ASDA Employee Motivation Research

Research Project

“To determine some vital roles of leadership in improving the sense of motivation in employees in the retail organisations of UK- A study on ASDA”.

Task 1 Understand how to formulate a research specification

Part 1: You have to create a research proposal in a subject of your interest. In doing this, you have to formulate and record possible research project outline specifications (AC1.1); Identify the factors that contribute to the process of research project selection ( AC1.2); Undertake a critical review of key references (AC 1.3) ;Produce a research project specification (AC1.4).

Introduction

Business organisations are an integral part of nation’s economy in today’s globalised set of environment where all industrial sectors are largely concerned about a timely achievement of their stipulated goals and objectives. In context to which, they are hereby required to operate with a strategic arrangement of their action plans to duly accomplish their stipulated targets on time. It is with reference to yet another prime concept of realism in today’s set of business where an establishment is comprised of two vital set of bodies entitled as employees and employers (Alfalfa-Luque, Marin-Garcia and Medina-Lopez, 2015).

Wherein, the employees are direct in charge of their respective set of employers where they are with a through accountability of guiding them. This in turn has breakdown the preceding role of employers where they are mainly positioned at two vital profiles of leaders and managers in the organisation. Both these parties are required to perform a similar set of responsibility by thoroughly guiding their respective set of employees and generate a prior sense of encouragement in them. It is mainly with respect to carry out there assigned tasks on time for an eventual achievement of their organisational goals and objectives.

In order to achieve this research, I will start by:

• To analyse the factual concept of leadership in retail organisations of UK
• To discover the adopted tools of motivation in ASDA
• To identify the relationship between the tact of leadership and motivation in ASDA
• To recommend some principle strategies to enhance the motivation level of employees with some profound tactics of leadership

Background of the study

The present survey is based upon a configured purpose of exploring the function of leadership to enhance the sense of motivation in the deputed employees of retail organisations in UK. For which, a renowned retail enterprise named ASDA has been taken into consideration for it where it is a subsidiary supermarket of Wal-Mart as its parent company (Cadden, Marshall and Cao, 2013).

With a foundation year of near about 68 years, it is currently headquartered at Leeds that is in the West Yorkshire of England. It is evident to deal into grocery products along with general merchandise commodities and fiscal services as well. As per a recent transcription of the year 2016, ASDA is depicted to be extended in around 630 distinct locations at a global level. Herein, it is also ascertained to employ total 180, 000 number of workers to operate at its widespread locations.

The current study has hereby focussed to interpret the adopted procedures of ASDA to motivate their deputed set of employees by aligning it to their applied tact of leadership at the workplace. Leaders in ASDA are evident to play a crucial role in handling the work of their respective set of teams (Kim and Brymer, 2011).

However, it is together essential for them to continually stipulate such standardised practices of directing their staff members that in turn results in improving the sense of motivation in them. This investigation will thereby focus upon defining such effective practices of leadership that will consequently lead to upgrade the motivation level of the employees by referring to varied tools of motivation and certain abstractive theories of leadership as well.

Literature review

Concept of leadership in the retail organisations of UK

It is as per the stated clause of Taylor, Bogdan, and DeVault (2015), where today’s organizations are with a strong requisition of leadership at their workplace to make an optimum utilization of their accessible resources. In accordance to which, leadership is hereby referred as such vital trait that is both inbuilt and out built for the leaders. This means that there exist two types of leaders where some of them are called as born leaders and other can refer to acquire its attributes to become an effective leader. The concept of organizational leadership tends to deal with both expertise tactics as well as human psychology by emphasizing more upon the development of leadership skills and abilities. It should, however, relate to the undertaken goals and objectives of the organization where a potent leader will refer to deal with the hard times of industry and still develop by that time.

Tools adopted by the retail organisations of UK to motivate their employees

There exist varied motivational tools that are being adopted by the organisations in order to raise the motivational sense of their employees. Bayne and Woolcock (2016) had hereby enlightened two vital types of motivational tools in the organisation known as internal and external tools of motivation. Wherein, an intrinsic tool is in context to meet out the mental needs of the employees by rewarding them with non-monetary means like higher-grade responsibilities as a mean of providing empowerment. Another source of extrinsic motivation involve the tools of monetary benefits for the employees such as bonuses and additive remuneration on carrying out a considerable work.

