Informed consent renegotiation in MBA dissertation projects: a note

Informed consent renegotiation in MBA dissertation projects: a note

 In the conduct of dissertation project, students are required to obtain the informed consent from the research participants, notably interview research interviewees and the case study gate keeper. There should be written evidence on informed consent from the research participants, e.g. signed letter of informed consent from them. The main problem, getting more common these days, is that the students, having obtained informed consent from the participants initially, are laid off by their companies, together with their colleagues (who consent to participant in the research projects). 

In qualitative research, e.g. in case study research, the dissertation project context is messy and fluid. Thus, the MBA student, doing a dissertation project, should be prepared to renegotiate for informed consent from the research participants anyway. 

Regarding the case that the student and some of his/her colleagues are laid off from the company (that constitutes the case study of the research), the student needs to renegotiate for the informed consent with the existing research participants and, as a good ethical research practice, to negotiate for an informed consent from a new gate keeper and new research participants who still remain in the company being studied.

Minor changes in research methods to use do not need to be supported by new informed consent forms (signed) and the informed consent renegotiations tend be much less informal. Major changes in case study context (e.g., large scale layoff of staff) most likely need additional informed consent forms to be signed by some new research participants (e.g. new gate keeper). In those situations when an additional major research method is to be employed, the new research exercise should be supported by an additional informed consent form (signed).

Rule 1: An evolving dissertation project situation requires renegotiation for informed consent from time to time.

Rule 2: A minor adjustments of research method does not need another formal informed consent form (signed). Renegotiation of informed consent is informal in this case.

Rule 3: A major change of research method or an employment of an additional major research method most likely requires a formal evidence of informed consent [or a renegotiated informed consent] in the form of an additional informed consent form (signed) [by a relevant responsible person].

*** signifying consent can be done online by pressing a button (to consent), e.g. in the case of an online questionnaire survey. The consent is informed as the online questionnaire has an opening section that serves as a covering letter for the survey exercise.

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