Impact of Online Shopping on Profitability and Sales of Asda

This research study aims to investigate the impact of online shopping on the profitability and sales of Asda. It will evaluate the trend of online shopping, analyze its impact on profitability and sales, identify key challenges faced by Asda in operating their online business, and recommend ways to overcome these challenges to increase sales and profitability.

RESEARCH PROJECT
Project Proposal/Ethics form
Project Proposal
Student name:
STU Number:
Please complete all sections of this form, and then send to your supervisor. If your
supervisor is in agreement with the form they will send it to the Programme Team Leader
for approval.
Once your Ethics Form has been reviewed, you will receive an e-mail from your Supervisor
confirming it has been approved or declined. If your Form is declined, you may be asked to
provide further information.
Proposed Dissertation Title
The impact of online shopping on profitability and sales of a business : A case study of
Asda.
Rationale
This research is conducted for the purpose of generating outcome of impact of online
shopping on profitability as well as sales. The research on online shopping has been

chosen by researcher as per the study of prevailing current trend in retail market. This
trend drag attention of researcher towards selection of this topic of research . The
researcher also selected this topic as their own interest to enhance their knowledge in
context of online business. The scholar also select this topic in order to accomplish their
academic research in terms of retail industry which has been narrowed down by
researcher . To accomplish this research the scholar generate outcome of profitability and
sales of businesses which are operating in online business.
Objectives
 To comprehend the trend of online shopping on business of Asda.
 To evaluate impact of online shopping in context of profitability and sales of Asda stores
limited.
 To investigate key challenges face by Asda while operating their business through online
stores.
 To recommend some ways to overcome such challenges in order to increase sales
and profitability of Asda.
Literature review
Theme : To comprehend the trend of online shopping on business of Asda
According to the views of (Parrott , Danbury and Kanthavanich, 2015) Online
shopping is a procedure of purchasing goods as well as services from retailers through the
internet. The customers can buy a huge range of items which are available on official
websites of the company. Customer’ s can purchase them online and make deliver them at
their place of convenience. Clothing toys, books , hardware , household appliances, etc .
are certain range of products which companies sell through online websites. Asda also sell
these products from their official websites. For consumers who are interested in
purchasing products of Asda need to log on the interest on their official website. They visit
the online store and make purchase according to their relevance. Another reason for which
customer avoid online shopping because of the products which is depicted in the picture is
not delivered same. The quality compromises is generally observed by customers when
they make any purchase from online. In addition to this (Medway, Roper and Gillooly,
2018) shared their views about online shopping is that the delivery is generally delay in
shipment. The buyer need to wait for at least 24 hours to receive the product at their door
step.
Theme : Impact of online shopping in context of profitability and sales of Asda stores limited.
In the view point of (Lin, Wei and Lekhawipat, 2018) the online shopping offers a
lot of convenience to both customer as well as company. It impacts company face by
opting for online shopping has two wide aspects. They are both positive and negative
aspect. The positive aspect varies from increase in sales of a company which directly

impact on its profitability. The companies mainly which are dealing in stores of retail are
attain huge success because they have increased their sales up to 25 % from sales from
physical stores which lead them towards profitability. Also, (Dolega, Pavlis and Singleton,
2016) argued that there is threat of window shopping arose from online shopping. There is
an alarming situation arises by the introduction of online shopping that people prefer
window shopping through physical stores to identify the quality of product and purchase
the same from online stores. This is becoming a big threat in present times. (Jung, Ineson
and Green, 2013 ) articulates that along with many positive impact, there are few
negative impacts are also there for online shopping which affects profitability as well as
sales of the company dealing in market through online platform. The company in order to
attain success and growth through enabling online platform for the sale of their products
must deal with certain expenses. The first and foremost additional expense is marketing
and promotional expenses. The retail stores while operating through platform of online
need to bear expenses for executing promotional activities. Companies undertake social
media paid ads, Advertisement through television, newspaper, magazines, etc. Also, they
pay for endorsing certain celebrities too for exploring their promotional activities to
influence wide base of customers.
Theme: To investigate key challenges face by Asda while operating their business through online
stores.
Koçoğlu, Akgun and Keskin, (2017) sought to establish the fact that, Online business is
a procedure that is conducted by the organization to sell their product or services through
internet. E-business includes different activity like buying and selling of product. The
transition of information sometimes considered as online business. Purpose of online or
E-business is to increase the number of target audience. Now day’s lots of people are
connected to internet and there is huge scope for a business organization to sell their
product through internet. There are many benefits of online business and it can provide
marketing advantage to organization. Along with many benefit organization have to face
various challenges to conduct business on online platform. According to Chen, Cheung
and Tan, (2018) the online business is not that simple as it looks. In the process of online
business different challenges faces by organization this challenges are usually related to
selection of product and services that can be used to conduct E-business. For example of
retail store there are many products that can be easily sold through physical store but in
online business company cannot sell all the product which are available in the inventory
of organization. It is important to make right selection of product that are good for online
business of company. So, it is a big challenge to make list of product of company that can
be used to conduct online business. These challenges are important to consider during
the business and strategy planning to minimise the chances of loss and failure in the
implementation procedure.
Methodology
Research methods: It is an effective approach as it helps in determining the various
effective strategies and methods which helps in collecting the data in order to collect new

