Impact of Pandemic on Workplace Transformation in UK Retail Industry: A Study on ASDA

This research project aims to identify the impact of the global pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation within the UK retail industry, with a focus on ASDA. The project includes a literature review, research methodology, findings and analysis, and conclusion and recommendation.

UNIT 11 Research Project

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Overview of topic........................................................................................................................3
Background of company.............................................................................................................3
Research Aim..............................................................................................................................3
Research Objectives....................................................................................................................3
Research Questions.....................................................................................................................4
Research Rationale......................................................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................5
What is the concept workplace transformation in context with UK retail industry?..................5
How the global pandemic has impacted on accelerating workplace transformation within
ASDA?........................................................................................................................................5
What are the effective ways that could be used by ASDA for overcoming the negative impact
of COVID 19 within their workplace?........................................................................................6
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................7
FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS........................................................................................................9
Frequency distribution table........................................................................................................9
Data interpretation.....................................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.............................................................................13
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................13
Recommendation.......................................................................................................................13
REFLECTION...............................................................................................................................14
ALTERNATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY......................................................................14
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................15
APPENDIX 1.................................................................................................................................16
Research proposal and ethical form..........................................................................................16
APPENDIX 2.................................................................................................................................29
Questionnaire............................................................................................................................29

INTRODUCTION
Overview of topic
The pandemic has affected the performance and growth of business due to which
organisation is focusing on accelerating the workplace transformation. Companies are focusing
on adopting workplace transformation in order to sustain in market for long run and attract more
and more customers towards the brand (Scherling and Camarero Lind, 2021). Workplace
transformation is a procedure of rethinking and changing the way of working in order to improve
the business performance and efficiency. Transformation is important for organisation as it helps
in improving the employee productivity and collaboration so that they can perform better within
workplace and also contribute their productive outcomes in accomplishing the business goals
(Selimović, Pilav-Velić and Krndžija, 2021). Thus, workplace transformation helps in attracting
more and more talented employees and also increases the well being of staff. In order to promote
the changes within workplace, it is important to involve employees in change process, create
short term wins, promote teamwork and also empower employees (Lee, Lee and Liu, 2021).
Thus, this project revolves around identifying the impact of pandemic on accelerating workplace
transformation within retail company.
Background of company
The chosen organisation for this research project is Asda, it is a supermarket chain that
offers wide varieties of products and services to its customer including groceries, financial
services and general merchandise. Vision of Asda is to become best value retailer by fulfilling
the needs of customers. The main objective and aim of Asda is to offer high quality of goods and
services to its customer at affordable price. One of the key objective of Asda is to reduce the
packaging and offer high quality of services to its customer.
Research Aim
To identify the impact of the global pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation
within the UK retail industry: A study on ASDA
Research Objectives
 To increase understanding about the workplace transformation in context with UK retail
industry

H1: Workplace transformation is a process of changing the way of working in order to improve
the profitability and performance of business.
 To determine the impact of the global pandemic on accelerating workplace
transformation within ASDA
H2: There is positive impact of the global pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation
within ASDA.
 To evaluate the ways that ASDA could be used for overcoming the negative impact of
COVID 19 within their workplace
H3: The ways that ASDA cab be used for overcoming the negative impact of COVID 19 within
their workplace is healthy working environment.
Research Questions
 What is the concept workplace transformation in context with UK retail industry?
 How the global pandemic has impacted on accelerating workplace transformation within
ASDA?
 What are the effective ways that could be used by ASDA for overcoming the negative
impact of COVID 19 within their workplace?
Research Rationale
The rationale behind conducting this research is to identify the impact of pandemic on
accelerating the workplace transformation within workplace (Kim and et. al., 2021). While doing
this investigation, the two main perspective of researcher will be achieved such as professional
and personal perspective. The personal objective of researcher will develop new skills whereas
professional objective will be gained by understanding more about workplace transformation and
managing future research in appropriate manner.

