Congratulations!

You qualify to participate in the research. Please review and sign the consent form below:
 

University of the Potomac

Doctor of Business Administration

Informed Consent

Introduction

My name is Robert Nickey, and I am a doctoral candidate at the University of the Potomac. I invite you to participate in my research study, " Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on the Behavior of Small-Medium Size Enterprises (SME): An Applied Analysis," which examines CSR and its effects on market differentiation, profitability, and competitive advantage of small-medium size businesses.

 

Purpose

The study aims to gain valuable insights into how CSR practices are optimized to enhance a competitive edge and market positioning. It will help to understand the balance between the costs associated with CSR and its potential to create an improved value proposition for a business. By participating in this study, you contribute to a body of knowledge shaping the future of CSR in SMEs. Your experiences and perspectives will provide critical data that can lead to more effective and sustainable CSR practices across the SME sector. The collective findings of this study have the potential to act as a catalyst for innovation within SMEs. By identifying patterns, challenges, and opportunities associated with CSR practices, this research can highlight areas suitable for innovation and growth. By participating in the study, you are not just offering data; you are sharing your journey and learning from it. This research highlights the diversity of CSR practices across different industries and their unique impacts on SMEs. Your participation ensures that your voice and experiences are part of this crucial conversation, shaping a more inclusive and representative understanding of CSR in the SME sector.

​

Participation

Your participation is entirely voluntary. You may terminate your participation in the study at any time without cause. There are no negative impacts of terminating. If you want to withdraw the answers you provided in the interview, please contact the researcher using the information below.

​

Procedures

You agree to participate in the research study by conducting an in-depth interview with the researcher via Teams. The interview will take approximately 60 minutes.

​

Risk

There are minimal risks in participating in the research. One potential risk is being uncomfortable sharing information about your business and its CSR practices and policies. To reduce the impact of this risk, you can refuse to answer any question or withdraw as a participant in the research. All individual responses are anonymous.

​

Benefits

There are no anticipated benefits from participating in this research other than contributing to the discovery process and learning about innovations that emerge from the study's findings.

​

Confidentiality

The records of this research study are private. All data collected is secured on a private, cloud-based server with limited passcode access. Any published report or presentation from this study will not include personally identifiable information. All answers are aggregated in the reported results.

​

Voluntary Nature of the Study

Your participation in this survey is entirely voluntary. If you decide to participate, you can withdraw from it anytime. To withdraw, exit the survey, and your information will not be saved.

​

Contacts and Questions

The Principal Investigator (PI) conducting this study is Robert Nickey. If you have questions before agreeing to participate or at any time, please contact me at (301) 748-2311 or robert.nickey@student.potomac.edu.

​

Statement of Informed Consent

By entering your my full name and email and submitting below, you acknowledge:

· You have read the informed consent and were allowed to discuss it with the researcher.

· You have been given ample time to consider your participation.

· You understand the terms and conditions of participating in this research study.

· You understand your participation is voluntary and that you may withdraw from the research study at any time.