information. It helps in better understanding of various complex concepts and cultural
phenomenon which results in understanding the subject matter in- depth. It can be
classified into quantitative research methods and qualitative research method. The
researcher of this study has opted for qualitative research method where the researcher
will investigate impact of online shopping on profitability and sales of the company.
Research philosophy: This methodology helps in effectively gathering and analysing
the perfect way to determine the information on the particular subject matter. It deals
with nature, source and development of knowledge. It is a principle in accordance to
which data should be collected in order to attain better results and outcomes. It helps in
effectively formulating the assumptions in order to collect the correct, viable and reliable
data. These assumptions and beliefs are the base for carrying out any research project. It
can be classified into pragmatism, interpretivism and positivism (Silverman, 2016). The
researcher of this study has opted for interpretivism research philosophy in order to
comprehend the trend of online shopping on business of Asda.
Research approach: It is an effective plan that helps in collecting valid and reliable
information from valid sources which results in higher operational growth. It can be
classified into deductive, inductive and abductive approach.The researcher of this study
has opted for inductive approach in order to evaluate the impact of online shopping in
context of profitability and sales of Asda stores limited.
Research design: It is an arrangement of collecting specific set of data in order to gain
insight on the particular subject matter. It helps in combining various components in a
logical manner in order to solve various research problems. It can be classified into
descriptive and exploratory research design. The researcher of this study has opted for
descriptive research design in order to investigate key challenges face by Asda while
operating their business through online stores.
Data collection: Data collection is a very effective procedure in order to collect,
evaluate and analyze the data collected for the research and attain in- depth knowledge by
collecting viable and reliable information on the particular subject matter. It helps in
collecting information from various relevant sources. It can be classified into primary and
secondary source of data collection. The researcher of this study has opted for secondary
source of data collection in order to investigate impact of online shopping on profitability
and sales of business.
Data analysis: this is a very crucial process as it helps in effectively evaluating the
data which in turn helps in discovering useful information and takes necessary decision to
attain specific aim and objective of the research. The researcher of this study has opted
for qualitative research method where the thematic analysis will be used in order to cater
useful information and make necessary conclusion in order to attain aims and objectives
of the particular area of the study.

Ethics Form
The purpose of this form is to ensure that the investigation you are commencing is
appropriate in terms of scope and ethics. Before submitting please ensure that you have
read Arden University Ethics Policy and the Guidelines for Completing the Student Research
Proposal Form.
Under no circumstances should the recruitment of participants begin until written
approval (usually by email) is received from the Arden Ethics Panel. Failure to obtain
ethical approval will result in you being unable to submit your work.
By submitting this form you are confirming that
(a)You have read Arden University’s Policy on Ethics
(b) You have read the Guidelines for Completing the Student Research Proposal Form
(c) You have completed this form fully and appropriately
(d) You have the necessary skills and competencies to carry out the investigation
(e) You have the necessary consent from any relevant organisation or agency (e.g., their
employer) to carry out this investigation
Your name on this form and subsequent submission will be regarded as your electronic
signature.
If your investigation involves the use of human participants, you MUST append at the end of
this file:
(a)Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form
(b) Any materials used (see later section)
(c) Debrief Sheet

RESEARCH ETHICS CHECKLIST
1. Student’s Details
2. Programme Details
3. Proposed Research
What is the title of the research?
(can be a provisional title)
The impact of online shopping on profitability
and sales of a business : A case study of Asda.
What are the aims and objectives of the
research (maximum: 250 words)?
Aim – “ To investigate impact of online shopping
on profitability and sales of business : A study on
Asda. ”
Objectives
 To comprehend the trend of online
shopping on business of Asda.
 To evaluate impact of online shopping in
context of profitability and sales of Asda

