Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 1

RESEARCH PORTFOLIO FOR STRATEGIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Name

Course

Professor’s Name

Institution

City and State

Date
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 2

Task 1 –Research Proposal

Title

Resolving the issue of workplace stress in the UK through the strategies of business

development.

Background

Health is key for the functioning of any unit in society. The World Health Organization

(WHO) defines health “as a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not

merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (World Health Organization, 1946). And thus,

the issue of health in the occupational or industrial setting becomes crucial. 

Research displays the growing concern of mental health and workplace stress in the

UK’s occupational and industrial settings, emphasising the maintenance of physical, social,

and mental well-being of the employees as essential for success (Teasdale, 2006, p. 251).

That, particularly the cases of mental health illness in the workplace are manifestations of

stress-related illnesses (Teasdale, 2006, p. 251).

Problem Statement

The issue of workplace stress particularly in the UK is increasing with rapid growth in

technology and societal change, and thus this study aims to amalgamate secondary research

on the management of workplace stress by incorporating it with some strategies for business

development.

Literature review

The literature to resolve the issue of workplace stress through the strategies of business

development first studies the notion of 'stress' which it states is a reaction people have to the

excessive pressure or demands placed on them (Health & Safety Executive, 2005). Then, it

highlights what is 'workplace stress' which it states takes place when the demands placed on

the employees exceed their ability to cope or control them resulting in a disturbance in
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 3

psychological equilibrium (Colligan & Higgins, 2006, p. 92); (Teasdale, 2006, p. 251).

Further, it highlights the sources of workplace stress which it discusses from the works of

Colligan & Higgins (2006, p. 93) and Murphy (1995) to include factors like elements unique

to the job; employee role in the organization; career development; interpersonal relationships

at work, and organizational climate and structure. Then, it displays the consequences of

workplace stress to be physical and psychological responses to stress (Teasdale, 2006, p.

252); occupational costs (Clarke & Cooper, 2004, p. 4-5); (Foy et al., 2019); and the impact

on the organizational and individual level (Teasdale, 2006, p. 252); (Colligan & Higgins,

2006, p. 93). Further, it discusses how the workplace stress can be managed by displaying

four major sets of theorisations; first stated in the works of Colligan & Higgins (2006) and

Lazarus (1991) emphasising on the role of managers in the identification and implementation

of managerial intervention for chronic workplace stress; second stated in the works of Clarke

& Cooper (2004, p. 11) and Health and Safety Executive (1997) in the UK focusing on risk

management in the workplace typically through which the organization assesses risks and

hazards and frames policies and measures for its rectification; third, stated in the works of

Tetrick & Winslow (2015, p. 161) who focus on the employee health and wellbeing to be

related to their family and organization’s wellbeing by focusing on stress management

interventions; and last the theorisation as stated by Bakker & Demerouti (2007), and Tetrick

and Winslow (2015), who in their Job-demand resources model incorporate both job demand

and resources, and non-work demand and resources.

Thus, this research study to resolve the issue of workplace stress in the UK and to fill

the gap in the literature studies on strategies of business development model (Betz, 2002, p.

21); business process management (Armistead, Pritchard and Machin, 1999, p. 96-98) as an

analytical tool; and SWOT framework (Pickton & Wright, 1998, p. 101-108) to formulate a
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 4

new model which could implement new strategies and devise a new plan to resolve the issue

and contribute to the literature. 

Purpose

How can the issue of workplace stress be managed in the UK through the strategies of

strategic business development?

Aim and Objectives

This study aims to bring in focus on the critical issue of workplace stress at the forefront. It

aims to highlight what is stress, workplace stress, its sources and consequences in relation to

an employee’s emotional, physical, cognitive and psychological behaviour. Further, it studies

various literature to come up with the solution by which this issue can be resolved and

managed. Lastly, it studies theories of strategic business development to resolve the issue. 

Methodology

 “Qualitative research aims to address questions concerned with developing an understanding

of the meaning and experience dimensions of humans’ lives and social worlds” (Fossey et al.,

2002, p. 717). The present study aims to conduct qualitative secondary exploratory research.

It focuses on adopting an interpretive research paradigm as it collects data through secondary

sources typically peer-reviewed academic journals and books in order to collect, analyse and

interpret data. The study adheres to the ethics of conducting valid secondary exploratory

research by using good practice in order to conduct the research and using trustworthiness for

the interpretation of the qualitative data (Fossey et al., 2002, p. 717). 

