Role of Line Managers and Leaders in Employee Development: A Study on Marks and Spencer

This study focuses on the role played by managers and leaders within employee development at workplace. It analyses the strategies adopted by line managers and leaders in employee development in Marks and Spencer and the issues they faced while implementing it at workplace.

Research Project

Contents
Chapter One: Introduction...............................................................................................................3
1.1 Research Aim.........................................................................................................................3
Rationale for the research............................................................................................................3
1.2 Research Questions................................................................................................................4
1.3 Research Objectives...............................................................................................................4
1.4 Significance of the Research.................................................................................................4
Chapter Two: Literature Review.....................................................................................................4
2.1 Introduction of Literature Review.........................................................................................4
2.2 Main Body.............................................................................................................................5
2.3 Conclusion of Literature Review...........................................................................................7
Chapter Three: Methodology...........................................................................................................7
3.1 Research Approach................................................................................................................7
3.2 Research Strategy..................................................................................................................7
3.3 Research Methodology..........................................................................................................7
3.4 Research Tools.......................................................................................................................8
3.5 Sampling................................................................................................................................8
3.5.1 Identifying Population and Research Site...........................................................................8
3.5.2 Sampling Strategy...............................................................................................................8
Chapter Four: Findings (Data Analysis and Presentation)............................................................10
Chapter Five: Discussion (Data Interpretation).............................................................................15
Chapter Six: Conclusion, Recommendations and Implications for Further Research..................16
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................19
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................20

Chapter One: Introduction
Employee development refers to cooperative efforts among employers and employees to
assists the worker enhance their skills as well as knowledge in the field. In addition to this, it is
the efforts put by an organisation with the objective to develop skills, capabilities and knowledge
of staff members which further help a company to attain objectives. There are various benefits
attained by an organisation due to employee development such as increase in performance,
development of brand image, increase in profitability, attainment of competitive edge and many
more. In order to foster personal as well as professional growth, it is highly crucial for
organisations to pay emphasis on personnel development. It also helps in maintaining positive
working environment within an organisation. The current study focus on marks and spencer as
its base company. It is one of the leading British retailer brand operating globally that offers
food, clothing and home products. The company was founded in year 1884 and has approx. 1463
stores globally indicating its popularity and worldwide success. In recent years, it has became
vital for company to focus on employee development as it assist them to maintain its
performance in this competitive marketplace. For this, the study is conducted in order to analyse
the role played by managers and leaders within employee development at workplace.
1.1 Research Aim
“To analyse the role played by line managers and leaders in employee development in
organisation.' A study on Marks and Spencer
Rationale for the research
The primary rationale of conducting this research is to evaluate the role performed by
managers within the process of employee development. The present study will allow research
worker to gain insight about different strategies used by line managers & leaders in process of
employee development and the issues they faced while implementing it at workplace. Apart from
this, the present study helps in enhancing personal as well as professional development. In
professional aspect, it enables the researcher to gain knowledge about organisation and its
strategies that further assist in gaining opportunities in future. In personal context, it provides
assistance in improving skills such as analytical skills, data collection, data analysis, data

interpretation, communication and many more. The study will further help research worker in
enhancing abilities for further studies with more efficiency and in productive way.
1.2 Research Questions
 What is basic concept of role played by line managers and leaders in employee
development in Marks and Spencer?
 What are various strategies adopted by line managers and leaders in employee
development in Marks and Spencer?
 What are the issues faced by line managers and leaders in the course of implementing
various employee development strategies in Marks and Spencer?
1.3 Research Objectives
 To Understand the basic concept of role played by line managers and leaders in employee
development in Marks and Spencer.
 To evaluate the various strategies adopted by line managers and leaders in employee
development in Marks and Spencer.
 To analyse various issues faced by line managers and leaders in the course of
implementing various employee development strategies in Marks and Spencer.
1.4 Significance of the Research.
Employees are the integral part and their development is vital for an organisation to ensure
expansion and progress. The current study facilitate the analysis of the role of leaders and
managers in employee development. Beside this, it help in examining the challenges arise in the
process of employee development that further leads towards development of effective strategy by
an organisation and to maintain its performance. Furthermore, it help to enhance skills due to
which further studies is conducted in an appropriate and effective manner. Moreover, the present
study is set basis for other studies associated to employee development and the role of managers
and leaders in it.
Chapter Two: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction of Literature Review
Literature review is a survey of original published sources of work on the particular topic.
Along with this, it is the secondary information that is gathered with the help of various sources

