Inquiry Project Report: Covid-19's Impact on Sainsbury's Performance

This report, an inquiry-based project for FY028, investigates the impact of Covid-19 on Sainsbury's, a major UK retailer. The study examines the pre- and post-pandemic profit of Sainsbury's, analyzing the changes in revenue and operational strategies. The report explores how the pandemic affected Sainsbury's employee training and development programs. The research utilizes secondary data sources to analyze the impact of the pandemic on Sainsbury's, and how it adapted to the challenges. The findings show the drastic impact of the pandemic on the business, including profit reduction, supply chain disruptions, and changes in consumer behavior. The report concludes by highlighting the importance of adaptability and strategic planning in navigating unforeseen global events. The report also provides a detailed literature review, research methodology, findings, and conclusion.

Inquiry Based
Learning

Table of Contents
Topic :- “To investigate the impact of Covid -19 on Sainsbury by collecting the pre-Covid profit
and post-Covid Profit”.....................................................................................................................4
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Research aim .........................................................................................................................4
Problem statement..................................................................................................................4
Research Objectives: - ...........................................................................................................5
Research Questions................................................................................................................5
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................5
Explain about impact of Covid -19 on Sainsbury?.................................................................5
What are different changes that has happened in relation to profit in Sainsbury?.................5
How training and development process impacted during the time of Covid-19 in Sainsbury? .6
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................6
Research analysis ...........................................................................................................................7
FINDINGS ......................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFRENCES...................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

Topic :- “To investigate the impact of Covid -19 on Sainsbury by collecting the
pre-Covid profit and post-Covid Profit”
INTRODUCTION
Covid-19 is one of the biggest disaster that has taken place in the history of world which
has impacted economy of various organizations and countries all over the world. In this situation
various kinds of issues has been faced by organization in relation to activities conducted by an
organization. Covid -19 has made profit to be impacted in more effective manner over bith
positive and negative manner. In other words Covid-19 has made organization face lot of
challenges as government took harsh steps which reduced productivity in an organization. This
impacted performance of various activities related to employees staffing, staff development,
performance management with compensation management and encouraging involvement of
employees in decision making with innovative ideas. Before Covid-19 situation were much
better and employees were able to complete task. This situation has made organization develop
different strategies that has made organization grow in different style. The organization taken for
whom research has been conducted is Sainsbury.
Research aim
Identification of impact of Covid-19 on Sainsbury in relation to its post covid and pre
covid profit.
Problem statement
The study has to be done on the basis of research that is based upon showing impact of
Covid-19 upon an organization like Sainsbury in relation to pre Covid profit and post Covid
profit. Main thing that is to be covered is based upon impacting of Covid-19 upon profit of an
organization. In this productivity over employees and development of working is been discussed.
Main problem which is required to be addressed in the study is based over Covid-19 and its
affects within an organization like Covid-19. Also it has helped in attain sustainability in
business environment. This is because with the globalisation as well as enhancement of
technological sector the business environment has now become dynamic where stakeholders and
other intangible factors require an organisation to continuously improve its offering. This can be
in term of launching a new product, improving existing product, brining new technology or
innovation, enhancing the manner in which customers are being served in order to provide

maximum satisfaction to stakeholders. For adopting these changes an organisation require to
start its work within the organisation by arranging resources and enhancing quality of work that
customer deliver. Hence this study helps in resolving the problem in which an organisation can
improve its employees’ performance.
Research Objectives: -
 Developing and understanding importance over impact of Covid-19 upon Sainsbury
 Determination of various changes in relation to profit of Sainsbury
 Determine the impact of training and development programs within Covid-19 period on
Sainsbury.
Research Questions
 Explain about impact of Covid -19 on Sainsbury?
 What are different changes that has happened in relation to profit in Sainsbury?
 How training and development process impacted during the time of Covid-19 in
Sainsbury?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Explain about impact of Covid -19 on Sainsbury?
According to Thongkoo, Panjaburee and Daungcharone, (2019) Covid-19 is considered
to be one of the most drastic pandemic situation that has happened all over the world. It has
impacted Sainsbury in a way that it helped in developing new strategies as porcesses were going
online. Also various difficulties were faced in communicating with employees as sometimes they
were not available. Processes that taken place in an organization become slow which made
production to be reduced and selling decreased. Due to this employees performance was
negatively impacted. In this situation tendency upon production reduced and made performance
management, recruitment process, developing learning skills, performing data analysis become
very slow in Sainsbury.
What are different changes that has happened in relation to profit in Sainsbury?
According to Song and Wen, (2018) Covid-19 has been impacting profit of Sainsbury in
a way that before Covid-19 profit was high and after covid it reduced. It happened because sales
of the retailer reduced and all things become online. After this online selling was boosted due