The study uses the method of secondary research or desk research to answer its

research question of how can the issue of workplace stress be managed in the UK through the

strategies of strategic business development. Secondary research or desk research is based on

using already existing data to decipher gaps in the literature, and by founding a new

theorisation or model to answer the research question. In this research method, the study is
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 5

based on data collected from previous sources; is based on tried and tested data which is

already been analysed; gives a broad understanding of the subject matter, is cost-efficient; is

fast and easy, and focuses more on researcher’s ability and capability to analyse and interpret

data. 

Thus, this study to answer its research question studies varied literature on stress,

workplace stress, its sources, consequences, and how it can be managed. Then it respectively

studies the theorisation on strategic business development to amalgamate it with the above

theorisation and form a new model to resolve the issue and create a theorisation based on the

gap found in the literature.  

Outcomes

The study will devise a new plan and model by combining the literature on workplace stress

and the theorisation of strategic business development. It will show how managerial

intervention, action, and decision making by doing environmental analysis, using the

strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) framework, and Business Process

Management (BPM) can resolve the issue of workplace stress in the UK.

Task 2- Research Methodology

“All work puts some pressure on individuals; in general the more demanding the work

the greater the pressure” (Teasdale, 2006, p. 251). Organizations usually employ people who

can potentially become stressed, with resultant issues like anxiety, stress, depression or worse

making them less productive or useful (Teasdale, 2006, p. 251). The UK’s Health and Safety

Executive (2005) defines stress as the “adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or

other types of demand placed on them.” There stands a critical difference between stress and

pressure, which is that pressure can be positive if managed correctly, but if that pressure

reaches excessive levels it becomes stress leading to mental and physical ill-health (Teasdale,

2006, p. 251).
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 6

Stress in the work environment arises when demands placed on the employees in the

workplace exceed their ability to cope with or control them, resulting in a disturbance in

psychological equilibrium (Colligan & Higgins, 2006, p. 92); (Teasdale, 2006, p. 251). The

employee’s emotional, cognitive, and behavioural response to stress has a direct relationship

with the source of the stress, and the resources the employee has to buffer the stressor

(Colligan & Higgins, 2006, p. 92). The major factors that contribute to workplace stress are;

first, employee’s capability to adapt to a technologically changing environment in which

adaptation to the change becomes a threat to their wellbeing; second; toxic workplaces

marked with relentless demands, fear, paranoia, extreme pressures and increased anxiety

states; and last workplaces placing high-work demand, and having a harassing and over-

controlling environment leading to employee stress (Colligan & Higgins, 2006, p. 93).   

Further Murphy (1995) in his work has described five major sources of workplace

stress demonstrating a conflict between employees and their job demands, in which

employees’ less control over their situations can convert stress into distress. First, the factors

pertaining unique to the employee’s job like work hours, autonomy levels in the work

environment, the meaningfulness of the job, the pace of work, the physical environment of

the workplace, and the workload (Murphy, 1995). Second, are the factors related to the

employee’s role in the organization marking the level of responsibility in which the employee

operates whether at the top level managing multiple duties or the lower level with minimal

duties (Murphy, 1995). Third, stressors can come for the employee in their prospects of

career development, based on the levels of under and over performance, job security,

prospective opportunities, mergers, technological changes, creativity, acquisitions, and

feeling of being stuck in a position (Murphy, 1995). Fourth, stress can be caused due to issues

surrounding interpersonal relationships in the workplace marking the group dynamics,

workplace problematic relationships between administration, co-workers, and/or

subordinates, and other critical issues of harassment, discrimination, violence, threats, and

bullying at the managerial level (Murphy, 1995). Last, the factors surrounding the

organizational climate and structure contribute to the workplace stress based on the patterns

with which the management operates, communication patterns of the organization, job

control, meaningful participation on key topics, and aspects of decision making (Murphy,

1995). 

Workplace stress can have varied consequences on the employees as it is marked by a

relationship between stress, pressure, demands on the individual, and their performance and

output (Teasdale, 2006, p. 252). This is viewed through physical responses to stress like

changes in observed breathing rate and blood pressure, and in a psychological performance

like mental arithmetic under time performance pressure, and lastly in terms of group

performance, based on productivity and efficiency (Teasdale, 2006, p. 252). Further,

occupational stress also leads to occupational costs, caused due to accidents at work, work-

related illnesses or injuries, and further costs incurred at training and recruitment of

temporary employees (Clarke & Cooper, 2004, p. 4-5); (Foy et al., 2019). 

Workplace stress can be viewed through its effects on two major levels, i.e., first at

the level of the organization and second at the level of the individual (Teasdale, 2006, p.

