The Lack of Transparency at Pret a Manger: Impact on Customer Trust and Strategies for Improvement

This research project evaluates the concept of transparency within Pret a Manger and its impact on customer trust. It includes a literature review on the importance of transparency, an analysis of the transparency level at Pret a Manger, the impact of lack of transparency on customer trust, and recommendations for improving transparency. The subject is corporate governance and business performance, and the course code and college/university are not mentioned.

RESEARCH PROJECT
(The lack of transparency at
Pret a Manger)

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LITTERATURE REVIEW..............................................................................................................5
What is meant by the importance of transparency within an organization along with
determining its impact on the corporate governance and business performance?......................5
Is a significant transparency level being present within Pret a Manger?....................................6
What possible impact of Pret a Manger's lack of transparency is seen along with its effect on
the customers’ trust?...................................................................................................................7
Which can be the set recommendation on strategies that can be adopted by the Pret a Manger
to have improvement in their transparency level?......................................................................8
DISCUSSION OF THE SECONDARY AND PRIMARY RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN........10
CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH..............................................12
RECOMMENDATION AND ACTION PLAN............................................................................22
Recommendation.......................................................................................................................22
Action plan................................................................................................................................22
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................25
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................26
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................28
Questionnaire............................................................................................................................28

INTRODUCTION
Overview of the topic
Corporate governance is related to a combination of all the set policies, laws and rules
adopted by an organisation for performing various activities and tasks. It is known as the vital
part of an enterprise because it helps in maintaining level of transparency and confidentiality.
This assists in increasing the interest of stakeholders with the objectives and targets of the
company (Spagnuelo, Ferreira and Lenzini, 2019). With the present investigation, the report
shows that an enterprise maintains transparency in the operations and functions of the
organisation so that they can gain large number of customers (Taştan and Davoudi, 2019).
Therefore, the present investigation carries out in-depth information about the significance of
transparency within an organisation (Gold and Heikkurinen, 2018). This report also highlights
the impact of lack of transparency on the trust of customers and the strategies they can adopt for
increasing the transparency level within the activities of the company.
Research Aim, Objectives and Questions
Research Aim
The aim of current study is, “To evaluate about the concept of transparency within a firm
along with determining its impact on customer’s trust.” A research project on Pret a Manger.
Research Objectives
 To analyse about the importance of transparency within an organization along with
determining its impact on the corporate governance and business performance.
 To investigate about the transparency level present within Pret a Manger
 To examine the impact of Pret a Manger's lack of transparency along with its affect on
the customers’ trust.
 To make a recommendation on strategies that can be adopted by the Pret a Manger to
have improvement in their transparency level.
Research Questions
 What is meant by the importance of transparency within an organization along with
determining its impact on the corporate governance and business performance?
 Is a significant transparency level being present within Pret a Manger?
 What possible impact of Pret a Manger's lack of transparency is seen along with its effect
on the customers’ trust?

 Which can be the set recommendation on strategies that can be adopted by the Pret a
Manger to have improvement in their transparency level?
Background of the company
The selected company for the present research is Pret a Manger. It is an international
sandwich shop franchise chain based in the UK. The headquarters of the shop is located in
London, United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1983 by Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair
Beecham. The owner of the company is JAB Holding Company.
Review of the problem faced
The problem of the current investigation is that Pret a Manger has many branches
worldwide and these branches deal with challenges and issues of lack of transparency on its
offering services. Along with this, the other major problem determined is ineffective corporate
governance strategies and this ultimately reduces the trust of stakeholders regarding the
organisation (García-Sánchez and et. al., 2019). Therefore, the current investigation carries out
detailed information about the challenges of maintaining transparency with the customers of the
organisation.

