Transformation in the Workplace: Impact on Tesco during COVID-19 Pandemic

This research proposal aims to study the basic concept of workplace transformation in the UK retail industry, with a focus on the impact of workplace transformation on Tesco during the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation will identify the challenges faced by Tesco on the performance of employees during pandemic time. The research will provide relevant data about the impact of workplace transformation on company and employee performance. The investigation will be conducted using stationary, internet access, computer interface, and Microsoft software. The ethical issues of maintaining confidentiality of the respondent’s participants and avoiding offense to the respondents will be resolved by following ethical research principles properly.

Research Proposal

Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
Research Proposal Form..................................................................................................................1
OBC Research Ethics Approval Form.............................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

Research Proposal Form
Student
Name
Date
Tutor
Name
Date
Research
Question
approved
by the
Tutor
 What is the basic concept of workplace transformation within the UK retail industry?
 What is the significant impact of workplace transformation in Tesco during COVID-19
pandemic?
 What are the challenges faced by Tesco on the performance of employees during
pandemic time?
Research
Objective(s)
approved
by the
Tutor
 To study the basic concept of workplace transformation within the UK retail industry
 To examine the significant impact of workplace transformation in Tesco during
COVID-19 pandemic
 To identify the challenges faced by Tesco on the performance of employees during
pandemic time
Why have
you chosen
this
research
question?
The primary justification behind selecting the area of workplace transformation in the UK
industry is to understand the ways in which workplace transformation impacts and influences
employee output and creates barriers for the workforce. The completion of this investigation
will support identifying the ways in which workplace transformation negatively and positively
affects employee performance specifically in the time of the crises. The situation of COVID-
19 pandemic and its drastic impact on the retail industry (Sarma and et. al., 2021). The retail
sector is also selected because it will help understand the ways in which industry changes
result in workplace transformation and it influences employee performance. In addition to this
the research question focuses on the recent phenomenon of COVID-19 in the retail industry
which can provide accurate impact of workplace transformation on performance of employees.
TESCO is the selected company for the research question because it is multinational large
scale firm and is key player in the retail industry. Analysing and investigating workplace
transformation in TESCO will provide information about the ways in which workplace
transformation in the retail industry helped businesses cope up with changes brought about by
COVID-19 and face changes in employee output. Since TESCO is significant retail company
in UK and was able to successfully recover from COVID-19, researching the concept of
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workplace transformation at TESCO during COVID-19 will help provide relevant data about
impact of workplace transformation on company and employee performance.
Give a
short
summary of
the
literature
on the topic
According to Gretczko (2022), workplace transformation in the retail sector is increasing
because of sophisticated digital technologies which can be used for improving workplace
efficiency. The concept of workplace transformation involves making organization wide
change by supporting improvement in skills, instruments and capabilities of the workforce.
Implementing successful workplace transformation requires retail organizations to take a
proactive stance in building and implementing changes and defining what future of the
workforce would look like (The future of work for retail?, 2022). This provides the company
specific direction so that they effectively implement organization wide changes and prepare
the workforce in improving skill set for the future. Workplace transformation in the retail
industry is about facilitating growth and supporting development of resilient organization.
As per the view of Randall (2020), COVID-19 has imitated workplace transformation across
industries because of its impact on the ways in which employees interact, perform daily
activities and external corporate environment. Management in different sectors has adopted
best practices and increased alertness towards hygiene and health of employees in the wake of
the pandemic which will ha significant impact on the way work is implemented in business
organizations. COVID-19 has increased workplace transformation because it has increased the
internal and external risks faced by organizations (The future of workplaces: how Covid-19
will transform office life, 2020). Following legal guidelines implemented by governments
across regions to slow down the spread of the virus and taking precautions to face the
economic uncertainty created by COVID-19 spread resulted in many businesses implementing
long-term changes in their functional departments to adjust to the new normal.
What tools
do you need
to prepare
in order to
conduct
your
research?
The main tools needed to conduct the investigation are stationary, internet access, computer
interface and Microsoft software. Stationary is needed to complete ay paper based work such
as preparing schedule of the research in writing and developing sample questions for the
survey questionnaire. Apart from this internet access is also needed to complete online
research on the topic and access online journals, articles and other material needed for
completing investigation on the subject. Finally Microsoft software including Power point,
Word and Excel are needed to complete different part of the investigation Word is essential in
creating a digital research report while excel is needed to complete research outcome and
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present the data using the statistical tool of Excel. In addition to this the Microsoft power point
software is required for final PPT slides for oral presentation on reflection. The computer
interface is the basic tool needed to perform all the digital activities such as internet research,
excel usage and creation of Power Point slides.
Have you
completed
the Ethics
Approval
Form, and
do you have
consent if
required
for your
research?
Yes, the ethical research proposal has been filled out and provided below.
No, consent form cannot be provided for the present research because the investigation is
completed on a hypothetical basis.
What
ethical
issues do