LITERATURE REVIEW
What is the concept workplace transformation in context with UK retail industry?
As per the opinion of Kane and et. al., (2021), workplace transformation is a process of
transforming the way of working in order to gain business success. Organisation generally
transform the way of working for increasing the productivity and performance of business. There
are various challenges brought by workplace transformation due to COVID 19 and also it
influences the workforce in terms of how they work, what tools they use and also from where
they work. Thus, it is important to have successful workplace transformation by adopting cutting
edge technology, leveraging modern workflows, cultivating culture of learning and agility,
creating consistent employee experience and implementing digital adoption function in
workplace. Workplace transformation helps in attracting talented and highly skilled workforce
due to which the profitability and growth of business increases. There are various benefits of
workplace transformation such as empowering employees to work more effectively, better
collaboration and communication, developing more flexible working environment and providing
better customer experience. Workplace transformation is a driver of innovation and also
empower employees to work from home. Therefore, workplace transformation helps in
improving the productivity and efficiency of employees due to which they give better output in
accomplishing the target.
How the global pandemic has impacted on accelerating workplace transformation within ASDA?
As per the viewpoint of Juchnowicz and Kinowska (2021), global pandemic has
influenced company to accelerate workplace transformation in order to run business activities in
effective and efficient manner. COVID 19 has badly influenced the performance and efficiency
of business due to which it becomes difficult to survive and gain competitive edge in market. By
workplace transformation, company provides an opportunity to employees to work remotely. It
helps in preventing people from spread of disease. In pandemic, organisation is more focused on
offering work from home opportunity so that they can work effectively while sitting at home and
also remain healthy and fit. Asda shifted towards remote working operation so that they can
perform their business activity in productive manner. In order to manage the work remotely,
company is focused on adopting digital communication tools so that employees can effectively
communicate and interact to each other. The digital communication tool helps in improving the

business performance as it encourages employees to collectively work together in order to
achieve business goals and objectives (Megahed and Ghoneim, 2020). While accelerating
workplace transformation within organisation, employees can work comfortably and also
achieve the target in effective and efficient manner. The pandemic has also encouraged flexible
working hours due to which employees can manage their personal and professional life in better
manner and also contribute their productive outcomes in accomplishing the business goals. The
flexible working hours helps in reducing the cost, improves productivity and also enhances the
work culture.
What are the effective ways that could be used by ASDA for overcoming the negative impact of
COVID 19 within their workplace?
As per the perception of Ionescu, Iordache and Țițan (2021), there are various effective
ways that can be used by company for overcoming the negative impact of pandemic within
workplace. It is necessary for organisation to implement these ways as it can improve the growth
and performance of business such as communicating effectively, updating health and safety
policies, healthy working environment, ensuring safety of employees and boosting the
motivation and morale level of employees. These are the few ways that helps in mitigating the
negative impact of pandemic within workplace. It is important for the organisation to develop the
strategy so that employees can communicate effectively and accomplish their work in systematic
manner. There must be effective communication between the employer and employee as it helps
in accomplishing the target in collective manner. It is the responsibility of Asda to develop
healthy working environment for employees so that they can contribute their best performance in
improving the success rate of business (Brunetto and et. al., 2021). Organisation must also focus
on updating the health and safety policies so that employees feel secure while working within
workplace. In order to overcome the negative impact of pandemic, Asda must also focus on
boosting the morale and motivation level of staff as it helps in increasing the concentration and
dedication level of staff that results in better performance (Mulyaningsih, 2021). By increasing
the motivation and morale of staff they feel engaged within workplace and also invest more
hours in accomplishing target.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is one of the important chapter within the dissertation. This
chapter helps the researcher to conduct the investigation in systematic and appropriate manner. It
includes various methods which are useful for researcher while collecting the data related to the
research topic. Research methodology provides clear picture to researcher about the type of data
that will assist to conduct the investigation in effective and efficient manner.
Research philosophy:
Research philosophy includes various principles and beliefs that provide direction to
researcher to collect and analyse the data in systematic way. The two different types of research
philosophy are interpretivism and positivism. Researcher focuses on choosing positivism
philosophy as it helps in gathering and analysing the quantitative information due to which
research aims and objective can be attained (Apuke, 2017). The purpose behind selecting
positivism philosophy is that it allows researcher to avail the information as per their choice.
Research approach:
Research approach assist the researcher to test the theories and hypothesis in appropriate
manner. It is basically divided into two different forms such as deductive and inductive approach
(Petrovic, Koprivica and Bokan, 2017). The investigator lay emphasis on choosing deductive
approach as it provides numerical information which is beneficial for this investigation. Motive
of choosing deductive approach is that it helps in testing existing hypothesis rather than
developing new theories.
Research strategy:
Research strategy includes the plan and action which provides guanidine to investigator
to obtain the data related to subject matter in significant manner. The different kinds of research
strategy are systematic literature review, case study, action research, survey and various others.
In the current investigation, researcher has shown their interest in survey strategy as it helps in
collecting information from large number of samples (Babones, 2016). The motive behind
choosing survey strategy is that it requires less time for gathering the information related to the
chosen topic.
Research choice and methods:
Research choice generally determines the kind of information required to complete the
investigation. It is categorised into two parts such as quantitative and qualitative research choice.

