Equality and Diversity in The Workplace

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INTRODUCTION
Equality and diversity are a key concept in the employment process as it helps in
ensuring that the recruitment and selection that is done in the organisation does not involve any
biasness in their hiring practices and thus all the candidates are given equal opportunities
(DeFillippi, 2015). When the companies are MNC’s Such as Apple Inc. and work or hire
employees on a global level, it gets difficult to incorporate equality while doing the recruitment
and hiring at a global level. Globalisation is the process through which the companies will be
able to work in a more comprehensive manner.
Section 1 – Introduction
P1 Devise project aims and objectives for a chosen scenario.
Background: Apple is an MNC dealing in technological field dealing in Consumer electronics,
software and other online facilities. Its headquarters are located in California, USA and is a
global leader in the technological industry. In this report, a research has been conducted on the
methods through which the MNC’s like Apple incorporates equality and diversity in their
recruitment process and the HR policies that have been formulated.
Aim: To analyse the manner in which equality and diversity can be incorporated in the
recruitment process in order to conform to international recruitment standards. A case study on
Apple
Objectives:
 To understand the concept of equality and diversity at workplace
 To identify the major issues related to equality and diversity faced by employees of
Apple
 To ascertain the manner in which Apple can accommodate changes in its HR policies in
order to meet international standards
Questions:
 What is the concept of equality and diversity at workplace?
 What are major issues related to equality and diversity faced by employees of Apple?
 How Apple can accommodate changes in its HR Policies to promote equality and
diversity?
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Section 2 – Project Plan
P2 Produce a project management plan that covers, aim and deliverables, time, quality,
communication, risk and resources.
Project management plan helps in formulating a proper plan that assists in determining a
series or sequence which can be followed by the project manager in order to achieve the task and
project objectives. There are a variety of aspects that need to be addressed in order to conduct
research successfully and these have been discussed below individually:
Scope: The scope of this research is limited to the employees of the Apple Company only and
will help in analysing the methods through which the current HR policies of the company can be
improved. This will help in determining the manner in which equality can be incorporated in the
company’s recruitment process so that it can meet the international standards and address the
requirements globally.
Quality: Quality aspect of the project management plan helps in ensuring that the data that have
been collected through primary as well as secondary sources that are being used by the
researcher are authentic and relevant to the research topic. The content collected and data
analysis and interpretations presented by the researcher must be extremely relevant, correct and
upto the mark so that the validity of the research cannot be compromised with.
Risk: There are a variety of risks that are faced by the researcher while collecting relevant data
and conducting the research (Chang, Walters and Wills, 2018). The most prominent risk is
accuracy i.e. when collecting primary data, the researcher might not be able to gather accurate
data that provides true insight into the mind-set of the respondents acting as a representative of a
wider population. Another major risk is that even if the researcher does not intentionally
incorporate it, there are increased chances that the answers given by the respondents might be
biased and therefore the true image and hence accurate interpretations will not be generated for
the company.
Resources: Under this category, all the resources those are required to be used in the research
are incorporated and categorised accordingly. Investigator i.e. researcher conducts the desired
research on a wider level and therefore there needs to be pre planning regarding the resources
that are required and various tools and techniques that will be used but the researcher needs to be
arranged for so that research can be conducted in the desired manner.
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Communication: Communication is another major aspect that needs to be addressed keenly and
is a key aspect ensuring that the research is carried successfully (Basu, 2018). There are a variety
of parties that are interested in the research that is being carried out and these should be
conveyed the end results as well. Customers, employees, suppliers etc. are some of the key
stakeholders that are interested in what the research was and the result that was derived for the
problem.
P3 Produce a work breakdown structure and a Gantt Chart to provide timeframes and stages for
completion
Work Breakdown Structure is used to break the entire project into various activities and sub
activities so that it becomes easier to track the performance, set standards and then compare these
standards accordingly.
Gantt chart is a graphical representation of the schedule of all the activities that need to be
performed and time interval is allotted to all the activities within which they are to be performed.
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Section 3 – Research
P4 Carry out small-scale research applying primary and secondary methods appropriate for
meeting project aims and objectives.
Research methodology helps in determining various tools and techniques that will be
used by the researcher in order to conduct the research:
Quantitative research: Quantitative research is generally performed to collect, analyse and
interpret the numerical or quantitative data i.e. the data that is not is theoretical terms (Galloway
and et.al., 2018). The quantitative research is a very systematic approach where the data is
collected in the form of number and statistics. In order to conduct quantitative research,
statistical tools like Excel and other tools such as SPSS are used to analyse and interpret the
numerical data that is being collected. The data collection methods under this technique involve
surveys, questionnaires, polls etc. which are used to collect the relevant data.