LITTERATURE REVIEW
Literature review contain all the secondary information related to the chosen study. It can
be defined as a section which has past publish data so that research can gain more detailed
understanding about the selected topic. This also help the investigator to know the gap between
past resercxh and present investigation.
What is meant by the importance of transparency within an organization along with determining
its impact on the corporate governance and business performance?
As per the view of Erickso (2021), transparency is vital business concept which basically
means be honesty and have openness approach with their stakeholders. It is one of the important
pillar of having good corporate governance and improving business performance. In the
workplace having a transparent approach is very important because it not only help inn sharing
information within the team or organization but also helps in building a great customer base for
the company’s product. Importance of transparency within the organization are;
Increased customer engagement: One of the importance of having customer
transparency is that it assists in making customer happier. Customer engagement can be
maximized if organization provide honest and true information to their buyers regarding the
goods and service they are manufacturing or producing. If companies on continuously basis
update their consumer about their product, then customer feel more engaged with the
organization. So if business is aiming to build a loyal customer base then it is vital for them to be
more transparent and use reliable way to enhance more customer interaction. Every bit of
information related to the product which customer has the right should be delivered in honest
manner without any false modification. This approach will also help them to build their positive
market image in front of the purchaser.
Minimize barrier to innovation: Another great advantage of customer transparency is
that it will help the companies to reduce the hurdles which occur will developing any innovative
idea. Openness about the thought helps organization to know the perception of buyers towards
the creative thought which they will be using to produce or modify their goods and services.
Barrier act like a noise which reduce company’s performance by the side of buyer. Organization
with transparent approach will gain advantage as buyers will be aware of companies’ new

approach. Customer will be open to accept the change as they already know what organization is
thinking.
Increase customer satisfaction: Next impact of transparent organization toward the
customer is that it will aids them to satisfied their customer in more effective manner than that of
those companies which are not implementing this approach in their business. Customer will be
more satisfied by the companies honest and openness approach and will ready to make a
repetitive purchase without giving any second thought. There quires and problem will be solved
in great manner which helps the companies to attract more buyers because the existing consumer
are satisfied with the organizational performance in effective manner (Schwartz, 2020).
In recent world were competition is so high it is very important to adopt the concept of
transparency because this contributes more towards organization goal and market share. It also
impacts the corporate governance strategy and productivity in greater sense.
Is a significant transparency level being present within Pret a Manger?
As per the view of Zhang (2020), there is a significant level of transparency present in
Pret a manger. The company operates at international level and the customer base of the brand is
quite good. So it is very important for them to manage the transparency because this will impact
their overall performance. The company follow transparent working environment with higher
ethical standard so that corporate governance can be maintained. The importance the Pret a
manger gets will having a good level of transparency are:
Attaining vision in effective manner: The company has the vision to operate globally
and become one of the leading sandwich shop chain. This has been attained by them in effective
manner as buyers are happy with the approach they use. They get all the detailed information
about the food they are dealing with, which help them to gain market share. Many stakeholders
are happy with the openness approach and feel that with this the company is able to achieve their
overall vision.
Make information more actionable: The another significant benefit that is obtained by
the company is while using the concept of transparency is that they make their information into
more actionable form. The customer trusts the data which are provided by them which help them
to attract more buyers and bring loyalty among them. Pret a manger provides a piece of
information that help the buyer to know all the detailed regarding the product or goods. Their

transparency approach helps the brand to provide information to their buyers which in turn assist
them by gaining opportunity which are more actionable towards the company performance.
Productivity enhanced: The another benefit that is obtained by Pret a manger by having
openness and honest practice is their organizational productivity is been enhanced. Buyers are
happier and are satisfy by brand. Reparative purchase is being made by them and further
customer base is being extended. This help them to increase their sale and enhance their
production. The significant level of transparency in Pret a manger also helps them to develop
innovative ideas which they can share with their stakeholders without any fear and get reviews
which helps them enhanced productivity.
Pret a mangers benefited as Trust in management process is also improve and company is
competing with their rivalry in effective manner. Their risk and uncertain is also reduced as the
information and feedback that they received help them to analyze their performance and
improvement is made on the areas where requirement is there (Ford, Thomas and Grove, 2021).
What possible impact of Pret a Manger's lack of transparency is seen along with its effect on the
customers’ trust?
In the view of Gardner and et. al (2019), there is a negative impact of lack of
transparency that can be seen in Pret a manger’s. this lack of transparency also impacts the
customer trust towards the company. To build customer trust it is very important to have
effective transparent approach. Many companies lose their potential customer if they are not able
to provide information which is necessary for them. The downward impact of lack of
transparency in Pret a mangers customer trust is:
Ineffective customer engagement: One of the problem that can be faced by the brand is
that there is less customer engagement. There will be a gap between the buyers and the
organization, which will also impact their communication. There will be less communication and
interaction as customer will not get the useful information which they are looking for. This
ineffective customer engagement will affect as customer cannot built trust among the company.
Their trust for the company will be minimum as compare to other as lack of information for
product will not satisfied them.
Lack of openness: Another negative impact of lack of transparency is openness. If
company will be close minded towards the approach they are using, then organization cannot
adopt the change and uncertainty by the side of customer. This will affect them and their

