Applying Mixed Methods: Ethical Considerations for Shophere

This report delves into the critical importance of ethical considerations in business, with a specific focus on the Australian retail company, Shophere. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both primary and secondary data collection to explore the impact of ethical practices on business strategy, customer relations, and overall sustainability. The report examines Shophere's current ethical business strategy, providing recommendations for improvement and expansion of its target customer base. It analyzes the benefits of ethical considerations, such as building trust and goodwill, while also acknowledging potential challenges like increased costs and complexities. Through a critical analysis of existing literature, the report highlights the significance of ethical practices in the context of market competition and the need for businesses to learn from the mistakes of their competitors. The conclusion summarizes the findings, addresses gaps in the literature, and emphasizes the long-term advantages of prioritizing ethical conduct in business operations.

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Applying Mix Methods to Research

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Aim.........................................................................................................................................3
Objectives...............................................................................................................................3
Research Questions................................................................................................................3
Description of search process.....................................................................................................4
Critical analysis of the literature................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
Shophere has been one of the retail businesses in Australia which has been expanding and
gaining in revenues since its establishment. The entire research would explore the ethical
considerations that are to be considered by the consumers while purchasing. The importance
and the role of the ethics in business would also be revealed through stating the impacts of
not utilising the ethical considerations in business. The research has rightly touched and
acknowledged all the relevant and vital points that are required to be maintained by Shophere
and other businesses in order to be ethically authentic and sustain in the market. The facts
about the scandals and other issues revealed in some of the renowned businesses has also
been explored which helped in justifying the requirement of ethical considerations in
business.
Aim
The aim of the research project has been to explore the importance of ethics in businesses and
concentrating on the Shophere business for the consideration of the ethics in its functioning
and working strategy.
Objectives
The objectives of the research are as follows
 To understand the importance and need of ethics in business actions and decisions
 To explore the benefits that the business could earn through ethical practices and
considerations
 To explore Shophere business and its new ethical business strategy and justify its
benefits that the business would have
 To provide recommendations to Shophere business on the ethical practices and the
target customers to be increased through ethical practices
Research Questions
The research questions are as follows
1. What is the importance and need of ethics in business actions and decision, making?
2. What are the benefits that the business could earn through ethical practices and
considerations?
3. What new ethical strategy has been taken by Shophere and why? Justify.

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4. What are the recommendations to Shophere business on the ethical practices and the
target customers to be increased through ethical practices?
Description of search process
The research has been done through the utilisation of the two most relevant and the most
productive methods and those are the primary data and the secondary data collection
methods. This reveals that the research has included the mixed method to research which has
been conducted by keeping the ethical consideration in business as its base. The use of both
the methods in research has helped in cross justifying both the data and thus the
authentication of the research has been proved.
The research has been done through systematic approach which included the collection of the
secondary data at the primary basis through the sources such as books, journals, articles and
many other authentic sources. These exploration were made through utilising the key words
of the research topic that is “ethics in business”, “importance of ethics”, “scandals of business
ethics”, and many other such phrases were used. This helped in collecting the most relevant
data. These data were closely screened and it was considered while formulating the survey
questions for collecting the primary data. The primary data has been collected through
acknowledging the responses to the questionnaire provided to the workers of Shophere and
thus its analysis through considering the secondary data facts, helped in gathering the most
justified and relevant facts. The research process could be resented through the following
steps which would help in understanding the path that has been followed in the research.
Step 1: Selection of the Research data collection methods
Step 2: Collecting the Secondary Data
Step 3: Shortlisting the key words of the research topic
Step 4: Summarising the facts from the various articles and journals and framing the
secondary data facts
Step 5: Utilising the facts of the secondary data in framing the primary data collection
questionnaire
Step 6: Conducting the survey

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Step 7: Analysing the primary data collected and cross checking with the secondary data facts
Step 8: Critically reviewing the literature
These steps helped in conducting a systematic research and the critical assessment of the
literature has also been done accurately. The research gained accuracy and authentication
through following the above steps.
Critical analysis of the literature
As per Monga (2018), the ethical considerations in the business may appear to be hectic and
time consuming, it may even add on to the costs and the formalities of the business, but it
provides long term profits and authentication which helps in achieving the sustainability
criteria of the business. This also provided with the information that the ethics should be the
primary objective of every business as it helps in achieving the trust and the goodwill of the
people which would transform into the main asset of the company or business. These views
has been agreed upon by Masnan et al. (2018), that ethics could help a business to grow and
develop gradually along with the feature of sustainability. The sustainability feature helps the
business to grow and develop step by step, though it takes on long time, but when the success
is achieved it stays for longer period of time as compared to the business which do not follow
the ethics.
The Shophere business has taken up the strategy of ethics in its business on acknowledging
the facts and the consequences of Rana Plaza collapse, Uzbekistani cotton labour scandal and
few other case studies which has been the reason for taking up the ethical practices so
seriously. In view of Ahmed et al. (2018), it is more evident for business owners to grasp the
opportunities laid by its competitors and earn the benefit. This has been simplified by
Griffiths (2018), that the acknowledgement of the weaknesses or the wrong steps that the
competitors or the business mates have made, helps in undertaking the actions which brings
the light on the business and thus, this is the opportunity to cover the large market and
customer base. The ethical considerations by Shophere would automatically shed light on it,
due to the scandals and unethical practices made by its competitors. This would help the
concerned business in gaining the confidence of the public at large through taking up the
strategy focusing on ethical practices.
The importance of ethics in business practices has also been stated by Masnan et al. (2018),
through a different perspective. It has been stated by the author that the ethical practices helps

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in adding on t the customer base and increase on the targeted customers. Though the business
has b-not considered the ethics initially, but it should learn through its competitor’s mistakes
and grab the opportunity. On considering the loopholes of the competitors that too when it is
in limelight, the business should present the loophole of its competitors as its strong point.
The scandals of ethics in business should be taken advantage by Shophere and present its new
strategy as its goals and thus, this would have a strong impact on the customers. The shift of
the customers from the competitors to the business is natural to take place. These
considerations has also been admired and suggested by Shimengah et al. (2019), that taking
advantage of the competitor’s weaknesses builds up the strengths of the business. Other than
these facts, ethics should be the base of every business, as per Tekin et al. (2019), because the
ethics helps in maintaining the quality and the requirements of the customers automatically
gets met.
Conclusion
The formation of the systematic literature review has been done in considering almost all the
objectives of the research and the research questions. The facts about the ethical
considerations and the benefits that ethics provides has all been stated in a thorough and
justified manner. Though it could have been stated in a simpler and elaborative manner which
would have provided the readers with complete information. There exist a gap in the
literature as the information on the scandals has not been provided and the facts about the
cost and the regressive working schedules on ethical considerations has also not been met.
The consideration of ethics provides with sustainability feature to the business but, it do not
add on to the revenues of the business initially has been ignored completely. The costs which
the business has to bear initially on consideration of ethics, has not been provided.

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References
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