Strategies for Building a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce: A Study on Sainsbury

This report explores the strategies and initiatives taken by Sainsbury to build a diverse and inclusive workforce. It highlights the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace and the benefits it brings. The report includes a project management plan, WBS, and Gantt chart for effective results.

Managing a Successful
Business Project

Table of Contents
TOPIC:.............................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1 Aims and objectives..........................................................................................................3
P2 Project management plan..................................................................................................4
P3 WBS and Gantt chart.........................................................................................................5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
P4 Small scale research..........................................................................................................7
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................9
P5 Data analysis.....................................................................................................................9
P6 Recommendations...........................................................................................................15
P7 Reflection........................................................................................................................16
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................17
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................18

TOPIC:
“To explore the strategies and initiatives which are taken by MNC so as to build a diverse
and inclusive workforce.” A study on Sainsbury.
INTRODUCTION
As the businesses are growing and expanding across international boundaries the
composition of workforce is changing which includes workers belonging to different nation,
caste, culture, religion, age, sex etc. It is thus important that an inclusive and diverse working
environment is created so that all the employees can work together in harmony so that a
competitive advantage can be achieved by company (Abankina And et. al., 2016). Also it is
important that equal opportunities are given to employees so that their motivation and
performance can be improved which will help organisations in achieving their goals and
objectives. In this report Sainsbury is taken which is the second largest chain of supermarkets in
UK having a share of 16% of total supermarket share. The company was founded in 1869 and is
headquartered in London, UK. In this report a research is done regarding the strategies and
initiatives which can be taken by Sainsbury so that a diverse and inclusive working environment
can be created. A project management plan is also included along with the use of WBS and Gantt
Chart so that effective results can be achieved.
TASK 1
P1 Aims and objectives
In order to improve the workplace environment it is important that diverse workforce is
recruited so that different ideas can generate from people belonging to different experiences and
background. An inclusive environment is important so that all the employees can work together
in a coordinated manner which help company to achieve its goals efficiently (Eskerod and
Jepsen, 2016). Equality and diversity in a company help in attracting talented people and also
enhance brand image of company in market.
Aim: To explore the strategies and initiatives which are taken by MNC so as to build a diverse
and inclusive workforce.
Objectives:
 To identify the importance of equality and diversity in workplace.

 To identify the strategies and initiatives which can help in building an inclusive and
diverse work environment.
 To analyse the benefits of having diversity and equality at workplace.
Questions:
 How is equality and diversity important for an organisation?
 What are the strategies and initiatives which can help in increasing inclusiveness and
diverseness in company?
 What are the benefits of having equality and diversity at workplace?
P2 Project management plan
A project management plan is a formal, approved document which give a detailed
explanation about all the steps that are to be followed during the execution of project so that the
objectives of project are efficiently achieved. Following elements are involved in a PMP:
 Cost: This is the most important component of any project as the available budget decide
quality of project so that proper planning and execution of plan can be done in order to
achieve desired results (Bowl, 2018). The estimation of cost help the company in
analysing the amount of expenses it will have to bear during project so that all the project
activities can be carried out in a desired manner.
Total Forecasted Budget
Particulars Amount
Cost incurred in technology £150
Training and development expenses £100
Collection of data £200
Miscellaneous Expenses £200
Total Cost £650
 Scope: It help in determining the specific project goals, deliverables, features, functions,
deadlines etc. so that desired results can be achieved through project within the stipulated
time and budget. In other words project scope is what needs to be achieved and the work

which needs to be done so that to deliver the project in an efficient manner (Heldman,
2018). Time: This is another most important element of project which determines the quality of
project trough which efficient results can be obtained. Availability of time determines the
quality of work done in carrying out each activity so that they can be carried out
efficiently. The time taken by researcher to complete the project is 3 months so that all
the resources, tools and techniques can be efficiently applied to achieve desired results. Quality: It relates to the authenticity and reliability of data and information which is
collected during the project so that conclusion that are made are high in quality and help
in achieving project goals efficiently (Halibozek and Kovacich, 2017). It is important that
quality of project is maintained so that accurate interpretations can be drawn which are
beneficial for company. Communication: It is important that effective communication is established during the
project so that all the members of project can stay well informed which help in taking
efficient and effective decisions during the project. Communication plays an important
role in coordinating the work of all members and keeping them updated about the
progress of project so that information can be interpreted in the same meaning as is
intended. E-mails, video-chats etc. plays an important role in building effective
communication. Risk: These are the barriers and constraints which can affect quality of project and can
hinder the completion of project within stipulated time and budget. The risk factors must
be analysed so that efficient measures can be taken to minimise their negative impact on
efficiency of project. Lack of sufficient resources like finds, time etc. are some of the
most common risks which are faced during project (Bucero and Englund, 2015).
 Resources: These are the assets and tools which are available with researcher which help
in efficient completion of project by using them effectively. Some such resources are
technology, financial resources, team members, laptops, mobile phones etc. Resources
play an important role in conducting the project so that desired results can be achieved.
P3 WBS and Gantt chart
Gantt chart: It is a horizontal chart which showcase all the activities against time which
also help in determining the dependencies of each activity on each other so that they can be

