Research Proposal on Leisure Shopping and Related Influential Factors

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This research proposal aims to understand the nuances of leisure shopping and the factors influencing it. It analyzes the impact of social and cultural factors on leisure shopping behavior and explores the underlying motivations of individuals.

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Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON LEISURE SHOPPING AND RELATED
INFLUENTIAL FACTORS
BX 2174 – Research and Decision Making
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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1RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Table of Contents
Analysing the Business Decision or Problem.........................................................................2
The Overall Research Design – Evaluating Options.............................................................3
What are the Key Variables and How will you Measure Them..........................................6
Sample Requirements & Sampling Options..........................................................................7
Ethical considerations..............................................................................................................9
Reference.................................................................................................................................11
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2RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Analysing the Business Decision or Problem
The aim of the report is to prepare a proposal for the purpose of understanding the
nuances of leisure shopping. It has been observed that the issue of shopping has been one of
the crucial aspects any major discussion due to the fact that shopping has been one of the
major leisure activity of the new age generation and an aspect of entertainment in the retail
industry(Tandon et al., 2016). It has been observed that the retailers and number of big and
small shopping centres have been keen on developing the required infrastructure for the
purpose of enhancing the shopping pursuit of people (Gillett et al., 2015). However what has
been lacking is the understanding of the research based analysis of the factors influencing the
shopping spree of individuals. It has also observed that there are lack of academic resources
and proper theorization on the issue of hedonic shopping of individual (Tandon et al., 2016).
It has been further observed that lack of knowledge on the issue as led to the unclear and
complex understanding of the issue of expectation for those who indulge into the activity of
leisure shopping.
The formal definition of shopping is the process of interaction between the seller and
the consumers, the performer and the spectators who are engaged in the process of seeing;
meeting and interacting with each other at all level (Johnson et al., 2015). It is one of the
pervasive activities undertaken by millions of people around the world. It is astonishing to
note that the underlying factors influencing the act of leisure shopping goes beyond the
understanding of shopping for the regular needs(Twigger Holroyd, 2016). It has been
previously observed that the shopping spree of the individuals are not always associated with
purchasing of goods, there are number of social and cultural factors that shapes the
underlying behaviour of shopping(Tandon et al., 2016). Moreover it has been identified that
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3RESEARCH PROPOSAL
the issue of leisure shopping has not being debated in the academic literature as it is
considered to be attached to a hedonic value. Shopping is primarily of two kinds, while one is
the discussion of the” purposeful shopping”. The other kind of shopping is the discussion of
“leisure shopping”. In case of the primary shopping category, it has been observed that
customers are perpetually neural the act of purchasing however in case of the leisure
shopping, it is more of the hedonic value driven act (Tandon et al., 2016). This act of leisure
shopping is associated with the retailers undertaking number of innovative measures for the
purpose of making shopping more enjoyable and exciting. In addition to this, it has also been
observed that the younger adults have approached this issues form the behavioural
perspective by referring to the process of shopping as their leisure activity and hence they
expect their leisure experience to be pleasant and rewarding the same time (Gillett et al.,
2015). According to the previous body of research leisure activity is more of a fun activity
and it might be impacted due to the avoidance of pain of the individuals (Twigger Holroyd,
2016). It is not the process of self-indulgence instead it is the process of feeling happy and
satisfied that is the driving force of leisure shopping(Twigger Holroyd, 2016). Hence this
research will be analysing the question: what are the inherent and underlying factors
impacting the leisure shopping behaviour of the individuals?” This research question will be
highlighting the issue that impacts the process of leisure shopping of the people by dwelling
into the underlying nuances that shapes their viewpoint of shopping in the leisure time.