The researcher has shown their dependence on choosing quantitative research choice as it
provides numerical information in less time due to which research aims and objective can be
achieved in better manner (Fallon, 2016). Investigator has chosen quantitative research choice as
it helps in gathering information from large number of respondents.
Data collection:
Data collection is a process of collecting and interpreting the information in systematic
manner. The two different types of data collection method are primary and secondary data
collection method. Within this research, both the data collection method are used by researcher
in order to obtain information related to the current study (Ramlo, 2015). Primary data collection
method helps in accumulating fresh data with the help of questionnaire. Investigator has also
chosen secondary data collection method for gathering second hand information by using
different sources such as articles, books, online sites and journals.
Sampling:
Sampling is a tool which helps researcher to collect information from large number of
samples. The two different types of sampling method are probability and non-probability
sampling. The research has chosen probability sampling method as it focuses on selecting the
participants without showing any biasedness (Farokhi and Roghanian, 2018). Reason behind
choosing probability sampling is that it provides fair and equal chance to respondents to share
their opinion and viewpoint related to the questions. The number of sample which are selected by
researcher is 30 employees of Asda.
Ethical consideration:
In order to conduct the research, it is necessary to follow the ethical practices as it
reduces the chances to harm the sentiments and emotions of respondents. It mainly includes the
values and principles which must be followed by the researcher in order to achieve the aims and
objective of investigation. The few ethical practices are informed consent, confidentiality,
voluntary participation and anonymity.
Techniques:
Within this research, the chosen technique by the research is questionnaire as it helps in
providing relevant information related to the chosen topic from different number of participants
due to which the aims and objectives of research can be accomplished appropriately.
Questionnaire is easy to plan and execute and also it is suitable method for collecting

quantitative information in effective and significant manner. But it also has few drawbacks as it
has limited response and also the information is not very much reliable.

FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
Frequency distribution table
Q1) Do you know the concept of workplace transformation within retail business? Frequency
a) Yes 26
b) No 4
Q2) According to your viewpoint, what are the benefits which can be availed by
Asda during workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Better collaboration and communication 5
b) Increased profitability 7
c) Develop more flexible working environment 6
d) Increase productivity and morale 4
e) Enhanced innovation and communication 8
Q3) According to your opinion did workplace transformation bring positive
changes within workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 27
b) No 3
Q4) Do you think that global pandemic has impacted on accelerating workplace
transformation within ASDA?
Frequency
a) Yes 28
b) No 2
Q5) According to your perspective, what are the factors that influence Asda to
accelerate workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Health and safety of employees 7
b) Low performance 8
c) Digitalisation 6
d) Competition 9
Q6) Do you think that pandemic has negatively influenced the growth and
performance of Asda?
Frequency
a) Yes 27
b) No 3

Q7) According to your opinion, how global pandemic has influenced ASDA to
accelerate workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Changing customer need and expectation 8
b) Increase use of advanced technology 6
c) Increase in remote working 7
d) Increase in demand of online purchase 9
Q8) Do you think offering flexible working environment has helped ASDA to
continue their business operations and functions during COVID-19?
Frequency
a) Yes 25
b) No 2
C) May be 3
Q9) What are the challenges which can be faced by Asda while accelerating
workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Organisational resistance to change 7
b) Data and application security 9
c) Issues with productivity 8
d) Maintaining productive remote workforce 6
Q10) Do you think that accelerating workplace transformation helps in improving
the business performance and profitability of Asda?
Frequency
a) Yes 27
b) No 3
Q11) As per your opinion, what are the effective ways that could be used by
ASDA for overcoming the negative impact of Covid 19 within their workplace?
Frequency
a) Communicating effectively 4
b) Updating health and safety policies 6
c) Healthy working environment 8
d) Ensuring safety of employees 5
e) Boosting the motivation and morale level of employees 7
Q12) According to your perspective, what are the future trends which influenced
Asda to adopt workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Increase in remote working 6

b) Emergence of new top tier employers 7
c) Increase in organisation complexity 9
d) Contingent worker expansion 8
Q13) Do you think that healthy working environment helps in overcoming the
impact of pandemic within workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 23
b) No 7
Data interpretation
Table 1: Concept of workplace transformation within retail business
Q1) Do you know the concept of workplace transformation within retail business? Frequency
a) Yes 26
b) No 4
Interpretation:
From the above graph it is being determined that out of 30 participants, 26 thinks that
they know the concept of workplace transformation within retail business. They have enough
knowledge related to workplace transformation due to which they can adopt the changes in

