Impact of Globalisation on Customer Behaviour in Marks & Spencer (M&S) PLC

This research examines the impact of globalisation on the consumer behaviour in Marks & Spencer (M&S) PLC. The research aims to evaluate the different elements of consumer behaviour, analyse the impact of globalisation on the consumer behaviour in Marks & Spencer (M&S) PLC and recommend suitable strategies to cope up with the change.

Running head: RESEARCH PAPER
To analyse the impact of globalisation on customer behaviour within a Multi-National
Company (MNC) - “A study on Marks & Spencer (M&S) PLC.”
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Acknowledgement
First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisors, Prof. …, who supported me through
this research with their patience, knowledge, and understanding. I could not have wished for
better, highly qualified and approachable supervisor. He is so patient and supportive
throughout our session, particularly his one-to-one support.
I would like to thank my family. They were always supporting me and encouraging me with
their best wishes.
I would also like to thank my lecturers, non-academic staffs and my distinguished classmates
for their kind support and appreciation toward me throughout this program.

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Abstract
This report had examined the impact of globalisation on the consumer behaviour. Marks &
Spencer had been chosen as the case study in the research. The major aim of the research was
to examine the relationship between the variables and understand the key changes in the
consumer behaviour. The critical literature review had provided in depth knowledge on
globalisation and its influence on consumer behaviour. The gap in the previous literature had
been examined and the research had progressed as per the gap. The research methods has
been developed based on the objectives where mixed method analysis had been performed to
accomplish significant results. The mixed method analysis consisted of using a sequential
explanatory design which facilitated in achieving triangulation in the research. The findings
of the research has clearly shown that there has been significant impact of globalisation on
the consumer behaviour where majority of the elements has shown strong positive
correlation. The research had provided valid conclusion and recommendation based on the
findings in the research. The major limitation of the study was that the sample size used in
relatively small and further research could have been conducted to provide better results.

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Table of Contents
Chapter One...............................................................................................................................6
Introduction................................................................................................................................6
1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................6
1.1 Background of the study......................................................................................................6
1.2 Research problem and organizational context.....................................................................7
1.3 Research Aim and objective.................................................................................................7
1.4 Research questions...............................................................................................................7
1.5 Research hypothesis.............................................................................................................8
1.6 Rationale..............................................................................................................................8
1.7 Summary..............................................................................................................................8
Chapter Two...............................................................................................................................9
Literature Review.......................................................................................................................9
2.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................9
2.1 Globalization........................................................................................................................9
2.2 Consumer behaviour..........................................................................................................11
2.2.1 The Marshallian economic model...............................................................................11
2.2.2 The Veblenian social-psychological model................................................................12
2.2.3 The Pavlovian learning model....................................................................................12
2.2.4 The Freudian psychoanalytical model........................................................................13
2.3 Impact of globalization on consumer behaviour................................................................13
2.4 Literature gap.....................................................................................................................14
2.5 Summary............................................................................................................................14
Chapter Three...........................................................................................................................16
Research methodology.............................................................................................................16
3.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................16
3.2 Research philosophy..........................................................................................................16

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3.3 Research Approach............................................................................................................17
3.4 Research Design.................................................................................................................17
3.5 Data collection and Analysis..............................................................................................17
3.6 Sampling............................................................................................................................18
3.7 Reliability and Validity......................................................................................................19
3.8 Ethical Consideration.........................................................................................................19
3.9 Summary............................................................................................................................19
Chapter Four.............................................................................................................................20
Findings and Analysis..............................................................................................................20
4.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................20
4.2 Reliability analysis.............................................................................................................20
4.3 Quantitative Analysis.........................................................................................................22
4.3.1 Demographic questions...............................................................................................22
4.3.2 Questions on globalization and consumer behaviour..................................................25
4.3.3 Correlation...................................................................................................................37
4.3.4 Regression Analysis....................................................................................................42
4.4 Qualitative Analysis...........................................................................................................43
4.5 Discussion..........................................................................................................................45
4.6 Summary............................................................................................................................45
Chapter five..............................................................................................................................47
Conclusion and recommendation.............................................................................................47
5.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................47
5.2 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................47
5.3 Recommendation................................................................................................................48
5.4 Research Limitation...........................................................................................................48
5.5 Future Scope.......................................................................................................................48
References................................................................................................................................50

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Appendices...............................................................................................................................54
Appendix..................................................................................................................................54

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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Globalization has changed the ways companies operate in the global market due to the
increase in free trade and technological advancement. The perception of the consumers have
changed dramatically over the past centuries. The living standards of the consumers have
improved in global context which makes the people strive for the best product that meets
their specific needs. This has increased the level of competition in the global market and
companies are facing difficulty in keeping up with the change in nature of consumer
behaviour. This research has utilized Marks & Spencer (M&S) PLC as a case study to
examine the ways the company is being affected due to the change in behaviour of the
consumers. The retail industry in the United Kingdom is highly competitive and saturated
which poses added issues for the business entity.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Marks & Spencer (M&S) PLC is one of the major retailers in Britain. The company
has it’s headquarter in Westminster, London. The organization sells luxury food products,
clothes and home products. The company has almost 1000 stores all across United Kingdom
out of which more than 600 stores only sells food products (Marksandspencer.com 2019).
The company has been facing issues in the past decade where there has been significant
decrease in the sales of their clothing. On the contrary, they have seen increase in the sale in
the food department. The company has been planning to make a radical change which is
expected to close more than 100 stores all over United Kingdom (Brinded 2018).
The global marketplace has been equipped with global communication which has
made the market open and competitive. Contemporary trends in the global market suggests
that majority of the companies are integrating strategies that are customer centric due to the
increase in market competition. Globalization has provided the small scale companies with
the opportunity to have a wider reach by using digital market (Fedorenko 2018). However, it
has provided opportunities to the retail companies to explore new markets but it is essential to
be aware of the culture and preferences of the consumers for success. Consumer preferences

