BUSINESS MANAGEMENT HIGHER LEVEL

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Research Question: Should Just Men consider expanding in the

market by opening up more outlets in the city of Mumbai?

SESSION: MAY 2022

WORD COUNT: 480

 Research Proposal
To,
Just Men
Research Question:
Should Just Men consider expanding in the market by opening up an outlet in the
city of Mumbai?
Rationale:
‘Just Men’ is a fashion business in which 2-3 fashion designers have come
together to design various types of traditional Indian clothing for men. Just Men
plans to expand in the market by opening up more of their outlets in the city of
Mumbai, India to possibly gain a higher customer base which could lead to higher
profits. Therefore, this study intends to determine whether opening more outlets
would be a beneficial choice or not.
Area of Syllabus Covered:

● 1.6 Growth and Evolution

● 3.9 Budgets

● 4.4 Market Research

● 5.4 Location

● 5.6 Research and Development

Possible Sources of Information:

a) Primary Sources:
● Interview of the Owner- Interviewing the owner will help us in
understanding the current situation and status of the business and
whether or not it is ready and capable to start growing

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 ● Interview of the Head Tailor- This will help us understand the business
status even better and whether or not the other employees think it is
feasible to start growing the business or not
● Surveying Recent Clients- This will help us understand if the idea of
growing the business would attract new customers and excite the
existing ones

b) Secondary Sources:
● Analyzing Just Men’s current cash flow statement and financial position
will be a necessary action as this will give us an idea if the business is
ready to expand in the financial terms
Organizations and Individuals to be approached:
1) Owner/Fashion Designer of Just- Mr. Dhanesh Chheda
2) An employee in the Business- Mr. Hemant Chheda
3) Existing customers of Just Men
Tools Used:

● Decision Tree- This financial tool will help me assess the possible
consequences, including chance event outcomes, resource costs. and utility
needed for the expansion of the business1
● Ansoff Matrix- I will use this tool to analyze and plan the strategies for
growth.2
● Lewin’s Force Field Analysis- This tool will help in examining the restraining
and driving forces for the decision regarding expansion and showcase the
significance of various factors.3

1 https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/decision-tree/

2 https://www.tutor2u.net/business/reference/ansoffs-matrix

3 https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_06.htm#:~:text=Force%20Field%20Analysis%20was
%20created,work%20as%20a%20social%20psychologist.&text=The%20idea%20behind%20Force
%20Field,shown%20in%20figure%201%2C%20below.

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 Anticipated Difficulties
The employee/owner may not be
completely honest about the financial
status of the company
Safety Issues due to the Covid-19
Pandemic
Arranging a time to discuss with the
employees/customers
Anticipated Solutions
To overcome this, I will assure the
individual that this data will only be
used for academic purposes only
An online meeting will be held due to
safety measures
A time slot will be fixed before the
date/time of discussion

ACTION PLAN
Actions April May June July August September October

28 30 1 25 15 30 15 30 15 30 15 30 15 30

Introduction to the
BM IA

Choosing an
organization and
research question

Creating RP

Parters interviews
scheduled

Survey of employees

Conducting
secondary research

Evaluating

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gathered data

Drafting the report

Submitting the first

draft

Making changes
from the review

Final report completed

Business Management

Internal Assessment
Higher Level

Written Report

To: The Owner of Just Men

5
Research Question: Should Just Men consider expanding in
the market by opening up more outlets in the city of Mumbai?

Word Count:
Main Essay:

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Mr. Dhanesh Chedda and Mr. Hemant Chedda for
allowing me to research their firm and providing me with first-rate details of
the firm. I would also like to thank all the employees for answering the
questionnaires and surveys and cooperating with me.
Lastly, I would like to thank my Business Management supervisor for
guiding me through the whole process and providing me with valuable
information and feedback on every step of the process

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary........................................................................................................................ 8
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 9
Research Methodology..................................................................................................................
10
Primary research: -.........................................................................................................................10
Secondary research:-......................................................................................................................10
Research Findings......................................................................................................................... 10
Analysis and Discussion............................................................................................................... 12
Ansoff Matrix.................................................................................................................................12
Lewin’s Force Field Analysis....................................................................................................... 13
Decision Tree................................................................................................................................ 14
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................16
Recommendation...........................................................................................................................16
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................1
7

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Appendix 1: Location of Mumbai................................................................................................ 18
Appendix 2: Interview of Owner ................................................................................................. 19
Appendix 3: Survey Questions for Customers ............................................................................ 21

Executive Summary
Just Men is a fashion designer firm in Mumbai which sells handmade
Indian clothing. Just Men is thinking about opening another outlet in the
city of Mumbai. Therefore, my study examines if ‘Should Just Men
consider expanding in the market by opening up more outlets in the city
of Mumbai?