252); (Colligan & Higgins, 2006, p. 93). The consequences at the spectrum of the

organisation include lower productivity, decreased creativity, poor decision making,

increased errors, increased sick leave, job dissatisfaction, disloyalty, increased sick leave,

absenteeism, accidents, theft, unpreparedness, early retirements, and organizational

breakdown and dysfunction in the workplace (Teasdale, 2006, p. 252); (Colligan & Higgins,

2006, p. 93). Further, the consequences of chronic workplace stress at an individual level

include increased cholesterol levels, insomnia, muscle tensions, unstable blood pressure,

hypertension, emotional instability, substance abuse, clinical depression, fatigue, relationship

problems, boredom, reduced concentration and information retaining ability, anger, and

instability impacting the employees capacity to maintain relationships outside of the

workplace (Teasdale, 2006, p. 252); (Colligan and & Higgins, 2006, p. 93).

A wide array of the literature suggests that this pertinent issue of workplace stress can

be managed at various levels through varied theorisation, models and workplace practices. 

The first set of theorisation comes from Colligan & Higgins (2006) and Lazarus

(1991) that emphasise the role of managers in the identification and implementation of

managerial intervention for chronic workplace stress. Lazarus (1991) states three main

strategies based on managerial intervention to reduce work-related stress. The first strategy is

in which managers can help is implementing policies that help in altering the working

conditions so that employees can cope with stress, i.e., by removing obstacles like work

overload, lack of autonomy, isolation, environmental annoyances, and by providing a

flourishing environment (Lazarus, 1991). The second strategy the manager can adopt is by

providing the employee with a link with the organization, i.e., by linking the employee with

employee services, and stress management programs which includes policies like diet plans,

meditation recommendation, and behavioural skills (Lazarus, 1991). The third strategy that

the manager can adopt is helping the employee to figure out the relation between the stressful

situation, and between the individual, work setting and the group by coherently reducing the

tension between the three (Lazarus, 1991).  

The second set of theorisation comes from the theorisation around risk management in

the workplace from the works of Clarke & Cooper (2004, p. 11) and the guidelines of the

Health and Safety Executive (1997) in the UK. Clarke & Cooper (2004, p. 11) argue that risk

management in an organization is a process by which an organization assesses the impact of

physical hazards or psychosocial hazards on the health and safety of its employees. They

state that effective stress management should be embedded in the overall risk management
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 9

system, marked with hazard identification, risk evaluation, and risk reduction (Clarke &

Cooper, 2004, p. 12). Further, the Health and Safety Executive Guidelines (1997) in the UK

call for the development of a successful health and safety management system marked with

policy formation, putting the policy in practice, planning, measuring improvements,

reviewing improvements and suggesting changes. The risk assessment general model

suggested by the Health and Safety Executive (1997) states that the organization should

identify hazards, assess the associated risks, suggest reasonably control strategies, implement

controlled strategies, monitor and evaluate strategies, provide feedback and reassess risks,

and review information and training needs of employees.

The third set of theorisation comes from the work of Tetrick & Winslow (2015, p.

16.1) who focus on employee health and well-being in relation to the well-being of their

families and organizations, and state that the companies should focus more on stress

management interventions rather than health promotion and wellness programs. They state

that the stress management interventions in an organization are more like red cape

interventions designed more to prevent negative experiences, like reducing job demands on

employees, such as work overload, discrimination, family demands, relationship conflicts and

building employee resources (Tetrick & Winslow, 2015, p. 16.2). Whereas, the health

promotion and wellness programs aimed to design and grow positive experiences in a

company are more like green cape interventions marked with enhancing job resources, job

control, organizational support, personal and non-work resources, and social support (Tetrick

& Winslow, 2015, p. 16.2). 

Further, the fourth set of theorisation on the management of workplace stress comes

from the work of Bakker & Demerouti (2007) and Tetrick & Winslow (2015, p. 16.2-16.3)

with their job-demand resources (JD-R) model which incorporates job demands and

resources, non-work demands, non-work resources, and personal resources. This model
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 10

argues that job demands i.e., workload, work pace, time pressure, role ambiguity, role

conflict, discrimination and personal demands, i.e., family demands, financial issues, and

relationship conflict lead to strain and burnout on the employee and can hamper their well-

being (Baker & Demerouti, 2007); (Tetrick & Winslow, 2015, p. 16.2-16.3). Further, it states

that job resources i.e., support from supervisor, co-worker, and or organization, control,

feedback, and autonomy; personal resources like core self-evaluations, physical health, and

psychological capital; and non-work resources like social support from family, and social

support from friends all contribute to work engagement thus contributing to overall employee

well-being.