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have been changing quite rapidly where companies have to be flexible and adaptive to be at
par with the fast changing nature goods and services (Hardley 2018).
1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM AND ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Marks & Spencer (M&S) Plc has been going significant decline in the past decade
where consumers are disappointed and criticised them for their clothing ranges and
overpriced food products. Marks & Spencer (M&S) Plc has announced that would be closing
100 of their stores all over United Kingdom by the end of 2022 (Gilliland 2018). The retail
sales of the company have decreased to 1.9% form 4.7% in the year of 2017 (Gilliland 2018).
It has been quite difficult for Marks & Spencer (M&S) to compete with global clothing
brands and food retail brands due to their convenience and price. Lack of digital innovation is
another critical issue where the ecommerce offerings are not descent when compared to the
other major retailers in the market. The usability and design is quite average which shows
that the company has been quite slow in coping with the change in market trends and
globalization (Gilliland 2018). Moreover, the company is just doing enough to hold on their
business but drastic changes are required so that the company can compete with other
companies like Tesco and GAP. This research has addressed these issues which reflect that
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has not been able to keep up with the global changes and the
research would examine the impact of these factors on the operations of the company.
1.3 RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVE
The major aim of the research to evaluate the impact of globalization on the behaviour
of the consumers in Marks & Spencer (M&S) PLC. The research has identified the different
elements of globalisation that is critical for the retail industry. The impact of these factors on
the behaviour of the consumers has been examined to recommend suitable strategies. These
strategies can be used by the organization to cope up with the changes in consumer
preferences.
 To evaluate the different element of consumer behaviour
 To analyse the impact of globalisation on the consumer behaviour in Marks &
Spencer (M&S) PLC
 To recommend suitable strategies to cope up with the change

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1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
 How does globalization impact behaviour of the consumers in Marks & Spencer
(M&S) PLC?
 What are the different element of consumer behaviour?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
H0: There is no impact of globalisation on the consumer behaviour in Marks & Spencer
(M&S) PLC
H1: There is significant impact of globalisation on the consumer behaviour in Marks &
Spencer (M&S) PLC
1.6 RATIONALE
This topic has been chosen for the research as globalization is one of the significant
changes in the past decades that has been responsible in shaping the changes in the modern
business environment. The initiation point of all the companies has been globalization which
led to significant changes in consumer preferences and business strategies. This topic has
significant importance in the modern business environment and provides a greater
opportunity to gain knowledge on the changing nature of consumers. Marks & Spencer
(M&S) Plc has been facing issues for the past decade which resulted in the decrease in profit
margin and sales volumes. The research has been conducted to highlight the major impact of
globalization on the company and provide recommendations on how the management can
bring about a significant change. Moreover, the research has facilitated in developing
problem solving and analytical skills required for working in modern business sector.
1.7 SUMMARY
This chapter has provided a detail description of the purpose, objective and reasons
for conducting this research. The research question has been formulated based on the
objective and scope of the research. The research hypothesis has been develop to establish the
relationship between globalization and consumer behaviour. This chapter depicts the scope of
the research project and the areas to be covered. The next chapter has critically evaluated past
peer reviewed journals and articles to identify the gap in past researches and develop a
conceptual framework for this study.

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CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 INTRODUCTION
There has been significant increase in cross border operations due to the advent of
globalization. A quantum outflow and inflow of services and goods shows the magnitude of
increase in free trade all over the world. Globalization has increased the opportunities for
even smaller companies that are competing at the same scale with the multinational
companies. This has also increased the number of options a consumer has before making a
purchase (Cleveland et al. 2016). Moreover, the improvement and web 2.0 have provided the
opportunity access good and services for different parts of the world. This chapter has
critically evaluated the past literatures that have addressed the topic of globalisation and its
impact on the consumer behaviour. The analysis of the past literature has facilitated in
understanding the progression from the first stage of globalization to the current scenario in
the global market.
2.1 GLOBALIZATION
Sobol, Cleveland and Laroche (2018) states that globalization can be defined as the
phenomenon which has led to spontaneous and historical liberalization. It has facilitated in
integrating labour force, markets, capital, information and technology into a global market
which is interdependent in nature. According to Cleveland et al. (2016), globalization is the
process of integrating both regional and national market into a single global market which
results in the unification and penetration of the political, cultural and economic spheres.
Cleveland, Laroche and Takahashi (2015) highlighted five types of flows in the global
market; mediascapes (flow of communication and ideas), ideascapes (flow of political ideas
or ideologies), ethnoscapes (flow of foreign students, migrants and tourists), finanscapes
(flow of capital and money) and technoscapes (flow of technology). On the other hand, Khan
et al. (2015) opined that globalization can be broken down into various elements such as the
economy, community, governments and cross country borders. This signifies that increase in
openness and liberalization of the market due to the elimination of trade barriers in both
services and goods. This also resulted in the development of an international financial market
which is integrated.

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As stated by Kaharuddin et al. (2017), globalization has contributed mainly to the
homogenization of different types of consumptions. There has been significant changes in
the lifestyle of different social and age groups and there has been significant reduction in the
role of the local traditions in changing the consumer behaviour. As stated by Mokyr, Vickers
and Ziebarth (2015), there has been significant increase in population, technological boom,
economic growth and expansion of cites after the industrial revolutions in the 19th century.
However, there was not equal benefit for all the parties where some became richer and there
were who became poorer. Globalization changed everything for population from all over the
world where they were able to communicate on a global scale and they were able to move
beyond their local network. Cui (2016) states that the lives of the consumers have been made
simpler due to the fast information connections and technology has been connected to the
individuals. On the other hand, Verschaeve, Delputte and Orbie (2016) explained that there
is re-birth of the local industry due to the rapid increase in flow of foreign direct investments
from the markets. The increase in competition has made the local consumers aware of the
fact that it is essential to analyse the behaviours of the consumers in order to retain existing
and acquiring new potential consumers. Globalization can be considered as a new reality for
the commercial market as it results in integration of technology and products to facilitate
trade in local and international markets (Teece 2014). The homogeneity in the market has
made the consumer prefer products and services that are standardized in nature. This has
enhanced the rivalry among the companies to a different level.
() states that the key milestone in the fashion industry was the change in the
expressions were not random and casual but was systematic and constant. Human population
has been moving towards a trend that crosses the threshold of modernity. Caleca (2014)
stated that modernization broke the general traditions where European supremacy and
centrality reduced. The radical change in the global market are characterised by increase in
pace of the changes, institution nature and global interconnection is the scope of change.
However, this does not mean that there was end to the traditional fashion but there has been
radical change in the production and consumption cycles (Caleca 2014). Moreover, another
significant change in the industry is the decisive and remarkable presence of experts that are
able to access the change in the fashion needs of the consumers and responsible for the
success of the major global corporations. () states that the modernity of the fashion industry is
evident from the changes in fashion and there is has been significant change in the past two
decade. The term globalisation has carried implications of intensified flow of money,