effective and efficient manner. The remaining 4 said that they don't know the concept of
workplace transformation within retail business.
Table 2: Benefits which can be availed by Asda during workplace transformation
Q2) According to your viewpoint, what are the benefits which can be availed by
Asda during workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Better collaboration and communication 5
b) Increased profitability 7
c) Develop more flexible working environment 6
d) Increase productivity and morale 4
e) Enhanced innovation and communication 8
Interpretation:
The above graph states the benefits which can be availed by Asda during workplace
transformation. Out of 30 respondents, 5 thinks that better collaboration and communication is
the benefit which can be availed by Asda during workplace transformation due to which
employees can share information in significant manner and also work collectively in order to
achieve business goals. Beside this, 7 thinks that increased profitability is the benefit which can
be gained by company during workplace transformation as it includes new way of working
which helps in enhancing the profit margin of business. On the other hand, 6 have perception that
develop more flexible working environment is the advantage which can be gained by
organisation during workplace transformation. It helps in developing more flexible working

environment due to which employees can contribute their productive outcomes. Other 4 have
opinion that increase productivity and morale is the benefit which can be availed by Asda due to
workplace transformation. At last, 8 have perception that enhanced innovation and
communication is the benefit which can be gained by company due to workplace transformation.
Table 3: Workplace transformation bring positive changes within workplace
Q3) According to your opinion did workplace transformation bring positive
changes within workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 27
b) No 3
Interpretation:
It is being identified from the above graph that out of 30 participants, 27 said that
workplace transformation helps in bringing positive changes within workplace. Workplace
transformation helps in increasing the performance and productivity of business due to which
company can survive in competitive environment. The remaining 3 have opinion that workplace
transformation doesn’t bring positive changes within workplace.
Table 4: Global pandemic has impacted on accelerating workplace transformation within ASDA
Q4) Do you think that global pandemic has impacted on accelerating workplace
transformation within ASDA?
Frequency
a) Yes 28

b) No 2
Interpretation:
The above graph depicts that out of 30 participants, 28 thinks that global pandemic has
impacted on accelerating workplace transformation within ASDA as it encourages to adopt
digitalisation and also offer remote working opportunity to employees. The remaining 2 have
opinion that the pandemic has not impacted on accelerating workplace transformation within
ASDA. Thus, the majority thinks that pandemic has influenced the performance and productivity
of business due to which it becomes difficult to survive in competitive environment.
Table 5: Factors that influence Asda to accelerate workplace transformation
Q5) According to your perspective, what are the factors that influence Asda to
accelerate workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Health and safety of employees 7
b) Low performance 8
c) Digitalisation 6
d) Competition 9

Interpretation:
As per the above graphical representation it is being analysed that out of 30 respondents,
7 thinks that health and safety of employees is the factor that influenced Asda to accelerate
workplace transformation. The other 8 have perception that low performance is the factor that
influence Asda to accelerate workplace transformation. COVID 19 has affected the performance
of company due to which the profitability and performance is also decreasing. Beside this, 6
have opinion that digitalisation is the factor that influence organisation to transform their
workplace. The remaining 9 have viewpoint that competition is the factor that influence the
company to accelerate workplace transformation. Due to pandemic, Asda faces high competition
due to which it is important to transform workplace in order to attract more and more customers.
Table 6: Pandemic has negatively influenced the growth and performance of Asda
Q6) Do you think that pandemic has negatively influenced the growth and
performance of Asda?
Frequency
a) Yes 27
b) No 3

Interpretation:
It is being interpreted from the above graph that out of 30 participants, 27 have opinion
that pandemic has negatively influenced the growth and performance of Asda as the brand was
facing severe loss in pandemic and also faces difficulty in managing their workforce which
influence the productivty of business. The other 3 said that pandemic has not negatively
influenced the growth and performance of Asda as it also brings some positive changes within
workplace.
Table 7: Global pandemic has influenced ASDA to accelerate workplace transformation
Q7) According to your opinion, how global pandemic has influenced ASDA to
accelerate workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Changing customer need and expectation 8
b) Increase use of advanced technology 6
c) Increase in remote working 7
d) Increase in demand of online purchase 9

Interpretation:
The above pie chart illustrates that out of 30 participants, 8 thinks that global pandemic
has influenced ASDA to accelerate workplace transformation due to changing customer need and
expectation. But the majority of participants thinks that global pandemic has influenced ASDA
to accelerate workplace transformation due to increase in demand of online purchase. Customers
are focusing more on purchasing online products rather than going to outlet due to which Asda is
adopting workplace transformation.
Table 8: Offering flexible working environment has helped ASDA to continue their business
operations and functions during COVID-19
Q8) Do you think offering flexible working environment has helped ASDA to
continue their business operations and functions during COVID-19?
Frequency
a) Yes 25
b) No 2
C) May be 3

