Research and Ethics in Action Assignment on Grenfell Tower Tragedy

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Research and Ethics in Action assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.

After completing the module, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a sound understanding of research methodologies appropriate to interdisciplinary study.

2. Demonstrate an awareness of the issues involved in integrating different theoretical perspectives in interdisciplinary research.

3. Show a critical understanding of the ethical issues involved in research.

4. Show personal initiative and independence in identifying and examining literature relevant to a research proposal.

5. Through the exploration of a case study, show an awareness of how evidence based research is relevant to the workplace and can further professional understanding.

This report is worth 75% of the total marks for the module.

Question 1

The Grenfell Tower tragedy that took place in West London on 14th June 2017 claimed 72 casualties and has since generated a range of serious and far-reaching
concerns in academic and wider debate.

This task is not only to report on the findings of the research community with respect to your chosen option (below), but also to summarise how researchers have gone about investigating the Grenfell Tower tragedy, with a particular focus on their methods and ethical considerations.

Choose ONE option from the list below, and write a report that addresses your chosen option:

1. To what extent was the Grenfell Tower tragedy an act of social harm?

2. Critically evaluate the work of psychological services, practitioners, and academics in addressing the mental health outcomes of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

3. Critically examine the failures and mismanagement of corporations and local government authorities in the years leading up to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

4. Considering the potential legal implications of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, to what extent is the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act (2007) fit for purpose in prosecuting blameworthy organisations?

5. Fire risk assessments consist of assigning magnitudes and probability measures to unwanted fire scenarios and their consequences (Hasofer et al., 2007). Critically assess the extent to which fire assessment modelling might have helped to prevent the Grenfell Tower tragedy. (3000 words) (75 marks)

The Grenfell Tower tragedy is a controversial and emotive topic. However, as with any academic assignment, please avoid personal opinion and anecdotal statements.

Instead, you need to remain objective and build your report around the research that has been produced.

Question 2

This reflective statement is worth 25% of the total marks for the module.

Write a reflective learning statement that identifies the key insights and skills you have gained through the module in relation to research and ethics issues; the extent to which you feel comfortable using different qualitative and quantitative methods in the future; and what additional steps you could take to become more comfortable with different methods. (1000 words) (25 marks)