Relationship among the tact of leadership and motivational context of employees in the retail organisations of UK

There exists an implicit relationship among an applied tact of leadership and motivation as per the reflected outlook of Menges, Walter, Vogel and Bruch (2011). It is where the leaders are hereby referred to be a prime source of motivation to produce an encouraging sense of work in them. This is also in correspondence to employ varied available theories of motivation with a prime accountability of the leaders to practice them at the workplace. The two-factor model of Herzberg is a factual instance of such conceptual theory that is often being referred by the leaders to inculcate in their day to day practice for fulfilling the need base consideration of their respective employees. Other than this, there together exist varied styles and models of leadership that should be referred by the leaders for aptly managing the carried assignations of their employees.

Research aims and objectives

A prior intent of this study is “To determine some vital roles of leadership in improving the sense of motivation in employees in the retail organisations of UK- A study on ASDA”.

This configured aim has further depicted some leading objectives that are as stated below:

• To analyse the factual concept of leadership in retail organisations of UK.
• To discover the adopted tools of motivation in ASDA.
• To identify the relationship between the tact of leadership and motivation in ASDA.
• To recommend some principle strategies to enhance the motivation level of employees with some profound tactics of leadership.

Research questions

It is mainly on the basis of above formulated aims and objectives to carry out this survey, which is hereby, directed by some below mentioned research questions:

• What is the factual concept of leadership in the retail organisations of UK?
• What are the tools adopted by ASDA to motivate their employees?
• What is the relationship among the tact of leadership and motivational context of employees in ASDA?

Rational of the research:

This section is specially to determine such contributory factors that have largely assisted the investigator to carry out the investigation in a directional manner. It is mainly in context to depict a prime reason behind selecting this particular topic for the investigation that has hereby represented a leading reason of personal interest of the researcher. Due to which, this particular topic of leadership has been chosen as a mean of exploring its vital role in enhancing the motivation level of the employees (Neuman and Robson, 2012).

A prevalent state of competition among the organisations is together referred to be yet another significant reason behind electing this subject matter where it is a present-day concern in most of the retail organisations in UK. As a result to which, a demotivated set of workforce in turn impacts upon the overall productivity of the enterprise that resultantly impacts upon the profitability index of the enterprises. This research work will thus aid them to strengthen the prospective element of leadership in the organisation in order to raise the sense of encouragement in their employees.

Producing a research project specification

This is another foremost section of the investigation where the researcher will hereby define the adopted technique to carry out the study in an effective manner.

Research design- It is a foremost tact needed to be referred by the investigator in order to carry out the study in a directional manner (Research design, 2009).

This will in turn depict the nature and type of study that will be referred by the surveyor for conducting the research work. Wherein, the present investigation has showcased a descriptive study to make an in depth analysis of its elected subject matter.

Research approach- It is yet another prime consideration of the researcher to carry out the investigation where here the surveyor has opted to carry an inductive format of the study. This will in turn widen the scope of investigation where its concentrated set of data is evident to transact from specific to general context (Deductive Reasoning Versus Inductive Reasoning, 2014).

Data collection- The data collection measures together exists with its two imperative methods by referring to both primary and secondary aggregation of information. Into which, the primary accumulation of data will necessitate the surveyor to directly approach the respondents and interrogate them on the basis of a framed questionnaire (Gast and Ledford, 2014).

Wherein, another alternative of secondary data assemblage will require to study pre established statistics in verified publications like books, journals and online articles, etc., from attested internet sites.

Sampling- It is yet another practice of distributing the targeted respondents of the study in a proportionate way to give an equalised chance to each of them. However, there exists two leading tactics of sampling known as random and purposive distribution methods (Gast and Ledford, 2014). The present study has thus opted for a purposive or non probability tact for sampling the data where the surveyor will hereby refer to interrogate 4 top administrative bodies of ASDA.

Data analysis- This is basically to analyse the above acquired set of data by electing one of the two alternative measures to make either qualitative or quantitative investigation. The present research work has therefore depicted a qualitative analysis of data to conduct a thematic study of the subject matter (Quantitative Methods in Education Research, 2014).

