The importance and impact of information systems considering utility mobile software applications in the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda and citizen inclusion

 

 

You are invited to participate in research being conducted by Mr. Bernard Andrew, studying at Arden University, entitled What role can ICTs (utility mobile applications) play in citizen inclusion in the decision making process of the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda, to enhance governance and public Administration.

This sheet provides you with information about the research and what you will be required to do. You should read this sheet in full, and ask any questions you have, before consenting to participate.

 

 

The purpose of this research is This study aims to demonstrate the importance of utility mobile software applications in the decision making process of the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda for citizen inclusion and will assess the impact this will have on governance and public administration.

 

 

You have been invited to participate in this research because It is important to collect data from the persons most knowledgeable of the Cabinet and its decision making power to provide objective information on the role citizens can play in this process. It is also important to collect data from the public to get the views of citizens on where they see their role in decision making in the Cabinet. To this end, participants of the survey will be civil servants working in the Cabinet Office of the Government, and a small random sample from the public.

 

 

The participants must be 18 years and older and a resident of Antigua and Barbuda. A total of 100 respondents will participate in the survey. (Inclusive of Civil Servants in the Cabinet Office and other Ministries and citizens from the general public) Participants will be provided with a link to login and complete the survey. Once the survey is launched, respondents will view a consent form asking them to review carefully before proceeding to the survey by selecting next. Selecting next electronically confirms participation in the survey and respondents will be advised of this. Upon completion participants will receive a notification that their response has been received.

 

 

The whole study should take approximately 5 minutes.

If you consent to do so, the INTERVIEW/FOCUS GROUP will be recorded for later analysis. Any identifying information included in these recordings will be removed to ensure anonymity.

 

 

By participating in the research, you will be able to learn more about this research project and general research area, and assist Arden University in understanding The benefits of participation in the study is to be apart of a process that could potentially see the creation of a citizen inclusion app that will allow participation of citizens in cabinet decision making.

 

 

We have identified no specific risks associated with participating in this study. (There are no known risks associated with participation). This study has been reviewed and approved by ARMS’s internal ethics process.

 

 

Your participation in the research is completely voluntary. You can choose to stop your participation in the study at any time, without giving a reason and with no consequences to yourself. You can also withdraw your data from the study after your participation, without giving a reason and with no consequences, by contacting the researcher [email protected] up until 31/07/2023. After this date, all study data will be fully anonymised, such that no personal information will be linked to the data and the researcher will not be able to identify your data for withdrawal and deletion. If you do withdraw, your data will be destroyed immediately. Please keep a copy of this information sheet and make a note of your participant number, which can be located on your consent form. You will need this participant number to contact the researcher if you decide to withdraw your data.

 

 

The data collected in this study will include No personal or identifying information will be collected. All questions asked are in relation to the specified area of research. The online platform being utilized (survey monkey) will immediately anonymize the responses immediately upon collection ensuring that all respondents remain anonymous to the researcher. Your data will be treated as strictly confidential. On initial collection, your data will be pseudo-anonymised (where any personal data is kept separately from any research data, and these datasets are only linked by your unique participant number). The data collected in this study will only be used for the purposes described in this form, and will only be accessible to the named researcher and supervisor listed on the consent form (No personal or identifying information will be collected. All questions asked are in relation to the specified area of research. The online platform being utilized (survey monkey) will immediately anonymize the responses immediately upon collection ensuring that all respondents remain anonymous to the researcher.). All data gathered in this study will be destroyed by 31/07/2023.

 

 

Your data will be handled and processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. All data will be treated confidentially until it is fully anonymised. If consent has been given to recording of your participation, all recordings will be destroyed once analysed. All paper-based data will be stored in a locked filing cabinet, accessible to the researcher and supervisor only. All electronic data will be stored on Arden University’s password protected, secure cloud. Consent to participate will be kept separately to the data. The anonymised data may be used in the production of research reports, conference presentations, and academic papers. Please only consent to participation if you are happy with this.

 

 

The results of the research will be used to write up a research report, dissertation, or journal article as part of the researcher’s assessment for BSC AU BSc (Hons) Computing at ARMS. The findings may also be disseminated through academic papers and at conference events.

 

 

If you have concerns or questions regarding the study, in the first instance please contact the researcher at the email address provided below. If your concerns, question, or complaint is not resolved, please then contact the researcher’s supervisor at the email address provided below. In your email, please provide the research title, the researcher’s name, and an outline of your concerns or question.

 

 

 

Researcher's name: Mr. Bernard Andrew

Researcher's email address: [email protected]

Supervisor's name: Diego Navarra

Supervisor's email address: [email protected]