Managing a Successful Business Project.

Managing a Successful
Business Project

TOPIC
“What is the response of companies towards challenges which occur due to equality and
diversity at work like difference in payment due to gender difference, molestation, biasses in
leadership due to gender inequality etc. so that the productiveness of workers can be enhanced
and competitiveness among workers can be established.” A study on Aston Martin Lagonda
Global Holdings plc.
INTRODUCTION
As the businesses are expanding across international boundaries they have to hire
employees having different nationality, cultures, religions who have differences in their beliefs,
values, expectations, experiences etc. which creates workforce diversity. Variety can help in
bringing innovation in company's products and services through varied ideas. Equality at
workplace is important so that employees are not differentiated on the basis of caste, religion,
gender, disability etc. which help in giving equal opportunities to them to grow and develop
personally and professionally (Bryson, 2018). Promoting equality and diversity helps in dealing
with the issues such as gender pay gap, sexual harassment and difference in leadership due to
gender inequality. This report is based on Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc which is a
British company and manufactures luxurious sports cars and grand tourers. It has a 100 years of
experience in designing and creating world's most creative and luxurious automotive. This report
discusses about the ways in which the company deals with issues such as difference in pay based
on gender, sexual harassment, gender divide in leadership etc. a small research is also done in
this report by using Gantt Chart and WBS to develop a project management plan so that equality
and diversity can be established in the company.
TASK 1
P1
With the increased globalisation and integration of businesses there is a rising demand for
promotion of equality and diverseness at the workplace so that diverse workforce can be
efficiently managed along with giving them same opportunities to grow in the company. This
helps the company in fully utilizing the potential of employees by encouraging them which helps
the company to achieve its goals and objectives on time. Also a good, safe and secure working

environment can be established which attracts the attention of potential employees towards
company.
Aim : To determine what are the responses of companies to issues related to inclusiveness and
diverseness at workplace so that the efficiency of workers can be increased by giving them
equivalent opportunity which builds their competitiveness.
Objectives :
 To identify the information that is given on company website relating to equality and
diversity in its workplace.
 To determine functions of HR so that issues related to diverseness at workplace can be
identified.
 To gather the opinions of company employees related to equivalence and heterogeneity at
the workplace.
Questions :
 What is the meaning of equality and diversity at working premises?
 What are the issues that are faced by company due to variety of workforce?
 How can the issues which are identified can be resolved?
Literature Review
Meaning of equality and diversity at work
According to Frances O' Grady, it is important that equality is maintained at the place of
work regardless of age, race, gender, class, sex or the country they belong so that they can
always learn something new at work which can help to up-skill their abilities. This will further
help in using these new capabilities in order to bring innovation in company products and
services which can help the company to remain competitive in the market. It is important to
understand the meaning of this concept so that a company can establish it in its policies which
will help in making the workers more compatible with each other that will ultimately create a
friendly environment in company. It will also help in improving the efficiency with which they
work so that better results can be produced by company and will also build good competition
among them.
Issues that occur in company due to diverse workforce

According to Rose Johnson workplace diversity comes in place when recruitment of
people belonging to different caste, age, sex, religion, nation, expectation, beliefs etc. is done.
The diverseness is considered as an investment by companies but it can lead to conflicts as they
will have different level of thinking, abilities and skills which also affect their competitiveness.
Some of the issues faced by the companies are barriers in communication due to difference in
language, opposition to introduction of changes in company, management of heterogeneous
people etc. At Aston Martin problems that are faced also include molestation of women, unequal
treatment of female workers, payment differences based on sex etc.
How can the issues be resolved
According to Ruth Mayhew proactive measures alone are not enough in order to handle
the issues that arise due to diverse workforce. For dealing with these issues a combination of
preventive and reactive measures are important. It is important to establish strong grounds of
equality in the company so that all the workers can be given same chance to participate in tasks
irrespective of varied factors which makes them different. For this the company must start
training programmes and empowerment which will help in strengthening the morale of people
which will increase their compatibility with each other so that competitiveness of company can
be enhanced in market.
P2
A project plan is a document which helps to guide execution of all the stages of a project
in an efficient manner. This plan is created by a project manager so that the cost, resources and
time required, risk involved etc. can be determined so that the project objectives can be achieved
which are discussed below:
 Cost : This element helps in estimating the budget of plan so that the expenses that are
needed to be done so as to execute the plan properly can be determined (Allaoui,
Bourgault and Pellerin, 2019). This helps in evaluating the total cost that the company
will have to bear in order to achieve the objectives of the plan. Also a proper estimation
of money that is required to be kept reserved for the project can be determined so that all
the activities of project can be carried out in an efficient manner. Total cost of this project
for the company is :

