Impact Of The Global Pandemic On Accelerating Workplace Assignment Sample

Introduction Of Transformation In The Workplace The Impact Of The Global Pandemic On Accelerating Workplace Transformation

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The pandemic of COVID-19 during 2020 and 2021 proved to be a critical time for people all across the world. The entire world was thrown into a hullabaloo and no one knew what measures exactly to be taken to combat the situation that prevailed in the country. Consecutively, businesses all around the world were impacted by the situation which was reflected in their respective rate of business growth. Companies like Tesco took major steps in order to combat this situation and cater to the customer base. The company initially saw a dip which was quite normal given the circumstances that prevail in the country and the associated rapid decline in the in-store sales drive. However, it took necessary measures and promoted online sales and other associated measures that enhanced its course of business. The situation was mitigated by the thorough coordination of the marketing team. The business saw a boom in 2022 and the company saw its overall growth and progress from 2022.

Project plan (Proposal)

Research aim and objectives

Aim

The study aims to find out the impact rate of COVID-19 on the acceleration of the transformation of Tesco’s work culture and business performance.

Objectives

• To understand the impact of COVID-19 on the business growthand workplace culture of Tesco.plc.
• To evaluate the marketing and business strategies of Tesco during the global pandemic to remain in a leading position in a competitive market.
• To identify the major challenges that Tesco has faced during the global pandemic to raise its business revenue.
• To determine the effective strategies and measures to mitigate business problems faced by Tesco due to COVID-19.

Research questions

• What are the impacts of COVID-19 on Tesco’s business growthand workplace culture?
• What were Tesco’s competitive marketing and business strategies during the global pandemic to hold the leading position in the target market segments?
• What were the challenges faced by Tesco during the global pandemic?
• What are the effective strategies and measures adopted by Tesco to mitigate the business issues of COVID-19?

Proposed methodology

The study will be conducted through a primarydata collection process and qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The study developer will select interviews and questionnaire techniques to complete the research on this topic successfully within the deadline. Alongside this, the research design that will be followed by the researchers in this study is the descriptive research design (Ryan, 2018). Other than this, the study developers will also follow a deductive research approach and positive research philosophy. Secondary data will also be collected from authentic government websites, articles and company resorts on global pandemic impact by the researchers to deliver a successful report.

Critical literature review

Introduction

The literature review portion of this study will be discussing the impacts of a global pandemic on Tesco’s business growth and workplace culture transformation. The challenges that the company has faced during the pandemic and still suffering from its impact in recent years will also be illustrated. The report review will also depict the strategies Tesco has adopted to mitigate its huge business issues and loss post-covid.

COVID-19 impact on accelerating transformation at workplace

The global pandemic coronavirus has triggered the worst crises of jobs since the great depression. Majority of the country’s economy got into real danger and this crisis has raised poverty in the case of lower economic groups. COVID-19 has negatively impacted on employment scenario. The global pandemic has widened inequalities among the UK population as the lower economic group suffered a lot from unemployment, high remuneration cut at work and poverty.

On the other side, the wealthier population maintained their lifestyle to some extent. During this crisis period, most of the large firms across the world kept a large number of their employees on hold and followed the strategy of frequent remuneration cuts (Amankwah-Amoah et al. 2021). These strategies helped prevent business loss and maintain the economy of the organization. This enhanced the attrition rate of customers and retention rate of the company’s staff during the global pandemic. Tesco also suffered from the impact of COVID-19.

Figure 1: COVID-19 impacts on the retail industry

The Pandemic also impacted Tesco’s workforce transformation where it continued its business with 50% of employees working from office premises and others dealing with work from the structure (statista.com, 2022). The employees who were working from home got benefited at one point as they can keep themselves safe from the effect of coronavirus infection. Alongside, they were also impacted by work responsibilities and timing as the employees were accepting the strategies of doing overtime to fetch an extra salary during the global pandemic (Bennett et al. 2021). Moonlighting increased during the global pandemic as the majority of the employees were suffering from the issues of salary deduction.

Workforce transformation can be determined as the methods through which the organization can improve its business strategies, projects management tools and techniques, and workforce skills. This workforce transformation has always helped Tesco.plc to improve and develop the abilities of its employees to remain in competition in their target market segments. Post covid due to several covid norms and guidelines from legal bodies the company is unable to maintain its previous workplace culture where all employees can work together to support and motivate each other at work. Work from home structure provided the employees with flexible work timings but also reduced their work performance and productivity by 45% in their comfort zone.