customer base because taste and preference of the buyers keeps on changing on continues basis.
So it is very important for the business to be flexible and stop rigidity because this will help them
to build trust among the buyers. Customers trust is very important in organizational success and
overall performance. The Pret a manger cannot gain the opportunity which will reduce their
market share and performance because of the rigid approach they are using and not changing the
working environment into more transparent manner.
Lack in attracting new customer: Next bad impact of lack of transparency in Pret e
manger is that they will not able to attract the customer. If existing customer base is not satisfied
by the company’s ethics, then they cannot trust company’s goods and service which will
indirectly create a bad market image of the brand. This market image will then hinder them as
new buyers will not get attracted towards the organization. Lack of transparency in Pret e
mangers will reduce their market share and sales, purchaser will not get happy as they will not
get honest information and will avoid using company’s product. Customer satisfaction is very
vital for attracting new buyers and expanding their business in other part of the world.
Resistance to change: Another big challenge that can be faced by Pret a manger is
resistance by the buyers towards the innovative goods. As their will be less trust among
purchaser and the organization which will impact them as buyers will not ready to accept the
modification made by the organization on their good. This resistance will affect them as high
cost is involved by the brand for manufacturing innovative sandwich, innovational information is
not being delivered to the buyer before (Che and et. al, 2018).
Lack of transparency can heavily impact the brand image of Pret a manger because this can leave
a permanent satin in company name if buyers are not happy and satisfied by the dishonest
approach by brand.
Which can be the set recommendation on strategies that can be adopted by the Pret a Manger to
have improvement in their transparency level?
As per the view of Aguinis and Solarino (2019), in recent having effective strategies of
transparency is very vital for the company to improve their performance and also to gain
competitive advantage. If Pret a manger wants to improve their transparency level, then they
should adopt and design strategies according to the need and wants of their stakeholders. Some
of the approaches that can be recommended to the brand are:

Strategic management practice: Having strategic performance management helps the
company to know about the goals and objective that they want to attain for longer time period.
So if transparent plan can be designed then number of task can be done easily as well as
appropriate information can be provided to those stakeholders which actually want. Unnecessary
data cannot be leaked and customer will also only get information what they want. This will help
Pret a manger to maintain a proper balance between their transparency level and also openness
can be made.
Prioritize communication: Another strategy that can be recommended to the brand is
giving more focus on communication system. It is very important to establish a good interaction
and communication channel which can open the path for both organization and customers. The
size of communication media depends upon company structure and product they deal in. if Pret a
mangers give more priority to the communication then they can have built an environment which
is transparent. This will help also help them to easily provide all the information to their buyer
with honest approach.
Invite feedback: Next strategy that can be suggested to the company is to get feedbacks
and review by their customer about goods they are purchasing. Inviting buyers to share their
feedback and thoughts regarding organization will create more transparent environment. Trust
among the customers can be built and they will also feel as part of the company and loyalty from
them towards brand can be enhanced. This will also aid company to know whether buyers want
any modification in their service so that they can design innovative idea and start working to
satisfy their purchaser. Suggestion by buyers will helps in clarifying the transparency level
matter in more effective manner than that of others.
It is also suggested that having an effective corporate strategy will also help the brand to have
proper accountability which will aids them in higher transparent workforce. Even effective
leaders can be made which will assist in making proper coordination of the activities and
improve organizational performance. If the above transparent strategies will be adopted by Pret a
manger then they will control all their information in very honest way and will able to create a
workplace which is open minded rather than rigid in their working, flexibility in performance
can be gained (Vaishnavi, Suresh and Dutta, 2019).

