Dissertation: Training and Development in the UK Retail Sector

This dissertation explores the impact of effective training and development on employee performance and productivity within the UK retail sector, using Sainsbury's as a case study. The study begins with an introduction that provides background information on the significance of training and development, organizational background of Sainsbury's, statement of the problem, aim, objectives, and research questions. A literature review then examines the concept and need for training and development in the UK retail sector, different types of training provided by Sainsbury's, the impact of training on the organization, and the challenges faced in the absence of effective training. The methodology chapter outlines the research philosophy, approach, strategy, design, choice, data collection methods, and analysis techniques. The dissertation covers the importance of training in improving employee skills, enhancing job satisfaction, and boosting productivity. It also investigates the challenges faced by organizations with inadequate training programs. The findings highlight the benefits of well-designed training programs in creating a skilled, motivated workforce and address the critical need for continuous development in the dynamic retail environment.

Dissertation
(Impact of effective training and
development on employee performance and
productivity within UK retail sector)
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................4
1. Background to the research......................................................................................................4
2. Organisational background......................................................................................................5
3. Significance of the problem.....................................................................................................5
4. Statement of purpose................................................................................................................5
5. Statement of the problem.........................................................................................................6
6. Aim and objectives..................................................................................................................6
7. Research question....................................................................................................................7
8. Dissertation structure ..............................................................................................................7
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW..................................................................................9
To understand the concept and need of training and development within retail sector of UK ..9
To determine different types of training and development provided by Sanisbury to their
employee in improving performance and productivity..............................................................10
To identify the impact effective training and development provided by Sainsbury to their
employee on organisation..........................................................................................................12
To analyse the different challenges faced by Sainsbury in the absence of effective training and
development of employees........................................................................................................13
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................................16
Research philosophy..................................................................................................................16
Research approach.....................................................................................................................16
Research strategy.......................................................................................................................17
Research design.........................................................................................................................17
Research choice.........................................................................................................................17
Data collection...........................................................................................................................18
Data collection instrument.........................................................................................................18
Data analysis..............................................................................................................................18
Sampling....................................................................................................................................19
Reliability...................................................................................................................................19
Validity......................................................................................................................................19
Research ethics...........................................................................................................................19
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Limitation of the research..........................................................................................................20
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................21
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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1. Background to the research
Training and development are the initiatives of educational activities within a company.
They are often designed for performing the job performance of an employee or group. These
programs are generally involved advancing knowledge and skill of workers and motivating them
to enhance job satisfaction and performance. Training programs are formed independently with
the motive of long-term development of workforce (Mehta and Sidharth, 2022). Some of the
common practices of training are: case studies, classroom lectures, orientations, simulations, role
playing and e-learning. Human resource of the organisation puts great efforts to offer and
arrange training sessions for the employees so that they can improve their existing and learn new
skills. The current corporate world is ever changing, training and development is one of the
indispensable activity. However, there are still many companies which put training and
development in the bottom of the priority list. When it is organised and arranged, it is generally
at the persistence of the human resource department. There is, but, great value in arranging apt
sessions of training and development for employees (Willie, 2019). In simpler language, training
and development helps workforce in acquiring new skills, sharpening existing skills, performing
better, increasing productivity and becoming great leaders. Since an organisation is the sum total
of what workforce attain individually, companies performs everything so that employee can
perform with greatest efficiency and effectiveness. Training and development is significant for
companies as well as for employees. This is the way which is generally adopted by the company
and it is served as a platform for getting new employees to speed up with the procedures of the
organisation and fill gaps identified in the skills (Horváthová, Čopíková and Mokrá, 2019).