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information, technology, money, people, images and goods. However, it does not essential
develop uniformity and fashion industry has been one of the reasons for driving the different
fluxes of globalisation. This is evident from the development of the different fashion
categories and fast fashion industries. Dunford et al. (2016) states that globalization has
enabled a consumer to purchase a European brand product, designed by a designer in Latin
America and produces in Southern Africa. This clearly signifies the extent of globalization in
the global market.
2.2 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Consumer behaviour identification and consumer centricity has become the major
mantra for all the successful companies in the world. Cohen, Prayag and Moital (2014) states
that consumer behaviour can be defined as the process by which customers decide whether,
when, what, how, from and where to purchase services and goods. On the contrary, Wikström
(2014) provided a different definition by stating that it is the behaviour a customer displays
which searching, using, evaluating, purchasing and discarding of services and products. This
indicates the consumer behaviour determines the way consumers determines the way
individuals want to invest their available on items related to consumption. Therefore, it is
study of identify where, when, why and how many times consumers making a purchase. Lu,
Chan H.H. and Chang (2015) stated that there are mainly two different consumer types,
organizational and personal consumers. Personal consumers purchase products for house
hold purposes and organizational consumers purchase products to operate an organization.
According to Cohen, Prayag and Moital (2014), consumer behaviour is comparative a
newer field of study which is a reason that majority of the theoretical approach is taken from
the sociology, social psychology, psychology, economics and anthropology. The advent of
marketing orientation resulted in the increase of marketing concepts where the companies are
aiming to understand the needs of the consumers and marketing their products to address
particular specific needs. This was a drastic change from the product orientation and selling
orientation. Evens and Van Damme (2016) states that different models of human behaviour
has been used to understand the purchasing the behaviour of the consumers. The different
models of human behaviour caters to different scenarios so can relate to different instances of
purchasing behaviour of the consumers. The reason for rationality among the human beings
while making a purchase decision can be understood by different human behavioural models.

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2.2.1 The Marshallian economic model
As per the theory, buyers are expected to spend their income on the purchase that will
provide them with the highest level of satisfaction. This theoretical concepts had aimed to
use realism which kept all variables constant to measure the change in a single variable (De
Marchi and Grandinetti 2014). However, evaluating the market application of these model, it
can be seen that the model is tautological and is not very informative. The model provides a
logical explanation of the buyers purchasing decision which means that the model uses a
normative model of behavioural evaluation. Moreover, economic factor needs to be included
as a factor in purchasing decisions economic have both greater and small impacts on the
market changes based on the industry. The model also suggested that product sales will
increase with increase in quality of the products. However, this effect cannot standardized all
different types of consumers but significant information in understanding the ways of
examining the psyche of individuals.
2.2.2 The Veblenian social-psychological model
This model has been developed based on the findings of the Thorstein Veblen which
conceives human beings as social animals (Mandel et al. 2017). This means that individuals
are a part of the larger culture and there significant sub cultures which determines the way
they think and act. In marketing terms, it is essential to examine the social influences on the
demands of the products. This means that marketers should evaluate how the changes in the
societal behaviour is affecting the behaviour of the consumers and changes in their needs and
wants. This societal influence consist of factors such as subculture, face-to-face groups and
social class.
2.2.3 The Pavlovian learning model
Pavlovian model states that learning during the association process affects the
behavior of the consumers and it is one of the major components of understanding the way
consumers behave (Dayan and Berridge 2014). In terms of the marketing concept, this model
addresses insights on the advertising strategy to invoke need generation or drive within the
consumer segments. This is specifically helpful in launching a new brand in a market that is
highly competitive in nature. The business entity may aim to invoke new habits among the
target population by eliminating the previous habits of the consumers. Therefore, it is
essential for the brand to developing strong cues that would lead the consumers in trying the
new product in the market. This model also provides guidance for developing an effective

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marketing and advertisement strategy. The model suggests repetitive use of advertising
strategies so that drive within the consumers are generated to try a product.
2.2.4 The Freudian psychoanalytical model
This model has major impact on the current behaviour and thoughts of the consumers.
The model stated that consumer behaviour are shaped by their own psyche which is largely
unconscious which results in lack of understanding of the factors that is motivating the target
consumers. Psyche is the main source for driving strong urges within individuals which is
difficult for the individuals to understand (De Masi 2018). This makes them unaware of the
facts that drive their behaviour. The major marketing implication of this theory that
marketers need to aware of the economic-function and symbolic product concerns that
motivates the consumers. Therefore, it is essential to understand the demographics of the
target consumers so that the marketers can address areas that affect the drive in the behaviour.
Moreover, it emphasises on the use of advertising messages as messages have the ability to
address deep rooted feelings, aspirations, fear and hope of different consumers.
The evaluation of these model shows that behaviours of the consumers are affected
the changes in the surrounding environment which also affects changes in their own values
and drives. Therefore, it is essential for the marketers to understand the change that
globalization has brought into the consumers belonging to different demographics.
2.3 IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
There has been significant change in the trends in the consumers due to the changes in
the surrounding environment. As stated by Kaharuddin et al. (2017), demographic changes
has developed new opportunities for businesses and it would pose a threat to those
organizations that are not ready for it. There has been increases the average age of the
population in different countries. On the other hand, the diversity in population have
increased significantly which means that business entities need to differentiate their products
based on the above factors. Various cultures have become a part of the global consumption
which is driving the change in buying behaviour of the consumers (Vats 2014).
Globalization has resulted in migration of demand where it changes countries that are
technologically obsolete to new industries, countries reaching high birth rates form low birth
rates, increasing the income of the country as compared to the decrease in income of the
population (Cleveland, Laroche and Takahashi 2015). This clearly shows that there is
significant change in demand between the countries due to the redistribution of income

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among the community. Therefore, it is key for the companies to evaluate the current market
situations in order to evaluate the current needs and demands of the consumers, otherwise it
would to lead to product failures. This implies that firms should check whether their
offerings are viable and feasible in the market or not before launching a new product or
offering existing products.
Bergleiter and Meisch (2015) stated that globalisation has been the key to driving the
behaviour of the consumers all over the world as consumers are exposed to new brand and
products that are changing their behaviour in the local market. This signifies that the
companies in the local market are competing with other companies in other markets as their
consumers have accessibility to both these markets. Mokyr, Vickers and Ziebarth (2015)
states that globalization has facilitated in improving the disposable income of various
segments of the consumers. This consumers are also driving for products that were far
beyond their reach. Kaharuddin et al. (2017), states that globalization has driven
standardization of products which means that consumers are not ready to accept products that
are of low quality. Globalization has provided the small scale companies with the opportunity
to have a wider reach by using digital market. However, it has provided opportunities to the
retail companies to explore new markets but it is essential to be aware of the culture and
preferences of the consumers for success. Moreover, migration of the consumers from one
country to another has increased the cultural diversity of population in various countries. This
is one of the significant demographic factor which has affecting and driving the changes in
the behaviour of the consumers. Sirkeci (2014) states that the change in the lifestyle of the
modern consumers are driven by technological change where it is essential for the companies
to reach the consumers at all possible touch points. Moreover, the increase in awareness of
the consumers about their values and beliefs have made companies market themselves on the
basis of their value system. Consumers choose brand that they connect to and are fit to their
lifestyle needs.
2.4 LITERATURE GAP
The analysis of the past literature on the research topic shows that none of the
researches have addressed the impact of globalization of fashion consumers and fashion
companies. The majority of the researches have generalised on the different changes to the
consumer behaviour due to the advent of globalization in the market. Moreover, none of the
literature has used mixed method research design to evaluate the impact of globalization on

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the consumers in a particular market. This research has addressed these limitations of the past
researches.
2.5 SUMMARY
This chapter has evaluated literature on globalization and consumer behaviour to
understand the opinion of the various authors on the research topic. The perspective of
different authors have been evaluated to examine the impact of globalisation factors on the
buying behaviour of the consumers. The different theoretical models on consumer behaviour
has been analysed to understand the marketing perspective of those models. The next chapter
in the study has provided a clear understanding of the different methods and research
instruments used to collect data and analyse it.

