UREC 1 RESEARCH ETHICS REVIEW FOR STUDENT RESEARCH WITH NO

HUMAN PARTICIPANTS OR DIRECT COLLECTION OF HUMAN TISSUES,

OR BODILY FLUIDS.
All University research is required to undergo ethical scrutiny to comply with UK law. The University Research
Ethics Policy (www.shu.ac.uk/research/excellence/ethics-and-integrity/policies) should be consulted before
completing this form. The initial questions are there to check that completion of the UREC1 is appropriate for this
study. The supervisor will approve the study, but it may also be reviewed by the College Teaching Program Research
Ethics Committee (CTPREC) as part of the quality assurance process (additional guidance can be obtained from your
College Research Ethics Chair1).

The final responsibility for ensuring that ethical research practices are followed rests with the supervisor for student
research.

Note that students and staff are responsible for making suitable arrangements to ensure compliance with the
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), for keeping data secure and i f relevant , for keeping the identity of
participants anonymous. They are also responsible for following SHU guidelines about data encryption and research
data management. Guidance can be found on the SHU Ethics Website www.shu.ac.uk/research/excellence/ethics-and-
integrity

Please note that it is mandatory for all students to only store data on their allotted networked F drive space and not
on individual hard drives or memory sticks etc.

This form also enables the University and College to keep a record confirming that research conducted has been
subjected to ethical scrutiny. Students should retain a copy for inclusion in their research projects, and a copy should
be uploaded to the relevant module Blackboard site.

The form must be completed by the student and approved by supervisor and/or module leader (as applicable). In all
cases, it should be counter-signed by the supervisor and/or module leader and kept as a record showing that ethical
scrutiny has occurred. Students should retain a copy for inclusion in the appendices of their research projects, and a
copy should be uploaded to the module Blackboard site for checking.

Please note that it may be necessary to conduct a health and safety risk assessment for the proposed research.
Further information can be obtained from the University’s Health and Safety Website
https://sheffieldhallam.sharepoint.com/sites/3069/SitePages/Risk-Assessment.aspx

ARE YOU COMPLETING THE CORRECT FORM?

1
College of Social Sciences and Arts – Dr. Antonia Ypsilanti ([email protected] ) College of
Business, Technology and Engineering – Dr. Tony Lynn ([email protected] )
College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences – Dr. Nikki Jordan-Mahy ([email protected] )

UREC 1: Application for Research Ethics Approval for Student Studies with No Human Participants
Does this study include collecting data or samples from human participants. YES/NO
Is the secondary data used in this study of a sensitive or contentious nature, or does it allow the identification of
individuals or organisations (e.g., companies, school, councils, communities). YES/NO
If you have answered YES to either of these two questions you must complete a UREC2, 3 or 4 as appropriate.

1. General Details

Details

Name of student Kratika Choudhary

SHU email address [email protected]

Department/College Media Arts and Communication

Name of supervisor Hantian Zhang

Supervisor’s email address [email protected]

Title of proposed research Examining Cultural Adaptation in Adidas' Communication Strategies

Proposed start date May, 2024

Proposed end date August,2024

Aim
Brief outline of research to
This study aims to assess Adidas' advertising strategies in the Indian market,
include, rationale (reasons) for focusing on cultural adaptation and consumer engagement.
undertaking the research &
aims, and methods (max 500 Research Design: This study adopts a qualitative approach to
words). comprehensively examine Adidas' communication strategies. Qualitative
methods include content analysis of Adidas' communication materials in
India, focusing on advertisements, social media posts, and press releases.

3.1 Data Collection

Content analysis will be conducted on a sample of Adidas communication

materials in India, employing thematic coding to identify patterns and
themes..

3.2 Sampling and Data Analysis

Qualitative data analysis will involve thematic coding of communication

materials

3.1 Engaging with the Association of Internet Researchers guidelines on

ethical online research provided valuable insights into conducting ethically
sound research in an online context.