I used both primary and secondary sources for my research. I conducted

primary research by interviewing the company's director and tailor, as
well as surveying some customers. On the other hand, I examined the
financial accounts of Just Men, which served as secondary research and
allowed me to complete my study successfully. After that, I used the
Ansoff Matrix tool to analyze Just Men's growth strategy for my
research.

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In addition, quantitative tools like Decision Tree and qualitative tools
like Lewin's Force Field Analysis were used to assess the decision and
factors that could affect the business' profitability. Overall, using
business tools, I concluded that opening another outlet in Mumbai could
be a profitable way to increase Just Men's market share.

Introduction:
Just Men is a business that produces traditional Indian clothing for people.
The business only makes clothes for men just like the name suggests. Just
Men is owned by Mr Dhanesh Chhedha and his brother, they have
accountants, tailors, and other people working at the outlet. Currently, Just
Men has only one outlet in the city of Mumbai and the owners are deciding
whether or not to expand in the city of Mumbai by opening up more outlets to
attract more customers and build a bigger customer base leading to higher
revenue generated.
One plus point of the business is that Just Men produces new hand-stitched
clothes to its customers according to their priority which could be a plus point
as customers get a wide range of selections. Moreover, because of the
business producing Indian clothes in India customers would always be
coming in to make new clothes for different festivals such as Diwali, Holi,
Raksha Bandhan, etc, and different occasions such as a wedding. However,
there are two negative factors as well. Due to the clothes being hand-made
and produced from scratch the prices of the product would be higher than
usual Indian wear due to which not every person can afford the products
produced by the business. Moreover, in times of a pandemic such as now, not
everyone’s preference would be buying new expensive clothes as everyone’s
income would not be very healthy. During such times the business could have
a very poor income leading to losses. There are multiple possible solutions to
this such as trying and expanding the customer base or reducing the price of

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the product as demand is very low. The reason I chose to investigate this
company is that during the pandemic a lot of businesses faced huge pullbacks
and the clothing industry is one of the biggest industries to face a loss this is
why I want to further investigate this problem and try and find a viable
solution. This is why the question comes to mind as to if Just Men should
consider expanding in the market by opening up more outlets in the city of
Mumbai?

Research Methodology:
Primary Research:
Interviewing the partners provided me with data that allowed me to better grasp the
current state of the business from many viewpoints as comparable questions were
asked in both interviews, the legitimacy of the replies could also be established.
Questionnaires with the customers gave me a better idea of what more customers
expect and need from the business. This helped me understand where the problem
lies and what needs to be done to solve this

Secondary Research:
Analyzing the business’s cash flow statement and financial position will help me
understand whether or not the company has the ability to expand or not.
Limitations:

● The survey conducted with the 20 clients does not always represent the
thinking of everyone else in the city of Mumbai.
● Economic changes/market failure/time of crisis can disturb the
predictions shown in the decision tree

RESEARCH FINDINGS:
PRIMARY RESEARCH FINDINGS:

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 (i) Interview Results:
1) Interview of Owner- The owner is worried about the financial state of the
company right now due to the shortage in sales after the pandemic. He
stated, “This industry has been hit very hard after the pandemic and people’s
preference right now is not clothes”. The owner also mentioned losing about
30 to 40% of his staff due to the pandemic.
2) Interview of Head Tailor- The head tailor mentioned the shortage of work as
well. He stated, “In the past 20 years of working in this business, this is the
lowest year of work I have had”. He also mentioned that many of his
colleagues have gone back to their villages due to the scare of the Covid
Pandemic.

(ii) Survey Results:

20 random clients were surveyed after their final product was handed to them
and each one:

Results:
1) All of the 20 clients were happy with the product they received after one or
two alterings had to be done to the fit of the clothes
2) 60% of the customers were satisfied with the pricing, whereas the remaining
40% (8 people) thought the prices were a little high
3) 60% of the customers would like to see another outlet on the other side of
the city, however, the other half was comfortable with a single outlet in
Mumbai.