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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter has highlighted the instruments, methods and instruments used to collect
data and perform analysis. In this research, Saunders research onion has been followed to
unfold the research methods used in each of the stages. The research frameworks and
methods are generally selected based on the objective and purpose of the research. There are
mainly three major objectives of a research, description of behaviour, explanation of causal
relationship and prediction (Kumar 2019). In this research, the major aim of the study is to
explain the impact of globalization on consumer behaviour. Therefore, a mixed method
analysis has been chosen as the research design where both qualitative and quantitative data
analysis has been executed to generate significant findings. Experimental method has been
used in this research to explain the cause and effective relationship between globalization and
its impact on the behaviour of the consumers.
3.2 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY
Saunders et al. (2015) states that research philosophy includes a set of fixed ideas,
values and assumptions that facilitates in developing knowledge and defines the study at
different planes. Even though, researchers are not aware of it, assumptions are made in every
stage based on values and beliefs. The different types of assumptions are assumptions on
human knowledge (epistemological assumptions), assumptions on encountered realities
(ontological assumptions) and effect of values on the study (axiological assumptions).
Interpretivism, positivism, pragmatism and realism are the different types of philosophies
(Mackey and Gass 2015). Even though, maximum studies use interpretivism or positivism as
philosophical view, this research has used pragmatism as the research philosophy.
Pragmatism emphasises on the needs of the research question and develops methods based on
it. Pragmatist view accepts concepts if they are supported by valid actions. Moreover, it
believes that there are numerous of interpreting an issues so multiple realities exist. The
research has chosen pragmatism as the philosophical approach so that qualitative and
qualitative analysis both can be performed where initially the cause and effect relationship
has been understand and then the effects has been evaluated.

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3.3 RESEARCH APPROACH
There are two aspects to research approach, one is reasoning and another is collecting
data. Research approach is method of choosing data and evaluating it. Deductive approach
and the inductive approach are the two main types of research approaches. The different
layers in the research onion is linked with each. In this research, as pragmatism has been
chosen as the research philosophy both inductive and deductive approaches is needed to
evaluate the data (Sekaran and Bougie 2016). The difference between the inductive and
deductive approach can be understood by the importance of hypothesis in the research.
Inductive approach is used gather specific data and forming generalisations, tentative theories
and new frameworks based on it. On the contrary, the deductive approach is used to evaluate
the existing theories discussed in the literature review section in the research. The deductive
approach has assisted in testing the developed hypothesis and the inductive approach has
been useful in understanding the pattern in the qualitative data collected.
3.4 RESEARCH DESIGN
Research design has been defined diverse by different researchers where some
consider it as the choice between qualitative and quantitative method. On the contrary, it can
be defined the whole plan for successfully implementing the research. The three research
design chosen in these types of researches are explanatory, descriptive and exploratory
research design (Morse 2016). The exploratory research design is used exploring the research
problem in cases where the problem has not been well defined in the research. It does not aim
to provide any specific conclusion to the research and only explores the research problem for
further conclusive research. The descriptive research method is used for describing a
phenomenon using either or both qualitative and quantitative methods. On the contrary,
explanatory research design is used for evaluating the causal relationship between the
independent and dependent variable (Subedi 2016). In this research, sequential explanatory
research design has been chosen to evaluate the impact of globalization on the consumer
behaviour. In the sequential explanatory design, initially quantitative data analysis has been
performed to analyse the cause and effect relationship and then the qualitative data analysis is
performed to validate the results from the quantitative analysis.
3.5 DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
There are two types of data collection method, primary and secondary data collection.
The current research is based on primary data collection where both interviews and survey

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has been used as the research instruments (Palinkas et al. 2015). The interview includes open
ended semi structured questions asked to management level employees of Marks & Spencer.
The open ended questions has facilitated in developing in depth answers on the research
question. On the hand, the survey has included close ended questions that are highly
structured in nature. The close ended questions have been asked to the loyal consumers of
Marks & Spencer so that significant data can be gathered.
The data has been analysed using coding and statistical analysis. The quantitative data
has been analysed using inferential statistics where SPSS (statistical tool for social sciences)
and Ms Excel has been used as a tool (Hussein 2015). The data gathered has been represented
into frequency tables and graphs. The research has also performed Pearson’s correlation
method to analyse the degree, nature and direction of relationship between the variables.
Regression analysis has been used to test the hypothesis and develop a predictive model
which evaluates the explaining capability of the predictors of the characteristics of the
dependent variable. The data collected for the qualitative analysis has been analysed using
open coding and axial coding (St. Pierre and Jackson 2014). Open coding has been used to
analyse the pattern among the data collected and highlight keywords. On the other hand, axial
coding has been used as a measure to link these keywords to relevant theories to formulate
generalisations.
3.6 SAMPLING
Sampling is the method of choosing elements from the overall sample population. The
first step of sampling is choosing the target population in the research (Csikszentmihalyi and
Larson 2014). In this research, the target population consists of the population of United
Kingdom. The next step is choosing the sampling frame in the research and in this research
sampling frame includes the consumers of Marks & Spencer and managers in Marks &
Spencer. The third step is selecting the sample size in the research and in this research, 10
respondents are chosen for the survey and 2 managers are chosen for the interview. There are
two types of sampling methods, one is non-probabilistic sampling and another is probabilistic
sampling. Probabilistic sampling can be divided into simple random sampling, cluster
sampling, stratified sampling and systematic sampling (Etikan, Musa and Alkassim 2016).
On the other hand, non-probabilistic sampling can be divided into quota sampling, purposive
sampling, haphazard sampling and convenience sampling. In this research, simple random
sampling has been used to choose the respondents for the quantitative survey and quota