in the form of articles, journals, books and online content. This further assist research worker to
acquire intellectual content regarding the subject which would promote accurate conclusive
results. The main objective of literature review is to analyze the research gap. In the previous
studies, there is detailed data emphasizing on employee development and effective policies
adopted by companies for it. Apart from this, it also includes the benefits attained by a company
due to employee development but it lacks information regarding influence of managers and
leaders in personnel development. This is the main gap and to fulfill this gap, some research
questions are developed which are as follows:
2.2 Main Body
Concept of role played by line managers and leaders in employee development in Marks and
Spencer
According to the view of eliza paul (2019), the role of managers and leaders are
prominent in employee development which further allow an organisation to gain growth and
success as marketplace. The leaders ensure that an effective training and development session is
to be provide to the new as well as existing staff members. This help company to increase the
level of knowledge and capabilities of employees promoting effectiveness. Moreover, it also help
in clarifying all the roles and responsibilities to employees because of which all the activities are
implemented systematically and in a timely manner (Role in employee development and
management, 2019). On the other side, managers analyse the performance of employees on
continuous basis and provide them feedback which r help staff members to improve and leads
towards attainment of both personal and professional growth. Moreover, leaders and managers
ensure that positive working culture is being provided to employees as it help them to work
without any stress and put their full potential to meet with the targets of company. These help
employees to improve productivity and performance level within the organisation.
Various strategies adopted by line managers and leaders in employee development in Marks
and Spencer
As per the viewpoint of Jan Hills, (2010), it is analysed that line managers and leaders
are working really hard for the objective to assure that the organisation takes into consideration
the status of employee's choice as soon as the UK gets free from recession. The leaders and line
managers are good at dealing with the situations of the crisis and also focuses on implementing
various strategies that basically involves the headcount reductions, cost cutting on benefits and

training. In context to Marks and Spencer, the business partners are fully focusing on the agenda
of talent and are efficiently working with line managers for the objective of identifying the talent
and creating and developing plans according to the individuals for the purpose to ensure that they
are understanding the career and growth opportunities which the organisation is offering them
that also further involves the succession paths and planning cover. In addition to this, the
organisation is also focusing on enhancing the process of Marks and Spencer’s employer brand
and more on employee engagement and employee development. It also involves conducting
various surveys for the purpose to increase the level of motivation among the workforce and also
assessing various issues and even supporting managers to take necessary actions whenever
required. The line managers and leaders are taking necessary measures to ensure that proper
strategy is implemented in order to get the desired results and also contributing in providing the
best business results and making a efficient and effective line management team.
Issues faced by line managers and leaders in the course of implementing various employee
development strategies in Marks and Spencer
According to Paul Polman and CB Bhattacharya, (2016), there are several challenges that
managers and leaders have to deal with for the purpose to implement various employee
development strategies in the organisation which basically involves lack of acknowledgement
and lack of personal involvement from the leader and line managers side which resulted in
creation and implementation of the desired strategies. The business managers of the organisation
need to understand the important of various issues which also involves sustainability issues. It is
very important to understand the need, desire and objective of each and every employee and
afterwards formulating the strategies according to their needs and keeping in mind organisational
goals. The line managers and leaders need to think beyond the financial benefits in order to
enhance the employee development process. Moreover, in order to implement effective strategies
in the organisation it is very important to work on company’s culture, managing and enhancing
the communication as lack of proper communication is another issue that need to be addressed
carefully while implementing the desired strategies, it is also important to address the wellbeing
of the employees and tracking productivity of the team in a timely manner plus supporting
inclusion and diversity in the workplace and also focusing on on boarding and recruiting the
right employees in the organisation.

2.3 Conclusion of Literature Review
It can be concluded from the above literature review, managers and leaders plays a very
important part in developing and implementing the right strategies for the employee development
process and also plays a significant role in achievement of organizational goals and objectives
plus use of various strategies in order to increase employee engagement and motivating them to
work in their best possible way to achieve organizational goals.
Chapter Three: Methodology
It refers to the set of methods which are adopted by investigator in order to acquire proper
and appropriate data on the specific topic. The methods and techniques used in the present study
for data collection is given below:
3.1 Research Approach
It is defined as plans as well as procedures which includes the steps of wide assumptions to
in-depth methods of data collection, interpretation and analysis. The major types of research
approach are classified as inductive and deductive but according to this research deductive
approach is more convenient. This approach is more suitable as it helps in collecting primary and
detailed information about the topic that further leads to development of more certain and
authentic conclusion. The use of deductive approach is more suitable in studying qualitative
aspects of research data which takes into account perceptions and convictions of individuals.
3.2 Research Strategy
It refers to step by step action or plan that provides direction to research worker to execute
all the activities in a proper manner. Along with this, it enables investigator to conduct study in a
systematic and timely manner in order to produce quality results. There are numerous methods
research strategy like interview, action research, case study and other effective methods. In
context to the current research, the method of survey is taken into consideration as it help in
collecting detailed and primary information which is vital in order to fulfill research objectives.
Moreover it is more suitable method which is economical as well as less time consuming. The
other strategies such as performing interviews are more helpful when qualitative study is being
conducted.