Marketing and business strategies of Tesco. Plc during COVID-19 to remain competitive

The British “general merchandise retail chain” and multinational groceries Tesco. Plc’s business experienced several threats during the global pandemic. The marketing and business strategies of the company were also affected during the global pandemic along with its supply chain management and business economic growth. The UK economy also reduced as the organisation was facing a loss in business (tescoplc.com, 2022). The unemployment rate increased during the global pandemic and this created a huge vacancy at Tesco. As the employees became conscious about their health and feared the rapid spread of virus infection they were refused to work from the office premises. . The company adopted a digital marketing strategy and continued their communication and collaboration on the online platforms.

The effective online communication tools that were used by Tesco during the global pandemic include google meet, zoom, email communication, text messaging, google workplace, Twitter, and Microsoft Teams. Tesco has always used media and print advertising as its main tested channel to circulate product pricing and popularity. During the pandemic, the company used to send promotional messages to potential and existing customers on digital platforms to raise funds.

Figure 2: Marketing and business strategy of Tesco.plc

The organization highly depends on promotional offers to retain and attract customers’ post-covid and to mitigate the huge business loss it has experienced during covid. Tesco adopted an effective marketing strategy of “buy one get one” and several discounts and offers in their services and product promotions to recover from business loss post-covid. The digital marketing strategy and communication through online communication apps also helped the company to keep its business revenue constant even if it has not provided it with a large sum rate of profit during the pandemic (tescoplc.com, 2022). The key strategies to promote business growth and development Tesco has achieved a competitive advantage in its target market segment both in national and international markets. The company has taken the initiative to provide all its stakeholders with high-quality services that will effectively reduce retention rates and will enhance productivity, business value, and profitability in upcoming years.

Challenges faced by the organization to raise its business economy during the global pandemic

Numerous challenges arose during the span of the pandemic. Businesses were affected all around the world. Tesco is one such company based in the UK due to the global conditions of the pandemic which affected its financial conditions vehemently. Tesco as a company faced multiple challenges to raise its economy and its associated business economy due to the prevalent pandemic situation. In February 2021, the profit was affected by 892 million pounds due to additional expenditure due to the ongoing conditions of COVID-19 in the UK (business-standard.com, 2022). In the initial days, the conditions were supported by the aid that was provided by the UK government. However, in the latter days, the stock prices of Tesco went down by 1.5%.

Tesco, however, stood strong amidst the ongoing Celsius they made saw a dip in the initial hit of the pandemic however they managed to make significant progress in the latter half of 2020 when they swiftly molded their measures according to the situation and adapted new measures and policies into their work processes. For example, the no-contact policies, online purchasing and fast delivery. However, in the latter half of 2021, the business again witnessed a dip in market value due to COVID-19 and associated political conditions in that period.

Figure 3: Grocery sales by stores in the UK in the 12th week ending of 2020

The overall business growth saw a significant fall in the first half of the pandemic. Tesco barely made a growth of 5.5% by the 12th-week ending of March 2020 (statista.com, 2022). Overall the pandemic imparted a negative impact o the overall financial condition of Tesco. Like any other company including the retailing business, Tesco is engaged in. Tesco experienced slow business growth that was reflected in its economy. Statistically, it has been revealed that the overall situation of the pandemic and its associated conditions adversely impacted the overall business growth of the company. The company witnessed a decline of 1.84% from 2019 and th annual revenue of the company was around 82.776 Billion US dollars in 2020. The condition however worsened in 2021.

The overall revenue witnessed a steady decline of 9.37% and managed to rack up 75.022 Billion US dollars which was a steady decline of over 10% since the arrival of the pandemic that is 2019 (macrotrends.net, 2022). This situation reflects the condition of the pandemic and its associated impact on the business growth that was witnessed by the retailing supermarket giant of the UK. There were however measures undertaken by the board members and decision-making body of the company that provided to be highly beneficial to the workers involved with the company as well as the customers they cater to. Despite the loss incurred by the company during the pandemic the company served well their customer base and made a strong comeback in the initial half of 2021.

Strategies to mitigate the issues faced by the organisation during the global pandemic

Several strategies were undertaken by Tesco to recover from the sudden impact of the pandemic which made a huge impact on the overall business growth of the company. It was witnessed by their relative marketing strategies and other business decisions taken by the management of the company. Their customers lauded the marketing strategies taken by the company all across the UK. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the UK and the government imposed containment zones and restrictions on going out (Harrington and Hadjiconstantinou, 2022). Hence the in-store sales saw a significant decline for the company. The company followed the rules and regulations of the British government and had taken necessary steps to abide by them during the events of the pandemic. The company encouraged the utilization of masks for all the employees and granted them additional benefits and adjusted their working hours to cater to their health and basic needs. Secondly, for business growth, the company utilized an online marketing system and encouraged the customer to utilise the same to make the purchase. On top of it, the company utilised the one-stop shopping platform that enabled easy purchasing and delivery of the needed items to the people.

