Liverpool Business Clinic privacy notice

If you wish to receive advice from LJMU’s Business Clinic, we will need to receive certain information from you. This privacy notice explains how we do that, why, and what your rights are to ensure our compliance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Business Clinic personnel will explain the information set out below before undertaking any work for your organisation or business. Please feel free to ask Business Clinic personnel if you do not understand any part of the information, or to ask a friend or relative or other person known to you or otherwise (such as a translator) to assist you with the information.

Who are we?

The Business Clinic is part of LJMU’s Liverpool Business School. The Business Clinic sits within the Liverpool Business School, School of Business and Management and is coordinated by Track Dinning.

Each year Business and Management students undertake Business Consultancy modules as part of their programme of study. Our Students work in consultancy project teams to tackle real problems brought to them by businesses. They work alongside academic staff and/ or Business Consultants who provide supervision and advice. All our services are free of charge.

What information do we ask for?

We will ask you for:

  • your name, address, and contact details
  • information about your business
  • information about the project brief you are submitting for student led business consultancy support

Why do we ask for that information and what is the legal basis for it?

We ask for this information in order to be able to decide whether we are able to offer you support through our student led Business Clinic. As the Business Clinic forms part of the modules of study, we rely on the lawful basis of Public Task to process your personal data.

How do we get your information?

If you make an online query, you will input your details into either our online form, where they are held confidentially and shared in accordance with this privacy policy, or if you make an online enquiry via email, we will input your details on to a Contact Form/Initial Enquiry Form. All information will be held on the Business Clinic Teams site. Only Business Clinic and academic staff will have access to this site.

Alternatively, we may ask you for this information verbally if you approach us by telephone, by letter or in person to ask us to provide support to your business.

How do we use information about you?

We will use your information solely to help you in connection with the business problem you have come to see us about.

Once you have agreed to use our service either in writing online or in hard copy, we will share your information with our academic staff member(s), students, and business consultants who will work on your project brief and meet with you to discuss progress throughout the project period.

When you meet with academic staff, students or business consultants, we will make notes of that meeting, for the sole purpose of advancing the work on your project brief.

We do not share your information with any other third party and neither the Business Clinic nor any of our academic staff or students contact any third party to share your information or pass on information about you.

Your data rights

You have the right to correct inaccurate information that we hold about you, and in certain cases, to have that personal information deleted by us.

You also have the right to access personal information we hold about you.

For further information about your data protection rights please see our website.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact the Data Protection Officer: DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

How do we keep your information?

All information about your organisation will be kept electronically in our confidential Accounting Clinic SharePoint site system.

How long will we keep your information?

We will keep information about you only:

  • for as long as you require an independent examination or continual independent examinations
  • in the event that a complaint is made
  • so as to ensure that information about you is accurate and up to date
  • for the purposes of research and statistical analysis

We usually hold your information for seven years in case you complain about our services.

Once we decide that it is no longer necessary to keep your information we will either delete it from our records or remove any reference to you.

Transfers of data outside the UK

Your data will not be sent outside the UK.

Automated Decision making

We will not make any decisions about you automatically using a computer, based on your personal data. All decisions affecting you will be taken by a human.

Further Information

If you wish to discuss any questions about this privacy notice, you are welcome to contact the LBS Business Clinic LBSBusinessClinic@ljmu.ac.uk or alternatively the University’s Data Protection Officer (DPO@ljmu.ac.uk).

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) about our handling of your personal information, and the right to object to the processing of your personal information on certain grounds. For further details see the ICO website.