3.3 Research Methodology
It refers to the set of procedures which allow investigator to gain information on the
specific topic. Additionally, this is an important part of a research as the overall study is based on
it. The two major classification of research methods are qualitative and quantitative. As per the
specifications of current study, quantitative method is preferred as it support facts with
numerical data and statistics. Along with this, it helps in acquisition of data which is more
reliable and supports more convenient results. The qualitative aspects of data are supported with
views and notions of individuals through performing interviews and methods of qualitative
research. Whereas quantitative aspects of data helps in obtaining more accurate outcomes
through emphasizing focus upon figures and numerical form of data.
3.4 Research Tools
It is defined as the methods and techniques that is adopted in the process of conducting
research. There are majorly two categories of research tools that is primary and secondary.
Primary information refers to the data which presents first hand information and is original
source of information. The methods of obtaining primary data are through making questionnaire
or conducting interviews etc. On the other hand, secondary data includes information which is
previously gathered and is existing as well. In context to the current project, both methods of
collecting data is convenient to use. To facilitate collection of primary data, questionnaire is used
as it helps in assisting in-depth knowledge about topic. On the other side, secondary data is
gathered with the help of books, Journals, articles and so on.
3.5 Sampling
It is the technique applied by researcher for the purpose of selecting sample size from total
population. The two main classifications of sampling are probability and non-probability
sampling method.
3.5.1 Identifying Population and Research Site
In the current study, the 40 employees of Marks and Spencer is chosen as participants. The
primary concern behind selecting employees as participants is that they are familiar about ground
workings of company due to which they are able to share experience based information and more
suitable data to researcher. This further leads to attainment of positive and valid conclusion.

3.5.2 Sampling Strategy
According to current research, the method of random sampling, sub type of probability
sampling is preferred. The primary reason for this choice is that it facilitate selection of large
sample size without any biasness. Moreover, it promotes reliability and more authenticity in
collecting information with effectiveness.
Questionnaire:
Q1. Are you acquainted with the significance of employee
development?
Frequency
a) Yes 36
b) No 4
Q2. How employee development influence the efficiency and
overall performance of an enterprise?
Frequency
a) Positively 30
b) Negatively 7
c) No influence 3
Q3. According to your opinion, why it is essential for an
organisation to promote and focus upon employee development?
Frequency
a) To maintain positive working environment 10
b) To execute activities systematically 10
c) To retain employees 10
d) To bring new ideas and concepts 10
Q4. According to you, how leaders and managers play an important
role in development of employees?
Frequency
a) To provide guidance 13
b) To clarify roles and responsibilities 12
c) To assess performance 8
d) To motivate staff members 7
Q5. What are the policies adopted through managers and leaders of
Marks and Spencer for employee development?
Frequency
a) Training and development session 9
b) Participation in decision making 10

c) Providing monetary and nonmonetary benefits 11
d) Mentoring 10
Q6. As per your perspective, does above employee development
policies are effective for Marks and Spencer to maximise
satisfaction and retention among its employees?
Frequency
a) Yes 34
b) No 6
Q7. How Marks and Spencer is benefited through promoting
employee development?
Frequency
a) Increase in productivity 11
b) Enhancement of brand image 14
c) Improvement in performance level 8
d) Achievement of competitive advantage 7
Q8. What are the issues associated with the execution of employee
development strategies at workplace?
Frequency
a) High cost 12
b) Increase in conflicts among employee and employers 12
c) Decline in performance 9
d) Increase in employee turnover rate 7
Chapter Four: Findings (Data Analysis and Presentation)
Q1. Are you acquainted with the significance of employee
development?
Frequency
a) Yes 36
b) No 4

