Impact of Equality and Diversity on Recruitment Strategies: A Case Study on Argos

This study focuses on evaluating the impact of equality and diversity practices on the recruitment, selection, and training strategies in Argos, one of the leading retailers in the UK. The aim is to analyze the current practices, identify challenges, and provide recommendations for improvement. The research methodology includes qualitative data collection and thematic data analysis. The findings suggest that while the majority of employees are aware of equality and diversity, there is still room for improvement in the integration of these practices. The study recommends external recruitment as a strategy to promote equality and diversity in Argos.

MANAGING A
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Aim and objectives.................................................................................................................3
P2 Project management Plan.......................................................................................................4
P3 WBS and Gantt chart..............................................................................................................5
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................7
P4 Research Methodology...........................................................................................................7
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................9
P5 Data analysis...........................................................................................................................9
P6 Recommendations................................................................................................................14
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................15
P7 Reflection.............................................................................................................................15
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................16
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................17
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................19
Questionnaire.............................................................................................................................19
___________________________________________________________________________. 20

INTRODUCTION
Equality and diversity has emerged as an trending aspect in the current environment where
the companies that are operating on a vast scale are increasingly adopting the practices of
incorporating equality and diversity in their work practices and norms (Pitts, 2016). Argos is one
of the biggest retailers in UK whose customer base is spread thought UK and operates through a
chain of stores. The current researcher will identify the impact that the equality and diversity
aspect can have over the recruitment, training and selection process of the company. it will
analyse the data that will be collected using a specific methodology and then draw relevant
conclusions regarding the current practices that are being implemented in Argos. Lastly,
appropriate recommendations will also be given on the basis of findings evaluate.
MAIN BODY
LO 1
P1 Aim and objectives
Rationale:
Argos can be categorised as one of the leading retail store in UK and employs a large
number of workers in their organisations. With the changing times, it has become necessary to
upgrade and modify the equality and diversity practices of the organisation as well. The reason
that the impact of equality and diversity will be particularly studied on the recruitment strategies
of the organisation is due to the fact that the turnover is usually high in the retail segment (Why is
diversity in the workplace important, 2016). The research topic will help in improving the overall
process of recruitment and selection in the retail industries specifically in consideration with the
practices of equality and diversity.
Aim:
 “To evaluate the impact of equality and diversity practices on the recruitment, selection and
training strategies in the organisation. A case study on Argos.”
Objectives:
 To evaluate the concept of equality and diversity in an organisation.
 To analyse the effect that equality and diversity has on the recruitment, training and
selection process and the improvement that can be fostered.
 To analyse the challenges that Argos can face in the integration of the equality and diversity
practices the recruitment and selection process of organisation.
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 To recommend appropriate solutions based on the challenges that have been identified.
Research questions:
 What does the concept of equality and diversity signify?
 How does equality and diversity practices affect the recruitment and selection process at
Argos?
 What are the challenges that can arise in the integration of such equality and diversity with
recruitment and selection strategy?
P2 Project management Plan
Project management plan basically involve evaluation and selection of all the key features
that are necessary in order to complete the different tasks and activities that are associated with
the entire research (Colquitt, Lepine. and Gellatly, 2017). The plan will help in easily segregate
different tasks that are to be performed, the resources and the time that will be required etc. For
the current research, the project management plan can be developed in following manner:
 Cost: The cost factor helps in ascertaining the total amount that will be required for the
completion of the research. In order to perform the different activities that are required to be
performed in a research, it is necessary that the proper amount of money is allocated to
them. In the current research the researcher will require an amount of $ 600 in order to
complete all the research related activities.
 Scope: The scope of this research will cover only the impact that equality and diversity
practices have on the recruitment and selection of employees. Further the research will be
solely based in UK only.
 Time: The time aspect helps in ascertaining the total time that will be required in order to
complete the research successfully (Gupta, 2018). Currently, the researcher will be requiring
the time period of 5 weeks or 36 days approximately in order to complete the research
successfully. Within the estimated time period the researcher will be able to attain the
desired research objectives.