you have to
resolve?
The primary ethical issue of this investigation is completing the primary research is
maintaining confidentiality of the respondent’s participants in the investigation. It is important
to protect the private information of the respondents during the investigation to maintain
integrity. Apart from this the issue of ensuring that the research participants are not offended
because of their participation in the investigation is also present for the current investigation.
In addition to this, the research ethics area of causing any mismanagement leading to
environmental harm is also applicable in the current investigation. It is important that
appropriate steps are taken to improve ethical nature of the investigation and resolve the
ethical issues to complete the investigation effectively.
How much
time will
you need to
conduct
your
research?
The timeline of the investigation is provided below:
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What are
the costs of
the
research
you will
do?
The overall cost of the investigation is 100 GBP. 20 GBP will be used for gaining internet
research access. 10 GBP will be used for purchasing stationary. 50 GBP will be used for
completing online questionnaire. 20 GBP will be incurred to pay communication bills such as
phone bills and other.
OBC Research Ethics Approval Form
Section 1: Basic Details
Project title: An investigation into the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on accelerating transformation within
the workplace.
Student name: ...................................................................................
Student ID number: ...................................................................................
Programme: ...................................................................................
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Intended research start date: .............................................
Intended research end date: .............................................
Section 2: 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):
....................................................................................................................................................................
Section 3: Participants
Please answer the following questions, giving full details where necessary.
Will your research involve human participants?
Yes
Who are the participants? Tick all that apply:
Ages 12-16: Young People aged 17–18: Adults:
How will participants be recruited (identified and approached)?
The participants will be recruited non provability sampling.
Describe the processes you will use to inform participants about what you are doing:
Email communication will be used to inform the participants.
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?
Consent cannot be gained from the participants because the research will be conducted on hypothetical basis.
Studies involving questionnaires:
Will participants be given the option of omitting questions they 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:
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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:
Who will have access to the data and personal information?
During the research:
Only the researcher will have access to data and personal information of the client
Where will the data be stored, and will electronic data be password protected?
Data will be stored digitally with strong password protect.
Will mobile devices such as USB storage and laptops be used?
Yes: No:
If yes, please provide further details:
Laptop will be used for completing the information.
After the research:
Where will the data be stored, and will electronic data be password protected?
Laptop will be used for completing the information.
How long will the data and records be kept for and in what format?
6 years maximum
Will data be kept for use by other researchers?
Yes: No:
If yes, please provide further details:
Section 5: Ethical Issues
Are there any particular features of your proposed work which may raise ethical concerns? If so,
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please outline how you will deal with these:
There is ethical issues relating to confidentiality, data protection, lowering environmental harm and avoiding
offense to the respondents. This will be resolved by following ethical research principles properly.
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.
The primary risk associated with the research is related to its timely completion.
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 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 if applicable:
Yes: No:
I confirm that to the best of my knowledge:
The above information is correct and that this is a full description of the ethics issues that may arise in the
course of my research.
Name: ...................................................................................................................................................................
Date: ...................................................................................
Please submit your completed form to:
...................................................................................................................................................................
Sections 7 & 8 to be completed by a member of the ethics committee
Section 7: Stage One Approval
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The intended research has been approved by the ethics committee subject to the submission of signed
consent forms from a sample of participants:
Yes: No:
Name: ............................................................................................................................................................
Date: ...................................................................................
Section 8: Stage Two Approval
The researcher has submitted signed consent forms from participants for the intended research:
Yes: No:
The intended research has been approved by the ethics committee:
Yes: No:
Name: ............................................................................................................................................................
Date: ...................................................................................
REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Sarma and et. al., 2021. Modelling resilient fashion retail supply chain strategies to mitigate the
COVID-19 impact. The International Journal of Logistics Management.
Online
The future of work for retail?, 2022. [Online] Available through <
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consulting/articles/future-of-work-for-
retail.html/#top>
The future of workplaces: how Covid-19 will transform office life, 2020. [Online] Available
through https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/14/future-of-workplaces-
covid-19-transform-office-life
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