Q2. How employee development influence the efficiency and
overall performance of an enterprise?
Frequency
a) Positively 30
b) Negatively 7
c) No influence 3
Q3. According to your opinion, why it is essential for an Frequency

organisation to promote and focus upon employee development?
a) To maintain positive working environment 10
b) To execute activities systematically 10
c) To retain employees 10
d) To bring new ideas and concepts 10
Q4. According to you, how leaders and managers play an important
role in development of employees?
Frequency
a) To provide guidance 13
b) To clarify roles and responsibilities 12
c) To assess performance 8
d) To motivate staff members 7

Q5. What are the policies adopted through managers and leaders of
Marks and Spencer for employee development?
Frequency
a) Training and development session 9
b) Participation in decision making 10
c) Providing monetary and nonmonetary benefits 11
d) Mentoring 10

Q6. As per your perspective, does above employee development
policies are effective for Marks and Spencer to maximise
satisfaction and retention among its employees?
Frequency
a) Yes 34
b) No 6
Q7. How Marks and Spencer is benefited through promoting
employee development?
Frequency
a) Increase in productivity 11
b) Enhancement of brand image 14
c) Improvement in performance level 8
d) Achievement of competitive advantage 7

Q8. What are the issues associated with the execution of employee
development strategies at workplace?
Frequency
a) High cost 12
b) Increase in conflicts among employee and employers 12
c) Decline in performance 9
d) Increase in employee turnover rate 7

Chapter Five: Discussion (Data Interpretation)
Interpretation 1: It is interpreted that the management at Marks & Spencer has been
effective in informing vital information of employee development relative to its work force as
out of 40 employees 36 have effective knowledge relative to the concept of employees
development and only 4 employees answered that they were not aware of the overall concept. It
can be interpreted that at Marks & Spence the line managers are effective in fulfilling their role.
Interpretation 2: It is interpreted that most of the employee are aware of the fact that
employee development plays a vital role in positively influencing the overall performance of the
organization. This can be interpreted as out of 40 employees 30 think employee development has
a positive influence on the organization whereas only 7 think that it negatively impacts its
performance as for the remaining 3 have the opinion that it neither influences organizational
performance in positive or negative manner.
Interpretation 3: It is analysed that respondents are well aware of the benefits of employee
development. Out of 40 employees 10 had the view point that employee development helps in
enhancing the work environment. Whereas other 10 had the view point that it helps in executing
activities in a systematic way. The rest 20 employees were spilt equally in their opinion s as half
had the viewpoints that employee development helped in retaining employees and the rest think
it is crucial for introducing new ideas.
Interpretation 4: It is determined that employees are more focused on gaining suitable
guidance from their leader and manager as out of 40 participants 13 has this point of view.
Whereas 12 employees think that a leader should provide clarity in roles along with 8 employees
stating that a leader should be effective in assessing performance. The remaining 7 employee
think the leadership should be effective in motivating them.
Interpretation 5: It is determined that management pays emphasis on utilizing strategies
such as mentoring and participation in decision making as out of 40 employees 20 employees
were spilt equality between both the strategies. Whereas 11 think that the organization pays
emphasis on monetary benefits along with remaining 9 of the opinion relative to training and
development.
Interpretation 6: It can be interpreted from above graph that most of the employees think
that employee development at Marks & Spencer are effective as out of 40 employees 34 were
highly satisfied while remaining 6 were not.

Interpretation 7: It can be interpreted that through employee development, the respective
organisation is able to enhance its brand image as out of 40 employees 14 had this point of view.
Whereas 11 through it enhanced its productivity and 8 think it improved its performance. The
remaining 7 had the view point that is provided the organization with completive advantage.
Interpretation 8: By analysing the above graph, It is interpreted that the major issues in
executing employees development strategy is due to the factor high cost and conflict between
employee and the employees and can be observe as out of 40 employee 12 for each factor had
this opinion. In addition to this, 9 employees think it reduced the overall performance whereas
the remaining 7 have the opinion that the strategies increase employee turnover.
Chapter Six: Conclusion, Recommendations and Implications for Further
Research
Conclusion
From the above conducted research, it has been concluded that employee development is the
procedure of enhancing and improving the skills, abilities and knowledge level of staff members
that has direct impact on the overall performance of a company. Along with this, it is analysed
that there are several strategies which is used by a company with the objective to develop and
retain its staff members such as providing learning opportunities, performance assessment,
training and development sessions and so on. It is determined that all such strategies allow
company to not only enhance its performance but also to retain staff members for longer time
period which is one of the main reason of its growth and success. Beside this, it is evaluated that
there are many issues faced by a company due to implementation of employee development like
high costs, high rate of conflicts and arguments among individuals increase in employee turnover
and many more. Moreover, it is determined that there are different method of data collection and
to select an appropriate method is vital for a company as it help in gaining valid and reliable
conclusion in an appropriate manner. Furthermore, it is determined that employee development
is highly significant for a company to increase satisfaction as well as improvement in staff
retention and enhancing overall performance.
Recommendations
After analysing this study, managers and leaders of Marks and Spencer are suggested to
consider following points for employee development.