 Quality: Quality is broadly used to ascertain the relevance as well as validity of the entire
research that has been proposed. The researcher should ensure that the data that has been
collected is realistic and will lead to complete and comprehensive quality management in
research that is being undertaken.
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 Communication: Communication is one of the most critical aspects in the successful
completion of the research. It is essential to communicate with different parties such as with
respondents, management of the company, stakeholders etc. so that communication is clear
and effective. This will ensure that the outcomes of the research are more accurate and
justified thus helping in achieving the main purpose behind research.
 Risk: There are various risk factors that can arise prominently while conducting a research
and these needs to be identified prior to the research (Yang and Matz-Costa, 2018).
Developing correct measures for meeting such risks in advance will help in the better
strategy for completion of successful research. Accuracy of the data that is collected might
be the most significant risk that can be faced by the researcher in the current research.
 Resources: The resource basically signifies the assets that will be required by the researcher
and includes the technological or human resource assistance that will be necessary to
complete the current research successfully.
P3 WBS and Gantt chart
Work Breakdown structure basically refers to the hierarchical structure that basically
develop categorises and the sub categorises of all the activities that are to be undertaken in the
research that has been planned. This helps in clearly identifying which activity is to be performed
under which head and when it is to be performed.
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Gantt chart on the other hand refers to the development of a timeline that indicates that
time that will be taken in order to complete an activity and the manner in which the process of
different activities that are to be performed will flow. For the current research this can be
presented in following manner:
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LO 2
P4 Research Methodology
Research methodology comprises of a set of tools and techniques that can be used by the
researcher in order to conduct a research more comprehensively that is focused towards
generation of the correct results rather than on the faulty or modest results (Woods and et.al.,
2016). There are a variety of qualitative or quantitative research methodology techniques that the
researcher can choose and select from in the current research:
 Research type: The research entails the collection, analysis and interpretation of the
relevant data that will help in the accomplishment of the objective that has been
developed. There are two major classifications i.e. Qualitative and quantitative research
type. The quantitative research involves collection of numerical data i.e. in the form of
figures and number and the interpretation of such data is also done in a quantitative
manner only by using statistical techniques. Qualitative research on the other hand deals
with the analysis of theoretical facts and the general assumptions that lies around a topic.
In the current research, the research has selected a qualitative research approach where
they will analysed the theoretical facts and figures that are taken in the context of equality
and diversity practices in Argos.
 Research philosophy: Research philosophy acts as the base on which the entire research
is planned and developed systematically. There are two main philosophies i.e.
interpretivism and positivism philosophy. Interpretivism philosophy is integrated with the
qualitative research where the theoretical assumptions are analysed to draw and justify
with numerical conclusions. The positivism philosophy on the other hand draws on the
numerical data in order to analyse and conclude a theoretical fact and is generally used in
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quantitative research (Singh and Kishor, 2018). The current research will involve the
selection of interpretivism philosophy as the different theoretical consideration based on
Argos will be analysed and evaluated to draw relevant conclusion in the qualitative
research that is being undertaken.
 Data collection: This can be done in a primary or secondary method. The primary
method of data collection signifies the data that is collected by the researcher on their
own and has not been used or published before. This is done using the questionnaire,
observation, survey method so that the different facts, assumptions or theories can be
tested. Secondary data on the other hand refers to the collection of data that has already
been published and the relevant literature is selected to be analysed in order to conduct a
meaningful research. This is done by collection of case studies, journal etc. In the current
research both primary and secondary data collection will be done by the researcher where
the questionnaire method will be used to collect primary data and literature review will be
done for the secondary data
 Sampling: There are two methods of sample collection i.e. probability sampling and non-
probability sampling. Under probability sampling, the respondents are selected randomly
without any fixed criteria and under the non- probability sampling, the respondents are
selected on a basis of fixed criteria (Owens and Patel, 2019). The current research will be
undertaken by choosing non- purposive probability sapling where the researcher will
select respondents only form the population of employees working in Argos but on a
random basis. 30 respondents will be selected randomly from the population of
employees working in Argos Company.
