This project focuses on SMEs who have been facing challenges regarding the rapidly increased usage of digital tools (e-mails, cloud, big data), particularly after the COVID-19 outbreak. The aim of this research project is to develop an analytical framework that helps SMEs to better understand their digital footprints and their ethical implications both at organisational and individual levels. The main objectives of this project are: - to explore the main ethical concerns regarding the SMEs' digital footprints, in terms of transparency strategies of organisations and equal opportunities for individuals. - to investigate the processes required to develop organisations understanding of their organisational digital footprints - to better understand the transparency strategy at organisational (employer) and individual (employee) levels in building sustainable and ethical growth in SMEs.
COVID-19 outbreak has posed a significant shift to the digital world and consequently caused massive challenges to the protection of human rights. Digitalisation of the business environment creates digital footprints that blur the boundaries between individuals and organisations, and creates various risks in terms of transparency, equality, and inclusion.
Previous research has shown that the Covid-19 pandemic necessitates digitalisation by creating circumstances like remote working, which is one of the main sources of digital footprints. A large number of SMEs' executives specified that their prime concern in SMEs is digitalisation strategies. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has created an extensive dependency on the digital world, SMEs have severe challenges for the management of data and digital footprints.
This project is an 18-month action research programme, where data will be gathered to develop insights both at organisational and individual levels to use digital footprints ethically and safely in creating business and social value and support future work scenarios.
Project partners
HR Tech Partnership and TechMahindra
Dr Ozlem Ayaz Arda - Dr Ozlem Ayaz earned her PhD in Management and Organisations in 2016 from Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, and joined Brunel Business School in February 2020. Before academia, she worked in strategic planning, financial auditing, and quantitative analysis at leading Turkish companies. Her research focuses on strategic management, with particular interest in digital transformation, workplace inclusion, and ethical organisations. She is Principal Investigator on a £160,800 UKRI/ESRC-funded project on SMEs’ digital footprints. Her work has appeared in journals such as Journal of Business Research, International Journal of Management Reviews, Decision Support Systems, and Business Strategy and the Environment. She has presented at major international conferences, including the Academy of Management (2018, 2020, 2022, 2023) and the British Academy of Management (2022, 2024, 2025).