stores limited.
 To investigate key challenges face by Asda
while operating their business through
online stores.
 To recommend some ways to
overcome such challenges in order to
increase sales and profitability of
Asda.
The research methodology (brief overview)
Research methods: qualitative research
method
Research philosophy: interpretive
research philosophy
Research approach: inductive approach
Research design: descriptive research
design
Data collection: Secondary source of data
collection
Sampling:random sampling (20 senior
manages of Asda)
Data analysis: qualitative research
method (thematic analysis)
Start date of the investigation 1.1.2019
End date of the investigation 20.7.2019
Date on which this proposal was completed 17.3.2019
4. Declaration:
Please type the word YES in
ONE of the following
A. This investigation will involve the collection of data from human
participants
A
B. This investigation will NOT involve the collection of data from human
participants but will require permission from an external organisation
B
C. This investigation will NOT involve the collection of data from human yes C

participants, though it may collect data about individuals from
published matter (e.g., previously published interviews or behavioural
data)
IMPORTANT:
If you typed YES in Box A then please complete all sections of this form
If you typed YES in Box B then answer question 4b and submit the form, do NOT complete
any other sections
If you typed YES in Box C then submit the form as it is and do NOT complete any other
sections
if you answered yes in box C, then you do not need to complete the sections below. Check
and correct.
4b. Details of External Organisation
You indicated that you require permission from an external organisation. Please
indicate the name of the organisation, the nature of the permission you require, and the
expected date at which you will obtain this. Please note that you will need to submit a
letter on headed note paper or a formal email trail from the relevant parties.
5. Human Participants
What are the main demographics of the
sample?
(e.g., age, gender, and so on)
How will participants be recruited
(e.g., from where and how will they be asked
or invited)?
What will be the target sample size?
(Indicate the numbers in any subgroups, such
as number of males, number of females, etc)

How was the sample size determined?
6. Key Question Checks: Type the word YES or NO
6.1 Is there any reason why you cannot provide an information sheet? No
6.2 Is there any reason why participants will not be able to sign a consent form? No
6.3 Will participation be mandatory (and not voluntary)? yes
6.4 Is there any reason why participants will not be able to withdraw at any time
if they wish? yes
6.5 Is there any reason why participants will not be able to omit any question
that they don’t want to answer or any part of the task that they do not wish to
do?
yes
6.6 Is there any reason why the participants’ data cannot be kept completely
confidential? yes
6.7 Is your research dependent upon ethical approval or other form of consent
from another organisation? yes
6.8 Will the investigation involve ANY of the following:
 Children under 18
 Adults who are unable to give consent for themselves
 Prisoners
 Young offenders
 Anyone in a subordinate role to that of the researcher yes
 Anyone who has a dependent relationship with the researcher (e.g.,
those in care homes, etc) yes
 Other vulnerable groups
6.9 Will the investigation require the co-operation of a gatekeeper to access
participants (e.g., teacher, self-help group leader, nursing home director, parent
no

or guardian)?
6.10 Will deception be necessary (i.e., deliberate withholding of information that
could have caused participants to decline to participate had they been given the
information beforehand)?
no
6.11 Will the investigation involve discussion or presentation of images or
information of a sensitive nature (e.g., sexual activity, illegal activity, drug use,
disturbing images, and so on)?
no
6.12 Will drugs, placebos, food, alcohol, nicotine, vitamins, or other substances
be administered to participants? no
6.13 Will the investigation involve invasive, intrusive, or potentially physically
harmful procedures? no
6.14 Will blood or tissue samples be obtained from participants? no
6.15 Will pain or any discomfort for the participants be likely to result from the
investigation? no
6.16 Will the researcher be exposed to any conditions that may be distressing or
harmful or present any conceivable personal risk? no
6.17 Will participants face any risk (e.g., physical, psychological, social, legal, or
economic) in taking part in this research? no
For each question where you have answered YES to, please provide a justification and
details below. You must address all questions to which you answered YES to and ONLY
those.
7. Details of Answers to Key Questions
Question number Your justification and details
6.3 It will help in gathering useful information.
6.4 The participant should complete the research to gain better
information.
6.5 To gain all the information of all questions.
Intellectual Property Rights and Data Ownership

Where research is carried out under a grant or contract, the terms of the agreement will
determine ownership and rights to exploit the data.
SUPERVISOR USE ONLY
8. Please ensure all areas below are met
A. Is your student carrying out PRIMARY or
SECONDARY research?
B. Are all documents included if needed (not
required if Secondary Research):
 Participant Information Sheet and
Consent Form
 Company Approval Letter
 A copy of any questionnaires being used
 Debrief Sheet
I am satisfied that all requirements for this form have been met and all ethical
consideration has been duly given.
Signed: …………………………………………… (PTL’s Signature) Date: …………………………...