The Overall Research Design – Evaluating Options
Research design is the framework undertaken by the researcher in order to conduct
the study in a logical fashion. Research design is the process of “how” the research is too
conducted. The aim of undertaking the research design is reliability, validity and
generalisation of the gathered data in order to derive the result(Weber, 2017). For the

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4RESEARCH PROPOSAL
purpose of this research, there are two types of research design could be undertaken. The
quantitative and qualitative research design are the predominant approaches undertaken by
the researchers for conducting the study in a systematic manner. Considering the research
question mentioned above and the viability of collecting primary and secondary data, this
research will be completed by adopting the mixed approach of quantitative and qualitative
research design(Silverman, 2016). The mixed method approach of research is the process of
gathering quantitative and qualitative data. It is the process of collection of open ended and
closed ended data in response to the research question raised. It is also the process of a
pervasive and rigorous process of data collection from different sources that are based on the
integration of the data sets(Quinlan et al., 2019). It also has the philosophical foundation
important for the purpose of the study. Under the qualitative research design, there are
number of advantages like the research is conducted under a natural setting. This is more
direct in approach since the data collection is based on directly interacting with the
participants. The individual experiences based on the observation of the research is goes
highest priority since it is the insight gathered from the participants by the researches that
impacts the ultimate result derived(Krippendorff, 2018). The qualitative research is also
advantageous for the purpose of the participants having the option of sharing their opinion
and leaving the scope for the researcher to undertake complex reasoning(Mackey et al.,
2015). In case of the quantitative data collection method, the research information derived is
based on the structured frame of questions and the sample size in larger in this research
method. Another important contribution of the quantitative research method is that the data
collection method is structured prior to the beginning of the research and similar process
could be repeated number of times(Flick, 2015). For the purpose of this research, this study
will be undertaking the mixed method of analysis by undertaking the qualitative data
collection of three managers from chosen retail owners and for the collection of quantitative
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research method, structured research questions will be framed for deriving the answers. For
both of the data collection, interview would be conducted by taking prior permission of the
managers and for the survey questionnaire, it would be completed by the help of the
required software and mailed to the participants of the case study. In addition to this, primary
data collection would also include the random sampling method where the researcher is
expected to go to the shopping mall to gather firsthand knowledge on their motivations and
reasons of leisure shopping(Fletcher,2017). The interview process would be completed
undertaking the recording of the message delivered.
Apart from the primary data collection method, secondary research would also be
conducted for the purpose of gaining further insight into the issue factors impacting leisure
shopping behaviour of the individuals. This secondary research will be focusing in the issue
of the different types of shopping activity and the underlying factors of the same.
It is important to consider the fact that the choice of mixed method approach for the
purpose of the study is the large sample size of the study. Since it is important to derive
results from the large sample population, survey questions have proved to be the viable
option for the same. The sample size would be inclusive of male and female participants in
order to derive the gender specific perspective in the issue of leisure shopping .This will be
helpful in deriving insight into the factors that impact each gender towards the habit of leisure
shopping. The rationale behind the choice of the manager of the chosen retail store is due to
the quest for understanding their viewpoint towards enlarging their market for the customer
in leisure activity like shopping. However it is to be understood that interviewing of the
manger might be a little time consuming while in case of the survey method of information
gathering, it is easier, feasible and less consuming for the researcher. Hence it is to be noted
that the primary and secondary data collection based on the mixed research design is
expected to serve the purpose of gathering the required data for the research.
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6RESEARCH PROPOSAL
What are the Key Variables and How will you Measure Them
The issue of variable in research is one of the key aspects of conducting a good
research. Every research is based on the conscious choice of certain variables which might be
individual groups, factors, educational or environmental system and many underlying issues
that are important for the purpose of the research. Identification of the right variable for the
purpose of the research is what determines the process of the research. In this case, there are
primarily two key variables, the independent variable and the dependent variable(Bulmer,
2017). For the independent variable of research, it has been the individual shopping habit
while the this kinds of variables are the monetary impact of the individual or age ,gender
and living standards of the people(Fletcher,2017).