 It is recommended to higher authorities and leaders to continuously analyse the
performance of staff members and the provide them feedback as it help in making
improvements and ensure employee growth at workplace.
 Another suggestion to leaders is to provide appropriate training and development session
to staff members as it assist them to enhance calibre and performance of employees to
perform activities and deal with the situation in a proper manner. Moreover, it is recommended to allow staff members to give their suggestion and ideas at
the time of decision making as it help in bringing new ideas and creativity that further
allow company to attain competitive advantage.
Further implications of research
The present study will help researcher to learnt and develop skills such as data collection,
data analysis, time management and communication skills that further allow investigator to
conduct future studies in a proper manner. Along with this, the present study is set basis for other
studies that will be conducted in future related to employee development. Moreover, this will
also allow research worker to gain insight about organisation and its strategies due to which both
personal and professional growth can be attained. The conducted study is facilitated with the
effective use of various aspects of research methodology. The application of sampling and
questionnaires helped in acquiring reliable content for the study which further resulted in
conclusive outcomes. Moreover, frequency distribution analysis supported the research with
summarised formats which helped in gaining better understanding for the purpose of
interpretation. The reliable outcomes of this research were due to constructive use of methods of
data collection as well as analysis.

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APPENDIX
Research Proposal Form
Student Name: ______________________ Student ID:
____________
Centre Name: _____________________
Tutor: ________________ Date:
___________________
Unit: ____________________
Proposed Title: ______________________________________________
Section One: Title, objective, responsibilities
Title or working title of the research project (in the form of a question,
objective or hypothesis)
Title: 1 Role played by line managers and leaders in employee development
Aim: Aim: “To analyse the role played by line managers and leaders in employee
development in organisation.' a study on Marks and Spencer
Research Questions:
 what is basic concept of role played by line managers and leaders in employee
development in Marks and Spencer?
 what are various strategies adopted by line managers and leaders in employee
development in Marks and Spencer?
 Identify some issues faced by line managers and leaders in the course of implementing
various employee development strategies in Marks and Spencer?
Research objectives (e.g what is the question you want to answer? What do you
want to learn how to do? What do you want to find out?):
To Understand the basic concept of role played by line managers and leaders in employee
development in Marks and Spencer
To evaluate the various strategies adopted by line managers and leaders in employee
development in Marks and Spencer.
To analyse various issues faced by line managers and leaders in the course of implementing

various employee development strategies in Marks and Spencer.
Section Two: Reasons for choosing this research project
Reasons for choosing the project (e.g links to other subjects you are
studying, personal interest, future plans, knowledge/skills you want to
improve, why the topic is important):
In the changing context of organisation functioning there are different aspects
which have to be considered in order to ensure its effective functioning. Line
managers and leaders are playing a very important role in this process of ensuring
that there is effective employee functioning. For this purpose it becomes important
to develop a detail overview of strategies that are to be adopted by leaders. The
present report is going to help in the process of developing a detailed overview of
such aspects that can assist leader and line managers in the process of developing
the understanding and analysing the various issues that are faced by leaders and
line managers in the process of implementing employee development strategies.
This is is going to help organizations like Marks and Spencer in the process of
developing detailed overview of the different strategies that can assist managers
and leaders in the process of having a competent and talented workforce.
Furthermore, the present study assist researcher in both personal and professional
context. In relation to professional, it help to gain insight about employee
development. With reference to personal, it assist to improve and learnt skills that
is data collection, data analysis, data interpretation and so on. It will also assist
research worker to conduct future studies in more appropriate and effective
manner.
Section Three: Literature sources searched
Use of key literature sources to support your research question,
objective or hypothesis:
Briefly explain and highlight the key sources(8-10), theories(3),
concepts/frameworks , past studies , trends etc in relation to your set
Research Aim, Objectives and Questions as per Section
Concepts and framework:
concept of role played by line managers and leaders
The term line manager is regarded as the organisational employees who are part of lower
layer in the management hierarchy it includes team leader. The term line manager traditionally

