In January 2003 the Norwegian Parliament passed the Biobanks Act, regulating biobank research in Norway. There have been strong differences of opinion both in the process of making the law as well as in its first years of implementation. The main controversy relates to what kind of informed consent should be required for biobank research. Central to the controversy over current interpretations of the Biobanks Act is the informed consent given by the donors to the biobank of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), and whether the consent given 'was worth the paper it was written on'. This article traces the history behind the informed consent procedure of the blood samples in the largest research biobank in Norway, the HUNT biobank. Second, findings from a focus group study with biobank participants are presented. Third, a philosophical analysis is made of the concept of informed consent in light of the findings from the focus-group study as well as the history behind the HUNT biobank. Findings from the focus-group study show that the consenters base their participation on trust in the researchers and the regulation of research in Norwegian society, rather than on specific information on the research in question. The history behind the HUNT biobank fosters trust. The story provides a strong case for not limiting the debate to legalistic and formalistic ethics but also including a research ethics that says that process and trust matter. Otherwise no informed consent in medical research is worth the paper it is written on.

Why do some people withdraw from biobank studies? To our knowledge, very few studies have been done on the reflections of biobank ex-participants. In this article, we report from such a study. 16 years ago, we did focus group interviews with biobank participants and ex-participants. We found that the two groups interestingly shared worries concerning the risks involved in possible novel uses of their biobank material, even though they drew opposite conclusions from their worries. Revisiting these interviews today reveals a remarkable relevance to present concerns, since the possible developments that worried ex-participants and participants 16 years ago now are becoming realities. Drawing on conceptual distinctions by sociologist and philosopher Niklas Luhmann, we argue that while ex-participants express a loss of trust in the biobank institution to manage the use of their biobank material in a legitimate way, remaining participants expressed confidence in the management of the biobank institution to secure their interests. This analysis brings out important aspects of emerging trends in biobank research participation.

Purpose Although workplace learning is an important part of professional learning, little is known about the unethical aspects of workplace learning. This study aims to describe students’ learning experiences from in-field training in the police. This paper aims to examine how workplace learning can challenge proper ethical professional development and thus become a question of ethical concern. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on open-ended questions in a questionnaire among Norwegian police students (N = 277) who had ended their one year’s in-field training and had returned to campus for the third and final year of police education. The data are analysed by means of a qualitative content analysis. Findings The paper presents two findings. First, the students learn best from assignments that push them beyond their comfort zone. Second, students struggle with their own expectations of themselves as police officers. The findings suggest that workplace learning leaves students aspiring to demonstrate their capability to be a police officer, rather than focusing on learning to be a police officer. Practical implications The study can provide organisations such as educations, public services and businesses with better understanding on how to enrich learning in their on-the-job training manuals and programmes to evolve ethical professional behaviour. Ethical considerations can help leadership to improve efficiency and performance at the workplace. Originality/value How the potentially unethical aspects of workplace learning can influence the profession’s ethical attitude is an understudied topic in studies on learning to become a professional.

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