When weaknesses and shortcomings of any individual face then company can use training and
development for improving their performance. Shortcomings are addressed and it helps in
improving overall performance of the employee. Training and development, but, also assists in
amplifying strengths and acquiring new sets of skills. It is significant for an organisation to break
down requirements of training and development for targeting apt individuals. An organisation
which invests in the method of training and development have satisfied and empowered set of
employees. The exercise of training and development needs to be relevant for employees so that
they can learn something and take back from training sessions (Parida and Sundaray, 2019). It
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would be futile if sessions of training and development become dull and tedious, and workforce
attends it merely as they have to. As an organisation, they mainly stress on industry specific
training sessions and send maximum employees for international conferences and seminars that
could be beneficial for them. Therefore, the current investigation will cover information about
how an organisation arranges training and development sessions with the motive of improving
the skills of employees in the workplace. Along with the different methods of training
development such as e-learning and so on. Hence, it also provides in-depth information about the
challenges faced by company due to absence of effective strategies of training and development
in the organisation.
2. Organisational background
The selected organisation for the current study is Sainsbury's. It is popular because it
holds the position of the second largest of supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The
founder of the organisation is John James Sainsbury and they founded the organisation in 1869,
Holborn. The headquarters of the supermarket is located in London, United Kingdom. This is the
organisation which has large number of employees so they also give great significance to
sessions of training and development so they can perform with great efficiency. The company
also arranges training sessions according to the trends in the market.
3. Significance of the problem
The identified problem in the present investigation is that ineffective training and
development sessions is one of the major challenges for a company. It is significant for an
organisation to address this specific problem by adopting advanced training methods in the
workplace (Rahayu, Rasid and Tannady, 2019). Advanced training method includes e-learning
etc.
4. Statement of purpose
The main purpose of conducting the present study is to carry out in-depth data about the
significance of training and development in the organisation. This study will highlight that the
skilled and knowledgeable employees are the assets for a company. When they have apt
knowledge and skill then they perform their job role with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Thus, for providing great knowledge and right set of skills to employees, an organisation adopts
strategy of training and development (Chang, 2020). Thus, the study will collect insights about
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showing that training and development is greatly considered by the company to train their talent.
This also makes company to update skills of the employees as per the changing scenarios in the
external environment of the organisation. Therefore, this also puts light on the challenges which
can be faced by the company due to ineffective or absence training and development strategies.
There are two objectives in the present study which will be met by the efforts of researcher. In
respect of personal perspective, investigator will learn that it is necessary for an individual to
always update their knowledge regarding different areas and they will also learn about the
methods of research to accumulate and analyse information. In respect of professional
perspective, investigator will know about the various method to offer and arrange training
sessions for employees (Thorpe, 2021). Thus, the current study includes the detailed data about
the practice of training and development along with the attainment of personal and professional
objectives of researcher.
5. Statement of the problem
The major research problem which is identified in the investigation is that organisation
with lack of training and development in their company face the problem of low productivity. As
in the current time it is crucial to train employee so that they can work as per the changes take
place in the surrounding. Having an effective training session help the employee to work in the
direction of goal (Ahmed and et. al, 2020). Companies whose training is weak cannot develop
their employee as per the current dynamic environment. This create problem as organisation
cannot increase their performance and productivity in the market. Another issue of lack of
training and development is inefficiency in gaining competitive edge. Thus, if company want to
grow and h=gain success it is important and beneficially to provide training to the employee.
6. Aim and objectives
Research aim
To identify the impact of effective training and development on employee performance
and productivity within UK retail sector: A study on Sainsbury
Research objective
 To understand the concept and need of training and development within retail sector of
UK
 To determine different types of training and development provided by Sainsbury to their
employee in improving performance and productivity
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 To identify the impact effective training and development provided by Sainsbury to their
employee on organisation
 To analyse the different challenges faced by Sainsbury in the absence of effective
training and development of employees
7. Research question
 What is the concept and need of training and development within retail sector of UK?
 What are the different types of training and development provided by Sainsbury to their
employee in improving performance and productivity?
 What is the impact effective training and development provided by Sainsbury to their
employee on organisation?
 What are the different challenges faced by Sainsbury in the absence of effective training
and development of employees?
8. Dissertation structure
There are various chapter which is cover in the current dissertation. These chapter helps in
conducting the investigation ins systematic manner. Chapters which are covered in the research
are as follow:
Introduction: This is the first chapter in the research which is very important in this section
variety of elements are included that are research aim and object, research rational, Overview of
the company and topic, significance of the study and many more. This chapter provide the
direction in which the overall investigation need to be done (Lynch and et. al, 2020).