change in mode of shopping. Also customers order in bulk it made profit to be enhanced. Since
restriction were applied by government of particular country process of generation of profit
become slow. Before Sainsbury was operating in various areas but after the lock-down it has to
close its stores in various parts of country. Also job of its employees were lost because of various
process been closed. Various approaches were been used by organization Sainbury but despite
of this they faced loss of 630 million dollars. It lost its competitive edge within market and
values of its shares decreased. So the impact of Covid was positive on Sainsbury as it generated
more profit before it from both online and offline mode.
How training and development process impacted during the time of Covid-19 in Sainsbury?
As per the views of Voetand De Wever, (2016) training and development process become
very slow. No new recruitments were taking place during this time that is why training and
development was not been done. Due to connectivity issues employees were struggling upon
getting information upon new strategies and also decision making process lost its ethicality. In
covid-19 training and development of new skill was not been done as proper decorum was not
able to develop. All these factors when combined shows results that the company is working
with its full potential, all resources are effectively in spite of this training and development was
not improved that resulted in loss of employment and jobs.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is that kind of framework which provides those set of methods
which makes techniques to be used for collecting and presenting of information to be analysed.
This helps in gaining of appropriate outcome form the findings It help in directing the researcher
regarding the actions that it must be take into consideration while performing a particular
investigation. The research methods involve within the study are mentioned below:
 Research philosophy:- This method has been followed over evaluating and gathering of
information with appropriate outcome. In this two types of research are used that is
interpretive and positivism. Researcher used positivism philosophy in present research as
it helps in interpreting gathered information in meaningful manner so that valid
conclusion can be drawn at the end of research work.
 Research Type: - Performing an investigation over crucial situations and taking decision
over study that has to be conducted over taking an action in one direction. Qualitative and

quantitative are two approaches that has to be adopted by researcher to perform research.
Qualitative method is been used this is going to help to collect information about
concepts and theoretical frameworks in order to explain a particular phenomenon.
 Data collection method: - It is the method that makes data collection to be achieved for
gathering information about particular study area. This can be collected form two
methods that is secondary. In context of researcher, it will support over determining the
nature of study and help in providing appropriate findings by justifying them with the
references of previous study (Voetand De Wever, 2016).
 Research design: - Under this structure is being defined over adopting information
gathering. There are certain designs that can be used for conducting research by
researcher that is descriptive, explanatory and experimental. All these helps in developing
of appropriate results.
 Ethical consideration: - While performing secondary study it become very crucial for
the investigator to follows ethics so that the academic misconduct can be avoided. It
makes work place to be safe for employees. In relation to researcher it is refereed that
credit of the writer and information presented in the studies is required to be checked
before making research to be completed. Also ethics helps in collecting relevant and
accurate data from the respondents so that valid conclusion can be made at the end.
Research analysis
This has been analysed after conducting secondary research that Covid -19 is very drastic
situation that has impacted growth of Sainsbury . This has been making enhancement of various
kind of skills and knowledge in competency to workplace. This has been performing by
involving employees and making better culture to be developed over performance accordingly.
Also it makes development of employees that has to be adjusted over performing work with
development of competency. The main motive of conducting research and developing practices
in an organization. Also Covid has lead over reduction in various kinds of opportunities that
makes organization uplift its growth. As due to this employees lost there job and made them
suffer a lot in financial terms. This made tactics with strategies rigid which made reduction in
profit of Sainsbury and caused heavy loss to it.

FINDINGS
From the above mentioned collected secondary data for literature review it has been find
out that Various Covid-19 has impacted organization capacity and performance of employees. In
this various sources of secondary data collection that are books, articles, journals etc. These are
helpful for researcher in finding the accurate information about the given topic. Covid-19 is one
of the most crucial business aspect which made business suffer a lot in-terms of business
environment. In relation to this adopting of various approaches has to be required for making
structure and organizational culture to be developed. Covid -19 changed the way organization
has been working and made innovative process formed to enhance growth of an organization
overall (Widowati, Widodo and Anjarsari, 2017).
Covid-19 has negatively affected an organization like Sainsbury which make loss to be
accrued within it. This reduced productivity of employees. Various approaches has to be used in
training program which makes no improvement developed within employment recruitment
process possible. Also in Sainsbury motivation over achieving goal through teaching and
minimizing issues that has been faced over performing activities in job. It can be marked that
Covid-19 made organization like Sainsbury develop practices in relation to significant role which
made productivity reduced and made improvement decrease within an organization Sainsbury in
achieving goals and objectives in less impactful manner.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion it can be found that pandemic situation has impacted
organization all over the world. This made profit to be decreased within an organization and
made employees less focused over work. Further the situation made organization faced heavy
loss within an organization. It made employees feel demotivated to work in an organization.
Through various approaches and innovation has been used by organization but not affect was
there on its growth. Also order of work and discipline was reduced and issues arose while
completing task on time. This made job loss happen and proper guidance was not given to
employee which made less tendency reduced.

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