completed in a strategic and systematic manner. Gantt chart also help in executing all the project
activities within ascertained time so that deadlines can be met and project can be efficiently
completed which can help in making conclusions which are beneficial for the company.
Work Breakdown structure(WBS): It is a project management tool which help in
breaking down large and complex projects in small components which are achievable within
specific time period. This help in reducing the complexities of project so that it can be easily
managed and completed on time (Hillson, 2017). Complete project can be bifurcated in
manageable tasks based on time so that team members can complete each task efficiently on
time.

TASK 2
P4 Small scale research
Research is a systematic procedure which help researcher to collect information related to
a specific topic so that the knowledge on that topic can be increased which help in dealing with
issues faced regarding that topic or creating new theories. There are two types of research
methods:
Qualitative method: In this method open end conversations are done with respondents
so that deep information can be gathered about their perception, behaviour and nature related to
that topic like interview, survey etc. The information gathered in this method is hard to represent
on graphs or tables as qualitative information is collected in this method (Hartmann and Spit,
2016).
Quantitative method: In this method numerical data is collected which can be
represented in terms of graph and tables so that better analysis can be done resulting in better
decision-making like polls, questionnaire etc.
Sources of data collection: Primary: When the data is collected first hand by the researcher through interview,
questionnaire, polls etc. so that fresh and authentic data can be collected (Konrad, Yang
and Maurer, 2016).

 Secondary: When the data is collected by researcher from sources which have already
been used by other researchers like journals, magazines, internet etc. This data can be
outdated and depict the perception of another investigation.
Sampling: It is a method through which researcher selects a defined number of responses out of
many respondents who are present so that the findings can be applied to complete population. In
this research the sample size which is chosen is 30 who are the employees of Sainsbury.
Questionnaire
Quantitative questions
Q1) Do you understand the concept of equality and diversity?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Why are these concepts important for Sainsbury?
a) Motivating employees
b) Increasing company productivity
c) Brand recognition
Q3) Why is diversity important in an organisation?
a) Innovation
b) Pool of varied ideas
Q4) Why is equality essential in an organisation?
a) Friendly working environment
b) Integration
c) Motivation
Q5) Will inclusive and diverse working environment can help in achieving company
goals?
a) Yes
b) No
Q6) Problems that are faced due to lack of equality in working environment?
a) Demotivation
b) Less productivity
c) Increased jealousy
Q7) How is the working environment of Sainsbury?

a) Friendly and integrated
b) Unfriendly and unsafe
Qualitative questions
Q8) Strategies and initiatives which can be taken to build diverse and equal environment?
a) Equal opportunities
b) Improvement in recruitment and selection
c) Performance based appraisals
Q9) What are the issues which are faced by Sainsbury due to lack of equality and
diversity?
a) Lack of motivation
b) Increased conflicts
c) Unequal pay
Q10) Suggestions?
TASK 3
P5 Data analysis
Q1) Do you understand the concept of equality and diversity? Frequency
a) Yes 10
b) No 20
a) Yes b) No
0
5
10
15
20
10
20
Frequency