Literature review: This is the second chapter which discuss about the secondary data about
the selected topic. This part address the research question in appropriate way. This part also
helps the investigator to gain detailed knowledge on the topic.
Research methodology: The third chapter is methodology which aids in identifying and
analysing type of data needed to conduct the investigation. This section helps in attaining aim
and objective in valid and accurate manner (Long, 2022).
Data finding and analysis: The fourth chapter in the dissertation is data finding and
analysis chapter. In this section investigator gathers the data for the study using data collection
method and instrument and then inspect the raw data in order to gain useful information. This
part actually helps in presenting the outcome of the study.
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Conclusion and recommendation: The last chapter in the research is conclusion and
recommendation part. In conclusion section a short summary of overall investigation is written
down. Whereas, in recommendation part researcher provide some suggestion to the industry in
order to overcome from the challenges or problem (Pascual and et. al, 2020).
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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
To understand the concept and need of training and development within retail sector of UK
According to Miller and Akdere (2019), as it is known fact that customer service is said to be the
essential in the retail industry in the UK because under this the employees are to interact with the
employees. For enhancing this confidence and training, there is an utmost need of the training
process (Alnawfleh, 2020) . The employees must be involved into the company its processes,
services and various services. In order to serve the customers better. It can also be said that the
retailers cannot afford to lose its valuable and loyal customers that is why the company is
conducting time to time training. With the aim of enhancing the overall performance of the
employees the training is considered to be the essential part of the enhancing the skills. The new
knowledge can also be improved by making use of proper training and it can also be said that
training not only improves the level of performance but it also elevates the level of motivation to
work. Development is essential for the company and its employees as money cannot be the only
motivator for the employee’s further development in their working is also vital. In that leadership
will play the major role in order to manage all the employees in a proper manner. It is used to
upgrade the skills and abilities of all the employees so that they will be able to attend the target
of the company. Such programmes will also be used in the future job as the employees will be
prepared to deal with the issues. The term training and development are two different actions
which are interconnected for the overall development of the employees. Likewise, the training is
used to enhance the operational purpose for the long run and the complete development. The
ultimate goal of the training and development is to improve the existing skills of the employees.
The company and its management takes the right decision for choosing the exact training method
as per the requirement of the company. It is also a formal and systematic way to improve the
level of learning in relation to education, skills and development. That is why the development
has a long term view which is directly linked to fulfil the present needs as well as the future
needs (Aleem and et.al.,2018).
As stated by Paposa and Kumar (2019), various types ways can be used with the aim of provide
better training for the employees such as on job training, virtual training, e learning, instructor
based training and many others. The companies in the retail sector will be able to manage the
machine, workforce, money and the resources in an efficient manner. This lead to less wastage of
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resources with better generation of profitability. It tends to improve the overall performance of
the employees which is lined to generation of better opportunities. It will result in the reduction
of employee turnover and also the idle time (DeMotta, Gonzales and Lawson, 2019). It brings a
kind of positive environment for the employees which lead to elevate the level of their morale
and confidence. It is a fact that all the employees focus on their career and the future rather than
the job only that is why various skills will be required along with new training in order to stand
out of the crowd. With the support of training, the employees will be updated as per the market
and technological changes. That will bring the level of job satisfaction with better confidence at
the workplace. (Gudkova and et.al.,2019). As training and development are the main initiatives
in the process of the educational activities in the company. As they are often considered for
performing the job performance of an employee or group. Due to which these programs are
usually involved advancing knowledge and skill of employees and motivating them to enhance
job satisfaction and performance. In that the training programs are formed independently with
the motive of long-term development of workforce. There are various type common practices of
training such as classroom lectures, case studies, orientations, simulations, role playing and e-
learning Yarotskaya, 2019).
To determine different types of training and development provided by Sanisbury to their
employee in improving performance and productivity.