stands for point that represents the first line of administration to whim the non social control
worker have to report. Line managers are known by various names that may be team leader,
front line manager, project leader and supervisor.
Theory of reinforcement:
This theory can also be used in organisations such as it emphasized on the learning behaviour
of individual that leader will be repeating the behaviour that is attached with achievement of
positive outcomes, there are different techniques that are part of human resource practises
and associated with training & development programs. This can be used as a tool for
promotion, bonus, awarding of certifications, salary raises that is associated with training and
development activities (Major Theories of Training and Development, 2020).
Theory of social learning:
Social theory respondents the direct enforcement programs that is training and development
programs are organized for enhancing the present level of employee skill sets. This type of
earning is also regarded as observational learning that is related to understanding of human
behaviours. In organisations, training programs can be made effective by associating it with
benefits and rewards that will motivate employees for building of positive mental state (Major
Theories of Training and Development, 2020). .
Theory of experiential learning:
There are cognitive and experiential learning that is differentiated. Experience provides the
individual maturity & enhances the learning power with cognition. There is personal
participation and learner is able to conduct the self judgment test that helps employees in
effective learning process (Four Major Theories of Training and Development, 2020).
various strategies adopted by line managers and leaders in employee development in
Marks and Spencer
As per the view point of Cronad (2021), it is analysed that there are various practices and
strategies adopted by an organisation for employee development that further ensure company
to gain success and growth (Employee development strategies, 2021). One of the main strategy is
training and development due to which an organisation is able to enhance skills and
knowledge of employees. Furthermore, providing opportunities to employees to showcase
their talent and ideas is also the strategy that help staff members to gain both personal and

professional growth.
issues faced by line managers and leaders in the course of implementing various
employee development strategies in Marks and Spencer
According to Tran (2019), it is determined that there are various issues dealt by an
organisation when they execute practices related to employee development (Employee
development challenges, 2019). One of the major challenge is increase in conflict among
employee and employers that affect on the overall performance of an organisation. Along with
this, there are also other challenges that is increase in cost, non-acceptance by employees
and so on.
For this research project, the researcher intends to use key secondary
sources from the following:
1.Engaging leader – Engaged employees? A cross-lagged study on employee
engagement, 2020 [online], Available through
<https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0263237319300283>
2.The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Employee Sustainable Performance: The
Mediating Role of Organizational Citizenship Behavior, 2020 [online], Available
through<https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/9/1567
3.Four Major Theories of Training and Development, 2020 [online], Available
through<https://www.mbaknol.com/human-resource-management/four-major-
theories-of-training-and-development/>
4.Leadership competencies and the essential role of human resource development in times of crisis: a
response to Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 [online], Available
through<https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13678868.2020.1780078
5.Self-Determination Theory in Human Resource Development: New
Directions and Practical Considerations, 2020 [online], Available
through<https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1523422318756954>
6.Achieving engagement among hospitality employees: a serial mediation
model,2020 [online], Available
through<https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2016-
0538/full/html>
7.The Relationship Between Responsible Leadership and Organisational

Commitment and the Mediating Effect of Employee Turnover Intentions: An
Empirical Study with Australian Employees, 2020 [online], Available
through<https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-017-3575-6>
8.Contextual leadership: A systematic review of how contextual factors shape
leadership and its outcomes, 2020 [online], Available
through<https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984317300413>
In regards to the concepts/frameworks and theories, the researcher will
be looking at …..
Past studies such …..will be undertaken
Online
Employee development strategies, 2021 [online] Available through;
https://www.selecthub.com/learning-management/employee-development-
strategies/
Employee development challenges, 2019 [online] Available through;
https://blog.trginternational.com/3-common-employee-development-challenges-
and-how-to-overcome-them
Section Four: Activities and timescales
Activities to be carried out during the research project
(e.g research, development and analysis of ideas,
writing, data collection, numerical analysis, tutor
meetings, production of final outcome, evaluation,
writing the report):

Milestone one: _________________
Target date (set by tutor): ____________________
Milestone two: _______________________
Target date (set by tutor): ______________________
Gantt Chart
Convert the activities listed above into a clear detailed Gantt chart for 23
weeks as shown (You can also refer your Unit 6 where you have already
prepared a Gantt Chart)