DISCUSSION OF THE SECONDARY AND PRIMARY RESEARCH
UNDERTAKEN
Research methodology is the section that gives methods for the collection and analysis of
data in systematic manner. It includes Saunders research onion framework which gives certain
layers for the accumulation and evaluation of information in systematic manner.
Research Philosophy: Research philosophy is the methodology that gives three three
significant kinds that are: positivism, interpretivism and realism philosophy. Researcher has
selected positivism philosophy as it assists in the evaluation of numerical information in
systematic way so that it could be used in attaining objectives of the research with reliable and
relevant data. The major advantage of positivism philosophy is it only concentrates on numerable
piece of information (Snyder, 2019).
Research Approach: Research approach is the other research methodology that provides
two important forms which are: inductive, deductive and abductive approach. Researcher has
chosen deductive approach because it facilitates in the measurement of information which is
present in numerical format. The main advantage of deductive approach is it separates reliable
and relevant numerical data aside for the accomplishment of aim and objectives in a timely
manner (Kumar, 2018).
Research Strategy: Research strategy is the other methodology that provides several
kinds of strategies which include: grounded theory, action research, survey, systematic literature
review, interview, case study and many more. Investigator has chosen survey strategy because it
facilitates in the accumulation of first hand and numerical piece of information. Questionnaire is
made under survey strategy for accumulating numerical data in the raw form. The other strategy
which is used in the present investigation is systematic literature review and this has helped
investigator to collect secondary piece of information (Pandey and Pandey, 2021).
Research Choice: Research choice gives two important types: qualitative and
quantitative research choice. Investigator has selected quantitative research choice for the
collection of numerical piece information so that objectives could be attained with statistical
facts and figures (Novikov and Novikov, 2019). The main advantage of using quantitative
research choice is it helps in the carrying out statistical facts and figures in effective and efficient
way.

Data Collection: Data collection is the methodology that provides two significant kinds
which are: primary and secondary data collection method. Researcher has used both the methods
so that investigation could be more effective and useful. Primary data collection is used with the
purpose of collecting raw information with the assistance of questionnaire. On the other hand,
secondary data collection method is also used so that second-hand data could be collected from
the sources like books, articles, journals, publications and many more (Nayak and Singh, 2021).
Time Horizon: Time is the main element for conducting investigation in systematic
manner. Time horizon is divided into two elements which are cross-sectional and longitudinal
time horizon. Researcher has selected cross-sectional time horizon so that pre-determined
objectives could be attained in real time situations (Mohajan, 2018).
Sampling: Sampling is the research methodology that helps in the selection of
respondents with two major types which are: probability and non-probability sampling (Babii,
2020). Investigator has selected probability sampling so that large number of respondents could
be selected and this also follows random method. 30 employees are selected as participants from
Pret a Manger to collect relevant and reliable information.

CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH
The current investigation has carried out numerical piece of information through
questionnaire method. Frequency distribution analysis is used by researcher so that reliable data
could be carried out. MS-Excel is also used so that graphical representation could be done.
Frequency Distribution Table
Q1) Do you think corporate governance holds great importance within
Pret a Manger?
Frequency
a) Yes 24
b) No 6
Q2) Do you think transparency is important within Pret a Manger for
improving business performance?
Frequency
a) Yes 22
b) No 8
Q3) As per your opinion, what is the main importance of transparency
within Pret a Manger?
Frequency
a) Builds trust 7
b) Employees committed to the vision of organisation 8
c) Engaged customers 10
d) Gains competitive edge 5
Q4) According to your perspective, what is the impact of lack of
transparency on the trust of customers within Pret a Manger?
Frequency
a) Positive implication 7
b) Negative implication 18
c) Neutral implication 5
Q5) According to your view, what is the main reason of being
transparent with customers within Pret a Manger?
Frequency

a) Increasing efficiency of the company 7
b) Building trust with customers 10
c) Improving customer communications 8
d) Safeguarding reputation of the organisation 5
Q6) What is the main challenge faced by Pret a Manger due to lack of
transparency?
Frequency
a) Losing customers 5
b) High competition 8
c) Unidentified problems and unaddressed issues 10
d) Incomplete information 7
Q7) As per your opinion, what is the way through which Pret a Manger
could improve their transparency level?
Frequency
a) Disclosing information 8
b) Providing feedback 5
c) Sharing business performance 10
d) Adopting trendiest marketing strategy 7
Q8) Do you think adopting marketing strategy is effective for Pret a
Manger to build trust among customers?
Frequency
a) Yes 24
b) No 6
Question 1: Corporate governance holds great importance within Pret a Manger
Q1) Do you think corporate governance holds great importance within
Pret a Manger?
Frequency
a) Yes 24
b) No 6

a) Yes b) No
0
5
10
15
20
25
24
6
Interpretation: As per the above mentioned graph, it is analysed that there are total 30
respondents who are providing answer. 24 respondents have answered yes that corporate
governance holds great importance because it helps in providing certain rules and laws through
which an organisation carries out activities in systematic manner. Corporate governance in an
enterprise helps in keeping stakeholders informed about the functions of the company. The rest 6
respondents have said no as they think corporate governance does not hold much importance in
the organisation because it forms certain standards and that make barrier in the performance of
employees.
Question 2: Transparency is important within Pret a Manger for improving business
performance
Q2) Do you think transparency is important within Pret a Manger for
improving business performance?
Frequency
a) Yes 22
b) No 8