Scope: the researcher has the skills required to carry out an inductive format of the study.

Research limitations- This is especially to define certain limited elements that often leads to obstruct into the conducted study of the researcher. An inadequate source of time with deficit amount funds are those two constricted factors that largely impedes the survey.

However, these two elements are referred to be the two most appropriate elements of the study for succeeding towards its undertaken aims and objectives.

It is therefore important for the surveyor to conduct a planned study with present time and funds for achieving the targeted goals on a stipulated duration that is 11 weeks for this particular investigation.

However, a limited number of secondary resources is referred to be yet another limited aspect for carrying out a defined study. Wherein, there together exists certain ethical dilemma as a way of obstructing the study where the researcher is required to use an authentic set of data while referring to the secondary resources.

However, the primary sources were duly accessible where the researcher in the present study has referred to directly approach the responders as a way of interrogating them.

Ethical issues- There together exists certain ethical responsibilities that are required to be considered by the researcher to carry out the study (Neuman and Robson, 2012). With respect to which, the investigator in the present study is required to carry a confidential interrogation in which, its obtained data should not get accessed by any unaccredited set of users.

This is for instance to conduct a confidential study where the researcher is not liable to reveal the given answers of the respondents to an unauthorised user. Along with which, the investigator is together required to take a prior consent of the respondents to participate in the study with no forcible context on them.

M1: This is basically to justify the specification of the present research work with some affluent measures of data collection and analysis. In whose context, both primary and secondary tactics of data collection have represented to be a justified selection of techni9ques by the researcher where both these methods have greatly collaborated with the findings of one other. Along with which, the qualitative method of analysis has also sustained the study by carrying out a thematic assessment to define the subjective nature of the facts by accurately corresponding to the nature of this particular research topic.

TASK 1 part 2: Provide an appropriate plan and procedures for the agreed research specification (AC1.5);Match resources efficiently to the research question or hypothesis (AC2.1)

This is basically to correspond the present carried investigation with that to the applied resources where the researcher has hereby opted for varied pertinent resources like time, cost and manpower resources to carry out the survey in a efficient manner (Paarlberg and Lavigna, 2010).

These resources have together depicted a projected way of carrying out the study where the time to carry out the entire survey was duly scheduled by the researcher with the help of Gantt chart. With reference to which, the researcher has hereby referred to undertake 11 weeks of study to acquire its stipulated goals and objectives.

This research has been scheduled with a projected timeline to promptly carry out the investigation. It is with a prime consideration of achieving its configured goals and objectives by avoiding the possibility of any sort of hindrance in the research work. It is mainly in regard to specify the available period of time to carry out the study where such planned work will largely support the surveyor to timely attain the targeted intent of the research.

Non-availability of time will not reflected to be a matter of concern for the researchers any more in case they refer to follow this pivotal tool of Gantt chart.

TASK 2:BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE RESEARCH PROJECT WITHIN AGREED PROCEDURES AND TO SPECIFICATION

2.2 Undertake the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreed specification and procedures.

This section has referred to depict the framed set of questionnaire along with the conferred answers of the respondents.

Undertaking the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreed specification and procedures by recording

This is to discuss upon the undertaken design of the questionnaire where the researcher in the present study has referred to plan an open-ended questionnaire with relevant set of questions. It was with a single close-ended query in which the respondents were hereby asked to provide their own suggestions as a way of advising some effective measures of leadership to enhance the sense of motivation in employees. This in turn depicted a primary method of data collection with a structured interview along with a secondary method in which the governmental records published for the retail based organisations of UK were referred over here.

Along with which, the official website of ASDA was also referred to gather some pertinent facts from their pre-established findings. However, there existed certain advantages and disadvantages of both these data collection methods that are as mentioned below-

Advantages of primary data collection method:

• A close interrogation by directly approaching the respondents.
• This in turn relates to the study and research of the person.
• Great control over a specific subject.

Disadvantages of primary data collection method:

• A costly method.
• Time consuming process.
• A lower rate of response.

