Industry 4: Participant Information Leaflet

Study Title: Supply Chain Digital Readiness
Investigator(s): Alexandros Zafeiriadis, Project Engineer and Professor Janet Godsell

Introduction

You are invited to take part in a research study. Before you decide, you need to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. Please take the time to read the following information carefully. Talk to others about the study if you wish.

Please ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part.

Who is organising and funding the study?

This study is led by Alexandros Zafeiriadis, Project Engineer and Professor Janet Godsell who is the head of the Supply Chain Research Group at WMG, University of Warwick. This project is funded by Blue Yonder Group, Inc.

 

What is the study about?

The aim of this study is to identify and compare the readiness of organisations to utilise digital tools and techniques to improve the supply chain function. Using 11 core dimensions it permits contributors to assess their businesses’ positions against those of others in an industry, or across all of each. By doing so, it also permits the Supply Chain Research Group (SCRG) at the University of Warwick and Blue Yonder Group, Inc to gain a deeper understanding of readiness in preparation for potential interventions in support of greater digital readiness in supply chains.

 

What would taking part involve?

All you are expected to do is to interact with the website we have developed. Here we describe the steps in detail. You need to register by choosing an email address and password, and submitting some basic demographic information. You will be asked to tick a checkbox to give your consent to us processing your data. From that point you enter the survey and submit your numerical answers to questions, answering both your current status for each question and your future ambition. Completing the survey will approximately take 15 minutes. After you submit your data you will immediately be able to see how you fare against other companies, in total, in your industry. If you wish to return to the website later to view the data again you will be required to enter your login details. While your data will be used as input to an aggregated dataset used for comparison purposes by other companies, your data will be anonymised and will not be traceable back to you or to your company.

 

Do I have to take part?

No. Participation in this study is completely voluntary and choosing not to take part will not affect you in any way. You can also choose to withdraw your participation at any time, without giving a reason by contacting one of the research team. Further details about withdrawing from the study are provided later on in this document.

 

What are the possible benefits of taking part in this study?

By participating in this study you will increase your understanding of how your company’s Supply Chain digital readiness compares to others in your industry, your geography, or as a whole. You will also be adding data to the database by which all participating companies will compare their readiness. As the database grows, the assessment of your own readiness will be refined.

You will also be contributing to a wider understanding of the readiness of business to embrace and capitalise on the benefits of digital supply chains. Your contribution, in conjunction with the contribution of others, may lead to improved supply chain strategy in industry and more appropriate government policy.

 

What are the possible disadvantages, side effects or risks, of taking part in this study?

There are no disadvantages, discomforts or side effects of taking part in this study.

 

Expenses and payments

No payments will be made for participants and no expenses will be covered.

 

Will my taking part be kept confidential?

Yes. We will follow strict ethical and legal practice and all information about you provided through the website will be treated as confidential and not transferred outside of the EEA. All data will be stored on secure servers. We will not share the raw data with anyone other than Blue Yonder Group, Inc (Partner) and University of Warwick researchers if you agree for the purpose of academic research. The data will be kept for ten years as per University of Warwick regulations.

 

What will happen to the data collected about me?

As a publicly-funded organisation, the University of Warwick have to ensure that it is in the public interest when we use personally-identifiable information from people who have agreed to take part in research. This means that when you agree to take part in a research study, such as this, we will use your data in the ways needed to conduct and analyse the research study.

We will be using information from you in order to undertake this study and will act together with Blue Yonder Group, Inc. as the data controllers for this study. We are committed to protecting the rights of individuals in line with data protection legislation. The University of Warwick will keep identifiable information about you for 10 years after the study has finished.

Research data will be anonymised as quickly as possible after data collection and it will not be possible to withdraw your data once aggregated.

 

Data Sharing

The data will be shared with Blue Yonder Group, Inc for the first six months of the survey. The details of the company can be found below:

Blue Yonder Group, Inc
3 The Arena,
Downshire Way, Bracknell
Berkshire
RG12 1PU

Your rights to access, change or move your information are limited, as we need to manage your information in specific ways in order for the research to be reliable and accurate. The University of Warwick has in place policies and procedures to keep your data safe.

This data may also be used for future research, including impact activities following review and approval by an independent Research Ethics Committee and subject to your consent at the outset of this research project.

For further information, please refer to the University of Warwick Research Privacy Notice which is available here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/idc/dataprotection/privacynotices/researchprivacynotice/ or by contacting the Information and Data Compliance Team at GDPR@warwick.ac.uk.

 

What will happen if I don’t want to carry on being part of the study?

Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. Refusal to participate will not affect you in any way. If you decide to take part in the study, you will need to tick a box on the website indicating your consent. If you agree to participate, you may nevertheless withdraw from the study at any time by closing your internet browser. If, after registering, you decide that you do not want your inputs to be included in our dataset you should contact us directly (SCIP@warwick.ac.uk). We will proceed to remove from our dataset all your details, answers and any visual or textual input that you have provided.

If you withdraw from the study, it will often not be possible to withdraw your data which has already been collected, after it has been anonymised. To safeguard your rights, we will use the minimum personally-identifiable information possible and keep the data secure in line with the University’s Information and Data Compliance policies.

 

What will happen to the results of the study?

The results will be used for academic research and the publication of journal papers. It will also be used in anonymised form for other companies to see how they compare to the average for the total company population, for those in a particular geography or those in a particular industry. This facility will be offered for the foreseeable future. The findings will also be communicated online.

 

Who has reviewed the study?

This study has been reviewed and given favourable opinion by the University of Warwick’s Biomedical & Scientific Research Ethics Committee (BSREC) Ref : 70/18-19, 18 July 2019.

 

Who should I contact if I want further information?

If you have any questions about any aspect of the study, or your participation in it, not answered by this participant information leaflet, please contact: the Lead researcher (Alexandros.Zafeiriadis@warwick.ac.uk) or Supervisor (j.godsell@warwick.ac.uk).

 

Who should I contact if I wish to make a complaint?

Any complaint about the way you have been dealt with during the study or any possible harm you might have suffered will be addressed. Please address your complaint to the person below, who is a senior University of Warwick official entirely independent of this study:

Head of Research Governance
Research & Impact Services
University House
University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 8UW

Email: researchgovernance@warwick.ac.uk

Tel: 024 76 522746

If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer, Anjeli Bajaj, Information and Data Director who will investigate the matter: DPO@warwick.ac.uk.

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data in a way that is not lawful you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Thank you for taking the time to read this Participant Information Leaflet.