As per the view of Huber and Stuckenschmidt (2020), employees are considered as the
most important element that help business organisation in achieving high growth and success in
the competitive market. Training and development plays a very prominent role in enhancing the
performance and productivity of employees within an organisation. Employees that are trained
effectively tends to be happier and highly productive, so it is necessary to take proper care of
them so that they perform in a better way. Training is considered as an important method that
helps in employee retention as well as employee on-boarding. Training is necessary for both new
and existing employees because it helps them in increasing their overall skills and knowledge
about their job role in order to attain organisational objectives. Retail training helps in improving
retail performance and operation in the business market for increased success. It is considered as
an important strategy for attracting and convincing shopkeepers for purchasing the company
brand products for selling in the market to customers. There are different types of training and
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developing methods that help the business in achieving high growth and in improving overall
productivity and performance. These training methods are defined as under:
 Sales training program for employees – Sales training program serves various
objectives for improving the performance of sales representatives (Paul, Acharya and
Bhuva, 2018). Training helps in developing knowledge about how to attract customers
for retaining them within the business for buying particular products. This enables
company in achieving their sales targets and improving the performance of the retail
stores for high profitability in the competitive market.
 Training related to product knowledge – Product knowledge training helps in ensuring
that the sales representatives of the company can effectively communicate to build
confidence and trust in managing customer relationship (Sinha and Lu, 2019). It also
helps in providing ways to answer customer questions in a right manner so that they feel
satisfied in receiving services. Product knowledge is very important for employees
because this only help in attracting more number of customers towards buying a specific
product.
 Training of leadership skills – Leadership is considered as the most important concept
in an organisation because it helps in motivating and inspiring employees to work in a
right and effective manner (Akdere, Jiang and Lobo, 2021). This training helps
employees in building skills of leadership such as ability to take productive decisions, to
convince people, to provide correct feedback, to listen to others, to communicate properly
and effectively.
 Technology based training – With the advancement of technology in the business
market, it is important for organisations to provide computerised training to employees.
This helps in improving the performance and working capability of employees for
achieving success and high profitability in the competitive market (Smiti, 2020).
Technology makes the work less hectic for employees and this motivates them to do their
work in a more effective and efficient manner.
 Retail training related to customer serving – This method of training mainly focuses
on improving the customer satisfaction and experience within the business market. It
helps in providing training related to customer services so that they attract them to buy
the company's product (Weber and Schütte, 2019). This training mainly includes skills
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like competency test, teaching and identifying areas that requires improvement. It helps
in motivating and inspiring customers to purchase business products and services for high
success and productivity in the competitive market.
These are some of the retail training methods that helps in increasing the morale and
performance of employees for attaining business aim and objectives. It is important for the
employers of the company to train and develop their employees in such a manner that they work
in a more effectively and productively.
To identify the impact effective training and development provided by Sainsbury to their
employee on organisation
According to the point of view of Kerr and et.al (2020) training and development
referring to the human resources development that makes efforts in employee's training and
development for achieving the organisation goals. Training and development is one of the most
important term for the employees development because it is helps to motivate and trained the
employees of the effective and efficient working. Training and development is the process that
aims to long-term development of employees. For any organisation and industry, employees
training and development is necessary. It is provide many benefits to the organisation and
employee such as it is helps in effective performance, increasing the productivity, improve the
overall performance of the employees as well as organisation. In relation to Sainsbury, the
impact of effective training and development of employees that is provided by the Sainsbury in
order to improving their organisation's development as well. With the help of training and
development, Sainsbury able to improving their productivity and performance of their
organisation (Hickey, and et.al., 2020). An effective training and development helps to increase
the employee's performance that is the benefit for the organisation's success. Training and
development helps to develop their employees and motivate them to giving their best
performance for the company success. Providing the effective training and development to the
employees, improving their outcomes of their business and manage their production for the
future goals. It is necessary to having the employee's training and development that makes the
employee more effective and efficient and give their best performance for achieving the
organisation's goals with success. The impact of effective training and development of
employees increases the productivity, reduced the micro management, trained the future leaders,
increasing the job satisfaction and retention, attract the high skilled employees, increasing the
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