Creating an Inclusive and Diverse Workforce in an Organisation

This report discusses the importance of creating an inclusive and diverse workforce in an organisation, with a case study on Unilever. It explores the strategies and initiatives that can help in achieving an inclusive and diverse workforce. The report also includes a small scale research conducted using a project management plan, WBS, Gantt chart, questionnaire, and interviews.

Managing a Successful
Business Project

Table of Contents
Topic................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task1................................................................................................................................................3
P1) Project aims and objectives..................................................................................................3
P2 Project management plan.......................................................................................................5
P3 Gantt chart and WBS.............................................................................................................7
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................9
P4 Small scale research...............................................................................................................9
P5) Interpretation of findings....................................................................................................11
P6) Recommendations..............................................................................................................18
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................18
P7 Reflection.............................................................................................................................18
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................20
References......................................................................................................................................21

Topic
“To determine the strategies and initiatives which can help in creating an inclusive and
diverse workforce in an organisation.” A case study on Unilever.
Introduction
For an organisation to successfully exist in market it is important that it create a healthy
and friendly working environment for its workers so that they can use their skills and abilities in
an efficient manner so as to achieve company goals and objectives. As workers are the most
important resources of a company it is important that they are provided an inclusive environment
irrespective of their differences like age, sex, race, religion, backgrounds and experiences etc.
This can help in boosting their confidence and creating an integrated and coordinated working
environment so that the company can gain a competitive edge in market along with increased
innovations and improved brand image in market through effective worker performance
(Bacouël-Jentjens and Christiansen, 2016). In this report Unilever is taken which is a British-
Dutch multinational consumer goods company which is headquartered in London, UK and was
founded in 1929. The company deals in a variety of product like beauty & personal care, food &
refreshments, cleaning products etc. which are made available in more than 190 countries. In this
report the importance of creating equality and diversity among workers will be discussed along
with the methods in which such environment can be created. A small scale research will be
conducted in this research and with the help of various tools like project management plan,
WBS, Gantt Chart, questionnaire etc. so that the research objectives can be achieved.
Task1
P1) Project aims and objectives
For creating an effective working environment so that all the workers can worker
together it is important that the differences among them is respected and valued so that they can
feel like an integrated part of the company. Providing equal opportunities of growth to all the
workers can help in increasing their commitment towards the company, increasing their job
satisfaction, improving their performance etc. so that company goals are achieved on time.
Aim: To determine the strategies and initiatives which can help in creating an inclusive and
diverse workforce in an organisation.

Research Objectives:
• To improve the knowledge about having an inclusive and diverse workforce.
• To identify ways in which Unilever can increase equality and diversity among workers.
• To determine the benefits of creating such environment for Unilever and its workers.
Research questions
• What does it mean by having an inclusive and diverse workforce?
• What are the ways that can be implemented so as to increase equality and diversity
among workers?
• What are the benefits of creating such working environment for the company and it
workers?
Literature Review
Equality and diversity in workplace
According to the views of Lynne, 2019, it is the responsibility of employers to protect
their workers from any kind of discrimination and harassment at workplace along with providing
them with equal opportunities and similar treatment. Equality and diversity among workers helps
people having varied experiences, skills, backgrounds etc. to work together effectively which can
help in reducing their conflicts, creating a healthy working environment and improving the
morale of workers so that they can perform better (Bešić and Hirt, 2016). With the help of
implementation of Equality Act, 2010, a company can create equal working environment so that
discrimination among workers can be reduced and ethical code of conduct can be followed in
treating workers. Diversity among workers can help in increasing availability of a variety of
skills in company so that innovations can increase along with improved company productivity.
Strategies and initiatives to create inclusive and diverse workforce
According to the view of Charong, 2019, there are various ways through which an
inclusive and diverse working environment can be created in an organisation so that highly
effective and efficient workforce can be created. Participative leadership, employee engagement,
training and development programmes, holding leaders responsible, performance based
appraisals, use of effective communication methods, conducting inclusion feedback regularly
etc. are the ways through which such a working atmosphere can be created. All these steps can
help the diverse workers in working together so that they can use their varied skills effectively in
achieving company goals on time (Bowl, 2018). Also it help in encouraging a participative

culture in the company along with respecting differences so that better results can be achieved
through improved performance of workers.
Importance of inclusiveness and diverseness for company and workers
As per the views of Anja, 2018, having an inclusive and diverse working environment is
equally beneficial for both the workers and company and helps in improving the overall
performance and productivity of the company. By hiring a variety of workers the company can
create a pool of varied talents which can help it in completing a variety of tasks, increasing
innovation and creativity, improving brand image in market etc. It also help a variety of workers
in getting a chance to work with the company so that they can use their skills as per their interest
areas so that their performance can improve. Equality among workers can help in reducing
employee conflicts, create a healthy working environment so that workers can use their complete
potential effectively. Inclusion also help in motivating the workers as they can be treated equally
irrespective their differences, reduced discrimination can help in booting their confident along
with job satisfaction (Cucari, Esposito De Falco and Orlando, 2018).
P2 Project management plan
Before starting a project it is important that a PMP is created which is a well structured
and approved plan which contain the deliverables of the project that are required ion completing
the project on time and within budget so that the objectives of project can be achieved.
Following are the essential elements which are included in this plan:
• Cost: The efficiency with which a project gets completed depends on the budget of the
project which musty be accurately estimated so that all the resources required for its
completion can be acquired and the activities related with project can be efficiently
conducted (Davis, Frolova and Callahan, 2016). The cost estimation can also help in
planning the budget and allocating appropriate amount of sum to each of the activities so
that highly effective research results can be achieved on time. In order to complete this
project the estimated cost by researcher is £100 so that project activities can be efficiently
conducted.
Particulars Amount(£)
Use of research tools £20
Acquiring required resources £30
Cost of legal compliance £25