Advantages of secondary data collection method:

• A cost effective method.
• Requires less time and efforts.
• Provides a base to the primary research method.

Disadvantages of secondary data collection method:

• Unspecific in nature.
• May produce inaccurate data.
• Issues of time log.

Apart from which, a qualitative method of analysis has been used to evaluate the collected set of data where it is usually done to conduct a thematic assessment based upon distinct formation of themes. Where it is also associated with a leading issue of partiality where the evaluation often tends to bias from one other.

Collating relevant data where appropriate

This section has referred to depict the framed set of questionnaire along with the conferred answers of the respondents.

However, on discoursing upon the facts and findings acquired from the secondary sources of data collection, it has been found that leadership does plays an intact role in motivating the employees at the workplace. It is however with some great efforts of the leaders where they are hereby provisioned with distinct tools of motivation to utilize on them.

Although, their together exists certain advantages and disadvantages of data analysis method where the data in the present investigation has been analysed using a qualitative method. In whose context, below are the identified advantages and disadvantages of this measure:

Advantages:

• No rigorous plan or design is required.
• An affluent and detailed set of information.

Disadvantages:

• A subjective view of the study that needs a massive involvement of the surveyor in the study.
• A very time consuming procedure with biased context of research as per the own set of views of the investigator.

D3: This is basically to justify the selection of data collection method where both primary and secondary measures of data collection has been implicated by the investigator over here. Both these measures have greatly contributed in conducting a directional study where the findings incurred from primary method have supported the facts of secondary resources.

3.1 Appropriate techniques of research evaluation

It is basically to discourse upon the way in which the researcher has hereby referred to acquire the aims and objectives of this investigation where it was carried to assess the roles of leadership as a way of generating a motivational sense in the employees. It was with a prime objective to evaluate the realistic concept of leadership in the retail based organisations of UK.

The researcher duly achieved this where leadership is identified to be a trait in which the leaders are responsible to handle their respective subordinates and their work with some expertise skills with some specialised abilities.

Another objective of this study was to discover the adopted tools of motivation in ASDA where it has been found that they are more likely to use the internal measures to encourage the workers by promoting them to a higher level position, etc.

The last objective of this investigation was to identify the relationship between the tact of leadership and motivation in ASDA where both these elements are depicted to have a close interrelation with one other. It is where the leaders are apparent to play a principle role in inspiring their employees by implicating various tactics of motivation.

All these objectives have been attained by using some effective techniques of research with valid and reliable set of findings that are proven to be successful for this survey.

Wherein, the benefits of the incurred outcomes of this research is evident to support the organisation named ASDA in determining such vital roles of their leaders that are effective in creating a sense of motivation in their workers.

However, there existed certain difficulties in carrying out this investigation where the respondents were not willing to interact with each another in a smooth manner. Apart from which, this has also reflected to be a slight time consuming study with less number of secondary resources. Along with which, the surveyor was also not well versed to work on excel with less experience in conducting such studies.

3.2 Using appropriate research evaluation techniques and interpreting and analysing the results in terms of the original research specification

Theme 1- A major number of responders are evident to work from a longer time period in ASDA.

Interpretation: This is on interpreting the outcome of above carried analysis in order to determine the existent time period of the employers working in ASDA who has hereby represented as the respondents of the study. In context to which, it has been found that almost all responders are working from a considerable time period and are well experienced in their field. Wherein, 2 of them are employed with ASDA from last 3 years and 1 of them is occupied since 5 years and another 1 is working here for more than 5 years.

Theme 2- Almost all respondents are agreed with the concept of close supervision for their subordinates.

Interpretation: It is on referring to the above obtained data that has clearly depicted a united outlook of almost all the respondents that has been presented in context to a bestowed statement of close supervision of employers on their employees. With respect to which, 1 has represented a strong agreement towards it with another who is merely agreed to it. Whereas, there existed 2 such respondents who are at a neutral stage of acceptance for this statement.

Theme 3- Majority of responders have not approved by the self motivation sense of their employees.

Interpretation: On the basis of above conducted primary research, it has been found that only 1 out of 4 respondents are in favour of their self motivated employees. However, the other 3 have specified a clear no towards it