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sampling has been used to choose managers in Marks & Spencer. However, as the sample
size for the quantitative analysis is small, it is expected to have a high sampling error.
3.7 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY
Reliability measures the precision of the methods and instruments used in the
research. Reliability tests the capability of the research framework to repeat the results by
using different data sets. The research has used Cronbach’s alpha to measure the scale
reliability and internal consistency of the data (Noble and Smith 2015). On the other hand,
pilot testing has been used to check the consistency of the questionnaire by sending it to 10
respondents. On the other hand, the validity of the research instruments has been measured by
using construct validity. Construct validity has measured the appropriateness of the research
instruments.
3.8 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
The research has followed the mentioned the ethical guidelines throughout the
research process. The major principles of performing an ethical research has been conformed
to, by avoiding fabrication, falsification and plagiarism. The research has cited authentic
journals and articles. None of the data has been manipulated or falsified to accomplish the
purpose of the research (Neuman and Robson 2014). The research has used informed
consent to ensure that the participants have made voluntary participation by providing them
with information on the purpose of performing the survey. The data protection act of 1998
has been adhered to by maintaining the anonymity and privacy of the respondents (Carter,
Laurie and Dixon-Woods 2015). The research participants have been provided the options to
leave at point in the survey and none of the questions contain discriminatory language that
would offend the respondents.
3.9 SUMMARY
The research has clearly described the different research methods, instruments and
frameworks used in the research. The detail description of the data collection methods and
analysis techniques have been provided. This has assisted in highlighting the ways different
methods have been used to accomplish the goals of the research. The next chapter has
generated results and analysis based on the survey and questionnaire to realise the research
goals.

20RESEARCH PAPER
CHAPTER FOUR
FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter in the research has evaluated the data collected by using the methods and
instruments in the previous chapter. This chapter has developed the responses in tables and
graphs. The explanation of the each response table has been provided just below each of the
graphs. The reliability analysis has been conducted to check the reliability of the data and
correlation analysis has evaluated the data validity. In this research, the major limitation of
the survey is the use of 10 respondents which has resulted large sampling error which means
that the data may not hold true for the whole population. However, the qualitative data has
been used to validate which improves the research findings.
4.2 RELIABILITY ANALYSIS
The Cronbach’s alpha test has been used to measure the reliability of the collected
data in the research. The Cronbach’s alpha test measures the internal consistency and the
scale reliability of the data and the value of 0.7 is accepted value. In this given research, the
value of Cronbach’s alpha is 0.990 which shows that internal consistency and scale reliability
of the collected data is high. Moreover, the group reliability of the data is high and none of
the items should be omitted. On the other hand, the item total statistics, measures the scale
reliability of the data collected when one of the item is deleted. The results shows that the
value of alpha is decrease in all the occasions which signifies that all the items increases the
group reliability and should not be omitted.
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Alpha N of Items
.990 11

21RESEARCH PAPER
Item Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
physical stores are preferable 2.70 1.494 10
staff interference hinders 2.80 1.135 10
payment and information using a phone is
preferable
2.40 1.713 10
prefer home delivery more than click and collect 2.80 1.135 10
in store experience is a key 2.70 1.703 10
long queues put off your shopping urge 2.20 1.398 10
prefer purchasing expensive items from brick and
mortar stores than online sites
2.60 1.350 10
prefer purchasing fashion products from in store
than online stores
2.50 1.650 10
prefer fast fashion than traditional clothing 2.60 1.350 10
clothing quality 2.70 1.494 10
globalization has changed the behaviour of the
consumers
2.80 1.135 10
Item-Total Statistics
Scale Mean if Item
Deleted
Scale Variance if
Item Deleted
Corrected Item-
Total Correlation
Cronbach's Alpha if
Item Deleted
physical stores are preferable 26.10 183.878 .956 .989
staff interference hinders 26.00 193.111 .965 .989
payment and information using a
phone is preferable
26.40 177.822 .965 .989
prefer home delivery more than
click and collect
26.00 193.111 .965 .989
in store experience is a key 26.10 177.433 .981 .988

22RESEARCH PAPER
long queues put off your shopping
urge
26.60 185.822 .972 .988
prefer purchasing expensive items
from brick and mortar stores than
online sites
26.20 188.844 .921 .990
prefer purchasing fashion products
from in store than online stores
26.30 180.233 .946 .989
prefer fast fashion than traditional
clothing
26.20 188.400 .934 .989
clothing quality 26.10 184.322 .944 .989
globalization has changed the
behaviour of the consumers
26.00 193.111 .965 .989
4.3 QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
4.3.1 Demographic questions
Frequency Table
Age (1: Less than 24, 2: 25-34, 3: 35-44, 4: 45-54, 5: 55 and above)
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 2 20.0 20.0 20.0
2 4 40.0 40.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 3 30.0 30.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

23RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to evaluate the age of the respondents taking part in
the survey. The results show that 40% of the employees are between the age group of 25-34,
30% are between the age group of 45-54, 20% are less than 24 years and none of the
participants are above the age of 55.
Gender(1: Male, 2: Female)
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 4 40.0 40.0 40.0
2 6 60.0 60.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

24RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of the question is to highlight the gender of the respondents in this
current research. The results have shown that 40% are male consumers and 60% are female
consumers. This shows that there is diversity in the gender and varied responses are expected.
Income(1: Lower Middle Class, 2: Middle Class, 3: Upper Middle Class, 4: Upper
Class)
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 1 10.0 10.0 10.0
2 3 30.0 30.0 40.0
3 4 40.0 40.0 80.0
4 2 20.0 20.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

25RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of the question is to examine the income group of the participants. The
results show that 40% consumers belong to the Upper middle class group, 30% belong to the
middle class group, 20% belong to the upper class and remaining belong to the lower middle
class. This shows that Marks & Spencer mainly caters to middle class and upper middle class
groups. Therefore, they need to keep standard products to retain these loyal consumers as
they have the disposable income to purchase quality products.
4.3.2 Questions on globalization and consumer behaviour
(1: Strongly agree, 2: Agree, 3: Indifferent, 4: Disagree, 5: Strongly disagree)
physical stores are preferable
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 2 20.0 20.0 20.0
2 4 40.0 40.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 1 10.0 10.0 80.0
5 2 20.0 20.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

26RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to portray the whether physical stores are preferable
when comparing to the online stores. The results show that 20% have strongly agreed and
40% have agreed to the survey question. On the contrary, 10% are neutral to the question and
remaining 30% have disagreed to the research question. This shows that majority of the
population still prefers physical stores may be because of the fact that the average age
population is higher which means that they tend to consider the physical stores to be more
reliable.
staff interference hinders
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 2 6 60.0 60.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 2 20.0 20.0 90.0
5 1 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

27RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to describe the whether staff interference hinder in
store shopping experience or not. The results show that 60% have agreed to the survey
question. On the contrary, 10% are neutral to the question and remaining 30% have disagreed
to the research question. However, none of the respondents have strongly agreed to the
research question. This signifies that unnecessary interference from staffs is not welcome and
if the consumers need help they would reach out to the staffs.
payment and information using a phone is preferable
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 5 50.0 50.0 50.0
2 1 10.0 10.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 1 10.0 10.0 80.0
5 2 20.0 20.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

28RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to reveal whether payment and information using a
phone is preferable or not. The results show that 50% have strongly agreed and 10% have
agreed to the survey question. On the contrary, 10% are neutral to the question and remaining
30% have disagreed to the research question. This shows that consumers consider payment
through smartphones more easy and reliable. Moreover, statistics show that consumers in
United Kingdom prefer using phone payments while shopping in brick and mortar stores.
prefer home delivery more than click and collect
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 2 6 60.0 60.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 2 20.0 20.0 90.0
5 1 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

29RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to portray the whether prefer home delivery more
than click and collect or not. The results show that 60% have agreed to the survey question.
On the contrary, 10% are neutral to the question and remaining 30% have disagreed to the
research question. None of the respondents have strongly agreed to the research question.
The results indicate that majority of the population prefer home delivery as consumers in
United Kingdom have higher age average. Click and collect is very popular in the modern
retail stores but it is not the case for the consumers of Marks & Spencer.
in store experience is a key
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 3 30.0 30.0 30.0
2 3 30.0 30.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
5 3 30.0 30.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

30RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to disclose whether in store experience is a key aspect
of choosing a retail brand or not. The results show that 30% have strongly agreed and 30%
have agreed to the survey question. On the contrary, 10% are neutral to the question and
remaining 30% have strongly disagreed to the research question. The majority of the
consumers of Marks & Spencer prefer in store shopping so in store shopping experience is
key to retain existing consumers and develop new consumer base.
long queues put off your shopping urge
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 5 50.0 50.0 50.0
2 1 10.0 10.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 3 30.0 30.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

31RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to unveil whether long queues put off the shopping
urge of consumers or not. The results show that 50% have strongly agreed and 10% have
agreed to the survey question. On the contrary, 10% are neutral to the question and remaining
30% have disagreed to the research question. None of the participants have strongly
disagreed to the question. The consumers prefer shopping at brick and mortar stores in Marks
& Spencer which is a unique characteristics for the population in United Kingdom.
prefer purchasing expensive items from brick and mortar stores than online sites
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 2 20.0 20.0 20.0
2 4 40.0 40.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 2 20.0 20.0 90.0
5 1 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

32RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to disclose whether consumers prefer purchasing
expensive items from brick and mortar stores than online sites or not. The results show that
20% have strongly agreed and 40% have agreed to the survey question. On the contrary, 10%
are neutral to the question and remaining 30% have strongly disagreed to the research
question. This means that consumers of Marks & Spencer prefer purchasing expensive
products on retail outlets which shows that they put their trust on traditional form of
transactions.
prefer purchasing fashion products from in store than online stores
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 4 40.0 40.0 40.0
2 2 20.0 20.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 1 10.0 10.0 80.0
5 2 20.0 20.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

33RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to disclose whether consumers prefer purchasing
fashion products from in store than online stores not. The results show that 40% have strongly
agreed and 20% have agreed to the survey question. On the contrary, 10% are neutral to the
question and remaining 30% have strongly disagreed to the research question. This shows
that consumers prefer purchasing fashion products from brick and mortar stores. Moreover,
the results from all the questions shows the same thing that majority of the consumers have
inclination towards using brick and mortar stores over online stores.
prefer fast fashion than traditional clothing
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 2 20.0 20.0 20.0
2 4 40.0 40.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 2 20.0 20.0 90.0
5 1 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

34RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to disclose whether consumers prefer fast fashion
than traditional clothing or not. The results show that 20% have strongly agreed and 40%
have agreed to the survey question. On the contrary, 10% are neutral to the question and
remaining 30% have strongly disagreed to the research question. This shows that clothes that
are in trend are preferred by the consumers where they want to avail the latest trends in the
market.
clothing quality
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 1 2 20.0 20.0 20.0
2 4 40.0 40.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 1 10.0 10.0 80.0
5 2 20.0 20.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

35RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to disclose whether clothing quality is one of the
important factors in choosing the retail stores or not. The results show that 20% have
strongly agreed and 40% have agreed to the survey question. On the contrary, 10% are
neutral to the question and remaining 30% have strongly disagreed to the research question.
This result show that consumers consider quality of the products as one of the major criteria
for choosing products which is the reason that they prefer using brick and mortar stores so
that they can analyse the brick and mortar stores.
globalization has changed the behaviour of the consumers
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 2 6 60.0 60.0 60.0
3 1 10.0 10.0 70.0
4 2 20.0 20.0 90.0
5 1 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 10 100.0 100.0

36RESEARCH PAPER
The purpose of this questions is to disclose whether globalization has changed the
behaviour of the consumers or not. The results show that 60% have agreed to the survey
question. On the contrary, 20% are neutral to the question and remaining 30% have strongly
disagreed to the research question. However, none of the respondent has strongly agreed to
the research question. Even though, there has been significant change in the behaviour of the
consumers due to globalization, it can be seen that the impact is different for the consumers
in United Kingdom where majority still prefer using brick and mortar stores than online
stores to make purchase of products.

37RESEARCH PAPER
4.3.3 Correlation
Pearson’s correlation analysis has been performed to measure the degree of
association between the different variables. The research shows that there is very strong
correlation among all the elements. The value is close to 1 in most of the cases, which shows
that perfectly positive correlation. Moreover, the values are significant at two tailed test
which means that the relationship is bidirectional in nature. The consumers in United
Kingdom prefer visiting physical stores than online stores for shopping which is the reason
the majority of the respondents have agreed to all the other questions. This can highlighted by
the by high correlation between preferability of physical stores and in store experience. The
consumers that do not prefer physical stores would not have emphasised on the need of in
store experience. However, one factor is evident that even though the consumers are still
preferring brick and mortar stores they want the stores to be customized to such a level that it
improves the overall consumer experience. Another crucial insights is the fact that the
consumers hate long queues and it put them off which means that design and layout of the
brick and mortar stores are key to enhancing the performance of the employees. It also
shows that consumers trust physical stores more than the online stores in respect to choosing
products, trying out products and purchasing products. This is the reason that consumers have
the affinity of purchasing clothing products especially those that are high priced from
physical stores so that they can analyse the product perfectly before the purchase. In the
correlation, the relationship between the change in consumer behaviour and other factors
show a strong positive relationship which means that these affect the change in the consumer
behaviour. As the relation is two way, it means that globalisation has significantly impacted
the changes in consumer preferences. This is evident from the strong correlation and response
of the participants.
Correlations
physical
stores are
preferable
staff
interference
hinders
payment and
information
using a phone
is preferable
prefer home
delivery more
than click and
collect
in store
experience is
a key
physical stores are
preferable
Pearson Correlation 1 .943** .920** .943** .965**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10