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ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
1) Ansoff Matrix:

According to the Ansoff Matrix, Just Men is pursuing a market development

strategy in Mumbai. Standard wisdom holds that medium-risk growth
strategies are the most effective. Though, as per the results from the
questionnaire survey, Just Men already has quite a bit of demand in
Mumbai. The Owner and head tailor stated in the interview that they have

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 been in this industry for many years now drastically reducing the risk factor.
More importantly, with Mumbai having a higher standard of living, in the
future demand for personalized Indian wear will become stable. However,
opening up an entirely new outlet does have some complications which
come with it. To tackle this, the business needs more funds, skilled labour in
the fashion industry, more staff (including tailors), and a better promotion
method to attract more customers.

2) Lewin’s Force Field Analysis:

Having another store in Mumbai would allow Just Men to target a larger market,
increasing their market share and customer base. To do this, they will need to access
untapped areas, which will grow their client base and sales as a result of the new
outlet, Just Men will be able to take advantage of economies of scale. This can be
achieved by reducing the average cost per unit by purchasing in bulk or by taking on
more risk. As a result, the firm will have an advantage over its competitors in Mumbai
as well.

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However, to open up a new outlet a very high investment is required by the business
and this may have to include a loan looking at the average state of the business due to
the pandemic. The external borrowing and high investment may have a risk factor in
it, moreover, there is always a risk of not finding enough customers in the new area
leading to the idea of the new outlet failing. Lastly, the diseconomies of scale can also
play a negative part. Examples of these could be poor communication due to a new
outlet, higher cost of resources, and great levels of debt and interest while borrowing.
However, overall, as demonstrated by Lewin’s force field tool, it can be beneficial for
Just Men to follow the driving forces as the driving forces subjugate the restraining
forces by 14:10. Although, Just Men should tackle the restraining forces strategically
to be successful in the long run.
Rankings:
For the business to be a success while expanding market share is the most important
factor to generate a profit which is why the rating of 5 was given. At the same time
expanding has a lot of costs related to it and looking at Just Men’s lack of financial
funds it would be difficult for the business to generate the required amount for this
procedure which is why the rating of 5 was given and a rating of 3 was given to
external borrowing as to get enough funds initially requires a third party and
borrowing consists of risks.
Hand in hand with an increase in market share and increase in customer base is the
second most important aspect to generate a source of income/profit after expanding
which is why a rating of 4 was given. However, a rating of 1 was given to the risk of
not having any/enough customers after expanding leading to failure in conducting the
expansion.
Economies of scale have been given a rating of 3 and potential diseconomies of scale
were rated 1 as expansion provides the business with a lot of economies of scale
whereas the risk of the potential diseconomies of scale is lesser compared to the
positive side.
Lastly, expansion of business was rate 2 as to grow a business expansion is the most
important factor, even though it may include a risk expansion is important for any
business to grow on to the next level.

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 3) Decision Tree:

TOTAL INVESTMENT COST

Continuing With Only 1 Outlet in Mumbai Rs. 5,50,00

Opening An Extra New Outlet in Mumbai Rs. 9,50,000

INCREASED NO REDUCED
PROBABILITY GRAPH PROFIT CHANGE PROFIT
REMAIN AS ONE OUTLET 9,50,000 8,30,000 7,60,000
PROBABILITY 0.4 0.3 0.3
EXPAND TO ONE MORE
16,00,000 9,20,000 8,95,000
OUTLET
PROBABILITY 0.6 0.3 0.1

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Even though Just Men has only one store in Mumbai, the decision tree shows that
expanding into Mumbai might be more beneficial for them. However, after taking
into account both the best- and worst-case possibilities, diagrammatic techniques
show that the expansion might be about Rs. 70,000 more lucrative than it is now.
It will also be able to make more money after it opens a second location in
Mumbai builds a devoted customer base and maintains a strong brand image.
Assuming everything is taken into account, building a second shop in Mumbai
would be financially beneficial for Just Men.

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CONCLUSION:
According to the findings, Just Men should open another outlet in Mumbai to
expand their market share and customer base as there is some demand in
Mumbai, the risk factor involved in the growth strategy of moving to a new
market is lower than usual, according to the Ansoff Matrix tool. Furthermore,
Lewin's Force Field analysis shows that the decision's driving factors
outnumber the restraining factors due to factors such as the potential for a larger
customer base, greater market share, and achieving economies of scale.
According to the Decision Tree, expanding in Mumbai will result in a more
profitable outcome for the company than remaining as a single outlet. Overall,
the expansion strategy is beneficial, and Just Men should consider expanding in
Mumbai.

