Analysis: Entrepreneurial Skills Impact on Employee Motivation, M&S

This report presents an investigation into the impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation, focusing on Marks and Spencer (M&S) as a case study. The study begins with an introduction outlining the theoretical background and research focus, defining entrepreneurial skills and their importance in the workplace. The research aims to analyze the impact of these skills on employee motivation, identify the benefits of developing such skills, and determine the challenges faced by employees lacking them. The literature review explores the impact of entrepreneurial skills on motivation, the benefits of skill development, and the challenges faced by employees without these skills. The methodology, data analysis, and findings are then presented, followed by a discussion of the results. The report concludes with recommendations for M&S, emphasizing the importance of fostering entrepreneurial skills to enhance employee motivation and overall organizational performance. Key themes include innovation, risk-taking, creativity, and the development of skills like time management and communication.

AN INVESTIGATION TO ANALYZE THE
IMPACT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS
ON EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION. A STUDY ON
MARKS AND SPENCER.”

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................3
Theoretical Background and Research Focus....................................................................................................................................3
Research Aim.....................................................................................................................................................................................3
Research Objectives...........................................................................................................................................................................3
Research Questions............................................................................................................................................................................3
CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................................................................................................................................4
Theoretical Background.....................................................................................................................................................................4
Justification and Contextualization....................................................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 3- METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................................................................................8
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS...............................................................................................................................11
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION.....................................................................................................................................................................20
CHAPTER 6- CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.................................................................................................................22
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................................................22
Recommendation..............................................................................................................................................................................22
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................................................................24

CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION
Entrepreneurial skills can be defined as the ability of an entrepreneur to convert innovative ideas into action. Different
entrepreneurial skills can include innovation, risk taking, creativity, managing skills etc. These skills are considered to be important
and can significantly affect the overall motivation level of the employees within the workplace. Entrepreneurial skills can be applied
to different job roles and industries (Afolabi and et. al., 2017). These skills allow the right candidates to apply for a particular vacant
job at an organization. The various entrepreneurial skills also allow the employees to stay focused to their work and be productive.
When an employee has effective entrepreneurial skills, they are likely to come up with various innovative and new ideas about how a
problem should be approached.
This will lead the company to perform at a greater level and help the company in achieving its goals and objectives.
Organization chosen for this report is Marks and Spencer, a leading British retailer which was founded by Michael Marks and Thomas
Spencer in the year 1884. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom and operates in different geographical locations
across the world (Afsar and et. al., 2017). The company operates in different geographic locations across the world. This research is
based on how entrepreneurial skills can affect or motivate the employees. It explains the importance of different entrepreneurial skills
and their impact on employees.
Theoretical Background and Research Focus
Research Aim
“An investigation to analyze the impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation. A study on Marks and Spencer.”
Research Objectives
 To analyze the impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation.
 To identify benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for employees at the workplace.
 To determine the challenges faced by employees due to lack of entrepreneurial skills.
Research Questions
 What is the impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation?
 What are the benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for employees at the workplace?
 What are the challenges faced by employees due to lack of entrepreneurial skills?

CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW
Theoretical Background
Theme 1- Impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation
As per the views of Elia and Margherita (2018) Employee motivation is important at a workplace as it allows an organization
to achieve its goals and objectives. If the workforce will not be motivated, the overall performance of the company will be affected.
Therefore, it can be said that it is very crucial for the management of an organization to implement measures and provide various
opportunities to the employees in order to maintain their level of motivation. A company can conduct training and development
sessions for the employees. This can help them in acquiring new entrepreneurial skills and performing effectively.
On the other side Hahn and et. al., (2020) argues that employees get an opportunity to manage their time and develop skills
like critical thinking, creativity and innovation. The performance of employees and motivation are inter related to each other. If the
employees are motivated, they will be committed to their respective jobs and put in efforts to complete the tasks assigned to them
within the given time frame. On the other side if the motivation level of the employees will not be good then this will create a negative
impact over the working and the efficiency of the employees.
For instance, Marks and Spencer offers various opportunities to its employees so that they can enhance their skills. This helps
them in increasing their levels of confidence and deliver results that are expected from them. Motivation serves to be one of the key
driving factors for employee performance at a workplace and can help in increasing the overall performance as well as the
productivity of the company on the whole.
In against to this Herdjiono and et. al., (2017) articulates that different entrepreneurial skills like time management skills,
strategic thinking, effective communication networking etc. lead to a greater satisfaction among employees. When employees are
motivated towards their work, they will be committed to completing the work that has been assigned to them. Not only this, their
positive motivation will lead the company to growth which is beneficial for the company.
In addition to this Ma, Gu and Liu (2017) stated that the various entrepreneurial skills can allow an employee to achieve their
personal goals and also facilitates their overall development. Once they reach their individual goals, they understand the relation
between putting efforts and obtaining desired results. This further motivates them to continue putting in efforts. Apart from this,
entrepreneurial skills also contribute to an improved overall efficiency of the employees. This is because their overall efficiency does
not solely depend on their qualifications. In order to obtain the desired results from the employees, Marks and Spencer ensures that its
employees are able to maintain a balance between the tasks assigned to them as well as their willingness to do the same. This has led
to an increase in the overall performance of the employees as well as an improvement in their overall efficiencies.
Theme 2- Benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for employees at the workplace.
By referring to the work of Mamabolo, Kerrin and Kele (2017) there are many benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for
employees within a workplace. They not only get a chance to interact with new people and build a network, but also develop creative
ideas. Developing entrepreneurial skills can teach employees how to work as part of teams and enhance their relationships with others.
Networking is considered to be one of the most important entrepreneurial skills that employees within a workplace are expected to
possess. An employee can register for different entrepreneurship programs that are conducted online.
In contrast to this Barba-Sánchez and Atienza-Sahuquillo (2017) employees have a responsibility of coming up with solutions
to different problems that can come up during their jobs. So, problem solving skills can be beneficial for them at this time and help

them in resolving any issues or concerns that are raised by the customers. Apart from this, entrepreneurial skills also benefit the
employees in terms of enhancing their overall efficiency as well as individual productivity levels. As an employee, it is important to
have excellent analytical skills as well as the business. Employees at Marks and Spencer are confident and comfortable in working
with each other.
On the other side Malik, Awan and Nisar (2020) criticized that the company has a workforce that is not only efficient, but also
committed towards achieving organizational goals and objectives. The employees are always prepared for any kind of uncertainties
and are also creative at the same time. The managers are experienced and able to identify any problems or risks that might be
associated with a particular project. This means that the employees possess good entrepreneurial skills and are also, engaged in their
respective jobs. Therefore, it can be said that there are numerous benefits of entrepreneurial skills for the employees as they not only
contribute to their professional careers, but also for personal growth.
By referring to the work of Sousa (2018) it is stated that respective company ensures that various opportunities are provided to
the employees so that they develop new skills and enhance their overall knowledge. Lastly, entrepreneurial skills also facilitate the
development of the organization on the whole. As a result, there is an increase in the overall profitability as well as productivity of the
company. Having a skilled staff can lead the company to gain a competitive advantage against competitors within the industry.
In addition to this Barba-Sánchez and Atienza-Sahuquillo (2018) argues that when the employees of the company will be
having proper and effective entrepreneurial skills at the work then this will keep the employees more motivated. The major reason for
this is that when the employees will not be working in proper and effective manner then this will create issues in the motivation and
interest of the employees within the company. thus, for this the most important thing for the employees is to have proper
entrepreneurial motivation. This will keep the employees motivated with the company and as a result of this the working and the
efficiency of the employees will increase. Also when the employees will be having proper working efficiency and the entrepreneurial
skills then this will increase the interest of the employees in the working of the company.
On the other side in against of this Agarwal, Gambardella and Olson (2016) argues that the major benefit of using and having
the entrepreneurial skill among the employees is that this will increase the efficiency of employees. The major reason for this is that
when the employees will be having proper knowledge and required skills then this will increase the overall working of the company.
thus, this will increase the interest of the employees within the company. also, another major benefit of the employees having proper
and effective entrepreneurial skill is that they can also assist in proper decision making by the top management. The major reason for
this is that when the employees will be having the proper and required level of skill then this will motivate the employees to provide
their best services for the company.
Theme 3- Various challenges which the employees face because of lack of entrepreneurial skills.
As per the views of this Chan and et.al., (2017) argued that the employees can also face a lot of challenges due to lack of
entrepreneurial skills, in terms of productivity and overall performance. For example, a lack of time management can cause too many
tasks on the schedule of the employee. This will lead to a lack of priority as well as procrastination. As a result, the employees will not
be able to complete the assigned tasks and submit them on time. Apart from this, there will also be a lack of time due to which
important projects will have to suffer. Also, if the employees are not comfortable in working with each other, they will not be able to
perform in the expected way. Also, there will be no sense of team performance among the employees within the workplace.
But in contrast to this Keerativutisest and Hanson (2017) stated that creativity is an important component within an
organization because it contributes to its overall growth. Also, employers today, look for employees who are creative, willing to share