Interpretation:
From the above graph it is being stated that out of 30 participants, the majority of people
voted that offering flexible working environment has helped ASDA to continue their business
operations and functions during COVID-19. By offering flexible working environment,
employees can give their productive outcomes while working from home during pandemic.
Table 9: Challenges which can be faced by Asda while accelerating workplace transformation
Q9) What are the challenges which can be faced by Asda while accelerating
workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Organisational resistance to change 7
b) Data and application security 9
c) Issues with productivity 8
d) Maintaining productive remote workforce 6

Interpretation:
The above graph states that out of 30 respondents, 9 thinks that Data and application
security is the challenge which can be faced by Asda while accelerating workplace
transformation. They said that company face difficulty in managing the data and application
security while bringing workplace transformation. It becomes challenging to manage the data
and application security so that any information may not get leaked. If any data get leaked it
influences the brand image and reputation of company.
Table 10: Accelerating workplace transformation helps in improving the business performance
and profitability of Asda
Q10) Do you think that accelerating workplace transformation helps in improving
the business performance and profitability of Asda?
Frequency
a) Yes 27
b) No 3

Interpretation:
The above graph depicts that out of 30 participants, 27 thinks that accelerating workplace
transformation helps in improving the business performance and profitability of Asda. The
effective workplace transformation helps in enhancing the performance and profitability of
business by providing more opportunities to employees so that they can contribute more
productive results.
Table 11: Effective ways that could be used by ASDA for overcoming the negative impact of
Covid 19 within their workplace
Q11) As per your opinion, what are the effective ways that could be used by
ASDA for overcoming the negative impact of Covid 19 within their workplace?
Frequency
a) Communicating effectively 4
b) Updating health and safety policies 6
c) Healthy working environment 8
d) Ensuring safety of employees 5
e) Boosting the motivation and morale level of employees 7

Interpretation:
From the above graph, it is being determined that out of 30 participants, 4 thinks that
communicating effectively is the effective way that could be used by ASDA for overcoming the
negative impact of Covid 19 within their workplace. It is the responsibility of organisation to
ensures that the communication between employees must be effective so that they work in
systematic manner. Another 6 have said that updating health and safety policies is the way
through which Asda can overcome the negative impact of pandemic within workplace. The other
8 have opinion that healthy working environment is the effective way through which Asda can
mitigate the negative impact of pandemic within workplace. Beside this, 5 thinks that ensuring
safety of employees is the factor that helps in overcoming the challenges associated with
pandemic within workplace. The remaining 7 have perception that boosting the motivation and
morale level of employees is the way that can be used by the company in order to overcome the
issues of pandemic within workplace.
Table 12: Future trends which influenced Asda to adopt workplace transformation
Q12) According to your perspective, what are the future trends which influenced
Asda to adopt workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Increase in remote working 6
b) Emergence of new top tier employers 7
c) Increase in organisation complexity 9
d) Contingent worker expansion 8

Interpretation:
It is being analysed by above graph that out of 30 participants, the 9 respondents which is
majority thinks that increase in organisation complexity is the future trend which influenced
Asda to adopt workplace transformation. increase in organisation complexity helps in reducing
the efficiency and productivity of business due to which Asda has adopted workplace
transformation so that they can sustain in market for long run.
Table 13: Healthy working environment helps in overcoming the impact of pandemic within
workplace
Q13) Do you think that healthy working environment helps in overcoming the
impact of pandemic within workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 23
b) No 7

Interpretation:
The above states that out of 30 participants, 23 thinks that healthy working environment
helps in overcoming the impact of pandemic within workplace as it encourages and motivate the
staff to give their best performance. The remaining 7 have opinion that healthy working
environment doesn’t help in overcoming the impact of pandemic within workplace.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
It is being concluded from the above information that workplace transformation increases
the success rate of organisation due to which company can gain competitive advantage in
market. Workplace transformation helps in increasing the profit margin and performance of
company. In pandemic situation, it becomes important for company to transform their way of
working and adopt new technology and process so that they can sustain in market for long run
and survive effectively. The workplace transformation helps in increasing the growth and
efficiency of business due to which employees can work with dedication and contribute their
productive result. Workplace transformation helps in developing more flexible working
environment which boost the engagement level of employees. It also helps in increasing the
productivity and morale of staff use to which they contribute their best performance in
accomplishing business goals. The high morale of employees deliver better results and also stay
with organisation for long term. Thus, it is being analysed that pandemic has created a great
impact on the productivity and efficiency of business due to which company has adopted
workplace transformation so that they can survive in competitive environment.
Recommendation
 It is being recommended from the above information that organisation must focus on
overcoming the negative impact of pandemic by ensuring the health and safety of
employees within workplace. It is important that organisation must develop strategies in
order to encourage employees so that they feel comfortable and satisfied while working
in pandemic.
 Organisation must focus on encouraging employees so that they can share their opinion
and feedback related to workplace transformation. It is necessary to involve employees
during workplace transformation as it create a sense of value and also increase their
morale to contribute in business activities.
 It is the responsibility of organisation to create healthy working environment for
employees so that they can work with dedication and contribute their best performance in
completing the target. The healthy working environment helps in improving health and
well being, increases job satisfaction and also lower absenteeism rates.

