Research Proposal on Impact of Staff Motivation Schemes on Retention

This research project investigates the impact of staff motivation schemes on employee retention within an organization, focusing on a case study of Marks and Spencer. The objectives include identifying the importance of employee motivation, determining different types of motivation schemes applicable to the company, and providing recommendations for managers to motivate employees. The research employs a qualitative approach, utilizing descriptive research design and interpretivism philosophy to gather non-numeric data. Data collection involves both primary (questionnaires) and secondary methods, with thematic analysis used for in-depth understanding. A sample of 30 employees from Marks and Spencer is surveyed to gather insights into their perceptions of motivation schemes. The study references key literature to support its findings, highlighting the importance of motivation in boosting employee confidence, increasing productivity, and reducing turnover. Ultimately, the research aims to provide valuable insights for organizations seeking to improve employee retention through effective motivation strategies.

Research Proposal Form
Student Name: ______________________ Student ID: ____________
Centre Name: _____________________
Tutor: ________________ Date: ___________________
Unit: ____________________
Proposed Title: Impact of staff motivation schemes to employee retention
Section One: Title, objective, responsibilities
Title or working title of the research project (in the form of a question, objective or
hypothesis)
Title- ‘Impact of staff motivation schemes to employee retention in an
organisation’.
Aim- “To determine impact of staff motivation schemes to employee retention”. A
case study on Marks and Spencer.
Objective:
 To identify importance of employee motivation in an organisation for
employee retention.
 To determine different types of motivation schemes that can be applied by
Marks and Spencer.
 To provide some recommendations to managers of Marks and Spencer to
motivate employees.
Research objectives (e.g what is the question you want to answer? What do you
want to learn how to do? What do you want to find out?):
Research question:
 What is the importance of employee motivation in an organisation?
 What are the different types of motivation schemes for employee retention?
 What are the ways by which employees of Marks and Spencer can be
motivated?
Research is done to identify importance of staff motivation schemes to employee
retention in an organisation. It is essential for a company to motivate employees
so that they can work efficiently and focus on achieving goals and objectives of

company. There are different types of motivation schemes which can be used by
managers of Marks and Spencer to motivate employees and retain them.
The aim of doing research is to determine impact of staff motivation schemes to
employee retention. From the research it can be identify that what are different
types of motivation which can be used by an organisation to retain employees in
organisation and motivation schemes applied by Marks and Spencer for motivating
employees. After conducting research, some recommendations are provided to
managers of Marks and Spencer to motivate staff and retain them.
Section Two: Reasons for choosing this research project
Reasons for choosing the project (e.g links to other subjects you are studying,
personal interest, future plans, knowledge/skills you want to improve, why the
topic is important):
Reason for choosing research topic as impact of employee motivation is to identify
importance of staff motivation in an organisation. This research can be beneficial
for other companies because they can know better ways to motivate employees
and satisfy their needs so that members can work efficiently. For achieving goals
and objectives of company it is essential to boost confidence of employees and
provide them good facilities to retain employees.
Another reason for choosing this research topic is to determine skills or knowledge
required for managing employees in organisation and motivate workers so that
targets can be accomplished. This topic is interesting and it is beneficial for all
companies because in every firm manager want to retain good employees. this
research will be useful for companies who are not knowing how to motivate
employees and make better plans for growth of firm. Research is done by
researcher to help others and in every organisation it is essential to motivate staff
and give them benefits to retain them.
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Section Three: Literature sources searched
Use of key literature sources to support your research question, objective or
hypothesis:
According to Rodriguez and Walters, (2017), it is important to motivate employees by giving
them good working environment, benefits, rewards on the basis of performance of
workers. Motivation helps in retaining employees and increase overall productivity
of company. Motivated employees work efficiently and focus on achieving goals of
organisation. Motivation helps in boosting confidence of employees and complete
work on time.