Total Forecasted Budget
Particulars Amount
Promotional expenses £80
Cost incurred in technology £150
Training and development expenses £100
Collection of data £200
Other Expenses £200
Total Cost £730
 Scope : It helps in determining the specific project goals, features, functions, deadlines
etc. so that the desired results can be properly achieved. Proper methods and techniques
are to be applied in the project so that objectives are achieved on time and within the
estimated budget. These methods and techniques must be appropriately chosen and
efficiently applied so that the result of the project can help in improving the efficiency of
the organisation. Time : This element helps in estimating the total time that will be required from the start
of the research to the application of research results in the company to achieve desirable
goals. The time taken by researcher for this project is 2 months so that the methods of
research which are chosen can be effectively applied which can help in the completion of
the project on time and by using the skills and talents of the researcher. Quality : It is related with collection of information from authentic and reliable sources
so that effective conclusions can be taken which will help in completing the project on
time and within the estimated budget (Christian, 2019). The researcher uses both
qualitative and quantitative sources to collect information so as to ensure the authenticity,
reliability and quality of data that has been collected so that accurate interpretation can be
done which can help in deriving results that are beneficial for the organisation. Communication : Effective communication needs to be established so that the stream of
information through various stages can be done efficiently and the messages can be
perceived in the same meaning as it is intended so that effective results can be achieved.

E-mails, video-chats, messages etc. are used by researcher so as to maintain the
transparency and ease with which messages are shared. Risk : These are the factors which creates barriers and affects the efficiency and quality
of research. These risks can be shortage of time, resources, research skills,
communication skills etc. Various other risks that were faced by researcher during
conducting the project were lack of financial resources and lack of time which affected
the research to be done in the manner as desired by the researcher.
 Resources : These are the tools and assets that help the researcher in conducting the
research efficiently so that desired results can be achieved. These resources are
mathetical tools, technology that is used, financial tools etc. The resources that are to be
used by the researcher are printers, laptops, projectors etc. so that communication can be
done with managers of the company so that updates can be given to them regarding the
progress of project along with the problems that are faced by the researcher. 3 mobile
phones, 4 laptops, 1 projector etc. are the resources that are required by the researcher.
P3
Gantt Chart : It is a horizontal bar chart which showcase all the activities against the time
in order to accomplish each and every activity of project management plan on time. This will
help investigator in properly convey about the task to the project manager. Also, it assist
researcher in ascertaining all the issues or hurdles of the project which might hindrance
successfully implementing all the activities so that unnecessary processes can be removed from
the project and effectiveness of the project can be assured (Erickson and et. al., 2014).