 Asda must also focus on boosting the motivation and morale of employees. If the
employees are motivated they will stay with company for long run and also give more
productive results. The high morale of staff leads to lower turnover rates and also deliver
better results.
REFLECTION
The current research is based on identifying the impact of the global pandemic on
accelerating workplace transformation within the UK retail industry. This investigation helps me
to avail knowledge related to the chosen topic and also improve my skills due to which I can
conduct the future investigation in appropriate manner. Within this investigation, the different
research methodology is sued which helps me in identifying my strength and weakness. The
positivism philosophy help me to know the social world due to which I can develop my
understanding related to society in quantitative way. Deductive approach help me in testing the
hypothesis by collecting numerical information. The research methodology section helps me to
collect information related to the research study due to which aims and objective can be achieved
in better manner.
ALTERNATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Within this investigation quantitative research method is used but the alternative option
which can be used by investigator is qualitative research method. This method helps in attaining
the aims and objective of research by collecting information in the form of words.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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financial service sector: Investigating the relationship between employees' expectations
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Kim, J and et. al., 2021. When CEOs are all about themselves: Perceived CEO narcissism and
middle managers’ workplace behaviors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of
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Juchnowicz, M. and Kinowska, H., 2021. Employee well-being and digital work during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Information, 12(8), p.293.
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context of the Coronavirus pandemic. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 92). EDP
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APPENDIX 1
Research proposal and ethical form
PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM
Student Name
ID Number
Centre Name
Tutor
Proposed Title To identify the impact of the global pandemic on accelerating
workplace transformation within the UK retail industry
Section One: Title, aims, objectives
INTRODUCTION
Workplace transformation is a process of changing the working environment of company
in order to accommodate different kinds of technology, employees and work. Through
workplace transformation, organisation can improve the workforce skills, abilities and skills so
that they can keep up with the constant changes in business strategy of organisation. Workplace
transformation is important for business as it improves the productivity and performance of
business. The chosen company for this research is Asda, it is a supermarket chain which offers
wide range of products and services including grocery, financial services and many other. The
brand was founded in 1949 by Peter and Fred Asquith and Sir Noel Stockdale.
Title:
The impact of global pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation within the UK retail
industry
Aim:

To identify the impact of the global pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation
within the UK retail industry: A study on ASDA
Objectives:
 To increase understanding about the workplace transformation in context with UK retail
industry
 To determine the impact of the global pandemic on accelerating workplace
transformation within ASDA
 To evaluate the ways that ASDA could be used for overcoming the negative impact of
Covid 19 within their workplace
Research question:
1. What is the concept workplace transformation in context with UK retail industry?
2. How the global pandemic has impacted on accelerating workplace transformation within
ASDA?
3. What are the effective ways that could be used by ASDA for overcoming the negative
impact of Covid 19 within their workplace?
Section Two: Reasons for choosing this project
The purpose of conducting this research is to identify the impact of the global pandemic on
accelerating workplace transformation within the UK retail industry. While conducting the
investigation, the two main perspective of researcher will achieved such as professional or
personal perspective. Investigator will learn more skills and knowledge which will be helpful for
them in future investigation.
Section Three: Precedents and sources
What is the concept workplace transformation in context with UK retail industry?
As per the opinion of workplace transformation provides wide range of benefits to
employees and employer. It is a procedure of rethinking the functioning and strategy of company
in order to adopt different kinds of technology and work. Workplace transformation generally