As per the view of (Rahbi, Khalid and Khan, (2017), demotivated employees are not
performing well because their needs are not fulfilled and they are not able to focus
on their work. There are some negative effect of motivation in the workplace like,
high employee turnover, poor communication, less employee engagement, task is
not completed on time. When work is not done properly then overall performance
of company is affected.
Nurun Nabi and Dip TM, (2017) elucidated that, there are some motivation schemes which is
beneficial in motivating employees and retaining them. motivation schemes such
as, give rewards to employees who are performing well and additional benefits can
be given to workers so that they feel motivated and work efficiently. Spot bonuses,
project bonuses, rewards on the basis of performance, referral bonuses etc. These
are some schemes which help in motivating employees and retaining them.
On the other hand, Varma, (2017) in some organisations employees are motivated by
receiving non- monetary benefits like, promotion, holidays, small trips on week
days etc. This is also a way to motivate employees and retain workers in a
company. Some employees are satisfied by receiving gifts or promotion.
Section Four: Activities and timescales
Activities to be carried out during the research project (e.g
research, development and analysis of ideas, writing, data
collection, numerical analysis, tutor meetings, production of
final outcome, evaluation, writing the report):
Type selection
Literature review
Research methodology
Sampling
Questionnaire
How long this will
take:
1 week
3 to 7 week
7 to 10 weeks
10th week
12 week
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Data analysis
Data checking
Final report
17th week
21st week
24th week
Milestone one: _________________
Target date (set by tutor): ____________________
Milestone two: _______________________
Target date (set by tutor): ______________________
Gantt Chart
Activity/
Week
1st
(1
OCTOEBR
– 7
OCTOBER
)
3nd
(1 oct-
21
october
)
7rd
(22
october
–
30octobe
r)
10th
(1october-
20novemb
er)
12th
(1october-
4
november
)
14th
(1oct-
19sept
)
17th
(1oct-
8novt
)
19th
(1oct-
22no
v)
21t
h
(1oct
-
6nov
)
24th
(1oct-
27nov
)
Type
Selection
Literature
Review
Research
Methodolog
y
Sampling
Questionnai
re
Preparation
Collecting
data
Data
Analysis
Data
Rechecking
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Final
Report
Section Five: Research approach and methodologies
What type of research approach and methodologies are you likely to use and why?
What your areas of research will cover:
Research type - Research type refers to techniques or procedures which is used to
identify, select, analyse and interpret information related to a topic. There are two
type of research i.e., qualitative and quantitative research. Quantitative method is
used when data is collected in numeric terms whereas qualitative is used for non-
numeric terms. In this research, researcher will use qualitative type because
employee motivation cannot be measured in numeric form. The topic is related to
qualitative information as schemes for employee retention cannot be measured
and qualitative research is best option. Qualitative method helps in gathering more
information and useful for managers of organisation.
Research design- it means framework of market research methods and techniques
which is used by researcher. Research design allows researcher to utilise methods
which are appropriate while doing research and relevant information can be
gathered. There are different type of research design like, descriptive,
correlational, casual- comparative and experimental research. In this study,
descriptive research design is used by researcher because schemes for employee
retention cannot be presented in numerical form and descriptive form is suitable
option. In descriptive design more details are provided to readers and relevant
details are collected.
Research philosophy- it is a belief about ways by which data can be collected,
analysed and used for research. Research philosophy can be classified into two
parts i.e., interpretivism and positivism. Interpretivism is used for qualitative
research and positivism is used for quantitative research. In this research,
Interpretivism philosophy is used by researcher because it includes non- numeric
data and relevant data can be collected. Analysis can be done in better way and it
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helps researcher in achieving targets of research. In this research, qualitative type
will be used and for collecting interpretivism is best option because it helps in
gathering relevant information for employee retention.
Research approach – Research approach means plan or procedure which consists of
different steps of broad assumptions to detailed methods of data collection,
analysis and interpretation. There are two type of research approach which can be
used by researcher i.e., qualitative and quantitative approach. In this research,
qualitative research approach because non- numeric data is gathered and this
approach helps in analysing details in better ways.