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staff interference hinders Pearson Correlation .943** 1 .903** 1.000** .943**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
payment and information
using a phone is
preferable
Pearson Correlation .920** .903** 1 .903** .960**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
prefer home delivery
more than click and
collect
Pearson Correlation .943** 1.000** .903** 1 .943**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
in store experience is a
key
Pearson Correlation .965** .943** .960** .943** 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
long queues put off your
shopping urge
Pearson Correlation .936** .938** .937** .938** .961**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
prefer purchasing
expensive items from
brick and mortar stores
than online sites
Pearson Correlation .925** .957** .846** .957** .909**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .002 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
prefer purchasing
fashion products from in
store than online stores
Pearson Correlation .879** .890** .983** .890** .929**
Sig. (2-tailed) .001 .001 .000 .001 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
prefer fast fashion than
traditional clothing
Pearson Correlation .870** .957** .894** .957** .909**
Sig. (2-tailed) .001 .000 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
clothing quality Pearson Correlation .900** .878** .964** .878** .965**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .001 .000 .001 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10

39RESEARCH PAPER
globalization has
changed the behaviour of
the consumers
Pearson Correlation .943** .914** .960** .914** .943**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
Correlations
long queues
put off your
shopping urge
prefer
purchasing
expensive
items from
brick and
mortar stores
than online
sites
prefer
purchasing
fashion
products from
in store than
online stores
prefer fast
fashion than
traditional
clothing
clothing
quality
physical stores are
preferable
Pearson Correlation .936** .925** .879** .870** .900**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .001 .001 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
staff interference hinders Pearson Correlation .938** .957** .890** .957** .878**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .001 .000 .001
N 10 10 10 10 10
payment and information
using a phone is
preferable
Pearson Correlation .937** .846** .983** .894** .964**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .002 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
prefer home delivery
more than click and
collect
Pearson Correlation .938** .957** .890** .957** .878**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .001 .000 .001
N 10 10 10 10 10
in store experience is a
key
Pearson Correlation .961** .909** .929** .909** .965**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
long queues put off your
shopping urge
Pearson Correlation 1 .930** .915** .930** .936**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000

40RESEARCH PAPER
N 10 10 10 10 10
prefer purchasing
expensive items from
brick and mortar stores
than online sites
Pearson Correlation .930** 1 .848** .878** .815**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .002 .001 .004
N 10 10 10 10 10
prefer purchasing
fashion products from in
store than online stores
Pearson Correlation .915** .848** 1 .898** .924**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .002 .000 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
prefer fast fashion than
traditional clothing
Pearson Correlation .930** .878** .898** 1 .870**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .001 .000 .001
N 10 10 10 10 10
clothing quality Pearson Correlation .936** .815** .924** .870** 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .004 .000 .001
N 10 10 10 10 10
globalization has
changed the behaviour of
the consumers
Pearson Correlation .938** .885** .949** .885** .943**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .001 .000 .001 .000
N 10 10 10 10 10
Correlations
globalization has changed the
behaviour of the consumers
physical stores are preferable Pearson Correlation .943**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 10
staff interference hinders Pearson Correlation .914**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 10
payment and information using a phone is Pearson Correlation .960**

41RESEARCH PAPER
preferable Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 10
prefer home delivery more than click and collect Pearson Correlation .914**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 10
in store experience is a key Pearson Correlation .943**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 10
long queues put off your shopping urge Pearson Correlation .938**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 10
prefer purchasing expensive items from brick and
mortar stores than online sites
Pearson Correlation .885**
Sig. (2-tailed) .001
N 10
prefer purchasing fashion products from in store
than online stores
Pearson Correlation .949**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 10
prefer fast fashion than traditional clothing Pearson Correlation .885**
Sig. (2-tailed) .001
N 10
clothing quality Pearson Correlation .943**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 10
globalization has changed the behaviour of the
consumers
Pearson Correlation 1
Sig. (2-tailed)
N 10

42RESEARCH PAPER
4.3.4 Regression Analysis
Regression analysis is the method of developing a predictive model which will be
able to explain the characteristics of the dependent variable. In this research, consumer
behaviour is the dependent variable and globalization is the independent variable. The
different elements of globalization has been considered as the independent variable in the
research. In this study, the value of Multiple R is 1 which shows that the model is exactly
accurate and precise. It defines the correlation between the dependent and the independent
variable which is perfectly positive in nature. The value of R square is 1 which shows the
goodness of fit of the data points and in this study all the data points lie within the regression
line. Moreover, the explaining capability of the independent variable are 100% in the
research. This means that the independent variables are able to explain the characteristics of
the dependent variable fully. However, this is quite impossible in practical studies where
there is involvement of human beings to the research. However, as the value of Durbin
Watson is less than 1.5 it means that there is first order autocorrelation between the variables.
This means that there is a presence of consecutive negative within the data sets. Moreover,
the F value in the research is 0.000 which is less than 0.05 and it means that the null
hypothesis can be rejected in the research. This means that there is significant influence of
globalization on the behaviour of the consumers in Marks & Spencer.
Model Summaryb
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square
Std. Error of the
Estimate Durbin-Watson
1 1.000a 1.000 1.000 .000 1.294
ANOVAa
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 11.600 8 1.450 . .b
Residual .000 1 .000
Total 11.600 9
Coefficientsa

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Model
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) .600 .000 . .
physical stores are preferable 1.000 .000 1.316 . .
prefer home delivery more than
click and collect
-1.400 .000 -1.400 . .
in store experience is a key -1.200 .000 -1.800 . .
long queues put off your
shopping urge
-.800 .000 -.985 . .
prefer purchasing expensive
items from brick and mortar
stores than online sites
1.000 .000 1.189 . .
prefer purchasing fashion
products from in store than
online stores
.200 .000 .291 . .
prefer fast fashion than
traditional clothing
.800 .000 .951 . .
clothing quality 1.200 .000 1.580 . .
4.4 QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
Questions Comments Coding
1. How did globalisation
impact the buying
behaviour of the
consumers? How has it
affected your business?
“Globalization has
completed changed the
mind-set of the consumers.
The consumers have access
to different internet sites and
social media platforms
which provides them with a
variety of options in the
market. The buying power
of the consumers have
Consumers thought process,
habits and way of
information searching have
changed.
exposed to new brands, new
designs, new styles and new
trends

