International Baccalaureate Higher Level Business Management
Internal Assessment
Should Aromas Café continue to offer e-
commerce services and delivery in the long-
term to increase profitability?
Research Proposal
To the owner of Aromas Café, Ms Inci Malik
Session: May 2021
Candidate number: jkj004
Word count: 495
1
,Research Question: Should Aromas Café continue to offer e-commerce
services and delivery in the long-term to increase profitability?
Rationale:
Aromas Café is an artisan food and fresh coffee café located in Weybridge, Surrey. As a result
of Covid-19, and that e-commerce is an emerging and relatively new market in the food
industry ("Online Food & Beverage Sales Are Poised to Accelerate — Is the Packaging
Ecosystem Ready? | L.E.K. Consulting", 2021), the company introduced e-commerce services
and delivery (through Deliveroo, Just Eat and their website) to expand and grow in proportion
with demand during Covid-19. However, according to the owner, managing both in-store and
e-commerce post-covid-19 will become difficult for this sole trader if in-store sales remain
high.1 Therefore, as Aromas is apprehensive of this decision, this investigation will determine
whether they should continue to offer e-commerce services and delivery in the long-term to
increase profitability.
Theoretical framework:
1.3 Organizational Objectives – The Ansoff matrix will determine Aromas’ opportunities in
terms of e-commerce and its product offerings by focusing on future growth and development
and evaluating whether the project is beneficial to the business overall.
1.7 Organisation Planning Tools – Lewin’s Force Field Analysis will visually represent and
determine restraining and driving forces on the decision in question, and its potential
operational impacts, thus helping in decision making.
1
Appendix 2: Interview with owner, question 20
2
, 3.7 Cash flow– A cash-flow-forecast will provide information about Aromas’ future
predictability of cash inflows and outflows, determining whether it is financially feasible to
continue with e-commerce on top of in-store operations.
4.8 E-commerce – Will analyse e-commerce’s advantages, disadvantages and characteristics
in determining whether this platform is worth continuing in the long-term.
Methodology:
Data Collection Rationale Link
Primary Data: Interview:
Interview: Owner of Aromas Discuss views and current difficulties
Survey: Customers and employees of provoking this decision
Aromas Surveys:
Aim to gain feedback regarding each
stakeholders view regarding Aromas’ e-
commerce platform
Secondary data: Online market-research:
Online market-research Gain better insight into the UK’s market
Cash-flow-forecast for e-commerce
Financial documents:
Further evaluate and gain insight into
the financial position of Aromas;
identify downfalls and successes
3
, Planning:
Anticipated difficulties Suggested solutions
Respondents giving biased and vague answers Provide a letter of confidentiality to increase
and information. respondent’s confidence in conveying truthful
Reluctancy of business disclosing financial data. information.
Limited information through survey responses. Include open-ended questions to allow for
maximised-quality qualitative responses.
In-person interviewing restricted (Covid-19). Conduct interviews via online platforms such
as Skype, or by telephone.
Action plan:
Date: Action: Modifications:
Task A 12 October Identify issue of company Narrowed down on two issues
Task B 15 October Conduct primary research Rescheduled interview with owner
(interview and surveys)
Task C 22 October Gather secondary research -
Task D 1 November Start research proposal write-up -
Task E 10 December Draft research proposal due Wrote more concisely
Task F 11 December Start main report write-up -
Task G 4 January Draft IA due -
Task H 18 January Edits and improvements based on Re-formatted Ansoff Matrix
draft feedback structure
Task I 8 February Final IA Due -
4
Internal Assessment
Should Aromas Café continue to offer e-
commerce services and delivery in the long-
term to increase profitability?
Research Proposal
To the owner of Aromas Café, Ms Inci Malik
Session: May 2021
Candidate number: jkj004
Word count: 495
1
,Research Question: Should Aromas Café continue to offer e-commerce
services and delivery in the long-term to increase profitability?
Rationale:
Aromas Café is an artisan food and fresh coffee café located in Weybridge, Surrey. As a result
of Covid-19, and that e-commerce is an emerging and relatively new market in the food
industry ("Online Food & Beverage Sales Are Poised to Accelerate — Is the Packaging
Ecosystem Ready? | L.E.K. Consulting", 2021), the company introduced e-commerce services
and delivery (through Deliveroo, Just Eat and their website) to expand and grow in proportion
with demand during Covid-19. However, according to the owner, managing both in-store and
e-commerce post-covid-19 will become difficult for this sole trader if in-store sales remain
high.1 Therefore, as Aromas is apprehensive of this decision, this investigation will determine
whether they should continue to offer e-commerce services and delivery in the long-term to
increase profitability.
Theoretical framework:
1.3 Organizational Objectives – The Ansoff matrix will determine Aromas’ opportunities in
terms of e-commerce and its product offerings by focusing on future growth and development
and evaluating whether the project is beneficial to the business overall.
1.7 Organisation Planning Tools – Lewin’s Force Field Analysis will visually represent and
determine restraining and driving forces on the decision in question, and its potential
operational impacts, thus helping in decision making.
1
Appendix 2: Interview with owner, question 20
2
, 3.7 Cash flow– A cash-flow-forecast will provide information about Aromas’ future
predictability of cash inflows and outflows, determining whether it is financially feasible to
continue with e-commerce on top of in-store operations.
4.8 E-commerce – Will analyse e-commerce’s advantages, disadvantages and characteristics
in determining whether this platform is worth continuing in the long-term.
Methodology:
Data Collection Rationale Link
Primary Data: Interview:
Interview: Owner of Aromas Discuss views and current difficulties
Survey: Customers and employees of provoking this decision
Aromas Surveys:
Aim to gain feedback regarding each
stakeholders view regarding Aromas’ e-
commerce platform
Secondary data: Online market-research:
Online market-research Gain better insight into the UK’s market
Cash-flow-forecast for e-commerce
Financial documents:
Further evaluate and gain insight into
the financial position of Aromas;
identify downfalls and successes
3
, Planning:
Anticipated difficulties Suggested solutions
Respondents giving biased and vague answers Provide a letter of confidentiality to increase
and information. respondent’s confidence in conveying truthful
Reluctancy of business disclosing financial data. information.
Limited information through survey responses. Include open-ended questions to allow for
maximised-quality qualitative responses.
In-person interviewing restricted (Covid-19). Conduct interviews via online platforms such
as Skype, or by telephone.
Action plan:
Date: Action: Modifications:
Task A 12 October Identify issue of company Narrowed down on two issues
Task B 15 October Conduct primary research Rescheduled interview with owner
(interview and surveys)
Task C 22 October Gather secondary research -
Task D 1 November Start research proposal write-up -
Task E 10 December Draft research proposal due Wrote more concisely
Task F 11 December Start main report write-up -
Task G 4 January Draft IA due -
Task H 18 January Edits and improvements based on Re-formatted Ansoff Matrix
draft feedback structure
Task I 8 February Final IA Due -
4