The financial team of Tesco played a critical role during the peak hours of the pandemic. They recruited over 5000 temporary staff in addition to the already workforce available at the station (icaew.com, 2022). The company engaged these new people in the distribution centres for a smoother flow of work as well as a delivery driver for effective commute with the customer. Even in the peak of the pandemic, the company had asked the employees to help out during Christmas and the workforce contributed willingly to the cause to help out the company maintain a stable course of business growth during the stringent times of the then span of the pandemic. One of the major changes that the management body implemented was remote working to promote a better work-life balance among the people which reflected in a healthier growth of the business. Resultantly a boom was noticed in the overall grocery sales which contributed positively towards the payroll of the employees.

Insights and feedback were taken from the customers to promote stable business growth. It encouraged a healthy bond of communication between the public and the company. This situation further enabled stable business growth for the company and resultantly the company made strong progress in the latter half of 2020 and in the initial half of 2021 saw staggering growth in terms of business growth and overall growth of revenue for the company.
This situation reflects upon the overall proactive approach of the financial team. It also reflects on a transformational approach taken by the management body to establish healthy coordination with the employees to generate a stable rate of progress (Paavola and Cuthbertson, 2022). These strategies proved highly successful for the company.

Summary

The company initially took a hit due to the ongoing conditions of the pandemic. This situation was prevalent all around the world. However Tesco and its management body in coordination with the employee that enabled a stable growth rate even during the days of the COVID-19 pandemic undertook necessary measures. This promoted stable revenue growth and effective customer service from the company.

Methodology and methods

The methodology part of this study will help the readers to judge the research’s authenticity by evaluating all data and information provided in this study. The study has been conducted through a primary data collection process that includes the interview process. 2 managers of the leading retail sectors of the UK among which one of them is from Tesco have been questioned about the impacts of the global pandemic on their company’s business growth and development (Doyle et al. 2020). They have been asked what effective measures they are taking to recover from the business loss from which retail organisations have suffered during the pandemic and still suffering post-covid.

The methodology portion also depicts that the study developers have used a descriptive research design. Other than this, the study developers have followed a deductive research approach and positive research philosophy (Ryan, 2018). The primary data collection method, the interview has been conducted to derive all the answers to research questions that have been raised at the beginning of the research. Data and information regarding this topic are also collected from secondary sources. The secondary source that is takeninto consideration includes authentic journals and articles, company reports and governmental websites.

Data findings

Q1: What are the challenges you faced during the early days of the pandemic?

Manager 1	Manager 2
“It was relatively critical in the first half. Since none of us knew what exactly to do”	“It was difficult for us to properly coordinate with the workforce as well as the customer due to the ongoing conditions”.

Analysis: During the onset of the pandemic, the entire course of business all around the world was thrown into chaos. In the times of the pandemic, the course of the pandemic, confusion prevailed all around and due to the relative restriction. Communication and clarity were disrupted. This situation affected the management body of Tesco, which took a certain time to take necessary measures.

Q2. What measures did you take to make overall revenue growth during the pandemic?

Manager 1	Manager 2
“I communicated with the workforce personally, ensured their well-being and people were losing jobs at that time so I recruited more people to enhance the workforce and productivity.”	“I talked to people and established communication with the workforce to ensure clarity in the organisation”.

Analysis: Communication is the key to business growth and smooth workings in the workplace. Mass recruitment during the pandemic ensured job security for people reflecting upon the social responsibility of the business. It propelled an effective delivery system that enhanced sales and relative revenue growth. A clear bond of communication in the organisation ensures clarity regarding management decisions and the work culture among the employees. this aspect helped Tesco attain stable growth of progress even during the period of the pandemic.

Conclusion

Pandemic was a critical time for people all around the world which vehemently impacted the overall course of commutes for people and the average course of the work process in the country. Simultaneously it impacted the overall business growth of retail companies like Tesco. The overall course of the pandemic impacted the course of people’s lives in countries all around the world. It disrupted the daily course of commute and it negatively impacted the in-store sales of many companies and they were forced to implement adaptive measures fast to cope with the situation.

Tesco took various measures and they enhanced the workforce to reach out to more people all the while considering the health benefits of people involved with the company. This aspect relatively enhanced the overall sales growth of the company. Simultaneously the company took the necessary steps to ensure proper communication between the management body and the employees. This situation however was mitigated vastly by incorporating online measures to reach out to more people and cater to the customers and their needs.