Qualitative research: Exactly contrary to the quantitative research, qualitative research is used to
analyse theoretical facts and data where the underlying opinion is researched and is conducted
for the purpose of developing insight into a particular topic for which research is being
conducted (Bartlett, Doz and Hedlund, 2018). The qualitative data is collected through tools such
as personal interview, observation method, case study analysis, focus group interviews,
questionnaire methods etc. The tools that are used to analyse the data that is collected in such a
manner involve thematic analysis in particular that uses charts and other figures that are used to
interpret the data in a simplified manner.
Data Collection: Data can be collected through two major sources and these are:
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 Primary research: Here the researcher collects the data on a first hand basis i.e. the data
has not been used in any manner before and is original data. Questionnaires, interviews,
surveys etc. are some of the methods of conducting the research based on collection of
primary data in such manner.
 Secondary Research: Under this, the data that has already been collected and analysed is
used to interpret and take reference for the research that is being conducted currently by
the researcher (Artto, Ahola, Vartiainen, 2016). This method saves both the cost and time
of the researcher and is done by studying previous articles, journals, case studies etc.
Sample Size: The sample size would be 30 employees working in the Apple Inc. which would be
selected on a purposive random sampling basis.
Questionnaire:
It is important that questions capture the required for future analysis purposes.
Closed question is the most common format in questionnaires.
Name:
Age:
Contact number:
Email ID:
Q1. Are you aware with the recruitment practices of your company?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2. Does the company need to modify their current HR policies in order to incorporate equality?
a) Yes
b) No
Q3. As per your views, which is the best method of recruitment that Apple can adopt?
a) Internal recruitment
b) External recruitment
Q4. What is the major benefit of implementing changes in HR practices of Apple?
a) Enhance customer base
b) Increase business profitability
c) Both of the above
Q5. Which form of recruitment and selection is currently used by Apple?
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a) Centralised
b) Decentralised
Q6. Do you think, globalisation assist in enchaining growth opportunities for Apple?
a) Yes
b) No
Q7. How do you rate the HR practices of Apple?
a) Excellent
b) Average
c) Bad
Q8. Do you think training helps in improving productivity and profitability of Apple?
a) Yes
b) No
Q9. What are the different factors through which Apple can improve their HR practices easily?
Q10.Any suggestion for further improvements to Apple.
Literature review
Diversity and equality in the workplace can be advantageous to both associates and the
employers of the organization as they can help in reducing many lawsuits that face organizations
arising from claims of workplace discrimination issues. At the same time, upholding diversity
and equality in the workplace can help to increase the marketing opportunities of an
organization, its recruitment, ingenuity, and its business image, and is vital for the success of an
organization. Equality and diversity in the workplace also contributes to a broader range of
services from the diverse sets of experiences and skills such as languages, and understanding of
cultures can allow an organization to provide service to its clients on a worldwide basis. In
addition, they provide varied viewpoints, because the workforce feels at ease contributing their
different viewpoints, hence providing a bigger pool of experiences and ideas. Organizations can
get ideas for the large pool to meet the needs of their clients, and their business strategic needs in
a more effective manner.
Due to the nature of the two matters, organizations experience various challenges in realizing
equality and diversity. Many organizations realize that managing diversity is more than just
recognizing differences in individuals—it involves acknowledging the significance of
differences, avoiding discrimination, and pushing for inclusiveness. Therefore, the first challenge
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is having the right perspective about equality and diversity. The second challenge is managers
losing personnel and expiring reduced work productivity because of prejudice and discrimination
as well as complaints and legal battles against their organizations. Besides, negative attitudes and
demeanors can be roadblocks to organizational equality and diversity since they are highly likely
to harm working relationships and affect self-esteem, hence reducing work productivity. In other
words, managers may find it challenging addressing such negative attitudes and demeanors as
prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping, especially in relation to termination, retention, and
hiring practice. In these contexts, these negative attitudes and demeanors could result in costly
litigation.
Section 4 – Findings and Recommendations
P5 Present findings and data using appropriate tools and techniques.
Theme: 1 Yes, maximum employees aware about recruitment practices of your company.
Particular % of respondents Participants
Yes 66.66667 20
No 33.33333 10
Total 100 30
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Interpretation:
The above graph is shows that the maximum number of employees are aware about the
recruitment practices for the company. This creates more effectiveness for company in order to
hire eligible candidates for company. 20 out of 30 employees are aware about recruitment
process. They said that that is very important and effective process which has helped to hire best
and eligible candidates for vacant posts.
Theme: 2 Need to modify current HR policies to incorporate equality.
Particular % of respondents Participants
Yes 60 18
No 40 12
Total 100% 30
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Interpretation:
The above graph is shows 60% employees said there is need to modify current HR
policies to incorporate equality as reflects. This is reason they are not satisfied with the current
HR practices because that are not favour in them. But, the remaining, 40% employees said that,
there has not any need and requirement to change its. They feel that the current HR practices are
best which are effective for maintaining equality and diversity at workplace.
Theme: 3 Best method of recruitment which apple can adopted.