Section Five: Research approach and methodologies
What type of research approach and methodologies are you likely to use
and why? What your areas of research will cover:
Research philosophy: It is characterised as the term that is based on specific set
of actions which is focussed on identification of reality that is based on the
instigation topic. There are two important research philosophies that can be used
in the research work that includes interpretative and positivism philosophy. Both of
them are significant to be used. In the existing research work there will be
utilization of positivist belief that will facilitate in the process of evaluation of
numerical information.
Research approach: It is regarded as the procedure that is based on broad
assumptions to depict different method of analysis, interpretation & collection of
data. It is classified in two basic types that includes inductive and deductive
approaches. For achievement of present research objectives there will be use of
deductive approach. It will help in analysing of information in the available time
period.
Research strategies: It is most needed way for conducting the research. These
strategies are helpful in the process of planing, execution and further monitoring

of research. There are various variety of research scheme that can be utilized in
the instigation. It includes methods such as experiments, surveys, action research,
case study and such related methods. In the present research there will be
adoption of survey strategy that will assist in the process of selecting the required
information.
Research choice; There are different types of research choices that includes
quantitative and quantitative research choices. In the present research there will
be sue of both qualitative and quantitative research choices. In which quantitative
research choices will be used for collection of information in numerical form and
qualitative research will be adopted for having information in subjective manner.
Research instrument: In this method there will be use of questionnaire for the
purpose of assembling content from the target section of respondents.
Questionnaire will be used as it is more economical method for researcher and less
time consuming.
Data collection: Data accumulation is the procedure of having appropriate and
accurate collection. There are two different method of collecting data that includes
primary & secondary method. In the present research work there will be utilization
of both primary and secondary method. In primary sources there will be use of
questionnaire. In secondary method there will be literature review which will be
developed by collecting information from origin such as journals, newspapers,
articles and many others.
Advantages and disadvantages of primary research
One of the major advantage of primary study is it help researcher to gain in-depth
and original information which further make research outcomes more reliable and
valid. On the other hand, collecting primary information is a time consuming and
costly process.
Advantages and disadvantages of secondary research
There are various advantages of secondary information as it help researcher to
easily access data on the particular topic. In addition to this, it assist investigator
to know the view point of various authors on specific topic that leads towards
attainment of objectives. On the other side, secondary information may not

answer particular research question that arise issue in completion of study in a
proper manner.
Sampling; It is the process of selection of specific sample size from the total
segment of population. Sampling is divide in two parts that includes probability
sampling and non probability sampling. In the existing research there will be
utilization of probability sampling method. In this a sample size of 40 employees
will be select who will respondent the target segment of respondents.
Time horizon:
It is regarded as the specific time frame which is required for the purpose of
undertaking of research. There are two types of time horizon that consider cross
sectional or longitudinal. In present research the researcher will be using
Comments and agreement from tutor
Comments (optional):
I confirm that the project is not work which has been or will be submitted
for another qualification and is appropriate.
Agreed: ________________ (name)_______________ Date ______________
Comments and agreement form project proposal checker( IV sampling)
Comments (Optional):
I confirm that the project is appropriate.

Agreed /Disagree: (Name of the IV)
Date

RESEARCH ETHICS APPROVAL FORM
All students conducting research activity that involves human participants or the use of data,
collected from human participants, may be required to gain ethical approval before commencing
their research.
Please answer all relevant questions and note that your form may be returned if incomplete.
For further support and guidance please see your Unit Tutor.
Before completing this form, we advise that you discuss your proposed research fully with your Unit
Tutor. Please complete this form in good time before your research project is due to commence.
Section One: Basic details
Student Name
ID Number
Centre Name
Project Title Title: The role of line managers and leaders in employee development in
Marks and Spencer:
Aim: “To analyse the role played by line managers and leaders in
employee development in organisation.' a study on Marks and Spencer
Objectives:
To Understand the basic concept of role played by line managers and leaders
in employee development in Marks and Spencer
To evaluate the various strategies adopted by line managers and leaders in
employee development in Marks and Spencer.
To analyse various issues faced by line managers and leaders in the course of
implementing various employee development strategies in Marks and
Spencer.
Section Two: Project summary
Please select all research methods that
you plan to use as part of your project:
Interviews
Questionnaires
Observations
Use of Personal Records
Data Analysis
Action Research
Focus Groups
Other (please specify
Section Three: Participants
Yes No
Will your research involve human participants? Yes