UREC 1: Application for Research Ethics Approval for Student Studies with No Human Participants 2
2. Research in External Organisations

Question Yes/No
1. Will the research involve working with/within an external organisation (e.g., No
school, business, charity, museum, government department, international
agency, etc.)?
2. If you answered YES to question 1, do you have granted access to conduct the
research?
If YES, students please show evidence to your supervisor. PI should retain safely.

3. If you answered NO to question 2, is it because:

A. you have not yet asked
B. you have asked and not yet received an answer
C. you have asked and been refused access.
Note: You will only be able to start the research when you have been granted access.

UREC 1: Application for Research Ethics Approval for Student Studies with No Human Participants 3
3. Research with Products and Artefacts

Question Yes/No
1. Will the research involve the use of specialist copyrighted documents, films, Yes
broadcasts, photographs, artworks, designs, products, programs, databases, networks,
processes, existing datasets, or secure data?
2. If you answered YES to question 1, are the materials you intend to use in the public
domain?
Notes: ‘In the public domain’ does not mean the same thing as ‘publicly accessible’.
• Information which is 'in the public domain' is no longer protected by
copyright (i.e., copyright has either expired or been waived) and can be
used without permission.
• Information which is 'publicly accessible' (e.g., TV broadcasts, websites,
artworks, newspapers) is available for anyone to consult/view. It is still
protected by copyright even if there is no copyright notice. In UK law,
copyright protection is automatic and does not require a copyright statement,
although it is always good practice to provide one. It is necessary to check
the terms and conditions of use to find out exactly how the material may be
reused etc.
If you answered YES to question 1, be aware that you may need to consider other
ethics codes. For example, when conducting Internet research, consult the code of
the Association of Internet Researchers; for educational research, consult the Code
of Ethics of the British Educational Research Association.

3. If you answered NO to question 2, do you have explicit permission to use these materials as
data?
If YES, please show evidence to your supervisor.

4. If you answered NO to question 3, is it because: A/B/C

A. you have not yet asked permission
B. you have asked and not yet received and answer
C. you have asked and been refused access.
Note: You will only be able to start the research when you have been granted
permission to use the specified material.

4. Does this research project require a health and safety risk assessment for the procedures to
be used? (Discuss this with your supervisor)

Yes
No

If YES the completed Health and Safety Risk Assessment form should be attached. A standard risk
assessment form can be generated through the Awaken system (https://shu.awaken-be.com). Alternatively if
you require more specific risk assessment, e.g. a COSHH, attach that instead.

UREC 1: Application for Research Ethics Approval for Student Studies with No Human Participants 4
 Insurance Check

The University’s standard insurance cover will not automatically cover research involving any of the following:

i) Participants under 5 years old

ii) Pregnant women
iii)5000 or more participants
iv) Research being conducted in an overseas country
v) Research involving aircraft and offshore oil rigs
vi) Nuclear research
vii) Any trials/medical research into Covid 19

If your proposals do involve any of the above, please contact the Insurance Manager directly (fin-
[email protected]) to discuss this element of your project.

Adherence to SHU Policy and Procedures

Ethics sign-off
Personal statement
I can confirm that:
• I have read the Sheffield Hallam University Research Ethics Policy and Procedures
• I agree to abide by its principles.

Student
Name: Kratika Choudhary Date: 29.05.24
Signature: Kratika Choudhary

Supervisor ethical sign-off

I can confirm that completion of this form has confirmed that this research does not involve human
participants. The research will not commence until any approvals required under Sections 2 & 3 have
been received and any health and safety measures are in place.
Name: Date:
Signature:

Independent Reviewer ethical sign off (if required to permit publication of findings with supervisor
co-authorship).
Name: Date:
Signature:

UREC 1: Application for Research Ethics Approval for Student Studies with No Human Participants 5
Please ensure that you have attached all relevant documents. Your supervisor must approve them
before you start data collection:

Relevant Documents Yes No N/A

Research proposal if prepared previously

Any associated materials (e.g., posters, letters, etc.) Health and

Safety Risk Assessment Form

UREC 1: Application for Research Ethics Approval for Student Studies with No Human Participants 6