Particular % of respondents Participants
Internal environment 33.33333 10
External environment 66.66667 20
Total 100 30
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Interpretation:
Above Pie chart shows the best method of recruitment is external environment because
that is helps to hire best and eligible candidates for vacant posts in Apple. The higher % which is
66.67 is with external and the remaining with internal. The apple company can adopt external
environment method for hiring the best employees. With the help of this, employer able to create
great advantage for company by creating larger pool of employees works.
Theme: 4 Benefits with implement changes in HR practices of apple.
Particular % of respondents Participants
Enhance customer base 6.666667 2
Increase business profitability 10 3
Both of the above 83.33333 25
Total 100 30
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Interpretation:
The diagram reflects that the maximum employees i.e. 83.33% said the implement
changes in current HR practices has creates both mention benefits for company is effective
manner. Those benefits are enhanced customer base and increase business profitability because
through that employees are able to improve their performance at workplace as per requirement.
Theme: 5 Current recruitment and selection used by apple.
Particular % of respondents Participants
Centralized 50 15
Decentralized 50 15
Total 100 30
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Interpretation:
As per the data collect it had been concluded that, the company apple is used both
methods for recruiting and selecting employees and candidates for posts which are vacant in
company. The 50% employees said centralized and 50% said decentralized methods are used by
company for fulfil the post.
Particular % of respondents Participants
Yes 53.33333 16
No 46.66667 14
Total 100 30
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Interpretation:
The above-mentioned graph has reflected that the 53.33% employees said globalization is
assist in enhancing growth opportunities of apple in proper and effective manner. On the other
side, remaining employees like around 46.67% employees said not, globalization is not enhanced
the growth opportunities for apple company. This creates more problems for company with the
globalized company.
Theme: 7 Rate the HR practices of apple.
Particular % of respondents Participants
Excellent 66.66667 20
Average 16.66667 5
Bad 16.66666 5
Total 100 30
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Interpretation:
Employees of Apple company has given excellent HR practices, the company have
excellent HR practices which give positive motivation to employees for work as well as boost
the morale of each employee to gives hard contribution to achieve goals and objectives of
company. The higher % of employees said that i.e. 66.67% and the remaining 16.67% said that
company have only average HR practices or another 16.66% is said that HR practices are bad
which had been used by company.
Theme: 8 Training is helps in improving productivity and profitability of apple.
Particular % of respondents Participants
Yes 83.33333 25
No 16.66667 5
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Total 100 30
Interpretation:
The above mention pie diagram shows higher % i.e. 83.33% for yes, training is helps ion
improving productivity and profitability of company apple. With the help of training employees
are able to improve their performance and their mistakes with work as well as ready to give hard
contribution to achieve goals and objectives of company in effective manner. But the remaining,
employees are with no, training is not improved probability and productivity of company
because through employee's performance are improved not organization.
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P6 Communicate appropriate recommendations as a result of findings and data analysis to draw
valid and meaningful conclusions.
As per then research, here I recommended for researcher, they can collect data also from
some authentic source and webpages. That is also helps to collect data which are related with
company in effective manner (Meredith, Mantel Jr and Shafer, 2017). On the other side, also
recommended for company apple to use the best techniques and strategy for improve equality
and diversity at workplace. The company should use different HR practice like fair and
performance-based compensation and motivation which are helps to motivate employees for
giving hard contribution to achieve goals and objectives of company ion an effective manner.
With the help of this employer of apple is able to create and promote equality and
diversity at workplace. This creates more effectiveness for work and positive growth. The
company should provide any training and development which is related with equality and
diversity (Schabenberger and Gotway, 2017). This helps to create proper and effective works at
workplace by managing equality and diversity.
Section 5- evaluation
P7 Reflect on the value of undertaking the project to meet stated objectives and own learning and
performance.
During the research project I felt nervous because I don't have any idea about conducting
research and formulating objective for research. But I did work in respective and effective
manner by creating specific works. At the time of formulating objectives for research topic, I
faced various problems which can affected my performance because I don't have any idea to
design that. That should be formulated with by matching with goals of company. But I formulate
that and meet objectives of research in proper manner.
On the other side, I learn various thinks which are helpful for me in order to complete
research project in proper manner. This provides me proper learnings like work process, time
management skill because in the research required proper time management for work in effective
manner. This improve my communication skills and presentation skills as well. With this
research project, I got proper knowledge about equality and diversity at workplace in effective
manner.
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Section 6 – Conclusion
From the above study, it had been concluded that the equality and diversity have effective
ad valuable part which is helps to protect works and any misbehaviour with employees. This
creates positive working environment and motivating employees by proving equal opportunities
to all employees. The report had been formulated by aims and objectives which has helped to
complete the research project. The project management had been helped to manage proper works
and cost management for completing successful research. Research methodology section had
been effective part of research which had been helped to covered data collection and managing
ethical behaviour with any participants which are more important. The data had been analysed by
asking questions with employees of Apple company as well as add some steps as a suggestion
which helped to maintain equality and diversity at workplace in an effective manner. At the end
of report, included reflective essay about meeting objectives and own performance and learnings
with research project.
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