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) : This is considered as most effective tool which
helps researcher in breaking down all the complex or multi tasking project into smaller parts so
as to accomplish all the activities in a most significant way (Henry And et. al., 2014). It helps in
reducing complexness of the project by bifurcating them into manageable task so that all the
team members can give their best to perform their task and to attain business objectives within
limited period of time. WBS is given below in the context of this project:

TASK 2
P4
Research refers to a systematic procedure which can be utilised by the researcher in order
to collect necessary information about a specific topic that will give their contribution in coping
up from all the issues or in creating new theories. Here are defining some of the tools which can
be used by researcher to collect, interpret and evaluate data in terms to make most appropriate
decision for attaining research objectives.
Qualitative research method : In this method, researcher give their emphasis on open
ending conversations in order to collect more deep information about the perception, behaviour
and nature of different respondents which have been determined by researcher. Herein the
information it hard to represent in a graphical or tabular manner. Various resources can be
utilised here like observation, surveys, interview and many others (Kordova, Katz and Frank,
2019).
Quantitative research method : The data which is collected here is remain in numerical
form which can be presented by graphs and tables so as to represent and analyse it in a better
manner in terms to make effective decisions. Polls, questionnaire and many more resources are
included in this.
Sources of data collection : Primary : This resource of collecting data provide more relevant and first hand data as
data is gathered by researcher personally with the help of interview, polls, questionnaire
etc. but this process is more time consuming and costly.
 Secondary : Herein, data which is collected by researcher has already used by any other
investigator to conduct its research. Herein, collected data may be out-dates and as per
the perception of another investigators. For this, various magazines, journals, online sites
can be utilised.
Sampling : This refers to a process which has adopted by researcher to select the number of
respondents which requires to undertake so as to collect more accurate information and to
accomplish objectives of research (Ng and Rumens, 2017). The sample size is determine on the
basis of mutual characteristics and features of diverse population. Herein, researcher is applying
non-random sampling method and select a sample size of 40 to collect information or data.

Questionnaire
Quantitative questions
Q1) Do you know what is equality and diversity at the place of work?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) What is the importance of these concepts?
a) Equal opportunities
b) Increase productivity
c) Business become more competitive
Q3) What are the problems faced by Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc due to
diverse workforce?
a) Conflicts among workers
b) Difficulty in communication
c) Increased group-ism
Q4) What are the problems that occur if there is no equality at workplace?
a) Demotivation
b) Decrease in productivity
c) Increase in jealousy
Q5) Do these concepts help company to achieve its objectives?
a) Yes
b) No
Q6) Why is diversity at workplace important?
a) Pool of varied ideas
b) Innovations increase
Q7) How is the working environment of Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc?
a) Friendly and safe
b) Unfriendly and unsafe
Q8) What are the strategies to increase equality at workplace?
a) Training and development
b) Encouraging equal participation
c) Performance appraisal

Qualitative questions
Q9) What are the issues related to inclusiveness and diverseness at Aston Martin Lagonda
Global Holdings plc?
a) Difference in payment due to gender inequality
b) Molestation
c) Leaders are always men
Q10) Methods by which these issues can be efficiently dealt with?
a) Quick response to these issues
b) Managers must be proactive
c) Encouraging women empowerment
Q11) Response of company to issues related to equivalence and heterogeneity at
workplace?
Q12) The steps taken by company so that the issues that are discussed can be dealt with?
Q13) Any suggestions?
TASK 3
P5 Evaluate research data using tools and techniques
Q1) Do you know what is equality and diversity at the
place of work?
Frequency
a) Yes 25
b) No 15

a) Yes b) No
0
5
10
15
20
25
25
15
Frequency
Interpretation : As per the above file, it can be concluded that from the 40 employees of Aston
Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc 25 respondents are pertaining they are well-introduced with
the concept of equality and diversity and remaining 15 says that they does not have any
knowledge about it. This represent that maximum number of employees are aware from that
people from different culture, gender, religion, values and expectations are working together
within the organisation and believe that by creating equality achievement of organisation goals
can be ensured (Rao and Roberts, 2018).

