The impact of the global pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation

This research study aims to determine the impact of Covid-19 on the digital workplace transformation of Unilever. It examines the meaning of workplace transformation, the impact of the pandemic, and the issues faced by Unilever during the transformation. The study uses a deductive approach and survey method to collect primary data from 40 employees of Unilever. The data will be analysed using cross-sectional time horizon. The study will help in managing personal and professional growth and provide significant growth in the workplace transformation of the company.

Unit 11 Research Project
Proposal
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Research Proposal Form
Student
Name
Student ID
Centre Name
Tutor
Unit No
Proposed
Title
"The impact of the global pandemic on accelerating workplace
transformation"
Section One: Title, objective, responsibilities
Aim: "The aim of this study is to determine the impact of Covid-19 on the digital workplace
transformation. A study on Unilever."
Research objectives
 To understand the meaning of workplace transformation.
 To analyse the impact of global pandemic within the digital workplace transformation
of Unilever.
 To examine the different issues faced by Unilever at the time of having workplace
transformation in the company.
Research Questions
 What is the meaning of workplace transformation?
 What is the impact of global pandemic within the digital workplace transformation of
Unilever?
 Which issues faced by Unilever at the time of having workplace transformation in the
company?
Section Two: Reasons for choosing this research project
Reasons for choosing the project
The main reason for choosing this study is to make a deep examine and analyse the meaning
of workplace transformation and its impact through the global pandemic. This study further
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helps in managing the personal and professional growth of the individual (Mattioli, 2021). In
the context of professional development, the main advantage of the present study is to provide
a significant growth in about the workplace transformation in the growth of the company and
its impact of global pandemic. This will be helpful for the researcher to opt right strategies for
the future business and try to work with more significant ways in an organisation like
Unilever. Whereas in the context of personal development, it helps in improving
communication skills, data analysis, research skills and growth in different sectors.
Section Three: Literature sources searched
Use of key literature sources to support your research question, objective or
hypothesis:
What is the meaning of workplace transformation?
As per the view of Barnes (2020), workplace transformation is basically used for the remote
offices as it is related to the productivity of business and public sector as well. The changes
happened in the workplaces transformation due to the pandemic also make a straight impact
on the workforces which is helpful for make a direct impact on the growth of the employees
(Migliore, 2021). Many of the organisation are helpful for generate different platform and
helpful for generalised the statement and work to up-skilled the employee's performance
(What Workplace Transformation Means Now, 2020). Many of the organisation need to
rethink about workflow and design of existing to help attract the new just entering into the
acquired workplaces.
What is the impact of global pandemic within the digital workplace transformation of
Unilever?
As per the view of Gopisetty (2019), Digital transformation transformation for the growth of
trending to accelerate the growth with the Covid-19 pandemic. The modern digital workplaces
transformation is helpful for considering different platform and make a substitutive growth in
modern, flexible and traditional workplaces. This make huge impact on the Unilever by
working analytics and have the diversifying aspect are related to growth and management
purposes (COVID-19 brought workplace transformation and digitization to the fore, 2019).
Which issues faced by Unilever at the time of having workplace transformation in the
company?
As per the view of Lomas (2021), The company faced major issues which are related to
growth to work with different perspective. It is considered that the company needs to be work
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and make significant growth in the business activities and productivity of the employees.
Some major challenges are related to performance management, customer growth and
understanding, process of digitalization and work with the top line growth in the organisation
(Top 5 Digital Transformation Challenges Impacting Businesses, 2021). All of these
challenges are faced by Unilever and their employees when they are shifting towards the
digital workplace transformation.
Section Four: Activities and timescales
Activities to be carried out during the research project
Task name Start date Finish date
Introduction 01-10-21 14-10-21
Aims and Objectives 15-10-21 11-11-21
Literature Review 12-11-21 30-121-21
Research
Methodologies
31-12-21 13-01-22
Submission of
Proposal
14-01-22 20-01-22
Data collection 21-02-22 31-03-22
Data analysis 01-04-22 28-04-22
Conclusion 29-04-22 12-05-22
Reflection 13-05-22 26-05-22
Submission of report 27-05-22 02-06-22
Milestone one: _________________
Target date (set by tutor): _________________
Milestone two: _________________
Target date (set by tutor): __________________
Gantt Chart
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Section Five: Research approach and methodologies
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Research methodologies is an important source to make a procedure for an investigation and
assist the researcher to collect the data and make information in different ways. It involve
different layers which are helpful for the research study:
Research Philosophies: There are mainly two philosophies that is related to interpretivism
and positivism. These two topic are appropriate but for this approach, positivism to make
effective and valuable (Singal and et.al., 2021). The main reason for doing less time and helps
in gaining more valid and reliable data for the research.
Research Approach: There are two main approaches related to deductive and inductive
approach. For completing this research, investigator will be use the deductive approach which
is more effective. The reason for choosing this study is to provide a better explanation and
testing of numeric data and provide effective information.
Research Strategies: The main research strategies are helpful for conducting action,
experiment, case study, survey and many more different type of methods. The researcher
opted Survey method to complete the present study and make useful approaches for the
growth as well. It will be helpful for gaining different methods and gain more reliable and
valid information to conduct investigation in an efficient ways.