 Data analysis: Quantitative data is analysed in a research using different quantitative
tools such as statistical analysis, SPSS, excel etc, and the qualitative data is analysed
using different tools such as thematic data analysis etc. In the current research, the
researcher will use a thematic data analysis technique where the different themes will be
formed and then analysed using charts, graphs, figures etc. This makes the process of
interpretation simple and interesting drawing relevant conclusions for the Argos
Company.
 Ethical consideration: The researcher will ensure compliance to ethical considerations
by making the respondents sign a consent form stating that they have not been forced or
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coerced in any manner and the answers given are their own (Mackey and Gass, 2015).
Further the researcher themselves will also attach a declaration form wherein it will be
confirmed that the entire work of researcher that has been undertaken is their own and
wherever any external references have been taken, the work has been adequately cited.
 Validity and reliability: The concept of validity and reliability can be tested by stating
that the sources from which the data is collected for the current researcher are reliable i.e.
no misleading data has been accumulated and further the validity can be ascertained by
the fact that the different resources which have bee referred are all relevant and
authorised so that the vagueness can be removed from the research.
LO 3
P5 Data analysis
Data analysis is the most critical part in the research where all the data that have been
collected by the researcher are synthesised into relevant data that can be used to interpret
meaningful conclusions and ascertain the relevant findings (Cuthbertson, Robb. and Blair, 2019).
In the current research as depicted above, the questionnaire method was used to collect the
relevant data and the data that was collected can be analysed using the thematic data analysis
technique in following manner:
Theme 1: Majority of the employees are aware of the concept of equality and diversity.
Are you aware of the concept of equality and diversity in the
workplace context?
Frequency
Yes 25
No 5
Total 30
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Interpretation: The chart above clearly depicts that the majority of the employee working at
Argos are aware and understand the concept of the equality and diversity and also acknowledge
the manner in which the company is current adopting these measures. The chart indicates that 25
put of 30 employees agreed that they understand what equality and diversity practices at a work
place. This is in accordance with the general perception that the employees of any organisation
should be aware of the latest trends that are prevailing in the industry or about the practices and
policies that an organisation can adopt (Zanoni and Janssens, 2018). Therefore it can be
concluded that the employees of the Argos are adequately aware and updated regarding their
company as well as the external environment.
Theme 2: Maximum employees agree that the current strategies that are being implemented in
the Argos Company are effectively promoting equality and diversity.
Do you think that right now the current strategies that Argos
implemented are adequate in promoting equality and
diversity?
Frequency
Strongly Agree 10
Agree 14
Neutral 1
Disagree 3
Strongly Disagree 2
Total 30
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Interpretation: The chart above indicates that when questioned on the existing strategies that
have been implemented in the Argos are heavily I accordance with the practices adopted under
equality and diversity measure. This indicates that the organisations is already extremely
adaptive and the majority of the employees stated that the strongly agree with the statement that
current practices are already well integrated with the measures proposed by the researcher. There
were also only 3% respondents who disagreed from this statement and said that they did not
think that the current strategies that have been implemented at Argos could be called as well
integrated with the inequality and diversity measure. There are still many biases and prejudices
that the company faces and hence there is more work that needs to be done by the company.
Theme 3: External recruitment was voted to be the best strategy that can be adopted at Argos.
Which is the best recruitment strategy that can be adopted by
Argos?
Frequency
Internal Recruitment 10
External Recruitment 20
Total 30
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Interpretation: The chart presented above indicates that maximum of the employs consider
external recruitment to be the best strategy that could be adopted by Argos company. This can be
justified with the fact that the external recruitment helps in attracting a wider and more skilled
candidate base that can improve the current redundancy that arises in the organisation. The
external recruitment also presents a multiple number of candidates before the management of the
company helping them in the selection of the better employee base that will be more diversified
in terms of cultural aspect and will be given equal opportunities to succeed (Schachner, 2019).
Hence the Argos Company can take immense benefits in the equality and diversity aspect by
using the technique of external recruitment strategy.
Theme 4: Increased satisfaction amongst the employees and the improvement in the retention
of employees was concluded to be the major benefits that could be generated for Argos
What do you think would be the most beneficial aspect of
implementing equality and diversity in the recruitment
policies?