a) Yes b) No
0
5
10
15
20
25 22
8
Interpretation: From the above analysed information it is understood that 22
representatives have said yes that transparency is important within an organisation because it
helps in making clarity about the roles and responsibilities need to be performed by employees as
well as making customers aware about the products as well as process of the organisation. The
remaining 8 respondents have said no that transparency is not that important because sometimes
confidential information does not remain confidential.
Question 3: Main importance of transparency within Pret a Manger
Q3) As per your opinion, what is the main importance of transparency
within Pret a Manger?
Frequency
a) Builds trust 7
b) Employees committed to the vision of organisation 8
c) Engaged customers 10
d) Gains competitive edge 5

a) Builds trust
c) Engaged customers
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
7
8
10
5
Interpretation: With the above assembled piece of information it is interpreted that 7
participants have said that the main importance of transparency within an organisation is
building trust as customers become more loyal towards the company and they get to know about
the procedures of the company. The other 8 respondents have said that with the help of
transparency, employees become more committed to the vision of organisation because it assists
in understanding the employees about their responsibilities. Another 10 respondents have said
that engaged customers is the other main significance of transparency within the company
because customers get to know more about the company's policies and procedures while offering
their services. The rest 5 respondents have said that gaining competitive edge is the other
significance of transparency within the company as company could gain trust of competitor's
customers.
Question 4: Impact of lack of transparency on the trust of customers within Pret a Manger
Q4) According to your perspective, what is the impact of lack of
transparency on the trust of customers within Pret a Manger?
Frequency
a) Positive implication 7
b) Negative implication 18
c) Neutral implication 5

a) Positive implication b) Negative implication c) Neutral implication
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
7
18
5
Interpretation: From the above assembled piece of information it is discussed that 7 respondents
have answered that there is positive implication of lack of transparency on the trust of customers
within an organisation because it assists in keeping important information confidential. The other
18 respondents have said that there is negative implication of lack of transparency on the trust of
customers because when they do not get information they do not take service of the company.
The remaining 5 respondents have said that there is neutral implication of lack of transparency
on the trust of customers as they feel customers give importance to the service provided by the
company.
Question 5: Main reason of being transparent with customers within Pret a Manger
Q5) According to your view, what is the main reason of being
transparent with customers within Pret a Manger?
Frequency
a) Increasing efficiency of the company 7
b) Building trust with customers 10
c) Improving customer communications 8
d) Safeguarding reputation of the organisation 5

a) Increasing efficiency of the company
c) Improving customer communications
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
7
10
8
5
Interpretation: From the above drawn graph it is understood that 7 respondents have answered
that increasing efficiency of the company is the major reason of being transparent with customers
because it assists in increasing the efficiency of the whole organisation as they get large
customer base and increase their production and reduce chances of errors and mistakes. Another
10 respondents have said that building trust with customers is the other reason of being
transparent as this makes customers more loyal with the offering of organisation. The other 8
respondents have said that with the help of transparent policies with customers, organisation
increases the communications with customers as well as employees. The remaining 5
respondents have answered that safeguarding reputation of the organisation is the other
significant reason of being transparent because it assists in making whole organisation more
effective and efficient in front of the customers.
Question 6: Main challenge faced by Pret a Manger due to lack of transparency
Q6) What is the main challenge faced by Pret a Manger due to lack of
transparency?
Frequency
a) Losing customers 5
b) High competition 8
c) Unidentified problems and unaddressed issues 10

d) Incomplete information 7
a) Losing customers
c) Unidentified problems and unaddressed issues
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
5
8
10
7
Interpretation: From the above accumulated piece of information, it is analysed that 5
respondents have answered that losing customers is the main challenge faced by company due to
lack of transparency as customers only take services from the organisation which is more
transparent. The other 8 respondents have responded that high competition is the other main
challenge faced by company because other companies are more transparent and they attract large
number of customers. Another 10 respondents have said that unidentified problems and
unaddressed issues are the biggest challenge because lack of transparency does not allow in
determining challenges. The rest 7 respondents have said that incomplete information is the other
challenge because people do not get right information at right time.
Question 7: Way through which Pret a Manger could improve their transparency level
Q7) As per your opinion, what is the way through which Pret a Manger
could improve their transparency level?
Frequency
a) Disclosing information 8
b) Providing feedback 5
c) Sharing business performance 10