RECOMMENDATION:
According to me, Just Men should go ahead and expand the business if they are
looking to grow and expand their brand, customer base, income and overall
profits in the long term. In a country like India, Indian ethnic wear is very
important to the people, especially during weddings and multiple different
festivals of the year. Just Men’s power lies in how they merge the theme of
current trending fashion and Indian ethnic wear with the help of their skilled
Fashion designers and tailors. Therefore, the demand for their product has a
very low chance of dying out. Moreover, understanding that the expenses of
expanding are a little over their budget, the business and especially the owner
who is an entrepreneur has to have the courage to take a little ‘risk’ which
should be one of his skills to try and grow the business further. So concluding
this study I would like to state that Just Men should go ahead and expand into
one more outlet in the city of Mumbai.

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Bibliography:
Print Copies:
Business Management 4th Edition (For use with the I.B. Diploma Programme)
Links:
https://studyrocket.co.uk/revision/gcse-geography-b-edexcel/an-urbanising-world/
location-of-mumbai
https://www.tutor2u.net/business/reference/ansoffs-matrix
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/decision-tree/

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Appendices:
Appendix 1- Location of Mumbai

Appendix 2- Interview of The Owner

Q1) What is your business background?
A1) We make personalized Indian ethnic wear according to the customer’s
preference. All of these clothes are hand made by our tailor’s which makes the
product stand out so much
Q2) According to you what is the major strength of your business?

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A2) I think the strength of the company lies in the hand-made stitch clothes which
are made according to the perfect measurement/fit of the customers. This is very
rare and the comfort and fit which is given by our hand made clothes is completely
different from ready-made clothes. Plus we make Indian wear which is worn by
every Indian during different festivals/weddings throughout the year.
Q3) Has the business performance been good in the past couple of years?
A3) The business was spectacular but last year due to the Covid Pandemic we have
faced major losses
Q4) How has the covid pandemic affected the business?
A4) The pandemic put us in major losses as people’s last choice to spend money
on during a pandemic would be clothes which is a luxury not a need and in a
country like India where people lose jobs due to the pandemic, they would spend
money to survive more than on luxury.
Q5) What made you think of the idea to open another outlet?
A5) Demand for our product has been so good in the past couple of years and we
are located in one of the biggest cities in India, Mumbai. Not everyone is still
aware of our business due to the huge size of Mumbai and according to me
opening another outlet in Mumbai will help gain more customers and increase our
companies status and name as well.
Q6) What are your expectations if you'll finally decide to open another outlet? The
A6) If we decide to expand then my sole aim is to grow our client/customer base.
Q7) For the expansion, what is the current financial status?
A7) As I said the covid pandemic did hit us hard financially, but we are capable of
covering expenses for an expansion as the business was booming before the Covid
Pandemic
Appendix 3- Survey of Customers:
Q1) When buying clothes what do you prefer wearing?
● Ready-Made
● Hand-Stitched
Q2) Where did you hear about Just Men?
● Family/Friends

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 ● Advertisements
● Social Media
● On the internet
Q3) Are you happy with the product you received?
● Yes
● No

Q4) Do you think Just Men's products are expensive?

● Yes
● Moderate
● No
Q5) Would you like to see more outlets of Just Men?
● Yes
● No
Q6) Rate your overall experience with Just Men
● 1-3
● 4-6
● 7-10

Survey Findings:
Q1) When buying clothes what do you prefer wearing?
● Ready-Made
● Hand-Stitched
7 voted from hand-stitched and the remaining 13 voted for ready-made
Q2) Where did you hear about Just Men?
● Family/Friends
● Advertisements
● Social Media

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 ● On the internet
A2) 16 out of the 20 people replied saying that they heard about the business from
family/friends and the remaining 4 replied by saying social media
Q3) Are you happy with the product you received?
● Yes
● No
A3) All the 20 clients were happy with the product received
Q4) Do you think Just Men's products are expensive?
● Yes
● Moderate
● No
A4) 6 people said “no”, 2 people said “moderate” and the remaining 12 people said
“yes”

Q5) Would you like to see more outlets of Just Men?

● Yes
● No
A5) 12 people said they would like to see another outlet whereas 8 were
comfortable with 1.

Q6) Rate your overall experience with Just Men

● 1-3
● 4-6
● 7-10
A6) All 20 rated the experience to be 7-10

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