new and innovative ideas. If an employee lacks creativity, they are likely to feel left out from the rest of the company. They will be
afraid of failing and not think proactively. Hence, if the employees will not be much creative then they will find it challenging to gain
entrepreneurial skills and this will demotivate the employees to work in proper and creative and innovative manner.
In addition to this 18 Challenges that Internal Communication Professionals Are Facing Today (2020) argues that the major
challenge which the employees faces due to lack of entrepreneurial skill is that if the employees will not be motivated then this will
distract the employees to work in poor condition. The major reason for this is that when the employees will not be having proper
entrepreneurial working then they will not be motivated to work in proper and effective manner. This will result in decrease in the
working efficiency of the employees. The major reason for this is that when the employees will not be working in proper and effective
manner then this will create a negative impact over the working of the company.
On the flip side Moses and et.al., (2016) articulates that the effective communication within the workplace is a must and lack
of the same can lead to various challenges. There are some employees at Marks and Spencer who lack the skill of effective
communication and because of this their level of engagement in their work is low. There are chances of miscommunication and
misunderstanding among the team members. Therefore, these are some challenges that can be faced by employees due to lack of
entrepreneurial skills.
In the contradictory note, Cai and et.al., (2019) argues that the major challenge which the employees face due to leack of the
entrepreneurial skill is that there might be lack of the collaboration or the team work. This is also a problem or the challenge which the
employees can face in managing the business in proper and effective manner. This is particularly because of the reason that when the
employees will be having lack of entrepreneurial skill then this will affect the working of the company to a great extent. In addition to
this, when the team working skill will not be good within the employees then this will create conflict among the employees. As a
result of this it might be possible that the employees do not feel motivated and will not be working in proper and effective manner.
Justification and Contextualization
A research can help the researcher in finding appropriate answers to a particular research problem. The answers help in filling
the gaps that would have been been there before the study. The primary purpose of a research is to provide informed actions and it is
important to always produce results that are not only knowledgeable, but also applicable practically. This particular research is
important as it helps in understanding the overall impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation. Not only this, it also
identifies the various benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for employees within the workplace. This will help in enhancing the
overall knowledge about the topic as well as encourage the readers to develop entrepreneurial skills. The research is also important
because it provides a list of challenges that employees at a workplace can face due to lack of entrepreneurial skills.
Entrepreneurial skills act as an important career development tool for employees within an organization. And this is one of the
reasons why it is important to analyze the impact entrepreneurial skills can have on the overall motivation of employees of the
employees. Another reason to find this is to allow the readers to understand that why employees should focus on developing various
entrepreneurial skills like effective communication, time management, creativity etc. Employee motivation is considered to be one of
the major contributors to the overall success of the company (O’Shea, Buckley and Halbesleben, 2017). And since, many employees
today, are not motivated towards their work, it is important to inform them that they should develop various entrepreneurial skills that
will not only be helpful for them at the workplace, but also act as a major contributor to their future career development. Apart from
this, they will also get a chance to identify various challenges that they might face due to lack of these skills.

In order to build the research based on the existing evidence, the information was initially gathered from various sources. After
this, it was analyzed in order to ensure that the most relevant information related to the topic was selected. This is an important step
because it allows the researcher to identify any sort of information that is irrelevant and does not address the research problem
effectively. Secondary methods like online journals, websites etc. were used to gather the information. Analysis of the same was done
in a proper manner so as to make sure that desired results were obtained.
The research is timely in nature and helps in responding to the existing need of analyzing the impact of entrepreneurial skills
on the motivation level of employees (Santos, Marques and Ferreira, 2018). This is because it has become necessary for the employees
of a company to develop skills that can help them in not only performing better, but also in achieving organizational goals and
objectives. The research provides an understanding of the various benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills like communication
skills, time management skills, creativity etc. Employers today, look out for employees who possess various skills and are able to
work in a highly competitive and dynamic environment.
The respective research respond to the existing need for the employees to develop entrepreneurial skills in order to stay
motivated and perform in the way employers expect them to. Not only this, it will also allow the employees to understand hat if they
want to remain productive as well as competitive at the workplace, they should develop these skills so that the desired results are
achieved (Shafique and Kalyar, 2018). Therefore, it is important for an organization to provide various opportunities to the employees
so that they develop these skills. This is because motivated employees can allo0w the company to attain its goals and objectives as
well as gain a competitive advantage against competitors.

