical for fully investigating the multi-layered and multi-dimensional nature of risk awareness. Utilising a case study strategy to investigate IT risk awareness within both Abu Dhabi Police and UAE organisations a structured questionnaire, in-depth interviews and Delphi technique were applied to gather the data to inform the conceptual model of risk awareness. The validity and reliability of the study findings were supported and enhanced by the utilisation of mutually reinforcing mixed methods and triangulation of the data in conjunction with a systematic and accepted methodology for data analysis.

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