In case shopping spree of the individual towards as their leisure activity is , there are
number of dependent variable is the monetary issues of the individual. The impact of being
financially capable and the impact of free time are some of the dependent variable that
determine the level of indulgence for the individuals in leisure shopping(Weber, 2017). In
case of the measuring process of the dependent and independent variables of the research, it
is not measures at one specific level; instead it involves the process of analysis at different
level. The outcome of such measurement of the variable will be defective of the level of
dependence of one variable over the other and it is important to understand the impact of the
underlying factors that derives the individuals towards the activity of leisure shopping. There
are number of measurement tools included in the process the study like the use of the
computer software(Fletcher,2017). This will be helpful in deriving the impact of money and
other sources of motivation for some individual to opt leisure shopping as their only source of
activity. It will be also reflective of the fact that there might be some residuary factors that
can contribute to the develop of such habit. In case of questionnaire, the researcher will be

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7RESEARCH PROPOSAL
proving enough option to the respondents to choose from number of options like “ money,
style or the availability of time” inspires you to do leisure shopping. This questionnaire will
be reflective of the factors that contribute to growth of this habit. This questionnaire would
be prepared by forming open ended question and after the preparation level is complete, it
will be sent t to the respondents through their mail id, in case of non-viability of mail id,
some of them would be physical handed over the questionnaire. In addition to this, it can be
said that the dependent and independent variable would be derived by undertaking the
perspective of the respondents ( the buyers leisure shopping) and the managers. In order to
measure the collected data, there are different methods of measurement remembering the
types of variable it is dealing. The importance of variable in the body of research is one of the
most crucial aspects of the modern research since the body of research is complete on the
basis on the completion of the understanding of the variables (Fletcher,2017).
Sample Requirements & Sampling Options
The issue of sampling in research is associated with the choice of sizable population
important for the purpose of conducting the research. Sampling is the process of selecting one
unit of the population for the purpose of the study(Weber, 2017). This includes the choice of
group or organization that is potential in making valuable insight in the issue. Moreover the
issue of sampling. The importance of sampling in research is to generalisation the inferences
derived from the sample population(Fletcher,2017). In case of this study, the sampling
process will be adopting the probability and non-probability method in addition to random
sampling. The definition of probability sampling refers to the process of selecting higher
number of participants where the percentage of population getting selected in very higher
while in case of the non-probability technique of data collection, it is there are lesser chances
of getting selected or at least the information is not clear about the same(Weber, 2017). This
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8RESEARCH PROPOSAL
sampling method is significant to derive they require information from the customers at the
shopping mall and the unit population to whom the prepared questionnaire will be sent. The
sampling size has been chosen medium duo to the chances of complexity of deriving results.
This sampling unit includes 50 female participants and 20 male participants from the
shopping centres in order to derive the understanding of the issue from the perspective of
both genders. This data collected would be substantiated by the process of the interview of
the mangers in order to derive their source of motivation for expansion of the leisure pursuit
of individual. In case of the insufficient data, some more random sampling would be adopted
for the purpose of the study. In case of the random sampling method, there are higher
chances of the population of being selected. For example if “n” number of population is
visiting the shopping mall, and n fir example is equal to 400, random sampling would have
the advantage of getting 100 percent selection of these people for the survey. Hence it is to
be argued that to the process of random sampling will be adopted at the end of the probability
ad non-probability method of sampling. It is essential to keep in mind that the sample size is
to be lower to medium in order to avoid the process of excessive crowding of the sample
population. For the collection of the secondary data, it is crucial to note that the basic themes
are to be considered for the purpose of finding the relevant ideas and themes on the given
topic. Secondary data collection will have the option of choosing between numbers of options
for the purpose of deriving the best understandings on the issues. In case of the secondary
research a thematic analysis option would be undertaken for the purpose of finding the
themes related to the main concept(Silverman, 2016). In case of the primary and secondary
data collection, it is systematic and random sampling technique that is to be adopted for the
purpose of the research.