Q2) What is the importance of these concepts? Frequency
a) Equal opportunities 15
b) Increase productivity 10
c) Business becomes more competitive 15
a) Equal opportunities
b) Increase productiveness
c) Competitiveness of business increase
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16 15
10
15
Frequency
Interpretation : From the above chart, it can be interpreted that out of respondents 15 are in the
favour that it will create equal opportunities, 10 responsive are saying that it will increase the
productiveness within the organisation and remaining 15 respondents think that it will enhance
the competitiveness in market. Hence, it can be said that productivity of employees can be
enhanced if equal opportunities will give to each employee regardless of their gender, race,
religion etc. (Vuorinen and Martinsuo, 2019).

Q3) What are the problems faced by Aston Martin
Lagonda Global Holdings plc due to diverse workforce?
Frequency
a) Conflicts among workers 25
b) Difficulty in communication 5
c) Increased group-ism 10
a) Increased conflicts
b) Communication barriers
c) Increased group-ism
0
5
10
15
20
25
25
5
10 Frequency
Interpretation : Form the above graph, all the threats can be determined which can come across
in the way of diverse workforce. As it represents that form the 40 respondents, 25 answerers are
in supporting that it will enhance conflicts within the organisation, 5 think that it will create
communication barriers among the management and employees and 10 responders saying that
due to this employees will divide into several groups as per the similarity of their characteristics
and skills. Also, the conflicts among workers increase as they haver different sets of skills,
talents, values and beliefs which clashes with each other and increase conflicts. Also people
group together based on some similarities so that they can feel connected to the company in
some way. Communication barriers will take huge place as the employees comes from different
nations, languages, religion etc. Additionally, various issues also will increase among the

employees as all have different skills, values and skills which might hinder their performance
(Larson and Chang, 2016).
Q4) What are the problems that occur if there is no
equality at workplace?
Frequency
a) Demotivation 15
b) Decrease in productivity 10
c) Increase in jealousy 15
a) Demotivation
b) Decrease in productivity
c) Increase in jealousy
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16 15
10
15
Frequency
Interpretation : The preceding graph shown all the problems which might arise in the
organisation if there is no equality within the firm. This can be determined by response of
employees that from out of 40 respondents, 15 answers depicts that if will lead direct impact on
the motivation of employees which will results higher demotivation of employees, 10
respondents says that it will decrease the overall productivity of the firm which will lead
negative impact on success and growth of the business. At last, 15 employees says that it will

create jealousy among all employees as due to the unequal treatment discrimination will take
place.

Q5) Do these concepts help company to achieve its
objectives?
Frequency
a) Yes 30
b) No 10
a) Yes b) No
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
30
10
Frequency
Interpretation : As per the above mentioned graph, it can be seen that from out of 40
respondents, 30 are in the favour that by maintaining proper equality and diversity organisation
can achieve its business goals and objectives in an effective manner. But 10 respondents stated
due to this organisation is not able to achieve its goals and objectives. As diversity and equality
are an important aspects of the organisation as it give its huge contribution in motivating
employees in an effective manner so that they can give their best efforts to attain business goals
and objectives (King, Horrocks and Brooks, 2018).

Q6) Why is diversity at workplace important? Frequency
a) Pool of varied ideas 25
b) Innovations increase 15
a) Pool of varied ideas b) Innovations increase
0
5
10
15
20
25
25
15
Frequency
Interpretation : This above mentioned graph represent the importance of diversity within the
workplace. As it can be determined by the answers of respondents, from out of 40 respondents,
25 answerers are in the favour of that in will motivate the employees to come up with a pool of
ideas so that all the activities can be operated in a significant way. Whereas, 15 respondents says
that with the help of this organisation can increase innovation within the organisation which have
direct impact on their productivity, profitability and sustainability of the company.

Q7) How is the working environment of Aston Martin
Lagonda Global Holdings plc?
Frequency
a) Friendly and safe 15
b) Unfriendly and unsafe 25
a) Friendly and safe b) Unfriendly and unsafe
0
5
10
15
20
25
15
25
Frequency
Interpretation : As per the preceding graph, it can be determined that out of 40 responders 15
respondents are in the favour of that working environment of Aston Martin Lagonda Global
Holdings plc is very safe and friendly whereas 25 respondents are not agree with the same. That
means that these 25 responders surely faced the conflicts which are coming not properly
maintaining equality and diversity within the organisation.