Frequency
Enhanced employee satisfaction 12
Increase in the targeted customer segments 5
Improving employee retention 12
All of the above 1
Total 30
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Interpretation: This chart indicates that there were equal numbers of employees in Argos who
think that by the integration of the equality and diversity aspect, there will b two major benefits
to the company i.e. the employ retention will increase thus minimising their turnover and the
employee satisfaction will also increase. It was identified earlier that in the retail sector the
employee turnover is very high and there is a sense of lack of any permanency in the
organisation. Along with this the employee satisfaction is also lower due to this enhanced
turnover (Pitts, 2016). When the equality and diversity or practices will be implemented in the
organisations, employee retention will increase as their satisfaction will also increase and thus
the problem of increased employee turnover can be addressed in the Argos Company.
Theme 5: Almost all the employees agreed that the improvement in the training sessions will
ultimately improve the employee productivity as well.
Do you think improvement in the training sessions will affect
the employee productivity at Argos?
Frequency
Yes 28
No 2
Not Sure 0
Total 30
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Interpretation: This chart clearly depicts that the maximum of the employees think that regular
training sessions are also extremely important in improving the overall productivity of the
employees. This can be justified from the fact that the employees work in a diverse culture and
when the equality and diversity aspect is implemented, there are certain problems that can arise
while communicating and working in an integrated manner (Kuby, 2017). In order to increase
the productivity and create an integrated approach towards achievement of the objective, it is
necessary to give the employees of the Argos Company, the trainings that they require regularly.
P6 Recommendations
The data analysis made above clearly indicates that although in Argos, the practices of
equality and diversity are already well integrated and implemented helping them in achieving
better advantages but yet the company needs to improve their current strategies. It is evident that
the company needs to address a multiple number of aspects that are currently not implemented in
the organisation and this can be recommended to the company in following manner:
 In order to reduce the employee turnover and dissatisfaction, the equality and diversity
aspects can be integrated not only with the training sessions but also by focusing on the
employee engagement aspect. It is necessary to take regular input from the employees
regarding the improvements or modifications that can be made and some of them must be
implemented as well so that the employee can feel valued. This will automatically address
the problem of employee turnover.
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 Another major recommendation that can be made is that the company can aim to develop a
diversified and skilled workforce by integrating the training and recruitment processes i.e.
first identify the kind of skills that need sot b developed in the company and then recruit
accordingly. This will automatically lead to the workforce of Argos becoming more
diversified and also attaining the multiple skills by the integrated training and work sessions.
 The third recommendation is that in order to increase the equal and fair treatment of the
employee at Argos, the company should aim to develop equal growth opportunities for the
employees i.e. they all should have the similar basis of criterion for evaluation of their
performance and then deciding what would be the correct strategy of promotion. This will
enhance the employee motivation and satisfaction as well because they will recognise that
the process is transparent and hence they will work harder to achieve the promotion that was
given to them.
LO 4
P7 Reflection
Throughout the entire research that was conducted above, there were some major findings
that I was able to identify and develop which in turn developed my overall knowledge and skills
as well. First of all, while conducting this research, there were a multiple number of issues that I
faced which restricted my overall progress in the completion of the research. The time
management was one of the biggest issues that I faced where it was difficult for me to meet the
deadlines that were allotted to me. While conducting the research I was in the habit to study each
and every aspect very closely and this ultimately led to the delay in the completion of different
tasks and achievement of the milestones that I had developed. However I learned that by proper
planning and by implementation of the smart work and learning, I could be able to achieve the
milestones that I had developed (Christian, Porter and Moffitt, 2016). Further the completion of
the research also helped me in ascertaining how different activities and tasks needs to be
performed at the same time and the need to keep everything organised. The different activities
must be kept segregated from each other but at the same time the result that they produce must
be integrated with the objective that has been developed. However, I also recognised that my
research and analytical skills are very well developed. While conducting the data analysis of the
entire data that I collected for the respondents, I was able to ascertain that I can interpret and
analyse a set of data very quickly and correctly. This is I think due to the fact that my thought
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process tends to flow in a logical manner where I am able to clearly segregate the different
activities and their meaning. I learnt how to plan a research within the limited resources I.e.
limited amount of time and money that is available and I also learnt that how a research is
scheduled in a synchronized manner. Therefore the completion of this research was an extremely
insightful process for me where I was able to learn many new things about myself and my style
of working as well as about the manner in which the dissertation is completed successfully.
Ultimately, I was also able to ascertain the necessity of the equality and diversity practices in an
organisation effectively.
CONCLUSION
The research conducted in the report above concludes the importance that equality and
diversity practices have in an organisation. The research identified the manner in which the
company Argos can improve the current recruitment and selection practices by integrating them
with the equality and diversity aspects. The research evaluated different methods that are
available for conducting the research and the thematic data analysis technique was used for the
qualitative research that was conducted by the researcher. The researcher also presented a
reflection on the overall learning that was developed and recommended the better strategies that
should be adopted by the Argos Company in order to achieve better results.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Christian, J., Porter, L.W. and Moffitt, G., 2016. Workplace diversity and group relations: An
overview. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations. 9(4). pp.459-466.
Colquitt, J., Lepine, J.A. and Gellatly, I.R., 2017. Organizational behavior: Improving
performance and commitment in the workplace (Vol. 375). New York, NY: McGraw-
Hill Irwin.
Cuthbertson, L.M., Robb, Y.A. and Blair, S., 2019. Theory and application of research principles
and philosophical underpinning for a study utilising interpretative phenomenological
analysis. Radiography.
Gupta, A., 2018. Influence Of Inclusion And Organizational Diversity On Employee
Engagement And Its Effect On Turnover Intention In It Industry.
Kuby, C. R., 2017. POSTSTRUCTURAL AND POSTHUMAN THEORIES AS LITERACY
RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES. Literacy Lives in Transcultural Times. 6. p.157.
Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge.
Owens, J.R. and Patel, P., 2019. Income as a Predictor of Employe Job Satisfaction and
Motivation.
Pitts, D.W., 2016. Modeling the impact of diversity management. Review of Public Personnel
Administration. 26(3). pp.245-268.
Schachner, M. K., 2019. From equality and inclusion to cultural pluralism–Evolution and effects
of cultural diversity perspectives in schools. European Journal of Developmental
Psychology. 16(1). pp.1-17.
Singh, M.R. and Kishor, J., 2018. The Corporate Image As A Weapon In The Attraction Of
Prospective Employe(No. 2018-28-13).
Woods, M. and et.al., 2016. Advancing qualitative research using qualitative data analysis
software (QDAS)? Reviewing potential versus practice in published studies using
ATLAS. ti and NVivo, 1994–2013. Social Science Computer Review. 34(5). pp.597-
617.
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Yang, J. and Matz-Costa, C., 2018. Age Diversity in the Workplace: The Effect of Relational
Age Within Supervisor–Employee Dyads on Employees’ Work Engagement. The
International Journal of Aging and Human Development. 87(2). pp.156-183.
Zanoni, P. and Janssens, M., 2018. Intersectionality as a methodological tool in qualitative
equality, diversity and inclusion research. In Handbook of research methods in
diversity management, equality and inclusion at work. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Online
Why is diversity in the workplace important. 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.brighthr.com/articles/equality-and-discrimination/equality-and-diversity-in-
the-workplace>
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APPENDIX
Questionnaire
Questionnaire
Name
Age
Gender
1. Are you aware of the concept of equality and diversity in the workplace context?
 Yes
 No
2. Do you think that right now the current strategies that Argos implemented are adequate in promotin
equality and diversity?
 Strongly Agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
3. Which is the best recruitment strategy that can be adopted by Argos?
 Internal Recruitment
 External Recruitment
4. What do you think would be the most beneficial aspect of implementing equality and diversity in th
recruitment policies?
 Enhanced employee satisfaction
 Increase in the targeted customer segments
 Improving employee retention
 All of the above
5. Do you think improvement in the training sessions will affect the employee productivity at Argos?
 Yes
 No
 Not Sure
6. What practices can you suggest that can be used in order to further improve the recruitment process a
Argos?
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