d) Adopting trendiest marketing strategy 7
a) Disclosing information
b) Providing feedback
c) Sharing business performance
d) Adopting trendiest marketing strategy
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
8
5
10
7
Interpretation: From the above assembled piece of information it is analysed that 8 respondents
have answered that disclosing information is one of the good ways by which company could
improve their transparency level. In this company could share about the policies and procedures
that they adopt for producing their offerings. This also helps in making customers familiar with
the routine activities that may affect their purchase from the organisation. The other 5
respondents have answered that providing feedback is the other way through which companies
could easily know about the problems faced by the customers and in revert company can also
share about the method which is used for resolving problem of the customer. Another 10
respondents have answered that sharing business performance is the other way by which
transparency level could be improved as in this customers could know about the actual stage of
the company. The other 7 respondents have said that adopting trendiest marketing strategy is the
other greatest way through which customers could know about the functions and different
offering of the organisation.
Question 8: Marketing strategy is effective for Pret a Manger to build trust among customers
Q8) Do you think adopting marketing strategy is effective for Pret a
Manger to build trust among customers?
Frequency

a) Yes 24
b) No 6
a) Yes b) No
0
5
10
15
20
25
24
6
Interpretation: With the above collected piece of information, it is analysed that 24 respondents
have said that adopting marketing strategy is the effective for company to build trust among
customers because it helps in creating awareness among customers about the functions of the
organisation in systematic manner. The rest 6 respondents have said no that adopting marketing
strategy is not effective for company in building trust customers as in this company makes up the
things for attracting large number of customers.

RECOMMENDATION AND ACTION PLAN
Recommendation
As per the above mentioned information, it can be recommended that companies should
adopt the concept of transparency inn their business in ethical way. Inn today era it is very
important for the companies to be honest and open minded because this will help them to achieve
their corporate governance and also help them to improve their organizational performance.
Companies should try to adopt those strategies and practices which will help them to maintain a
proper level of transparent environment which will give benefit to them as compare to that of
their rivalry. It is suggested that organization which are more transparent to their stakeholders
like customers, employee etc., then they tend to be more successful in various different activities
of their organization. More engagement, strong company culture, free communication is some of
the benefit brands can acquire in this dynamic surrounding where environment changes on
constant base. Transparent working environment will encourage the organization to be more
innovative and creativity towards their work. It is recommended to the companies to invest their
capital and time to develop a workplace which is open minded because this will help them to be
flexible so if any threat occurs then can deal with it rather than just seeing the impact and losing
their revenue. Transparency will help them to freely share their information to their people and
get feedback and review which will help them to improve their organizational performance.
Transparent work environment also helps the companies to share their wins, losses and even
challenges that they face to their customers and employee in effective manner without any
hesitation. This will aid them to make positive market image in the mind of individual and can
enhance their profitability. One of the implication of transparent working is that organizational
action can be scrupulous in effective way.
Action plan
Action plan is that document that contain the list of step that has to be taken in order to attain the
specific goal and objectives set by investigator. The main reason behind developing the action
plan is to depict the resources that will be used or required to accomplish the pre-defined goals
and objective and also for creating a time framework for step by step execution of the plan.
Below is the table that will be showing the action plan of Pret a manger’s that can be used by
them to create a more transparent workplace within the company.