Q8) What are the strategies to increase equality at
workplace?
Frequency
a) Training and development 15
b) Encouraging equal participation 15
c) Performance appraisal 10
a) Training and development
b) Encouraging equal participation
c) Performance appraisal
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16 15 15
10
Frequency
Interpretation : This above graph shown that different perceptions of several respondents. As it
showcase that out of 40 respondents 15 are saying that business organisation must focus on
providing effective training and development programs to their employees, 15 answerers are in
the favour of enhancing participation of employees in decision-making process and rest 10
respondents are saying that organisation must focus on rendering performance appraisal to their
employees as per their performance so that their motivation and higher performance can be
maintained.

Q9) What are the issues related to
inclusiveness and diverseness at Aston
Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc?
Explanation
a) Difference in payment based on gender
inequality
This refers to that situation when there is a
difference in payment of men and women
irrespective of their skills, knowledge and
experience.
b) Molestation This is considered as unwanted physical
behaviour which may lead negative impact on
employees as they might feel embarrassed,
intimidated and displeased (Kassen, M., 2018).
c) Leaders are always men This refers to that situation when an organisation
is undertaking or giving priority to male leader
to carry out all the project activities. Due to
which, the female leaders feel worthless in the
organisation.
Q10) Methods by which these issues can be
efficiently dealt with?
Explanation
a) Quick response to these issues Manager needs to quick response to these issues
so that all the conflicts because of these issues
can be eliminated and can success and growth of
firm can be maintained.
b) Managers must be proactive In order to enhance the motivation or
encouragement of employees it is essential for
employer to must provide equivalent chances to
each and every employees regardless of their
skills, qualifications and talent.
c) Encouraging women empowerment Employers needs to give their focus on

empowering women by initiating various
programs in which they can give preference to
women in the workplace so that healthy
environment can be created within the
organisation by providing equal treatment to
each and every personal.
Q11) Response of company to issues related to equivalence and heterogeneity at
workplace?
The company Aston Martin took the issues that arose due to diversity in workforce were
taken seriously and the managers took effective actions so that these issues can be efficiently
reduced which would help it in building a good working environment for the workers. Also the
CEO of the company changed some its policies so that the women of the company can feel safe
and secure and can grow personally and professionally in the company.
Q12) The steps taken by company so that the issues that are discussed can be dealt with?
The company took certain steps like equal payments for all the workers who are working
at the same level, increasing women empowering programmes in the company, encouraging
training programmes so that diverse workforce can effectively work in the company.
P6
It can be analysed from the above research and data analysis that it is crucial for Aston
Martin to establish equivalence and heterogeneity at its workplace so as to increase the efficiency
of its workers and they can be motivated to work efficiently by giving them equivalent
opportunities to grow and develop (Ozturk and Tatli, 2016). It also helps in reducing conflicts
among employees such as barriers in communication, difference in ways of doing work etc. due
to increased diversity in the company. Equality helps to create a amiable work environment thus
enhancing the performance of the workers which helps the company in gaining a competitive
advantage in the market. Some recommendations based on this project are :
 Aston Martin should promote inclusive environment so that all the employees can be
included in company decision-making which helps the company in taking efficient
decisions.