The strategic business model is a model of strategic futuristic business thinking about

the present challenges the business is facing and its potential future opportunities, i.e., how a

company is operating now but can change for the betterment of the future (Betz, 2002, p. 21).

It is primarily about constructing policies in this domain for the business to perform well in

the future (Betz, 2002, p. 21). A business in abstraction of a business model is primarily a

system identifying how that business possibly makes money (Betz, 2002, p. 21). Whereas,

strategic thinking or management is about how a business now makes money and how it can

change to continue to make more money (Betz, 2002, p. 21). A strategic business model aims

to guide the future specification of inputs, outputs, processes, and values by providing a

systematic list of policies for the complete operation of the corporation's business (Betz,

2002, p. 21).

The strategic business model uses Business Process Management (BPM) as a strategic

management tool with which it prescribes varied approaches by which managers can resolve

issues at the workplace (Armistead, Pritchard and Machin, 1999, p. 96). BPM suggests

managers take the respective approaches depending on the situation, i.e., to take a

prescriptive approach to determine and plan for future events; or take an emergent approach
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 11

when the stated plans or strategy are changing and failing due to changing circumstances; or

focus on hard goals, i.e., a traditional business model based on profits and shareholder values;

or stakeholder aspiration approach with its focus on satisfying aspirations and expectations of

a range of stakeholders depending on what the needs of the workplace demands; or could

focus on strategic context defining what of strategy; or strategic process defining the how of a

strategy being achieved (Armistead, Pritchard and Machin, 1999, p. 97).

Further, the BPM approach discusses 7 key themes for successful strategic business

development. First, is the theme of ‘strategic choice and direction’ which focuses on the

notion of strategy development, choices to be made, and plans for deployment within

prescribed goals and targets based on the resources of the firm (Armistead, Pritchard and

Machin, 1999, p. 98). Second, is the theme of ‘organisational design’ focused on making an

organisational design, based on the structures, boundaries, intentions, powers, and processes

within the organisation (Armistead, Pritchard and Machin, 1999, p. 98). Third, is the theme of

‘maximising the market value chain’ including processes that would lead to innovation of

new products and services, and extending interaction of processes to different organisations

to increase the business's market value (Armistead, Pritchard and Machin, 1999, p. 98).

Fourth, is the theme of ‘performance management' that focuses on resource management,

monitoring of processes, setting targets, and initiation of corrective action (Armistead,

Pritchard and Machin, 1999, p. 98). Fifth is the theme of ‘organisational coordination’

requiring coordination between partners, customers, or suppliers both internally and in

decision-making processes (Armistead, Pritchard and Machin, 1999, p. 98). Sixth is the

theme of ‘organisational learning and knowledge management' that focuses on incorporating

management knowledge and organisational learning for the functioning of the organisation

(Armistead, Pritchard and Machin, 1999, p. 98). Last, is the theme of ‘organisational culture’
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 12

that focuses on culture leading to transformational changes and strengthening the

organisation (Armistead, Pritchard and Machin, 1999, p. 98).

The strength, weakness, threats, opportunities (SWOT) framework is another major

analytical tool that can be used for strategic business development (Pickton & Wright, 1998,

p. 101). This framework focuses on doing environmental analysis as a part of its planning

process to categorize both internal and external factors of an organization (Pickton & Wright,

1998, p. 101). SWOT can be used for strategy formulation, managerial decision making, and

action, as it involves key staff members interacting with each other in the production of the

SWOT analysis to enhance management development (Pickton & Wright, 1998, p. 101-108).

Task 3 –Research Findings

This research study through its method of exploratory secondary research attempts to

answer its research question of how can the issue of workplace stress be managed in the UK

through the strategies of strategic business development. For this, as a part of its

methodology, it studies ample literature or data to figure out what has been particularly

researched and figured in the past on the key main topics surrounding the research question

typically stress, workplace stress, its sources, consequences, and four major sets of

theorisations around the management of workplace stress.