Steps Description
Step 1: Identify the reason First step is to discuss the reason behind the lack of
transparency. Pret a Manger’s can discern those problems that
is faced by them due to lack off transparent working. The
issue that they will face is less engagement between
customers, manager, employees and organization which
impact their organizational performance and corporate
governance. This facility will help the brand to identify the
areas in which transparency is required so that they can use
their corporate governance policies in effective way.
Step 2: Formulate the
strategies
After identify the major reason behind their poor transparency
the next step that is took is formulating the practices that will
support them to develop their working in more transparent
manner that is in honest and open way. Pret a manager should
have designed those transparent strategies which will impact
them to improve their performance and increase their
productivity. These strategies will help them to cut their cost
and time which is being spend while attracting the individual
and sharing information. The approaches that can be used by
them is focusing on feedback, effective communication,
increased engagement and many more.
Step 3: Offer customer
options
Another step in the action plan is to provide various option to
customer so that they can provide feedback and can interact
with the company. Option that can be given to them is sharing
of information, open minded working environment, feedback
and reviews and many others. All these will help them to
develop a honest working place in the business which will
help in gaining corporate responsibilities.
Step 4:Improve
organizational culture and
environment
This is one of the major action that can be acquired by
company so that they can build trust among their customer.
This is also considered as one of the major factor behind
increasing customer base. A better organizational culture
where honest and open information is provided will helps the
improving thir organizational productivity and boost morale.
In fact market image of the company can also be gained by
this. All this action taken by company to create a transparent
work environment will helps in providing values to the
organization.
Step 5: Implementation and
customer engagement
After developing all the strategies and practices the next step
is to implement them so that current environment and
customer engagement can be improved toward transparency.
Implementing all these will help in sharing of information so
that customer can fell valued. This will also help in building
trust and loyalty among customer towards the company.
Apart from this customer should also give an option of giving
feedback which will help them to improve their

organizational performance.

CONCLUSION
From the above gathered information it will be concluded that having transparent
working within the organization is very important in today world. Transparent means sharing of
honest and open information to the stakeholder so that it will impact the organizational
performance in positive manner. Transparency also play a significant role in turning the
company in more effective way so that they can mitigate the challenge and can earn market
share. If correct information is provided to the buyers, then this will assist them to satisfy their
customer and make the happier. This enhanced customer satisfaction helps in attracting new
market and expand their business operation. In fact, transparency in business means
communicating the open and honest data with your people which will also assist in cultivating a
culture where data flow freely and in tangible manner.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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pp.1291-1315.
Babii, A., 2020. Important aspects of the experimental research methodology. Вісник
Тернопільського національного технічного університету, 97(1), pp.77-87.
Che, T., and et. al, 2018. Impacts of knowledge sourcing on employee innovation: the
moderating effect of information transparency. Journal of Knowledge Management.
Erickson, S., 2021. Communication in a Crisis and the Importance of Authenticity and
Transparency. Journal of Library Administration. 61(4). pp.476-483.
Ford, N., Thomas, R. and Grove, J., 2021. Transparency: A central principle underpinning
trustworthy guidelines. Journal of clinical epidemiology.
García-Sánchez and et. al., 2019. The explanatory effect of CSR committee and assurance
services on the adoption of the IFC performance standards, as a means of enhancing
corporate transparency. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal.
Gardner, T.A., and et. al, 2019. Transparency and sustainability in global commodity supply
chains. World Development. 121. pp.163-177.
Gold, S. and Heikkurinen, P., 2018. Transparency fallacy: Unintended consequences of
stakeholder claims on responsibility in supply chains. Accounting, Auditing &
Accountability Journal.
Kumar, R., 2018. Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage.
Mohajan, H.K., 2018. Qualitative research methodology in social sciences and related
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Vaishnavi, V., Suresh, M. and Dutta, P., 2019. A study on the influence of factors associated
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Valencia, L.A.R., Queiruga, D. and González-Benito, J., 2019. Relationship between
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Organizations. 26(6). pp.2517-2535.
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132). Springer, Singapore.

APPENDIX
Questionnaire
Q1) Do you think corporate governance holds great importance within Pret a Manger?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Do you think transparency is important within Pret a Manger for improving business
performance?
a) Yes
b) No
Q3) As per your opinion, what is the main importance of transparency within Pret a Manger?
a) Builds trust
b) Employees committed to the vision of organisation
c) Engaged customers
d) Gains competitive edge
Q4) According to your perspective, what is the impact of lack of transparency on the trust of
customers within Pret a Manger?
a) Positive implication
b) Negative implication
c) Neutral implication
Q5) According to your view, what is the main reason of being transparent with customers
within Pret a Manger?
a) Increasing efficiency of the company
b) Building trust with customers
c) Improving customer communications
d) Safeguarding reputation of the organisation
Q6) What is the main challenge faced by Pret a Manger due to lack of transparency?
a) Losing customers
b) High competition
c) Unidentified problems and unaddressed issues
d) Incomplete information

Q7) As per your opinion, what is the way through which Pret a Manger could improve their
transparency level?
a) Disclosing information
b) Providing feedback
c) Sharing business performance
d) Adopting trendiest marketing strategy
Q8) Do you think adopting marketing strategy is effective for Pret a Manger to build trust
among customers?
a) Yes
b) No