categorised into four areas such as environmental impact, innovation readiness, employee self
fulfilment and competitive stature. The process of workplace transformation generally empower
the employees to work more effectively due to which they give more productive outcomes.
Workplace transformation helps in creating more collaborative culture and also brings
innovation within workplace due to which the performance and productivity of company
increases. In order to transform the workforce it important to focus on change management,
assess existing process, tailoring transformation, profiling the workforce, prioritising employee
experience and measuring the results. Thus, the motive of workplace transformational is to
engage employees and also provide them facility that satisfy their need and requirements within
workplace.
How the global pandemic has impacted on accelerating workplace transformation within
ASDA?
According to the perspective of global pandemic has impacted on accelerating the
workplace transformation within company. COVID 19 has created a great impact on the
performance and productivity of business due to which it becomes important to adopt workplace
transformation in order to remain competitive in market. The pandemic has put pressure on the
organisation to offer remote working opportunity to employees so that they can remain safe
while working and give their better outcomes. Asda is shifting towards more remote working
operation and also preparing to adjust employee experience strategies. Due to pandemic, it
becomes important for an organisation to adopt digital communication medium so that
employees can interact with each other and accomplish the work in effective and efficient
manner. Global pandemic has also encourages flexible working hours due to which employees
can work effectively by managing their professional and personal life.
What are the effective ways that could be used by ASDA for overcoming the negative
impact of Covid 19 within their workplace?
As per the viewpoint of there are various effective ways through which organisation can
mitigate the negative impact of pandemic within workplace. It is important for company to
overcome the issues as it can influence the profitability and growth of business. The few
effective ways are ensuring safety of employees, communicating effectively, updating health and
safety policies, developing positive and healthy working environment and boosting the

motivation and morale level of employees. Asda must focus on upstanding the health and safety
policies in order to make their employees feel safe and comfortable while working within
workplace. They must also focus on communicating effectively with employees so that they can
know their roles and responsibilities and work accordingly.
Section Four: Activities and timescales
Activities to be carried out during the project
How long this will take?

Section Five: Research methodology
Research methodology is an approach which includes wide varieties of research methods due to
which objective and aim of research is achieved in effective and efficient manner. The research
methods helps researcher to avail detailed and valid information related to the research study.
Research Philosophy:
Research Philosophy is a process through which investigator gathers data related to the
chosen research topic. The two main types of research philosophy are interpretivism and

positivism. Under this research, the investigator will choose positivism philosophy as it
accumulates numerical data in significant manner. The disadvantage of positive philosophy is
that it doesn't provide the reason behind collecting data and also researcher will not avail in-
depth knowledge regarding the topic.
Research approach:
Research approach includes the plan which provides direction to researcher for
completing the investigation in appropriate manner. It is classified into two different kinds such
as inductive and deductive. The useful approach for this current investigation is deductive
approach as it focuses on collecting quantitative piece of information. The disadvantage of this
approach is that it limits the scope of creativity.
Research strategy:
The different kinds of research strategy are case study, survey, systematic literature
review, focused group and many others. In respect of the current investigation, investigator will
choose survey strategy as it is cheapest way for accumulating the information from large umber
of respondents. For collecting the data related to the topic, investigator will design questionnaire
by choosing 30 respondents.
Data collection:
The two different kinds of data collection methods are primary and secondary data
collection method. Researcher will select both the data collection method for obtaining data
related to the subject matter. Primary data collection method helps in availing fresh data related
to the current study. Researcher is using questionnaire in order to gather primary data due to
which aims and objective can be achieved in better manner. Investigator is also collecting
secondary hand information through which different sources of secondary data collection such as
articles, newspaper, publication, etc.
Milestone one:
Milestone one target date (set by tutor):
Milestone two:
Milestone two target date (set by tutor):
Comments and agreement from tutor
Comments (optional):

I confirm that the project is not work which has been or will be submitted for another
qualification and is appropriate.
Agreed by:
Tutor name: Date:
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bloomfield, J. and Fisher, M. J., 2019. Quantitative research design. Journal of the Australasian
Rehabilitation Nurses Association, 22(2), pp.27-30.
Cortina, J. M., 2020. On the whys and hows of quantitative research. Journal of Business
Ethics, 167(1), pp.19-29.
Daniel, K .M., 2019. Introduction to Quantitative Research. Understanding Nursing Research:
First South Asia Edition, E-Book: Building an Evidence-Based Practice, p.29.

RESEARCH ETHICS APPROVAL FORM
All students conducting research activity that involves human participants or the use of
data, collected from human participants, may be required to gain ethical approval before
commencing their research.
Please answer all relevant questions and note that your form may be returned if
incomplete.
For further support and guidance please see your Unit Tutor.
Before completing this form, we advise that you discuss your proposed research fully
with your Unit Tutor. Please complete this form in good time before your research
project is due to commence.
Section One: Basic details
Student Name
ID Number
Centre Name
Project Title To analyse the impact of global pandemic on stimulation of digital
workplace transformation. A study on ASDA
Section Two: Project summary
Please select all research methods that you plan to use as part of your project:
Interviews
Questionnaires ✓
Observations
Use of Personal Records
Data Analysis ✓
Action Research