Research strategy- Research strategy refers to step by step process which gives
direction to researcher so that purpose of research can be accomplished. There are
different type of research strategy which can be used by researcher to gather
relevant information like, interviews, survey, case study, etc. In this research
questionnaire is used for collecting information because it is important to know
views of employees regarding schemes for retention of workers. Frome the survey
relevant details can be gathered which will be beneficial for organisation and
opinions of different people will be collected.
Data collection- it means to collect data which is useful in gathering information.
There are two types of data collection i.e., primary and secondary data collection
method. Primary method means data is collected for first time by researcher
whereas secondary data means information is collected by someone else and
researcher make some changes and use it. In this research study, primary method
of data collection is used by researcher because it is best method and relevant
information can be collected. In this research both primary and secondary data is
used for collecting information. Primary data i.e., survey is conducted to gather
information and take views of people so that organisations can make better plans.
Secondary data means information is used from already collected details. This
helps in making better plans and determine schemes for employee retention.
For analysing data there are different methods which can be applied like,
descriptive, thematic etc. Thematic data analysis is used in this research which
involves research in depth and analysis can be done.
Sampling
Sampling means to conduct survey and take views for from people to identify
schemes of employee retention. sampling is a process in which predetermined
number of observations are taken from large population. It is used to analyse
views of people and useful in taking decision.
In this research, sample of 30 employees of Marks and Spencer is being taken and
analysis is done on the basis of sample collected. This helps in identifying opinion
of employees and helps in taking decision in research. After collecting sample
conclusion will be written which is beneficial for organisations or other
researchers. In sampling, employees of different organisation are involved and
their opinion is taken regarding schemes for employee retention because they are
having experience and suggest ideas.
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References
Varma, C., 2017. Importance of employee motivation & job satisfaction for organizational performance. International journal of
social science & interdisciplinary research. 6(2).
Nurun Nabi, I. M. and Dip TM, H. A., 2017. Impact of motivation on employee performances: a case study of Karmasangsthan
bank Limited, Bangladesh. Arabian J Bus Manag Review. 7(293). p.2.
Rodriguez, J. and Walters, K., 2017. The importance of training and development in employee performance and
evaluation. World Wide Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development. 3(10). pp.206-212.
Rahbi, D. A., Khalid, K. and Khan, M., 2017. The effects of leadership styles on team motivation. Academy of Strategic
Management Journal. 16(3).
Comments and agreement from tutor
Comments (optional):
I confirm that the project is not work which has been or will be submitted for
another qualification and is appropriate.
Agreed: ________________ (name)_______________ Date ______________
Comments and agreement form project proposal checker( IV sampling)
Comments (Optional):
I confirm that the project is appropriate.
Agreed /Disagree: (Name of the IV)
Date
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Research Ethics approval form
All students conducting research activity that involves human participants or the use of data
collected form human participants are required to gain ethical approval before commencing
their research. Please answer all relevant questions and note that your form may be returned if
incomplete.
For further support and guidance please see your respective Unit Tutor:
Before completing this form, we advise that you discuss your proposed research fully with your
unit tutor. Please complete this form in good time before your research project is due to
commence.
Section 1: Basic details:
Project title: Impact of staff motivation schemes on employee retention.
Student name:
Student ID number:
Programme:
College Name:
Intended research start date:
Intended research end date:
Section 2 Project summary
Please select all research methods that you plan to use as a part of your project:
 Interviews Yes No ✓
 Questionnaires Yes ✓ No
 Observations Yes No ✓
 Use of personal records Yes No ✓
 Data Analysis Yes ✓ No
 Action Research Yes No ✓
 Focus Groups Yes No ✓
 Others (Please specify) :
Section 3: Participants
Please answer the following questions, giving full details where necessary.
Will your research involve human participants?
