Research Proposal: Analyzing COVID-19 Impact on Int'l Business

This research proposal investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international businesses, focusing on trade and profit ratios, with a case study of Marks and Spencer. The proposal outlines the research background, rationale, aims, objectives, and research questions. It details the research methodologies to be employed, including the use of positivism philosophy, deductive approach, survey strategy, quantitative research choice, and probabilistic sampling. Data collection methods involve both primary (questionnaires) and secondary (books, journals, articles) sources. The research aims to understand the role of international trade in profit generation, analyze the impact of COVID-19 on international business at Marks and Spencer, and determine the major challenges faced during the pandemic's internationalization process. A cross-sectional time frame and Gantt chart are proposed for project management.

Research Proposal
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Table of Contents
Title: Impact of pandemic on international businesses....................................................................3
Research Background......................................................................................................................3
Research Rationale..........................................................................................................................3
Research Aim and Objectives..........................................................................................................3
Research Questions..........................................................................................................................4
Research Methodologies..................................................................................................................4
Time scale........................................................................................................................................5
References.......................................................................................................................................9
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Title: Impact of pandemic on international businesses
Research Background
In an unprecedented global health crises, the international businesses and having trade is
essential to save the basic lives and livelihood to manage different concepts. The virus of Covid-
19 is the major crises which the company faced while global scale. The impact of Covid-19 is
basically decline the growth rate of the company in different manners. There are two main
factors which are related to shortage of trading goods that are associated to manufacturing
companies and make globalised process in different kind of supply chains. Whereas, another
mechanism is related to economic effects (Abu-Bader, 2021). It is basically related to make trade
liberalisation to analyse benefits of having trade liberalisation within the countries. To complete
this research proposal the chosen company is Marks and Spencer, which is multinational retail
industry in selling clothing for managing food and products. It was founded in 1884 and its
headquartered is in London, UK. This report includes the aim and objectives and a significant
use of research methodologies in the use of effective process.
Research Rationale
The main reason for choosing this topic and make sure for managing and publishing
different platform to work at international level and make sure to analyse systematic working
with high profit ratio. Furthermore it is analysed that working in Covid-19 and its high impact on
the retail fashion industry will be impactful to manage various kind of activities in different ways
(Carracedo, Puertas and Marti, 2021). With the help of this research, the researcher is able to
gain personal skills that helps in enhancing communication, research, aptitude and public
gathering skills.
Research Aim and Objectives
Aim: “To analyse the impact of Covid-19 on the international businesses trade related to profit
sharing ratio. A study on Marks and Spencer.”
Objective:
 To understand the role of international trade to gain higher amount of profit ratio within
the organisation.
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 To analyse the impact of Covid-19 on the international businesses trade in Marks and
Spencer.
 To determine the major challenges faced by Marks and Spencer at the time of Covid-19
in their internationalisation process.
Research Questions
 What are the role of international trade to gain higher amount of profit ratio within the
organisation?
 What are the impact of Covid-19 on the international businesses trade in Marks and
Spencer?
 Which was the major challenges faced by Marks and Spencer at the time of Covid-19 in
their internationalisation process?
Research Methodologies
The use of research methodologies are helpful for researcher to gain appropriate ways to
conduct the research and complete research with ethical consideration. These methods are
provided by Saunders (2012), and their main motive is to complete research with effective and
appropriate ways. Research Philosophies: This is associate to the foundation of research methods and
related to different kind of beliefs to make attractive research methods. There are
basically two type of philosophies which are related to positivism and interpretivism. In
this present study, positivism approach is used as it is helpful in considering different
ways and make sure to complete work effectively (Easterby-Smith and et.al., 2021).
Furthermore, the use of positivism approach is basically helpful to complete research in
ethical manner. Research Approach: In order to conduct research in broader terms, it is analysed that
deductive and inductive approach is used. It will be helpful for complete research and
achieve desired aim and objective. The two type of researches are deductive and
inductive approach, and for complete this study investigator chose deductive approach. It
is helpful for conducting quantitative methods and provide a valuable outcome which is
related to physical properties.
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 Research Strategies: The third stage of research methodology is related to based on aim
and objectives as the process which are used to complete effective process. Several type
of stages are experiment method, case study, survey and other different. Here, the
researcher opted survey method which will be helpful for complete research in an
effective and appropriate ways (Hasan and et.al., 2021). There are different kind of
possibilities which are related to work on proposal and make less time with high
efficiency. Research Choice: For this researcher have two major options which are related to
quantitative and qualitative research methods. In the present study, researcher opted
quantitative research choice that is helpful to collect the data and use different kind of
information in more efficient ways. There are major success factors which an investigator
can be opted to conduct time and gain higher efficiency. Data collection and analysis: This stage include the different kind of techniques and
process for managing data collection process. For considering primary and secondary
data sources are chosen. It will be helpful for researcher to collect data collection and
analyse that process in more effective manner (Hörisch, 2021). For the use of primary
data, researcher opted questionnaire for complete primary research on time with less time
and cost. On the other hand, researcher opted secondary methods that are related to
books, online journals and articles for collecting data and investigate properly.
 Sampling: It is basically related to collect data through large sample size with the help of
either probabilistic and non-probabilistic methods. In this present study, researcher opted
probabilistic sampling method that further helps in analysing the challenge and gain
higher knowledge about the use of international business (Lewis, 2021). The chosen
sample size is 30 and the respondents are the employee of Marks and Spencer. The
respondents are chosen through official visit in organisation. The reason for choosing
them is they have the relevant information about the company and they are facing impact
of Covid-19 on internationalisation process.
Time scale
This process is related to two time frames that are related to cross-sectional and
longitudinal method. Furthermore, the use of these methods help the researcher to complete
effective growth on time and manage beneficial process (Taylor and et.al., 2021). In this present
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study, researcher opted cross-sectional method that would be beneficial for completing research
on time. Furthermore researcher chose Gantt chart method to show their division of work on
time and analyse as per the view and management process of the research.
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References
Books & Journals
Abu-Bader, S.H., 2021. Using statistical methods in social science research: With a complete
SPSS guide. Oxford University Press, USA.
Carracedo, P., Puertas, R. and Marti, L., 2021. Research lines on the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on business. A text mining analysis. Journal of Business Research, 132,
pp.586-593.
Easterby-Smith, M., Jaspersen, L.J., Thorpe, R. and Valizade, D., 2021. Management and
business research. Sage.
Hasan, M.B., Mahi, M., Hassan, M.K. and Bhuiyan, A.B., 2021. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic
on stock markets: Conventional vs. Islamic indices using wavelet-based multi-
timescales analysis. The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 58,
p.101504.
Hörisch, J., 2021. The relation of COVID-19 to the UN sustainable development goals:
Implications for sustainability accounting, management and policy research.
Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal.
Lewis, L., 2021. Finding the stories: a novice qualitative researcher learns to analyse narrative
inquiry data. Nurse researcher, 29(2).
Taylor, E.N., Diele‐Viegas, L.M., Gangloff, E.J., Hall, J.M., Halpern, B., Massey, M.D., Rödder,
D., Rollinson, N., Spears, S., Sun, B.J. and Telemeco, R.S., 2021. The thermal ecology
and physiology of reptiles and amphibians: A user's guide. Journal of Experimental
Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology, 335(1), pp.13-44.
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