ASSIGNMENT 2

Data analysis

The study developers have collected topics regarding data and information from several secondary sources. The secondary sources that have been taken into consideration include “authentic journals and articles, governmental websites, and company reports”.

Challenges faced by Tesco and other retail organisations during the pandemic

Tesco. Plc has faced various challenges in its business operation due to the rapid spread of virus infection in the year 2020. The business economy was reduced in the year 2020 to 2021 and still affecting the business operation and supply chain management of all retail sectors across the world. The UK retail sectors including Tesco got affected highly as their customer base weakened and profitability and productivity rate decreased during the years 2020 and 2021. The managers and projects team leaders of Tesco stated in the interview that they are trying hard to change the work structure from “work-from-home” to “work-from-office” to recover from a huge business loss and high retention rate of employees.

Measures are taken to mitigate the business issues post-pandemic

The measures that company managers and marketers have taken to recover from the business loss that the company experienced during the global pandemic include changing work culture (García-Morales et al. 2021). The retailers have also thought of implementing lasting and advanced technologies in their business operational plan to enhance the rate of profitability, and value and satisfy all their stakeholders with effective and high-quality services.

The managers and business professionals of Tesco have also thought of communicating will all their employees to understand the issues they are facing at work due to cultural changes. The company has thought of implementing an effective communication and collaboration channel within the organisation among all stakeholders (Hepburn et al. 2020). This will helps all workers to understand each other's ideas, issues, thoughts, and opinions and will also allow them to support and motivate each other at work. This will enhance the business value and promote positivity in workplace culture.

Recommendations

Implementation of online technology: Online platform has been on the rise and on high demand since the days of the pandemic. In the events of the pandemic, the social course of communication was significantly disrupted by the overall communication of the country. The usage of online marketing platforms for product placement is believed to make things easier when it comes to reaching out to more customers. People spend a lot of time on electronic media on social media platforms (Soto-Acosta, 2020). Therefore, in today's time, it is highly recommended to use online platforms to connect for marketing and reach out to a larger base of consumers. This will provide the business with a clear idea regarding the current trends regarding the products and the needs of people.

Establishment of transformational approach and proper communication: A transformation approach in the workplace positively impacts the overall working culture that prevails in the works place. Believe that a healthy working culture that caters to the basic needs of the employees, providing additional benefits and transforming their skills will hone the overall productivity of the organisation. A hierarchical flow of work process professes negativity and impacts the work process of people involved in an organisation (Soto-Acosta, 2020). This situation can be mitigated by healthy communication between the management body and the people involved in the work process, to ensure that the employees are well aware of the decision makings also it is necessary for the management to ensure that the basic needs of the employees are catered to.

Customer targeting: Customer targeting plays a pivotal role when it comes to ensuring proper product placement. It not only helps in understanding the current trends, but it also benefits product placement (McFarland et al. 2020). It is recommended to utilise effective marketing strategies to communicate with people properly and target the demographic sections effectively. It can be helpful in reaching mass audiences and effective business associated with particular products.

ASSIGNMENT 3

Oral Presentation on Reflection (PPT)

Slide 1: Introduction

• The study highlights the impacts of COVID-19 on Tesco’s business growth and development in current years.
• The study has been conducted through primary data collection methods and an interview process.

The study discusses the major challenges that Tesco and other retail companies in the UK, as well as the globe, have faced during the pandemic. I have prepared the study by interviewing 2 managers from retail organisations to find detailed and relevant data about this topic.

Slide 2: Methodology of the Research

• As a study developer I have selected the primary data collection process (Interview) to complete this study successfully and on time (Ryan, 2018).
• I have also selected a descriptive research design to generate relevant data on the given topic.
• I have also followed a deductive research approach and positive research philosophy.

The research has been done through effective research methods and techniques in order to fetch relevant and authentic data from primary and secondary sources. I have selected a descriptive research design and primary data collection which is an interview to complete the research within the deadline successfully. Through these methods, I have got the opportunity to understand the present and past impacts of the global pandemic on Tesco’s business growth and workplace culture.

Slide 3: Lessons learnt from this Research

• Impact of COVID-19 on Tesco’s business performance and growth
• Challenges faced by retail organizations during the global pandemic
• The strategies that the managers of Tesco have taken to recover from the business loss pots-covid (de Lucas Ancilloet al. 2021).

Most retail organizations have suffered from a huge loss in business revenue during the global pandemic. During the research, I have also found that most of the retail organisations in the UK, as well as the globe, are still trying to receive from their business loss and trying to strengthen their customer base. Tesco is one of the leading retail sectors that is trying to change its workplace culture to reduce the staff retention rate and increase business productivity and profitability.