From the above chart it can be interpreted that out of 30 respondents only 10 know about
the concept of inclusiveness and diversity. This means that most employees of Sainsbury are
unaware about the importance of a equal and diverse workplace (Patanakul, 2015). This is the
reason due to which there is a lack of diverse and equal working environment in Sainsbury.
Q2) Why are these concepts important for Sainsbury? Frequency
a) Motivating employees 10
b) Increasing company productivity 15
c) Brand recognition 5
a) Motivating employees
b) Increasing company productivity
c) Brand recognition
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Frequency
From the above graph it can be interpreted that out of 30 respondents 10 say that equality
and diversity at workplace can help in increasing motivation of employees, 15 say that it will
help in increasing company productivity whereas the rest 5 say that it can help in building strong
brand recognition in market. Thus equality and diversity are important both for employees and
the company which help in improving the overall company performance and productivity (Ong,
Wang and Zainon, 2016).
Q3) Why is diversity important in an organisation? Frequency
a) Innovation 15

b) Pool of varied ideas 15
a) Innovation
b) Pool of varied ideas
0
5
10
15
15 15
Frequency
From the above graph it can be interpreted that out of 30 respondents 15 say that diversity
can help in increasing pool of varied ideas in company while the other 15 say that it can help in
increasing innovations in company. Diversity is important in company as it help in bringing a
pool of employees belonging to different experiences and backgrounds so that they can work
together and come up with varying ideas that can help in bringing innovation in company
processes, services or products (Wren, 2015).
Q4) Why is equality essential in an organisation? Frequency
a) Friendly working environment 10
b) Integration 5
c) Motivation 15

a) Friendly working environment
b) Integration
c) Motivation
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Frequency
From this graph it can be interpreted that out of 30 respondents 10 say that equality help
in building friendly working environment, 5 say that it help in increasing integration among
workers while 15 say that it help in increasing motivation among workers. Thus equality is an
important concept at workplace so that all the workers feel motivated to use their potential
completely and complete the tasks allotted to them. Equal opportunities given to employees also
help in evaluating their talents and skills so that their ability and worth for company can be
identified (Nakamura and et. al., 2015).
Q5) Will inclusive and diverse working environment can help in
achieving company goals?
Frequency
a) Yes 20
b) No 10

a) Yes b) No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
20
10
Frequency
From the above graph it can be interpreted that out of 30 respondents 20 say that
inclusive and diverse working environment can help the company to achieve its goals in an
efficient manner while the rest 10 disagree with this. Majority of workers in Sainsbury are in
favour of a diverse and inclusive working environment which can help in increasing the
performance of workers so that company goals can be efficiently achieved. This can also help in
increasing integration among workers and building harmony among them.
Q6) Problems that are faced due to lack of equality in working
environment?
Frequency
a) Demotivation 15
b) Less productivity 5
c) Increased jealousy 10

a) Demotivation
b) Less productivity
c) Increased jealousy
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Frequency
From the above graph it can be said that out of 30 respondents 15 say that lack of equality
in workplace increase demotivation among workers, 5 say that the productivity of workers get
reduced and the rest 10 say that it increase jealousy among workers. Equality among workers is
important as it help in treating all the employees in an equal and consistent manner which help in
increasing their vale in company which increase their efficiency and productivity.
Q7) How is the working environment of Sainsbury? Frequency
a) Friendly and integrated 15
b) Unfriendly and unsafe 15
a) Friendly and integrated
b) Unfriendly and unsafe
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16 15 15
Frequency

From this graph it can be interpreted that out of 30 respondents, 15 say that the working
environment at Sainsbury is friendly and integrated while other 15 do not agree with the same.
This gives a mixed image of Sainsbury's working environment which need to be improved so
that all the worker can be treated equally and candidates can be recruited in company irrespective
f their caste, culture, religion etc. This will help in building a friendly workplace where all the
workers can work together in harmony and their integrated efforts can help in achieving
company goals in an efficient and effective manner.
Q8) Strategies and initiatives
which can be taken to build
diverse and equal
environment?
Explanation
a) Equal opportunities It is important that equal opportunities to grow and develop is
given to employees so that they can be given chance to
contribute towards company growth which help in boosting
their confidence and increase equality (Meaby, 2018). They
can also help in utilising the talents of all the employees which
will help in evaluating their abilities.
b) Improvement in recruitment
and selection
It is important that employees are recruited irrespective of their
age, sex, caste, religion etc. so that diverse workforce can be
build. Fair and equal opportunities must be given to all the
candidates so that they can apply for job in Sainsbury.
c)Performance based appraisals The employees must be given remuneration and appraisals
based on their performance so that fair payment system can be
made fair and equal.
Q9) What are the issues
which are faced by Sainsbury
due to lack of equality and
Explanation