Time Horizon: Time is one of the significant source of conducting the research, it will be
helpful for managing the data and timely provide a completion of the project. The main
approaches are longitudinal and cross-sectional (Gonçalves and et.al., 2021). For the
completion of the study, researcher opt cross-sectional approach which helps in completion of
the project within allocated time.
Data collection: The data will be collected through primary and secondary sources in order to
make more reliable and effective approach. For collecting primary data, researcher opted
questionnaire for getting reliable and valid data from the respondents. On the other hand, for
the secondary source of data, online articles, journals, papers and more published sources are
used to collect the primary sources.
Sampling: This is helpful for conducting primary sources, with the help of two main models,
probability and non-probability method. There is the use of respondents are 40 in size and
they are the employee's of Unilever (Bell and Sengupta, 2021). As they have adequate
knowledge about the policies and procedure of the company.
Comments and agreement from tutor
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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
References
Books & Journals
Mattioli, C., 2021. New Workplaces in “In-Between” Territories. Productive, Educational and
Urban Dimensions of Emilian Makerspaces. New Workplaces—Location Patterns,
Urban Effects and Development Trajectories: A Worldwide Investigation, pp.209-231.
Migliore, M.C., 2021. Investigating Generations and Knowledge in Workplaces: A Cultural-
Historical Approach. The SAGE Handbook of Learning and Work, p.390.
Singal, A.K., Kwo, P., Kwong, A., Liangpunsakul, S., Louvet, A., Mandrekar, P., McClain, C.,
Mellinger, J., Szabo, G., Terrault, N. and Thursz, M., 2021. Research methodologies to
address clinical unmet needs and challenges in alcohol‐associated liver disease.
Hepatology.
Gonçalves, G., Monteiro, P., Coelho, H., Melo, M. and Bessa, M., 2021. Systematic Review on
Realism Research Methodologies on immersive Virtual, Augmented and Mixed
Realities. IEEE Access.
Bell, E. and Sengupta, S.S. eds., 2021. Empowering Methodologies in Organisational and Social
Research. Taylor & Francis.
Online
What Workplace Transformation Means Now, 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://community.connection.com/workplace-transformation/>./ {Last accessed on
15th November 2021}
Top 5 Digital Transformation Challenges Impacting Businesses, 2021. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.netsolutions.com/insights/challenges-to-a-successful-digital-
transformation-and-how-to-overcome-them/>. {Last accessed on 15th November 2021}
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COVID-19 brought workplace transformation and digitization to the fore, 2019. [Online].
Available through: <https://www.dqindia.com/covid-19-brought-workplace-
transformation-digitization-fore/>. {Last accessed on 15th November 2021}
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ANNEXURE “B”:
Research Ethics approval form
All students conducting research activity that involves human participants or the
use of data collected form human participants are 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 respective 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 1: Basic details:
Project title:
"The impact of the global pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation"
Student name:
Student ID number:
Programme:
College Name:
Intended research start date:
Intended research end date:
Section 2 Project summary
Please select all research methods that you plan to use as a part of your project:
 Interviews Yes No
 Questionnaires Yes No
 Observations Yes No
 Use of personal records Yes No
 Data Analysis Yes No
 Action Research Yes No
 Focus Groups Yes No
 Others (Please specify) :
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Section 3: Participants
Please answer the following questions, giving full details where necessary.
Will your research involve human participants?
Who are the participants? Tick all that apply:
Ages 12-16: Young people aged: 17-18 Adults:
How will participants be recruited (identified an approached)?
In this study, probability sampling will be used for the selection of
recruiting 40 employees of the Unilever.
Describe the processes you will use to inform participants about what you are doing:
E-mail and telephone presentation will be chosen for this study.
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?
For this, all the data taken from the individuals will be provided effectively
and it is written form.
Studies involving questionnaires: will participants be given the option of omitting
questions that do not wish to answer?
Yes No
If no please explain why below and ensure that you cover any ethical issues arising
from this
Studies involving observation: Confirm whether participants will be asked for
their informed consent to be observed.
Yes No
Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation (i.e give them a brief
explanation of the study)?
Yes No
Will participants be given information about the findings of your study?(This could
be a brief summary of your findings in general)
Yes No
Section 4: Data Storage and Security
Confirm that all personal data will be stored and processed in compliance with the
Data Protection Act (1998)
Yes No
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Who will have access to the data and personal information?
Only the company and researcher have the access to the data.
During the research:
Where will the data be stored?
In the mobile and USB storages
Will mobile devices such as USB storage and laptops be used
Yes No
If Yes, please provide further details:
After the research:
Where will the data be stored?
How long will the data and records be kept for and in what format?
Will data be kept for use by other researchers? Yes No
Section 5: 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 because 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
 Risk 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 6: Declaration
I have read, understood and will abide by the institution’s Research and Ethics
Policy: Yes No
I have discussed the ethical issues relating to my research with my Unit Tutor:
Yes No
I confirm that to the best of my knowledge:
The above information is correct, and this is a full description of the ethical issues
that may arise in the course of my research
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Name: Date:
Please submit your completed form to your supervisor and also attach to the
Research Proposal when submitting to Turnitin.
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