Slide 4: Alternatives research methods for the future

• In the future this research can be conducted through a secondary data collection method
• The research can also be done by selecting a survey and sampling techniques as the primary data collection method (Doyle et al. 2020).

The study can be further researched by following secondary sources of data and information collection. The sources that can be taken into consideration include “authentic journals and articles, company reports and governmental websites”.

Slide 5: Conclusion

• The course of the pandemic was hard on people and businesses alike which took a massive toll on the overall GDP of several countries including the UK.
• COVID-19 also has a visibly negative impact on the revenue growth of Tesco and other retail sectors across the world.

Tesco took various measures and they enhanced the workforce to reach out to more people all the while considering the health benefits of people involved with the company. This aspect relatively enhanced the overall sales growth of the company.

References

Journals

• Amankwah-Amoah, J., Khan, Z., Wood, G. and Knight, G., 2021. COVID-19 and digitalization: The great acceleration. Journal of Business Research, 136, pp.602-611.
• Bennett, E.E. and McWhorter, R.R., 2021. Virtual HRD’s role in crisis and the post Covid-19 professional lifeworld: Accelerating skills for digital transformation. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 23(1), pp.5-25.
• Doyle, L., McCabe, C., Keogh, B., Brady, A. and McCann, M., 2020. An overview of the qualitative descriptive design within nursing research. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(5), pp.443-455.
• García-Morales, V.J., Garrido-Moreno, A. and Martín-Rojas, R., 2021. The transformation of higher education after the COVID disruption: Emerging challenges in an online learning scenario. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, p.616059.
• Harrington, D.M. and Hadjiconstantinou, M., 2022. Changes in commuting behaviours in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Journal of transport & health, 24, p.101313.
• Hepburn, C., O’Callaghan, B., Stern, N., Stiglitz, J. and Zenghelis, D., 2020. Will COVID-19 fiscal recovery packages accelerate or retard progress on climate change?. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 36(Supplement_1), pp.S359-S381.
• McFarland, L.A., Reeves, S., Porr, W.B. and Ployhart, R.E., 2020. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on job search behavior: An event transition perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(11), p.1207.
• Paavola, L. and Cuthbertson, R., 2022. Redefining capabilities as drivers of adaptation, incremental change, and transformation: recognizing the importance of strategic and operational intent on performance. Journal of Management & Organization, pp.1-18.
• Ryan, G., 2018. Introduction to positivism, interpretivism and critical theory. Nurse researcher, 25(4), pp.41-49.
• Soto-Acosta, P., 2020. COVID-19 pandemic: Shifting digital transformation to a high-speed gear. Information Systems Management, 37(4), pp.260-266.

PPT Resources

• de Lucas Ancillo, A., del Val Núñez, M.T. and Gavrila, S.G., 2021. Workplace change within the COVID-19 context: a grounded theory approach. Economic Research-EkonomskaIstraživanja, 34(1), pp.2297-2316.
• Doyle, L., McCabe, C., Keogh, B., Brady, A. and McCann, M., 2020. An overview of the qualitative descriptive design within nursing research. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(5), pp.443-455.
• Ryan, G., 2018. Introduction to positivism, interpretivism and critical theory. Nurse researcher, 25(4), pp.41-49.

Websites

• business-standard.com, 2022, profit dent in UK TESCO, Available at: https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/uk-supermarket-giant-tesco-sees-profit-dented-by-covid-related-costs-121041400640_1.html [Accessed on: 9th Novermber, 2022]
• icaew.com, 2022, adapting to covid-19; tesco story, Available at: https://www.icaew.com/insights/interviews-and-profiles/2020/july-2020/adapting-to-covid19-the-tesco-story [Accessed on: 9th Novermber, 2022]
• macrotrends.net, 2022, tesco revenue, Available at: https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/TSCDY/tesco/revenue#:~:text=Tesco%20revenue%20for%20the%20twelve,a%201.84%25%20decline%20from%202019. [Accessed on: 9th Novermber, 2022]
• statista.com, (2022), Coronavirus: impact on the retail industry worldwide - Statistics & Facts, Available at: https://www.statista.com/topics/6239/coronavirus-impact-on-the-retail-industry-worldwide/#topicHeader__wrapper [Accessed on: 9^th November, 2022]
• statista.com, 2022, grocery sales increase in the UK, Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1108853/grocery-sales-increase-in-the-united-kingdom-coronavirus/ [Accessed on: 9th Novermber, 2022]
• tescoplc.com, (2022), About Tesco, Available at: https://www.tescoplc.com/ [Accessed on: 9^th November, 2022]