CHAPTER 3- METHODOLOGY
The research methods are the different methods which are being used by the researcher in order to complete the research in
successful manner. These research methods guide the researcher in creating a good and effective research and reaching the aim and
objective of the study to a great extent. Hence, because of this reason it is very important for the company to decide for all the
methods of the research in advance as this will provide proper guidance to the researcher that how the whole research will be
conducted. The aims of the respective research will be obtained by opting for various methods of data collection. These methods will
allow the researcher to collect the relevant information and obtain the desired results. The various research methods are described
below.
Primary Methods - Primary Research is defined as a method used by researchers to collect the data directly from the
respondent. In other words, this is a method through which first hand data is collected that is the data which is used for the first time in
any research. This research technique is carried out to address a certain problem, which requires in depth study. Organizations can
conduct primary research on their own or can employ a third party to conduct research on their behalf (Sousa, 2018). One major
advantage of doing primary research is to give attention to specific issue or problem and all the focus is directed to obtain related
solutions. Some primary research methods which a company or organization can use to collect data include Face to face or Telephonic
Interviews, Online Surveys, Observations, Focus Groups etc. For the current study the researcher has undertaken the use of
questionnaire as the tool for collecting the primary data. The primary research is being chosen as this will assist the researcher in
creating collecting data directly from the source and this has not been used before in any of the research.
Secondary Methods - Secondary research is commonly known as desk research is a method used to collect already existing
data or information. In comparison to primary research, secondary research is much more cost effective as it makes use of already
existing data. Some secondary research methods which company or organization can use to collect data include Information or data

available on internet, Data from government and non- government agencies, Public libraries, Educational Institutions etc. In order to
complete the current study, the researcher has made use of the different types of articles, journals and books and other kind of
published data relating to entrepreneurial skill and how this impact the motivation level of the employees within the company. along
with the primary data it is of utmost importance to make the use of the secondary source as well. The major reason for this is that
when the answers of the primary respondent will be authenticated with the secondary source as well then this will make the primary
data more valid and reliable. Hence, because of this reason the use of secondary source of data is also undertaken.
Type of research – there are basically two types of research that is qualitative and quantitative research for completing the
research study. Qualitative research is defined as a method use in market research that focuses on obtaining information from open-
ended and conversational communications (Stephan, 2018). This method of research basically focuses on two aspects that is what
people think and why they think so. This type of research is used in identifying, collecting and analyzing non-numerical data and also
works towards solving complex problems. The sources used in this research for gathering multiple forms of information are through
interviews, observations and documents, rather than relying on a single information source. Since, this method of collecting data is
more of communicative nature, so people can build trust on the researchers and the data thus obtained is raw.
Quantitative research is defined as a method of doing systematic investigation by gathering required data and performing statistical,
mathematical, or computational techniques. Basically it is a process of identifying, collecting and analyzing numerical data which can
be used to test relationships, make predictions and to find patterns and averages. The result collected from this research study are
logical, statistical, and unbiased. This research method is mostly used in the natural and social science that is in biology, economics,
chemistry, physics, etc. The strengths of this research approach includes direct comparison of results, hypothesis testing and
processing large samples. For the purpose of completing the research with help of quantitative analysis the use of SPSS is being used
and under this the descriptive statistics and regression was found in order to complete and fulfil the aim and objective of the study.
The descriptive statistics will include the mean, mode and median for the data relating to the research.
Questionnaire - A questionnaire is a research technique that consists of a set of questions that are responsible for collecting
information or data from respondents. A questionnaire research is basically a mix of close-ended and open-ended questions and data
collected from this technique can be both qualitative or quantitative in nature. The advantage of using this method are that the
researcher can collect a lot of information or data in less time with help of survey questionnaire and on other hand respondents can
answer the questions without revealing their identities (Sugandini and et. al., 2018). This method is quick to perform and at the same
time it is cost-effective and is used to reinforce the brand image. A questionnaire has been used in order to complete this research. The
questionnaire included the different types of the questions relating to the research topic and this included different options as well
from which only the respondent need to answer. Further the tool of SPSS was implemented on the data collected through
questionnaire and then it was evaluated.
Sampling – It can be defined as the process that is used in a research and involves selecting a predetermined number of
observations from a large population. There are two types of sampling methods, probabilistic and non-probabilistic. The process of
sampling allows the researcher to save time and obtain results for a large population based on analyzing the data that is collect ed from
a small sample. The size of the sample through which information is collected is 30 respondents. The target population includes
employees who are currently working for an organization and are not aware of the impact of various entrepreneurial skills on their
overall level of motivation. The sample is selected on the basis of the random sampling method as under this method there is equal
chance of getting selected.