Focus Groups
Other (please specify Secondary research
Section Three: Participants
Yes No
Will your research involve human participants? yes
Ages
12–16
Young
people
aged
17–18
Adults
Who are the participants? Tick all that apply Adult
How will participants be recruited (identified and approached)?
Answer: By using probability sampling, 30 employees of ASDA will be selected
randomly.
Describe the process you will use to inform participants about what you are doing:
Answer: E-mail and questionnaire will use to inform participants regarding the
work.
How will you obtain consent from participants? Will this be written? How will it be

made clear to participants that they may withdraw consent to participate at any
time?
Answer: By providing accurate information regarding the research to the
participants, informed consent will be obtained from the respondents.
Studies involving questionnaires Yes No
Will participants be given the option of omitting questions they do
not wish to answer?
yes
If No, please explain why below and ensure that you cover any ethical issues
arising from this:
Answer:
Studies involving questionnaires Yes No
Will participants be given the option of omitting questions they do
not wish to answer?
yes
Studies involving observation Yes No
Confirm whether participants will be asked for their informed
consent to be approved.
yes
Yes No
Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation?
(e.g. give them a brief explanation of the study)
yes

Yes No
Will participants be given information about the findings of
your study? (This could be a summary of your findings generally)
yes
Section Four: Data storage and security
Yes No
Confirm that all personal data will be stored and processed in
compliance with the Data Protection Act (1998)
yes
Who will have access to the data and personal information?
Answer: myself Supervisor
During the research
Where will the data be stored?
Answer:
In My computer
Yes No
Will mobile devices, such as USB storage and laptops, be used? no
If yes, please provide further details:
Answer:

After the research
Where will the data be stored?
Answer:
On USB
How long will the data and records be kept, and in what format?
Answer:
Until I don’t need them anymore.
Yes No
Will the data be kept for use by other researchers? no
If yes, please provide further details:
Answer:
Section Five: Ethical issues
Are there any particular features of your proposed work which may raise ethical
concerns? If so,
please outline how you will deal with these:
It is important that you demonstrate your awareness of potential risks that may arise as
a result of
your research. Please consider/address all issues that may apply. Ethical concerns may
include, but
are not limited to the following:
 informed consent
 potentially vulnerable participants
 sensitive topics
 risks to participants and/or researchers

 confidentiality/anonymity
 disclosures/limits to confidentiality
 data storage and security, both during and after the research (including transfer,
sharing,
 encryption, protection)
 reporting
 dissemination and use of your findings.
Section Six: Declaration
Yes No
I have read, understood and will abide by the [insert name of
college/centre] Research Ethics Policy
yes
Yes No
I have discussed the ethical issues relating to my research with
my tutor
yes
I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the above information is correct and that
this is a full description of the ethical issues that may arise in the course of my/our
research.
Student Name: Florin Popescu Date 13/12/2021

APPENDIX 2
Questionnaire
Q1) Do you know the concept of workplace transformation within retail business?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) According to your viewpoint, what are the benefits which can be availed by Asda
during workplace transformation?
a) Better collaboration and communication
b) Increased profitability
c) Develop more flexible working environment
d) Increase productivity and morale
e) Enhanced innovation and communication
Q3) According to your opinion did workplace transformation bring positive changes within
workplace?
a) Yes
b) No
Q4) Do you think that global pandemic has impacted on accelerating workplace
transformation within ASDA?
a) Yes
b) No
Q5) According to your perspective, what are the factors that influence Asda to accelerate
workplace transformation?
a) Health and safety of employees
b) Low performance
c) Digitalisation
d) Competition
Q6) Do you think that pandemic has negatively influenced the growth and performance of
Asda?
a) Yes

b) No
Q7) According to your opinion, how global pandemic has influenced ASDA to accelerate
workplace transformation?
a) Changing customer need and expectation
b) Increase use of advanced technology
c) Increase in remote working
d) Increase in demand of online purchase
Q8) Do you think offering flexible working environment has helped ASDA to continue
their business operations and functions during COVID-19?
a) Yes
b) No
C) May be
Q9) What are the challenges which can be faced by Asda while accelerating workplace
transformation?
a) Organisational resistance to change
b) Data and application security
c) Issues with productivity
d) Maintaining productive remote workforce
Q10) Do you think that accelerating workplace transformation helps in improving the
business performance and profitability of Asda?
a) Yes
b) No
Q11) As per your opinion, what are the effective ways that could be used by ASDA for
overcoming the negative impact of Covid 19 within their workplace?
a) Communicating effectively
b) Updating health and safety policies
c) Healthy working environment
d) Ensuring safety of employees
e) Boosting the motivation and morale level of employees
Q12) According to your perspective, what are the future trends which influenced Asda to
adopt workplace transformation?

a) Increase in remote working
b) Emergence of new top tier employers
c) Increase in organisation complexity
d) Contingent worker expansion
Q13) Do you think that healthy working environment helps in overcoming the impact of
pandemic within workplace?
a) Yes
b) No