44RESEARCH PAPER
increased significantly. This
has heavily affected our
business as it has been tough
to adjust to the change in the
needs of the consumers.”
“Consumers thought
process, habits and way of
information searching have
changed. The consumers are
exposed to new brands, new
designs, new styles and new
trends which affects their
behaviour significantly. We
are facing immense
competition from all the
major companies in keeping
up with the fast change in
nature of the trends in the
fashion industry. It is
difficult to cater to the
varying needs by keeping
the core value of the
company intact. “
2. How do you address the
needs of the different target
segments?
“We have been trying to
develop a mixed collection
which consists of new
trendy clothing products and
old classic designs.”
“We have conducted market
analysis to identify the needs
of each of the segments.
Trendy collection for the
younger generations and
classic clothing for the older
generations
mixed collection

45RESEARCH PAPER
Trendy collection for the
younger generations and
classic clothing for the older
generations.”
4.5 DISCUSSION
The analysis from the qualitative analysis clearly shows that the managers in Marks &
Spencer have experienced a change in consumer behaviour after the globalisation. The major
changes as per the respondents are the change in thought process, habits and the way
information is accessed by the users. Globalization has led to improvement of the global
economy resulting in increase in disposable income of a major segment of the society. The
availability of internet services at cheaper rates and its expansion in different parts of the
world have provided access to variety of information to all the consumers. The consumers are
gathering knowledge on different products from social media platforms, emails and blogs to
review products before making a purchase. They have been exposed variety of options in the
market which they did not have earlier which is the reason that consumers buy products that
offer value for money. The company has been trying to keep a mix between the classical
clothing choices and the trendy choices based on the demographics of the consumers.
However, this strategy has not been working for the consumers as people want to be up to
date regardless of their age so that out fashion clothes will be sufficient to gather the attention
of the consumers. The majority of the consumers are above the age of 25years as seen in the
survey. This means that as per the demographics is considered, the organization should be
more focused on catering to the consumers that are above the age group of 25.
4.6 SUMMARY
The chapter has evaluated the data collected though the qualitative and quantitative
data analysis method. The quantitative analysis of the data has shown that globalisation has
significantly impacted the behaviour of the consumers in Marks & Spencer. However, the
change is different when compared to the consumers in other demographic areas and it can be
seen that consumers still prefer using physical stores that online stores which shopping for
clothing products. On the other hand, the qualitative analysis of the data has shown that the
managers also feel that the globalisation has affected the mind-set of the consumers and they

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are exposed to more options than before. The next chapter in the research has provided a
relevant conclusion based on the objectives.

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CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter in the research has provided a detail conclusion based on the findings in
the previous chapter. Globalization has changed the behaviour of the consumers significantly
and Marks & Spencer have faced similar issues while dealing with the needs of the
consumers. The analysis of the report has been able to highlight the relationship between
globalisation and its impact on consumer behaviour. It has also facilitated in understanding
the different changes in the behaviour of the consumers. However, as the sample size of the
research is relative small it may not depict the whole consumer base.
5.2 CONCLUSION
The conclusion has been obtained by linking the objectives with the research findings
and results. This section has aimed to provide a suitable summary of the all the findings by
understanding its relevance in the research context. The major findings in the research has
been articulated below:
 The majority of the consumers have stated that they prefer using physical stores when
compared to the online stores while making purchase of fashion products. As per the
respondents the reliability of the physical stores are higher than the online stores. This
is key characteristics as ecommerce has been driving the industry but in United
Kingdom as average population age is high, they prefer adequate mixture of
conventional shopping with technology.
 The consumer prefer paying using their mobile phones which shows that they feel
convenient in making mobile transaction while making a purchase.
 The consumers do not want to be disturbed by the staffs by exploring shopping stores
and they would ask for help if they need it. This means that it is necessary to develop
the store layout according so that it does not become confusing for the consumers.
 The consumers prefer home delivery than click and collect which means that if the
shopping is done on online platform, they prefer it to be delivered. This indicates that
the click and collect hybrid model of ecommerce is still not suitable for the
consumers.

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 The respondents have also provided emphasis on the product quality that is being
offered to them.
 The research has also examined the fact that consumers prefer fashionable trendy
irrespective of their age. Initially, age was considered as a control variable to check
whether it has any impact on the results but it is clearly seen that the desire for trendy
and fashionable is same among all age groups.
 The findings from the qualitative analysis have shown the company is focused on
catering clothing based on the different age groups. They have kept a mixture of both
classic and trendy collection but it has negatively impacted their sales as consumers
are more interested in fast fashion as per the trend in the current market.
5.3 RECOMMENDATION
The research has provided following recommendations based on the findings in the
research:
 Marks & Spencer needs to make changes to their current market offerings in the
clothing segment. They need to develop trendy and fashionable clothing products for
all the age groups.
 The organization should focus on improving the in store experience of the consumers
by developing effective store layout and design. The organization needs to develop
store that are kid-friendly and improve the speed of the transactions.
 The organization needs to rewards to their regular consumers and organize events to
increase the footfall throughout the year.
 The organization needs to improve the quality of the products offered as the
consumers and they demand standard products which means value for money.
5.4 RESEARCH LIMITATION
The major limitation of the research is the fact that the sample size in the survey is 10
which is comparatively small and results in high sampling error. This has resulted in
autocorrelation among the items in the research. The predictive model has lost its credibility
due to this factor. Moreover, the research has addressed a particular case and the findings
may be different for the other consumers in different countries.

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5.5 FUTURE SCOPE
In future, research can be conducted to overcome the limitations of this study by using
a larger sample size to reduce the chances of sampling error. This would also facilitate in
developing a predictive model which is precise and free of first degree autocorrelation.
Moreover, research should be performed on a different case organization in a different
country to understand the difference in impact on consumers in different countries.

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APPENDICES
APPENDIX
1. Age?
a) Less than 24 b) 25-34 c) 35-44 d) 45-54 e) 55 and above
2. Gender?
a) Male
b) Female
3. Income?
a) Lower Middle Class
b) Middle Class
c) Upper Middle Class
d) Upper Class
4. How far do you agree that physical stores are preferable when compared to online
stores?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
5. How far do you agree that staff interference hinder in store shopping experience?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
6. How far do you agree that payment and information using a phone is preferable?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
7. How far do you agree that people prefer home delivery more than click and collect?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
8. How far do you agree that in store experience is a key aspect of choosing a retail
brand?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree

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Management best practices
9. How far do you agree that long queues put off your shopping urge?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
10. How far do you agree that you prefer purchasing expensive items from brick and
mortar stores than online sites?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
11. How far do you agree that you prefer purchasing fashion products from in store
than online stores?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
12. How far do you agree that you prefer fast fashion than traditional clothing?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
13. How far do you agree that clothing quality is one of the critical factors for choosing
a product?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
14. How far do you agree that globalization has changed the behaviour of the consumers
in United Kingdom?
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Indifferent d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
Qualitative Questions
1. How did globalisation impact the buying behaviour of the consumers? How has it affected
your business?
2. How do you address the needs of the different target segments?

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References: Harvard