diversity?
a) Lack of motivation As employees are not treated equally they feel demotivated
because their efforts and opinions are not considered in
company. Also when equal chances are not given to all
employees it leads to decrease in their enthusiasm to put their
complete efforts in tasks allotted to them.
b) Increased conflicts The unequal opportunities also increase jealousy, insecurity,
unfair competition thereby increasing conflicts among them
(Özbilgin and et. al., 2015).
c) Unequal pay As there is unfair and unequal treatment of employees it result
in unequal payment which also affect the morale and
enthusiasm of employees. This affects their performance and
productivity as they are not paid equally for equal work done
by them.
P6 Recommendations
From the above research it can be analysed that equality and diversity play an important
role in the success of company in competitive marketplace. Inclusive and diverse working
environment help in increasing the efficiency of workers so that their effectiveness in doing work
can increase. It also help in reducing conflicts in company, increasing integration among workers
etc. so that workers can be encouraged to use their talents and potential in achieving company
goals in an efficient manner. Some recommendations for company so that an equivalent and
heterogeneous work environment can be created in Sainsbury are:
 Sainsbury should promote inclusive environment and pay attention on employee
engagement so that good and long term relations can be established which help in
retaining employees in company. Promotion of inclusive environment can help in
integrating all the employees so that they can work collectively in achieving company
goals.
 Performance appraisals must be given so that employees can be paid equally and fairly
for equal work done. This help in motivating them to complete their work in an efficient
manner so that better results can be achieved by the company.

 Promotion of group activities to increase integrity among workers in company so that
harmony among workers can increase which help in building a united working
environment.
 Training and development programmes must be increased so that required skills can be
developed among workers so that they can perform better and also they can be given fair
and equal pay thereby increasing equality in Sainsbury.
P7 Reflection
Sainsbury is a multinational company where people belonging to different backgrounds
and experiences work together so as to achieve company goals and so it is important that an in
inclusive and diverse working environment is promoted in company. The research topic was
interesting which helped in increasing my knowledge on how equality and diversity at workplace
can increase productivity and efficiency of workers which will also increase company
profitability. During the research work I was efficiently able to use my research skills through
which I gained high knowledge related to the topic which will be beneficial for me in my future
higher studies and in getting job opportunities. It also helped in enhancing my problem solving
skills, technical skills, communication ability etc. which are important for a researcher so that
future projects can be gained. This will help in generating income from these projects which will
be helpful in my personal and professional development.
During the project I faced certain problems like lack of sufficient time, sufficient funds
and resources also conflict among team members etc. which affected the project. However I was
able to use my analytical skills and communication power so that work was done on time and ll
team members were integrated so that effective results can be drawn from project. Thus the
overall experience of conducting this research was good and it helped me in many ways thereby
developing various skills and potentials.

CONCLUSION
From this report it can be concluded that diversity and equality at workplace can help an
organisation in gaining a competitive edge in market and so it is important that effective
strategies and initiatives are taken to build and inclusive and diverse environment. It help in
boosting employee confidence and motivation so tat their performance can be improved and
company goals are achieved. The various strategies which be used by company are training and
development programmes, increased group activities, promotion of inclusive work environment,
improvement in recruitment and selection etc.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Abankina, I. And et. al., 2016. From equality to diversity: Classifying Russian universities in a
performance oriented system. Technological forecasting and social change .103.
pp.228-239.
Bowl, M., 2018. Differentiation, distinction and equality–or diversity? The language of the
marketised university: an England, New Zealand comparison. Studies in Higher
Education .43(4). pp.671-688.
Halibozek, E. and Kovacich, G.L., 2017. The manager's handbook for corporate security:
establishing and managing a successful assets protection program. Butterworth-
Heinemann.
Hillson, D., 2017. Managing risk in projects. Routledge.
Konrad, A.M., Yang, Y. and Maurer, C.C., 2016. Antecedents and outcomes of diversity and
equality management systems: An integrated institutional agency and strategic human
resource management approach. Human Resource Management .55(1). pp.83-107.
Meaby, V., 2018. Establishing Professional Learning Communities to Support the Promotion of
Equality and Celebration of Diversity: Reflections from a North-East Community
Learning Teacher. Teaching in Lifelong Learning .8(2).
Özbilgin, M. and et. al., 2015. Global diversity management. London, United Kingdom:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Patanakul, P., 2015. Key attributes of effectiveness in managing project portfolio. International
Journal of Project Management .33(5). pp.1084-1097.
Eskerod, P. and Jepsen, A.L., 2016. Project stakeholder management. Routledge.
Heldman, K., 2018. PMP: project management professional exam study guide. John Wiley &
Sons.
Bucero, A. and Englund, R.L., 2015, October. Project sponsorship: Achieving management
commitment for project success. Project Management Institute.
Hartmann, T. and Spit, T., 2016. Legitimizing differentiated flood protection levels–
Consequences of the European flood risk management plan. Environmental Science &
Policy .55. pp.361-367.
Ong, H.Y., Wang, C. and Zainon, N., 2016. Integrated earned value Gantt chart (EV-Gantt) tool
for project portfolio planning and monitoring optimization. Engineering Management
Journal .28(1). pp.39-53.
Wren, D.A., 2015. Implementing the Gantt chart in Europe and Britain: the contributions of
Wallace Clark. Journal of Management History.
Nakamura, S. and et. al., 2015. Cubic gantt chart as visualization tool for learning activity data.
In 23rd International Conference on Computers in Education, ICCE 2015 (pp. 649-
658). Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.