To conclude the process of sampling , it is important to understand that there are two
dominant methods of sampling, probability and non-probability. What is crucial here to
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9RESEARCH PROPOSAL
understand is the fact these techniques are to be adopted keeping in the nature of the research.
Some researchers will be focusing on the probability sampling while some might adopt the
mixed method of probability and non-probability method of sampling.
Ethical considerations
Irrespective of systematic design of the research, every research study will have
certain ethical issues. It has been observed that ethical issues are concerned with the process
keeping the trust between the researcher and the respondents(Silverman, 2016). This is also
the process of managing trust throughout the process of research in order to avoid any
probable breach of law. Hence there are certain ethical issues of every research. The research
is the potential decision maker of the ethical standard to be maintained for the process of
completing the study. Human experimentation is bound to undertake number of issues that
might be breaching the ethical issues of the respondents hence it is depending in the nature of

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10RESEARCH PROPOSAL
the research to determine the probable sources of ethical breach (Krippendorff, 2018). Hence
it is to be noted that legal and ethical consideration are one of the crucial components of the
modern research due to the fact that that there are number of national and international
guidelines and regulations to be adhered to in order to conduct the research in the systematic
manner.
In case of this research, it is essential to remember that any form of symbolic
representation would be avoided during the interview and the survey questionnaire process
since it is against the ethical standards of a good research. In addition to this, it is significant
to note that the process of interview would be undertaken after permission is taken from the
required authority. Moreover the respondents will be given the option of giving their consent
in the issue since it is important to ensure the consents and equal participation of all the
participants in the process of data collection. The issue of consent will be taken in the written
format to avoid any form of confusion in future. It is also important to note that the purpose
of conducting the research will be primarily stated before the beginning of the process that
each of the respondents have a clear idea of the purpose and statement of the research. In
case of the qualitative data collection from the interview process, all managers will be stated
about the purpose of the study as completely academic. Hence any form of biased opinion
can be avoided. This will help the study to gain clearer insight on the issue of leisure
shopping from the perspective of the managers. In case of their consent, written confirmation
will be taken in order to assure that the interview and share of information is taking place
with their prior consent. Ethical issues are one of the parameters of judging the parameters of
a successful research hence it is not to deny the fact that all good researches must adhere to
the ethical plan (Krippendorff, 2018).
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11RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Reference
Bulmer, M. (2017). Sociological research methods. Routledge.
Fletcher, A. J. (2017). Applying critical realism in qualitative research: methodology meets
method. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(2), 181-194.
Flick, U. (2015). Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research
project. Sage.
Gillett, P. L., Scott, R. A., & Davis, D. L. (2015). Shopping and Leisure Activity Patterns
within the Elderly Consumer Segment: The “Young-Old” and “Old-Old”.
In Proceedings of the 1982 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual
Conference (pp. 552-552). Springer, Cham.
Johnson, K. K., Kim, H. Y., Mun, J. M., & Lee, J. Y. (2015). Keeping customers shopping in
stores: interrelationships among store attributes, shopping enjoyment, and place
attachment. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer
Research, 25(1), 20-34.
Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Sage
publications.
Kumar, R. (2019). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage
Publications Limited.
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2015). Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge.
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Quinlan, C., Babin, B., Carr, J., & Griffin, M. (2019). Business research methods. South
Western Cengage.
Silverman, D. (Ed.). (2016). Qualitative research. Sage.
Tandon, A., Gupta, A., & Tripathi, V. (2016). Managing shopping experience through mall
attractiveness dimensions: An experience of Indian metro cities. Asia Pacific Journal
of Marketing and Logistics, 28(4), 634-649.
Twigger Holroyd, A. (2016). Perceptions and practices of dress-related leisure: shopping,
sorting, making and mending. Annals of Leisure Research, 19(3), 275-293.
Weber, M. (2017). Methodology of social sciences. Routledge.
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