Ages
12–16
Young
people
aged
17–18
Adults
Who are the participants? Tick all that apply Yes
How will participants be recruited (identified and approached)?
Answer: There will be recruitment of candidates by use of internal recruitment
methods. In this procedure there will be utilization of direct recruitment of
employees internally by use of staff selection techniques.
Describe the process you will use to inform participants about what you are doing:
Answer: For the intention of disclosure of participants there will be usage of
written mode of communication in order to understand the view point of
respondents whether they are disposed to participate in the research work or not.
There must be complete voluntary participation.
How will you obtain consent from participants? Will this be written? How will it be
made clear to participants that they may withdraw consent to participate at any
time?
Answer: There will be informed consent by using of written consent form from
the participants. It will be in written form. Further, all the associate will be made
clear by use of verbal and written communication methods that they are free of
withdraw their permission at nay point of time.
Studies involving questionnaires Yes No
Will participants be given the option of omitting questions they do
not wish to answer?
yes
If No, please explain why below and ensure that you cover any ethical issues arising
from this:
Answer:
Studies involving questionnaires Yes No
Will participants be given the option of omitting questions they do
not wish to answer?
Yes
Studies involving observation Yes No
Confirm whether participants will be asked for their informed
consent to be approved.
Yes

Yes No
Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation?
(e.g. give them a brief explanation of the study)
Yes
Yes No
Will participants be given information about the findings of
your study? (This could be a summary of your findings generally)
Yes
Section Four: Data storage and security
Yes No
Confirm that all personal data will be stored and processed in
compliance with the Data Protection Act (1998)
Yes
Who will have access to the data and personal information?
Answer: Researcher
During the research
Where will the data be stored?
Answer: Data will be stored in soft copy format. In this process there will be equal
weight age given by using of laptop, hard disk for storage of all the information.
Yes No
Will mobile devices, such as USB storage and laptops, be used? Yes
If yes, please provide further details:
Answer: Yes there will be utilization of laptops and USB storage for long term
retention and protection of information.
After the research
Where will the data be stored?
Answer:
The data will be stored in soft copy and hard copy formats for its future reference.
How long will the data and records be kept, and in what format?
Answer: The data will be kept for a time period of 4 months only.
Yes No
Will the data be kept for use by other researchers? Yes

If yes, please provide further details:
Answer: No, the data cannot be used by other research worker.
Section Five: Ethical issues
Are there any particular features of your proposed work which may raise ethical concerns? If so,
please outline how you will deal with these:
It is important that you demonstrate your awareness of potential risks that may arise as a result of
your research. Please consider/address all issues that may apply. Ethical concerns may include, but
are not limited to the following:
 informed consent
 potentially vulnerable participants
 sensitive topics
 risks to participants and/or researchers
 confidentiality/anonymity
 disclosures/limits to confidentiality
 data storage and security, both during and after the research (including transfer, sharing,
 encryption, protection)
 reporting
 dissemination and use of your findings.
Section Six: Declaration
Yes No
I have read, understood and will abide by the [insert name of
college/centre] Research Ethics Policy
Yes
Yes No
I have discussed the ethical issues relating to my research with
my tutor
yes
I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the above information is correct and that this is a full
description of the ethical issues that may arise in the course of my/our research.
Student Name: Date
Questionnaire
Q1.Are you acquainted with the significance of employee development?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2. How employee development influence the efficiency and overall performance of an
enterprise?
a) Positively

b) Negatively
c) No influence
Q3.According to your opinion, why it is essential for an organisation to promote and focus upon
employee development?
a) To maintain positive working environment
b) To execute activities systematically
c) To retain employees
d) To bring new ideas and concepts
Q4.According to you, how leaders and managers play an important role in development of
employees?
a) To provide guidance
b) To clarify roles and responsibilities
c) To assess performance
d) To motivate staff members
Q5. What are the policies adopted through managers and leaders of Marks and Spencer for
employee development?
a) Training and development session
b) Participation in decision making
c) Providing monetary and nonmonetary benefits
d) Mentoring
Q6. As per your perspective, does above employee development policies are effective for Marks
and Spencer to maximise satisfaction and retention among its employees?
a) Yes
b) No
Q7. How Marks and Spencer is benefited through promoting employee development?
a) Increase in productivity
b) Enhancement of brand image
c) Improvement in performance level
d) Achievement of competitive advantage
Q8. What are the issues associated with the execution of employee development strategies at
workplace?
a) High cost
b) Increase in conflicts among employee and employers
c) Decline in performance
d) Increase in employee turnover rate
Q9. Provide some recommendations to the high authorities of Marks and Spencer to ensure
employee development within an organisation?