This is the most appropriate way of effectively answering the research question because it will allow the researcher to collect
relevant information, analyze it and obtain desired results. Secondary research methods have been considered as an alternative for
collecting information in order to complete the research.
Access and Ethics
Ethics in a research provide the researcher with guidelines so that it is completed in an effective way. There are various ethics
that the researcher should consider before and while undertaking the research. All of the data which is collected should not be copied
from anywhere or misinterpreted (Yun and et. al., 2019). Any kind of careless mistakes or errors should be avoided at all times. This
will allow the research to produce more appropriate results. Apart from this, information relating to the research as well as the
respondents will be kept confidential. These are some of the ethical considerations for this research. In order to gain access for the
field, initially a target audience will be identified, after which a sample of 30 respondents will be developed. The respondents will be
chosen randomly and in no particular order. This will help in finding the information that is needed to obtain desired results of the
research.
Limitations
There are some limitations of the research strategy that has been chosen, like the information that is collected through the
questionnaire can include information that is not appropriate or clear. This is because there are chances that the respondents chose not
to answer the questions or failed to understand a particular question (Newman and et. al., 2018). These limitations can negatively
impact the overall results produced by the research. There are various advantages of using a questionnaire in order to collect
information for a research like they are not expensive, comparable and allow the researcher to analyze the information easily. So, it
can be said that the limitations counterweight the advantages. This is because they allow the research to be completed effectively and
appropriately. Thus, these are some limitations of the selected research strategy.

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
The present chapter will help to interpret the results of entire findings in better manner such that it will help to examine the overall
results in favor of research questions. For the same, graphs and tables are used that assist to present the findings in better manner so
that reader will easily understand the views of selected participants.
Thematic Analysis
In this section, scholar will interpret the responses provided by the selected participants and for that different themes are
designed by referring the questionnaire. Moreover, graphs and tables will also have presented which in turn helps to present the entire
findings in better manner. Overall, it assists to identify whether the research aim is attained or not
Theme 1: Employees are satisfied with Motivation factors used by company
Particulars Respondents
% of
respondents
Yes 23 76.7
No 7 23.3
Total 30 100
.
Interpretation: Through the above table and graph it is interpreted that majority of the respondents are agree that Marks and
Spencer uses range of motivation factor in order to improve the performance of employees. Such that out of 30, 23 of them are state
yes and only 7 says no. Therefore, it is reflected that company took initiative in order to improve the overall brand image. As by using
motivation strategies, company is able to improve the productivity of a company and this in turn creates positive impact upon the
company' brand image.
Theme 2: Entrepreneurial skills are necessary to motivate employees
Particulars Respondents
% of
respondents

Yes 21 70
No 9 30
Total 30 100
Interpretation: In accordance with the above table, it is depicted that to motivate employees, there is a need to have effective
entrepreneurial skills such that it will assist to generate better relationship between them. Such that out 100%, 70% employees are
stated yes and only 30% of them are stated no. Therefore, it is clearly reflected that with the help of effective entrepreneurial skill such
that time management skills will assist to promote the employees towards positive manner. Hence, it is analyzed that there is a
positive impact of developing range of entrepreneurial skills upon performance of employees. In addition to this, it is also analyzed
that with the help of such skills new business creates more jobs and helps to introduce new ideas which in turn improve the overall
performance of a company.
Theme 3: Benefit of developing entrepreneurial skills for employees
Particulars Respondents
% of
respondents
Yes 23 76.7
No 7 23.3
Total 30 100