Project Logbook for the chosen organisation:
Name of the learner: Name of the Supervisor:
Project Title: To explore the strategies and
initiatives which are taken by MNC so as to
build a diverse and inclusive workforce. A
study on Sainsbury.
Date:
Update of weekly research/ tasks achieved
(Account for a minimum of six weeks with
dates) What have you completed?
 Did you fulfil Task requirements? Are you on track and within deadlines
set?
 Did you need to make any changes to
your project management plan?
I have completed the project on a topic
which is“To explore the strategies and
initiatives which are taken by MNC so as to
build a diverse and inclusive workforce.” A
study on Sainsbury.
Yes, I completed the task on time.
Yes, I fulfilled each activities of project on
time.
No, there is no change required.
Any risks and / or issues identified? Did you identify risks/issues with a
lack of skills required for undertaking
research tasks? Did you identify any additional
risks/issues that have an impact on the
project management plan?
Yes, lack of time and resources to collect
appropriate data.
Yes, conflicts among team members was
another challenge during the project due to
varied ideas.

Problems encountered What barriers did you face?
 How did you overcome them?
Improper behaviour of respondents and
lack of fund were some barriers faced.
I tried to convince respondents to
cooperate and also used Gantt Chart to use
funds properly.
New Ideas and change of project direction Effective communication needs to be used
to complete project in a particular
direction.
What Have I learnt about myself this week? How did I feel when I had to deal with
tasks/problems? How well have I performed? What did
I contribute? What can I improve on next week?
 How might this learning apply in the
future?
I feat tired and sometimes lacked
confidence while conducting research.
I used my complete potential during
project.
By reading more books, journals and
attending more seminars.
It will help in my future projects so that I
can become a good researcher.
Tasks planned for next week Which tasks are priority?
 Have you set aside sufficient time for
completion?
Collection and organisation of data on
time.
Yes, by using Gantt chart I have set aside
sufficient time.
Project plan status to date (on, ahead, behind)

Supervisor comments to address
Signature of the Supervisor and date:

Template for Performance Review to be attached with the report by the learner:
What was the Project supposed to accomplish?
Current project mainly related with to “To explore the strategies and initiatives which are taken by
MNC so as to build a diverse and inclusive workforce.” A study on Sainsbury.
Did the project succeed in its aims/ how do you know? Specifically, please outline any evaluation
and assessment undertaken?
Yes, the project aims were achieved as accurate results were derived which can help company in
increasing its profits in future.
What things do you think worked well and why? Evaluate all aspects of the project?
My communication and analytical skills helped me in completing the project efficiently so that
accurate results can be drawn so that benefits can be given to company.
What problems emerged during the project and how were they tackled? Was there timely
identification of issues and resolution during the project process?
Improper behaviour of respondents and conflicts among team members were some problems faced. I
was able to deal with them with my leadership skills and convincing power so that project can be
carried out smoothly.
What did you learn from undertaking the project?
During the project I was able to expand my learning about how equality and diversity can help MNC
in improving its work culture thereby increasing its profits.
How would you rate your performance as a management consultant leading the project?
According to my performance in research, I rate myself which is 9/10.
What strengths and weakness of your performance did you identify?
Strengths: Communication and analytical skills
Weakness: Time management and stress
How will this inform and support your continuous professional development?
This project has helped in making my research skills better which are important for getting future
projects so that my earning can be increased.
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