Yes, research involves human participants because topic is to determine impact of staff
motivation schemes on employee retention. questionnaire is prepared and survey is
done to analyse importance of employee motivation. Opinion of different people is taken
and according to that conclusion is made.
Who are the participants? Tick all that apply:
Ages 12-16: Young people aged: 17-18 Adults: ✓
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How will participants be recruited (identified an approached)?
Participants will be recruited by finding reference of friends or colleagues, regular
feedback survey from customers, choice of customer is identified. Participants are
recruited through emails.
Describe the processes you will use to inform participants about what you are doing:
Process which is used to inform participants about what you are doing is, identifying
importance of employee motivation schemes on employee retention by conducting
survey and taking opinion of employees who are already working. It is important to
determine ways by which employees can be motivated and how to boost confidence of
workers. Participants are being asked to participate in research because they can give
better suggestions for ways by which needs of employees are satisfied.
How will you obtain consent from participants? Will this be written? How will it be made
clear to participants that they may withdraw consent to participate at any time?
To get consent from a participant it involves giving adequate information concerning
study, relevant opportunity is provided, consider all options, responding to questions.
Yes, this will be written. A participant can withdraw consent at any time because all the
conditions are written in form and consent is taken voluntary, there is no compulsion.
Studies involving questionnaires: will participants be given the option of omitting
questions that do not wish to answer?
Yes ✓ No
If no please explain why below and ensure that you cover any ethical issues arising from
this
Studies involving observation: Confirm whether participants will be asked for their
informed consent to be observed.
Yes ✓ No
Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation (i.e give them a brief
explanation of the study)?
Yes ✓ No
Will participants be given information about the findings of your study?(This could be a
brief summary of your findings in general)
Yes ✓ No
Section 4: Data Storage and Security
Confirm that all personal data will be stored and processed in compliance with the Data
Protection Act (1998)
Yes ✓ No
Who will have access to the data and personal information?
During the research: researcher will have access to the data and personal information.
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These details can not be shared with anyone because it is confidential.
Where will the data be stored?
All the data is stored in files. This research study includes paper work so that record can
be maintained properly. Researcher maintains proper record so that research can be
done in proper way. It is essential to store data safely and record details properly.
Will mobile devices such as USB storage and laptops be used
Yes No ✓
If Yes, please provide further details:
After the research:
Where will the data be stored?
Data is stored in files and proper documents will be maintained so that in future it can be
used. It is important to record details because it is used in future.
How long will the data and records be kept for and in what format?
Research data is recorded for minimum 10 years after study has been completed. Data is
stored because it is useful and intention to maintain data is to use them for further
research.
Will data be kept for use by other researchers? Yes ✓ No
Section 5 : Ethical Issues
Are there any particular features of your proposed work, which may raise ethical
concerns? If so, please outline how you will deal with these:
There are any particular features of your proposed work which may raise ethical concerns
are, honesty and integrity, objectivity, legality, confidentiality, openness, respect for
intellectual property. Compensation should be given to employees, conflict of interest
may arise, investment policies.
It is important that you demonstrate your awareness of potential risks that may arise
because of your research. Please consider/address all issues that may apply. Ethical
concerns may include, but are not limited to the following :
 Informed consent. ✓
 Potentially vulnerable participants. ✓
 Sensitive topics
 Risk to participants and /or researchers
 Confidentiality/anonymity ✓
 Disclosures/ limits to confidentiality ✓
 Data storage and security, both during and after the research (including transfer,
sharing, encryption, protection). ✓
 Reporting ✓
 Dissemination and use of your findings. ✓
Section 6: Declaration
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I have read, understood and will abide by the institution’s Research and Ethics
Policy: Yes No
I have discussed the ethical issues relating to my research with my Unit Tutor:
Yes No
I confirm that to the best of my knowledge:
The above information is correct, and this is a full description of the ethical
issues that may arise in the course of my research
Name: Date:
Please submit your completed form to your supervisor and also attach to the
Research Proposal when submitting to Turnitin.
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