This research study, further, as part of its own contribution offers to study three broad

theories of strategic business development; first, what is strategic business model, a study by

Betz (2002, p. 21) which states that it is a futuristic business thinking model which deciphers

the present challenges a business is facing and the future opportunities it has so that it can

change elements which could be changed for the betterment of the business; second, it

studied the process of Business Process Management (BPM) stated in the work of Armistead,

Pritchard, and Machin (1999, p. 96-98) which as a strategic business management tool stated

that the managerial class of any organisation can cure any problem a business is facing by
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 13

following seven key themes of business process management; namely, strategic choice and

direction; organisational design; maximising the market value; performance management;

organisational co-ordination, organisational learning and knowledge management, and

organisational culture; third the Strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities (SWOT)

framework stated in the works of Pickton & Wright (1998, p. 101-108) which as an analytical

tool of strategic business development stated that the manager can do environmental analysis

of the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of the issue the company is facing to

devise a new plan and strategic formulation.

Thus, by studying all the varied literature, this study as its results attempts to state that

managerial action and decision making can resolve the issue of the employee problem, a key

domain and important strata in any organisation i.e., the employee, in this case particularly

the issue of workplace stress through strategic business development model. The manager

can firstly conduct the environmental analysis deciphering both the internal and external

factors leading to workplace stress in a particular company, then understand its potent

strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. Further, can devise a plan based on the

seven key themes of business process management as discussed above by primarily focussing

on the organisational culture as remaining intact while ensuring the profitability of the

business. 

Task 4 – Reflective Log

Thus, in retrospect as a researcher who conducted exploratory secondary research by

studying varied academic peer-reviewed journal articles, government documents, and books I

can suggest secondary research to be a simpler, faster, and cost-efficient strategic method. It

offered me already collected, interpreted, and analysed data which I read and understood by

searching specific keywords on Google scholar. Then I downloaded the articles that seemed

relevant to my research question and found a gap in the literature. This method is solely
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 14

based on the researcher’s expertise to analyse, read, interpret, and draw links to decipher the

answer to the research question. But, as a researcher I would from the next time would also

like to conduct qualitative research by combining two modes of research methods i.e.,

secondary sources research with interviews and case study method in order to draw

similarities, differences, and comparisons between the literature and the primary data. 

 
 Research Portfolio For Strategic Business Development 15

Bibliography

Armistead, C., Pritchard, J., and Machin, S. (1999) ‘Strategic business process management

for organisational effectiveness’, Long Range Planning, 32(1), pp. 96-106.

doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0024-6301(98)00130-7.

Bakker, A.B., and Demerouti, E. (2007) ‘The job demands-resources model: State of the art’,

Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), pp. 309–28.

doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115.

Betz. F. (2002) ‘Strategic business models’, Engineering Management Journal, 14(1), pp. 21-

27. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10429247.2002.11415145.

Clarke, S., and Cooper, C.L. (2004) Managing the risk of workplace stress: Health and safety

hazards. London: Routledge.

Colligan, T. W., and Higgins, E.M. (2006) ‘Workplace stress: Etiology and consequences’,

Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 21(2), pp. 89-97.

doi:https://doi.org/10.1300/J490v21n02_07.

Fossey, E., Harvey, C., Mcdermott, F., Davidson, L. (2002) ‘Understanding and evaluating

qualitative research’, Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36(6), pp.

717-732. doi: https://doi.org/10.1046%2Fj.1440-1614.2002.01100.x

Foy, T., Dwyer, R., Nafarrete, R., Hammoud, M.S., and Rockett, P. (2019) ‘Managing job

Performance, social Support and work-life conflict to reduce workplace stress’,

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-03-2017-0061.

Health and Safety Executive. (1997) The health and safety climate survey tool. HSE Books.

Health and Safety Executive. (2005) Tackling stress: The management standards approach.

Health and Safety Executive.

Lazarus, R. (1991) ‘Psychological stress in the workplace’, Journal of Social Behavior and

Personality, 6, pp. 1-13. doi: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1992-03575-001.

Murphy, L.R. (1995) ‘Occupational stress management: Current status and future direction’,

Trends in Organizational Behavior, 2, pp. 1-14.

doi:https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1995-98302-001.

Pickton, D. W., and Wright, S. (1998) ‘What’s swot in strategic analysis?’ Strategic Change,

7, pp. 101-109. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-

1697(199803/04)7:2%3C101::AID-JSC332%3E3.0.CO;2-6.

Teasdale, E. (2006) ‘Workplace stress’, Psychiatry, 5, pp. 251–254.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.mppsy.2006.04.006.

Tetrick, L. E., and Winslow, C.J. (2015) ‘Workplace stress management interventions and

health promotions’, Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational

Behavior, 2, pp. 583-603. doi:https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-

111341.

World Health Organization. (1946) Official records of the World Health Organization no. 2,

viewed 10 May 2022.