 Performance appraisals can help the employees to utilize their complete potential to
achieve company goals and objectives on time (Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault, 2015).
 Promotion of group activities and projects so that group participation can be encouraged
which helps in participation of all the employees actively in company projects and work.
 Also from the above analysis it can be seen that not all the people in the company are
aware about the concept of inclusiveness and diversity so that company must start
programmes which can help in enhancing the knowledge of all the workers.
 The equality at company can help in increasing its competitiveness which enables it to
maintain its strong brand image in the world. So the company must start equality
programs which can help the people to become friendly, cooperative and compassionate
towards each other.
 Diversity must be encouraged in the company and the HR must recruit diverse workforce
which can help in bringing varied ideas in the company along with different and
challenging thoughts so that the company can become competitive and innovative in its
strategies.
P7
Aston Martin is a renowned company of UK which deals in manufacturing of luxurious
and attractive sports cars. The company is facing certain issues which are related to the
workforce diversity and equality which has created tension among workers and also there is
unequal treatment towards the female workers of the company. Some problems that I identified
while carrying out my research in the company so that the challenges faced by the company can
be reduced were sexual harassment of female workers, male leader preference in the company,
unequal payment based on gender etc. These issues are important to be handled carefully so that
the effectiveness and efficiency of workers can increase which will help the company in
achieving a competitive advantage in the market. During the research I was able to use my
academic skills and my knowledge regarding the use of proper tools and techniques which can
help in conducting the research work in the most significant manner. My research helped me to
produce reports that were based on reliable sources which can further be used by Aston Martin
so that improvements in its policies and strategies can be made which could thereby help the
company to achieve a healthy working environment.

The analytical skills that I possess because of my academic graduation in statistics and
mathematics helped me in properly analysing the reports so that I could produce valid
justifications in front of the company managers. This helped me to make the managers
understand better about the problems. Further my report writing skills helped me in making
authentic reports that were sourced validly so that the management of company can use them as a
base so as to bring necessary changes. The project also needs to be monitored from the start to its
finish so that proper cooperation and coordination can be established between work which can
build a continuity in research. I overall felt happy and honoured to have worked for this company
which can enable me to get future opportunities so that I can conduct research for more esteemed
companies. Some barriers faced by me during this process were lack of time, resources and
finance which hampered my work during the progress. I dealt with these barriers with my
wittiness and my strong academic background and previous experiences so that I used my
capabilities efficiently in order to deal with the problems. Some skills however I should improve
which can help me in conducting my work more effectively:
Competency Problems that I faced How can I develop them further
Research skills I tried to use this skill in a better
manner but still faced a few problems
regarding setting sample size, making
a questionnaire etc.
These can be developed by reading
more books and applying them
practically in various situations.
Project
planning
I found that I was weak in planning
the stages through which a project
would go through so that aims are
accomplished.
I need to take up more research
projects so that this can be refined
and I can become capable of planning
effectively.
Communication
Skill
I am although good at
communication but there was a
barrier of language as I am better at
speaking French and the company
had English speaking employees.
I need to learn more languages so that
I can better converse with other
people so that a mutual understanding
can be created.

CONCLUSION
From this report it can be said that inclusiveness and diverseness at workplace should be
established so that employees belonging to various religions, nations, cultures etc. and having
varied set of skills, talents and ideas can work in harmony and conflicts in the company can be
reduced. Also equality at workplace can help in increasing the productivity of employees as they
can be motivated by giving them equivalent opportunities to grow and develop. Performance
based appraisal can help in reducing the gender pay gap, women empowerment initiatives can
help in dealing with sexual harassment and eliminating discrimination can help in dealing with
gender divide in leadership. This helps the company in strengthening its brand image and also
goals and objectives of the company can be efficiently achieved.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Equality and Diversity – What's the difference .2019. [online] Available through;
<https://www.unionlearn.org.uk/equality-and-diversity-whats-difference>
How to handle diversity issues in the workplace .2019. [online] Available through;
<https://work.chron.com/handle-diversity-conflicts-workplace-13495.html>

Examples of diversity problems at workplace .2019. [online] Available through;
<https://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-diversity-problems-workplace-19389.html>

APPENDIX I
Template for evidence collection to be attached with the report by the learner:

APPENDIX II
Template for Performance Review to be attached with the report by the
learner: