Importance of Equality and Diversity at Workplace

This research project focuses on the importance of maintaining equality and diversity at the workplace. It explores the benefits of diversity, ways to promote equality, and the impact of equality and diversity on organizational performance. The case study is based on Marks & Spencer, an international retailer known for managing a diverse workforce. The research aims to analyze the ways through which an organization can promote equality and diversity in the workplace and its impact on performance.

Research project
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CONTENTS
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Background of research...............................................................................................................3
Research Aim:.............................................................................................................................3
Research Objectives:...................................................................................................................3
Research Questions......................................................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................4
The significance of diverse workplace........................................................................................4
The benefits of maintaining equality and diversity in workplace................................................4
Ways through which a company can promote equality and diversity in workplace...................5
The impact of promoting equality and diversity on organisational performance........................5
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................6
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION.............................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14
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INTRODUCTION
Equality and diversity has now become current necessity for companies that are operating
at larger scale, specially for those which execute their operations at international level. This is so
because diversified workforce helps in brining understanding about different culture and
customers perception within new market by maintaining employees that are local to new market.
As those employees are familiar with eth culture and support in adjusting the operations of
organisation in accordance with its customer demand and expectation which in turn help in
achieving organisational success at different market (Hatipoglu and Inelmen, 2018). But this
efficiency in operation with the help of diversified workforce is only possible when employees
get equality at workplace. As when they are treated equally and fairly at workplace in return,
they put tehri maximum effort toward enhancing organisational performance. Hence, equality
and diversity are very much crucial for businesses these days. For further investigating about it,
Marks and Spencer is chosen for this study which operates at international level and also known
for managing workforce which is diversified (Wrench, 2015).
Background of research
The equality within organisation support in maintaining group of workers who are highly
skilled and compatible due to varying skills, knowledge, experiences etc. Therefore, hold a huge
importance within effective management of an organisation and for further developing
understanding about this the current investigation is performed which is focused over an
international retailer, Marks & Spencer which is headquartered in United Kingdom (Sanyal and
et. al., 2015). The Marks & spencer operates its business in several different part of world by
offering range of product categories such as Food, grocery items, clothing etc. are few of them.
For maintain its business throughout the world it manages a diversified team that are expertise in
different area and ways through that a company must manages diversity at workplace will
studied.
Research Aim:
"To analyse the ways through which an organisation can promote equality and diversity
in workplace and its impact on its performance. A case study on Marks & Spencer."
Research Objectives:
 To understand the significance of diverse workplace.
 To determine the benefits of maintaining equality and diversity in workplace.
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 To identify the ways through which a company can promote equality and diversity in
workplace.
 To assess the impact of promoting equality and diversity on organisational performance.
Research Questions
 What is the significance of diverse workplace?
 Describe about the benefits of maintaining equality and diversity in workplace?
 Explain about several ways through which a company can promote equality and diversity
in workplace?
 What is the impact of promoting equality and diversity on organisational performance?
LITERATURE REVIEW
The significance of diverse workplace.
Mayhew. R, 2019, said that as the global market is emerging the necessity of diversified
workplace for a business is increasing day by day. This is so because when an organisation
enter into a new market then to gather the understanding about its attribute or customer
demand hiring of local employees become crucial for the organisation. Other than this
there are several importance of diversified workplace which are explained below:
Expand talent pool: For dealing within the global world of competition it become very
crucial for the management of an organisation is to maintain a employee that are from different
knowledge or cultural background. This in turn help in integrating several skills and talent all
together within a team that bring work efficiency.
Innovative ideas: Each business is required to constantly working over improving its
business practices or product to make it more efficient and different in term of market to deal
with competition (Knights and Omanovic, 2015). In this diversified workforce is very much
helpful as when team involve the member that belong to different background will support in
bringing new ideas as per their understanding that give birth to an innovation.
The benefits of managing equality and diversity in workplace.
Petty. L., 2016, state that equality and diversity holds up a huge importance at workplace.
This is so because employees like to prefer work at place where they get better access to equal
opportunity and also get fair treatment regardless of their racial, gender, age etc. It is believed
that by ensuring diversified workforce, an enterprise would be able to thrive people belong to
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several different background that come together and gain success by integrating their knowledge,
experience and understanding all together.
Therefore, by implementing the such practices Marks & spencer become capable to
ensure the growth and development of business by bringing people with diversified capability in
order to open up door for new ways of working and new ideas. Bendl and et. al., 2015, state that
benefits of diversity to Marks & Spencer is that by mainly people from different background it
become easier to have different opinion in a team which in turn help in catering the varying need
of consumers as per their culture or other factors. Additionally it also help in attracting more
talent to approach organisation for being connected and to work at a place where employees are
highly valued and provided with equal opportunity.
Ways through which a company can promote equality and diversity in workplace.
As per the perception of Callister. L., 2019, workplace discrimination remains a main
area of concern for several organisation which not only let down the morale of employees but
also affect the organisational performance and productivity. Therefore, it remains the
responsibility of an employer to promote diversity within workplace. Several methods of
managing it within the of Marks and Spencer are,
Prevent unconscious bias behaviour: The management of M&S must create more and
more awareness about equality among employees so that unconscious bias behaviour can be
eliminated by the employees toward other people. This in turn help in creating respect for the
people as per tehri talent despite of their demographic characteristics which in turn help in
brining equality within organisation.
Develop equality policies: - Moore and Tailby, 2015 said that each and every employee
at workplace must get fair and equal treatment in term of regular activities and while taking
decisions related with daily operations. Other than this the management of marks and Spencer
must focus toward embracing the people’s differences so that it get involved and accepted by
other people effectively.
The impact of promoting equality and diversity on organisational performance.
Cox. T., 2020, state that the increasing diversity within workplace is become a major
point of attraction for several businesses throughout the world for improving organisational
performance. Through implementation of such practices at workplace Marks & Spencer will get
benefited with several different favourable factor which further support it in improving the
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overall performance. These mainly includes problem solving, as diversified perspective creates
better understanding about the issues and help in determining several methods to resolve the that
particular problem. On the other side, diversified workforce also support in creating a flow of
innovative ideas which in turn further support in developing potential to enhance the creativity as
well as innovation which in turn help in improving the operational as well as financial
performance at marketplace. This is so because when the diversity among employees is equally
valued at the workplace then it helps in encouraging the team work which in turn ensures
integration of skills and knowledge that bring up best possible ideas to improve the working
practices to get it done in more productive manner. these all support in enhancing the level of
efficiency in operations performed at Mark & Spencer and thus the overall performance of
organisation can be improved.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Methodology is that part of a research that represent several tools, methods and
approaches which are considered within an investigation by the investigator in order to gather,
interpret, analyse and conclude the facts in more meaningful information so that desired
objectives can be accomplished (Walliman, 2017). The methodology supports the researcher in
directing the activities of investigation in right manner and by presenting this section in report
the researcher would be able to verify the reader about the validity and reliability of data. The
methods involve within this research are presented below:
Research philosophy: - It is about the nature of study which is being consider by the
researcher while performing investigation. The positivism, realism and interpretivism are some
of the philosophies considered within an investigation (Tuohy and et.al., 2013). The researcher
makes use of positivism philosophy while performing this investigation as it is very much
helpful in evaluating the quantified information and presenting the most adequate outcome in
relation with the research aim.
Investigation Type: - The outcome of an investigation is more depend over the type used
for conducting that particular study. Qualitative and quantitative are two type of investigation
(Scotland, 2012). But for this study the quantitative type of research is consider which help in
gathering the numerical facts and figure about the current study area for specifying the
correctness of a particular information.
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Research approach: - The approaches selected for investigation is based on type of
investigation adopted by the scholar. The research approaches are inductive and deductive.
Among these presented approaches, the deductive approach is more suitable for quantitative
study (Omland and Thapa, 2017). This is so because it supports in analysing the information
which is presented in numerical form. This information analysis is considered to be more
effective as it provides more accurate and reliable information.
Data collection sources: - The data for an investigation is collected from several sources
through which evidence toward the research aim and objectives are being presented. Theses
sources are categorised into primary and secondary methods (Wiek and Lang, 2016). To conduct
this investigation both source will be adopted where primary data is gathered through
questionnaire that help in gathering the new and relevant data for study (Mackey and Gass,
2015). Additionally secondary data is gathered using online sources such as books, journals,
articles etc. so that relevant past information can be presented to develop a basic understanding
about current study which further explore in primary study.
Sampling: - It refers to process with which the group of people are select out from total
population in such a manner that they provide information on behalf of all. Mainly 2 method of
sampling such as probabilistic and non probabilistic (Kumar, 2019). From these two the
probabilistic method is considered within study as which give equal opportunity to people for
getting selected as a sample size, hence avoid chances of biasness. The sample size of this report
is 10 managers of M&S that are selected on random basis under probabilistic sampling method.
Questionnaire
Q1 Are you aware about the importance of maintaining equality and diversity at workplace?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2 As per you thought, what are main benefits that Marks and Spencer get by managing equality
and diversity at workplace?
a) Adds new skills to team
b) Promotes innovation
c) Improve brand reputation
Q3 Does equality and diversity help Marks & spencer in improving the organisational
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productivity?
a) Yes
b) No
Q4 In what manner does equality and diversity practices may influence the performance of
Marks & Spencer?
a) Integrate skills
b) Bring operational efficiency
c) Better understanding of issues
Q5 What are several ways through which equality and diversity can be implemented within an
organisation?
a) Inclusion training
b) Create diversity friendly policies
c) Ensures equal opportunity
Q6 As per your view point, what are major issues that M&S faces while implementing equality
and diversity at workplace?
a) Respecting the difference of other
b) Communication barrier
c)Cultural differences
Q7 From below given options which one is most effective tactic through which Marks &
Spencer can deal with issues involve in equality and diversity practices?
a) Improve communication flow
b) Leadership and guidance
c) Maintain good relationship
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Frequency table
Q1 Are you aware about the importance of maintaining equality and
diversity at workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 10
b) No 0
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Q2 As per you thought, what are main benefits that Marks and Spencer
get by managing equality and diversity at workplace?
Frequency
a) Adds new skills to team 2
b) Promotes innovation 6
c) Improve brand reputation 2
Q3 Does equality and diversity help Marks & spencer in improving the
organisational productivity?
Frequency
a) Yes 8
b) No 2
Q4 In what manner does equality and diversity practices may influence
the performance of Marks & Spencer?
Frequency
a) Integrate skills 7
b) Bring operational efficiency 2
c) Better understanding of issues 1
Q5 What are several ways through which equality and diversity can be
implemented within an organisation?
Frequency
a) Inclusion training 6
b) Create diversity friendly policies 2
c) Ensures equal opportunity 2
Q6 As per your view point, what are major issues that M&S faces while
implementing equality and diversity at workplace?
Frequency
a) Respecting the difference of other 3
b) Communication barrier 2
c)Cultural differences 5
Q7 From below given options which one is most effective tactic through
which Marks & Spencer can deal with issues involve in equality and
diversity practices?
Frequency
a) Improve communication flow 2
b) Leadership and guidance 3
c) Maintain good relationship 5
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Theme 1: The importance of maintaining equality and diversity at workplace
Q1 Are you aware about the importance of maintaining equality and
diversity at workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 10
b) No 0
Interpretation: In todays’ completive world the equality and diversity practices are
maintained by the majority of organisation for ensuring its growth and success. While gathering
information regarding this from employees it has been identified that around 10 people are aware
regarding the necessity of equality and diversity at workplace. So, it can be said that this concept
is highly consider by the manager while managing employees at workplace.
Theme 2: Benefits that Marks and Spencer get by maintaining equality and diversity at
workplace
Q2 As per you thought, what are main benefits that Marks and Spencer
get by managing equality and diversity at workplace?
Frequency
a) Adds new skills to team 2
b) Promotes innovation 6
c) Improve brand reputation 2
Interpretation: From the data which is presented in above table it can be said that 2 out
of 10 employees sated that with equality and diversity within organisation the Marks & Spencer
will be able to add up new skills within team. While 6 said that it promotes innovation at
workplace and 2 said that it supports in enhancing brand reputation. From overall evaluation of
data, it can said that major benefit that equality and diversity provide is it help in promoting
innovation as with diversified perception it become quite easier to get range of ideas from which
best can be chosen.
Theme 3: Equality and diversity will support Marks & spencer in improving the organisational
productivity
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Q3 Does equality and diversity help Marks & spencer in improving the
organisational productivity?
Frequency
a) Yes 8
b) No 2
Interpretation: From the data gathered it has been identified that around 8 from10
managers said yes equality and diversity practices will help in improving the productivity, but
another 2 managers said no to this. After analysing the data, it can be said that equality and
diversity allows the integration of different knowledge which provide better understanding work
and pattern to be followed which is more effective. Hence enhance the organisational
productivity.
Theme 4: Equality and diversity practices may influence the performance of Marks & Spencer
Q4 In what manner does equality and diversity practices may influence
the performance of Marks & Spencer?
Frequency
a) Integrate skills 7
b) Bring operational efficiency 2
c) Better understanding of issues 1
Interpretation: Through the data which is presented above it has bene interpreted that
around 7 out of 10 mangers said that it help in integration the skill which improves performance.
While 2 said that it supports Marks & Spencer in operational efficiency and 1 said that it allow
better understanding of issue. From data analysis it is determined that more of people are in
favour of integration of skills as when employees get equality at workplace then ]people having
expertise in different skill and capability likely to put efforts toward team work which ensure
integration of different skills toward execution of single aim which in turn improve performance.
Theme 5: Ways through which equality and diversity can be implemented within an
organisation
Q5 What are several ways through which equality and diversity can be
implemented within an organisation?
Frequency
a) Inclusion training 6
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b) Create diversity friendly policies 2
c) Ensures equal opportunity 2
Interpretation: There are different ways through which the equality and diversity
practices can be applied by Marks & Spencer. While gathering information about this it has bene
found around 6 managers said that inclusion training is effective way, 2 said creating diversity
friendly policies will be effective and 2 said providing equal opportunity will be effective. From
the analysis of information it can be said that the inclusion training would be most effective way
for promoting equality and diversity at workplace as it contribute toward brining all the
employees together for providing training to make them learn to respect and coordinated with
employees belongs to different background, culture etc. so that better integration in work can be
possible.
Theme 6: Issues that Marks & Spencer faces while implementing equality and diversity at
workplace
Q6 As per your view point, what are major issues that M&S faces while
implementing equality and diversity at workplace?
Frequency
a) Respecting the difference of other 3
b) Communication barrier 2
c)Cultural differences 5
Interpretation: There are several issues that a company may faces while maintain
workplace diversity. By investigation over this it has been found that around 3 respondents said
that respecting the difference is the major challenge at workplace. On other side 2 said
communication barrier is the major issue and 5 said cultural barrier is the biggest issue. From the
overall analysis of data it can be said that majority of people are in favour of cultural difference
as it is one of the major issue due to which employees from diversified background found
difficulty in adjusting with one another which restrict the management to fully implement
equality and diversity at workplace. Other than this it also makes this difficult for the employees
to understanding things clearly and accept others which affect the productivity and performance
at the same time.
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Theme 7: Most effective tactic through which Marks & Spencer can deal with issues involve in
equality and diversity practices
Q7 From below given options which one is most effective tactic through
which Marks & Spencer can deal with issues involve in equality and
diversity practices?
Frequency
a) Improve communication flow 2
b) Leadership and guidance 3
c) Maintain good relationship 5
Interpretation: Through this data it is identified that around 2 mangers out of 10 said
that by improving communication flow the Marks & Spencer can tackle the issues involve within
execution of equality and diversity practices. On other side 3 managers said leadership and
guidance is best strategy and 5 said good relations maintenance will be effective. Through the
evaluation of data it has bene found that the more of people said that maintain good relationship
as by these it become easier to identify the barriers or factors that are restriction the
implementation of equality and diversity practices. So, that these issues can be resolved on
timely manner so that acceptance of equality and diversity by employees can be possible.
Recommendations
According to the above discussion, it is said that it is significant to maintain equality and
diversity in company. This supports in maintaining healthy workplace environment where are all
the employees can work productively towards accomplishment of organisational pre-set
objectives and goals. It will provide several benefits to organisation in terms of improved brand
reputation, enhanced profitability and performance, maximize employee engagement, add new
skills to team, promotes innovation and creativity etc. For maintaining this in organisation in an
efficient manner, it is recommending to the business entity that it must provide diversity
awareness training to workforce so that they will understand the significance of treating all
individuals equally in the organisation along with how to behave effectively with others. this will
help in developing good environment in the workplace and ensure that all the individuals work
collectively and respect each other's culture appropriately.
Apart from this, organisation should formulate diversity friendly policies and communicate
them in proper way in the organisation among all the employees in order to prevent
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discrimination in workplace. In addition to this, provide all the employees with equal
opportunities will also help an organisation in keeping its employees motivated and keep them
retain within the organisation for long term. It will develop a sense of satisfaction among
employees which will impacts positively on their performance. All the recommended strategies
will assist M&S in upholding equality and diversity and accomplish organisational goals
successfully. This leads to increase productivity and performance of company and also
contributes highly in its growth and sustainability.
Reflection
This investigation is done on the topic "To analyse different ways by which an organisation
can promote equality and diversity and its impact on its performance. A case study on Marks &
Spencer." By conducting this study, I learnt many new things and gets deep insight on the topic
as well as various other areas associated with the topic. This study helps me in understanding the
significance of diversity and equality and the various benefits that an organisation can get by
upholding equality and diversity in workplace. By performing this research, my team working
and communication skills is enhanced and I am now able to interact with others effectively and
work in coordination and cooperation with each other.
Along with this, my knowledge base is also increased which will help me in future in
performing further research in more effective way. In this research, questionnaire is used to
collect primary data. However, I can also use interview method to collect the data. Moreover,
simple random sampling method was used in this study, however I can also use convenience
sampling for collecting sample size. If I get the chance in future to perform research on similar or
other topic, the learning from this research will help me in performing the study more effectively
and draw outcomes of research within specified time.
CONCLUSION
From above gathered data, it is sumarised that a diverse workplace in organisation provide it
with various benefits including increase productivity, maximize performance, promote creativity,
encourage employee engagement, develop a skilled team, enhance brand reputation etc. Equality
and diversity are significant concepts of an organisation which highly contributes in its growth
and success. Both the concepts are valuable to the company in sustaining long term position in
market and gaining competitive advantage over the rivals. Treating all the individuals equally
and providing dam with equal development and growth opportunities will developed a sense of
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satisfaction and belongingness among employees and enable them to work more productively
towards achieving common goals and objectives of company in an effective and efficient way.
Apart from this there are several strategies or ways that a company can adopt to promote equality
and diversity in workplace. This includes providing diversity awareness training to employees,
provide them with equal opportunities of growth etc. Will help in developing a healthy
workplace.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Bendl, R., and et. al., 2015. The Oxford handbook of diversity in organizations. Oxford
University Press.
Hatipoglu, B. and Inelmen, K., 2018. Demographic diversity in the workplace and its impact on
employee voice: The role of trust in the employer. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 29(5), pp.970-994.
Knights, D. and Omanovic, V., 2015. Rethinking diversity in organizations and society. The
Oxford handbook of diversity in organizations, pp.83-108.
Kumar, R., 2019. Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage Publications
Limited.
Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge
Moore, S. and Tailby, S., 2015. The changing face of employment relations: equality and
diversity. Employee Relations, 37(6), pp.705-719
Omland, H.O. and Thapa, D., 2017, May. Methodological approach for identifying mechanisms
in ICT4D: A critical realism perspective. In International Conference on Social
Implications of Computers in Developing Countries (pp. 182-193). Springer, Cham.
Sanyal, C., and et. al., 2015. Diversity and inclusion depend on effective engagement. Human
Resource Management International Digest.
Scotland, J., 2012. Exploring the philosophical underpinnings of research: Relating ontology and
epistemology to the methodology and methods of the scientific, interpretive, and critical
research paradigms. English language teaching. 5(9). pp.9-16.
Tuohy, D. and et.al., 2013. An overview of interpretive phenomenology as a research
methodology. Nurse researcher. 20(6).
Walliman, N., 2017. Research methods: The basics. Routledge.
Wiek, A. and Lang, D. J., 2016. Transformational sustainability research methodology.
In Sustainability science (pp. 31-41). Springer, Dordrecht.
Wrench, J., 2015. Diversity management. Routledge International Handbook of Diversity
Studies. New York, 254, p.262.
Online
Mayhew. R, 2019. Importance of Workplace Diversity. [Online]. Available through:
<https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-workplace-diversity-43235.html>.
Petty. L., 2016. How Equality & Diversity Improves Your Workplace: Examining the Benefits.
[Online]. Available through: <https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/equality-
diversity-benefits-workplace/>.
Callister. L., 2019. 7 Tips to Promote Equality & End Workplace Discrimination. [Online].
Available through: <https://www.skillcast.com/blog/7-tips-promote-equality-end-
workplace-discrimination>.
Cox. T., 2020. Workforce Diversity and Organizational Performance. [Online]. Available
through: <https://heimatkunde.boell.de/de/2008/11/01/workforce-diversity-and-
organizational-performance>.
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Appendix
Research Proposal Form
Student Name: ______________________
Proposed Title: Behaviours that support equality and diversity
in the workplace.
Section One: Title, objective, responsibilities
Title or working title of the research project
Behaviours that support equality and diversity in the workplace.
Research objectives (e.g what is the question you want to answer?
What do you want to learn how to do? What do you want to find
out?):
Research Aim:
"To analyse the ways through which an organisation can promote equality and diversity
in workplace and its impact on its performance. A case study on Marks & Spencer."
Research Objectives:
 To understand the significance of diverse workplace.
 To determine the benefits of maintaining equality and diversity in workplace.
 To identify the ways through which a company can promote equality and diversity in
workplace.
 To assess the impact of promoting equality and diversity on organisational performance.
Research Questions
 What is the significance of diverse workplace?
 Describe about the benefits of maintaining equality and diversity in workplace?
 Explain about several ways through which a company can promote equality and diversity
in workplace?
 What is the impact of promoting equality and diversity on organisational performance?
Section Two: Reasons for choosing this research project
Reasons for choosing the project (e.g links to other subjects you are
studying, personal interest, future plans, knowledge/skills you want
to improve, why the topic is important):
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This project intent to analyse the ways through which a firm can promote diversity and equality
in workplace and its influence on its performance. A case study on Marks & Spencer. The reason
behind selection of this project is to determine significance of topic along with various benefits
and ways to encourage diversity and equality which will help the organisation to promote it in
workplace effectively.
Section Three: Literature sources searched
Use of key literature sources to support your research question,
objective or hypothesis:
Significance of diverse workplace
According to the view point of Mayhew. R, (2019), Diverse workplaces is very significant for an
organisation as it is the source of competitive advantage. Organisation have diverse workforce,
then it will be able to compete in the market more effectively and enable to attain long-term
sustainability in market. it also helps in promoting creativity and innovation within the firm
which is very helpful in increasing productivity of company.
Benefits of maintaining equality and diversity in workplace
According to the view point of Petty. L., (2016), there are various benefits of maintaining
equality in diversity in the organisation. These benefits involves increase brand reputation,
improve productivity, maximize profitability, promote creativity, develop skilled team etc. An
organisation get all these benefits by maintaining diverse workplace. It helps in creating a pool of
talent in the company which leads to attainment of competitive advantage in market.
Several ways through which a company can promote equality and diversity in workplace
According to the view point of Callister. L., (2019), There are several ways that can assist in
equality and diversity promotion in workplace. By treating all the individuals equally in the
organisation and providing them with equal opportunities will help in promoting equality and
diversity. The another way to promote equality and diversity is provide diversity awareness
training to work force.
Impact of promoting equality and diversity on organisational performance
According to the view point of Cox. T., (2020), Promoting diversity and equality in workplace
impact positively on performance of organisation. This will assist in creating a healthy
workplace environment in which all the employees work effectively to accomplish
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organizational goals. It also helps in keep the employees motivated which will ultimately impacts
on performance of both, employees as well as company.
Section Four: Activities and timescales
Activities to be carried out during the research project (e.g
research, development and analysis of ideas, writing, data
collection, numerical analysis, tutor meetings, production of
final outcome, evaluation, writing the report):
How
long
this
will
take
:
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Section Five: Research approach and methodologies
What type of research approach and methodologies are you likely to
use and why? What your areas of research will cover:
Research philosophy: Among interpretivism and positivism philosophies, researcher will
make utilization of positivism philosophy as it is very helpful in assessing quantified information
and data and presenting valid outcome of research.
Research approach: From inductive and deductive research approaches, deductive
research approach will use by researcher this is the appropriate approach to use in quantitative
study. This approach supports in numerical information in more effective way.
Research strategy: Several strategies of research include interview, questionnaire, case
study survey, experimental research, action research etc. among which survey strategy will use
by investigator in which questionnaire tool will use to gather numerical information on the topic.
Data collection: two methods of collecting data includes primary and secondary data
collection method which will help investigator and collecting huge amount of information related
to the topic in an appropriate way and drawing valid outcomes of research.
Sampling: Simple random probability sampling will use in the study by investigator to select
sample size. 10 respondents will be selected to fill the questionnaire who are the managers of
Marks and Spencer.
Comments and agreement from tutor: The learner has understood
the requirements and have made an appropriate selection.
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Agreed: _Yes______
Tutor Signature: __Jobi Jacob__
Date ____10/03/2020__________
Research Ethics approval form
Before completing this form, we advise that you discuss your proposed
research fully with your unit tutor. Please complete this form in good time
before your research project is due to commence. This is also important to
comply with GDPR 2018.
Section 1: Basic details:
Project title: "To analyse the ways through which an organisation can promote equality
and diversity in workplace and its impact on its performance. A case study on Marks &
Spencer."
Student name:
Tutor: Jobi Jacob
College Name: Nescot/ASTML Hounslow
Intended research start date: 01/02/2020
Intended research end date: 30/06/2020
Section 2 Project summary
Please select all research methods that you plan to use as a part of your
project:
 Interviews Yes No
 Questionnaires Yes No
 Observations Yes No
 Use of personal records Yes No
 Data Analysis Yes No
 Action Research Yes No
 Focus Groups Yes No
 Others (Please specify) :
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Section 3: Participants
Please answer the following questions, giving full details where necessary.
Will your research involve participants?
Yes
Who are the participants? Tick all that apply:
Ages 12-16: Young people aged: 17-18 Adults: 18+
Describe the processes you will use to inform participants about what you
are doing:
Researcher make use of communication tools like email and
message to inform participants.
Studies involving observation: Confirm whether participants will be
asked for their informed consent to be observed.
Yes No
Will participants be given information about the findings of your study?(This
could be a brief summary of your findings in general)
Yes No
Section 4: Data Storage and Security
Confirm that all personal data will be stored and processed in compliance
with the Data Protection Act (GDPR 2018)
Yes No
Where will the data be stored?
Laptop and USB
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Will mobile devices such as USB storage and laptops be used
Yes No
Section 5 : Ethical Issues
Are there any particular features of your proposed work, which may raise
ethical concerns? If so, please outline how you will deal with these:
It is important that you demonstrate your awareness of potential risks that
may arise because of your research. Please consider/address all issues that
may apply. Ethical concerns may include, but are not limited to the
following :
 Informed consent.
 Potentially vulnerable participants.
 Sensitive topics
 Risk to participants and /or researchers
 Confidentiality/anonymity
 Disclosures/ limits to confidentiality
 Data storage and security, both during and after the research
(including transfer, sharing, encryption, protection).
 Reporting
 Dissemination and use of your findings.
Section 6: Declaration
I have understand Research and Ethics Policy: Yes No
I have discussed the ethical issues relating to my research with my
Unit Tutor:
Yes No
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