Miscellaneous £25
Total £100
• Time: It is the estimation of time which will be required to complete the project by
performing all the activities related with research so that the objectives can be achieved
effectively and efficiently. Accurate time must be estimated so that there is no delay in
the project and also high quality of the project can be maintained which can help in
achieving efficient results (Edward Elgar Publishing.Carter, 2018). The time estimated by
researcher to complete this project is 3 months which will be required in completing of
this project effectively.
• Scope: It is related with the areas which will be covered through the research so that the
objectives of research can be achieved. It also help in outlining the goals, features,
functions, deliverables, cost, time etc. of the research so that the actions that are to be
performed by researcher can be determined. This will also help in determining the ways
in which research objectives can be efficiently achieved so that the project can be
completed within budget and time.
• Resources: These are the resources which will be utilised in performing the activities
related to the project so that high quality research results can be achieved. Various
resources will be required by the researcher like office, printer, team members,
communication channels etc. so that they can be utilised efficiently and can be acquired
with the use of budget amount allocated to them (Ibrahim and Hanefah, 2016).
• Communication: In order to conduct a research it is important that effective
communication channels are used so that the exchange of information among team
members can take place smoothly and without interruption. This can help in keeping the
work of research team coordinated along with motivating them to perform better so that
effective outcomes are achieved. Various channels of communication can be used by
researcher like printers, mobile phones, computers etc. so that the team members can be
kept connected and updated (Johansson and Ringblom, 2017).
• Risk: These are the contingencies related with a project and their occurrence can lead to
the delay of project or deteriorate the quality of overall results which are achieved. It is
therefore important that the risks that might occur during the project are identified before

carrying out a project so that effective measures can be taken in lowering these risks so
that the project can be completed in a desired manner by elimination of risks.
• Quality: It is related with the quality of results which are achieved after the completion of
project which depends on the quality of data which is collected from various sources of
information. This help in increasing the authenticity and reliability of research results so
that they can be practically applied.
P3 Gantt chart and WBS
Gantt Chart: It is a project management tool which can help in efficiently planning and
scheduling projects of all sizes so that the projects can be simplified. This is a horizontal bar
chart which was designed by Henry Gantt which help in showing the dependency relationships
between activities and current schedule status. In this chart the tasks that are to be performed are
presented on the vertical axis while the time intervals which will be required in completion of
each activity is represented on the horizontal axis (Klein, 2016). Thus with the help of this tool
time can be efficiently distributed among activities so that the project can be completed on time.

Work breakdown structure: It is a tool which can help in managing a project by
breaking it down into smaller and manageable portions so that a large and complex project can
be efficiently handled. WBS is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of work so that
the project team can effectively accomplish the objectives of the project in an efficient manner as
the smaller parts of the project can be controlled and monitored in an efficient manner (Konrad,
Yang and Maurer, 2016).

TASK 2
P4 Small scale research
Research is a process of systematic investigation which help in increasing knowledge
related to a subject matter through collection, organisation, analysis and interpretation of the
information so that better understanding can be developed which can help in proving or
disproving a research hypothesis. For conducting a research effectively, it is important that
accurate, authentic and reliable information is collected from various sources so that high quality
results of research can be achieved (Loseke, 2017).
Quantitative methods: It is a systematic investigation which help in gathering
quantifiable data that can be demonstrated statistically or mathematically so that better
interpretation of information can be done. This help in increasing the authenticity and reliability
of the results as better interpretation can be done. The sources from where such data can be
collected are surveys, questionnaires etc.
Qualitative methods: It is a market research method which help in gathering data
through open-ended and conversational communication so that the view points of people related
to be the research topic can be obtained so that what they think and why think so can be
gathered. This help in increasing the knowledge of researcher but it cannot be depicted on tables,
graphs, pie-charts etc. and makes the interpretation difficult. The methods used for collecting this
information are observations, interview etc.

Sources of information:
• Primary sources: These are the sources from where researcher can collect fresh
information directly from the main sources by the way of interview, questionnaire etc.
The primary sources help in maximising the authenticity and reliability of information
collected and also the researcher can use their own skills in interpreting the results.
• Secondary sources: The sources like books, articles, internet etc. which already contain
information regarding the researched topic from the view points of other authors, writers,
philosophers etc. can also be used by the researcher so that better understanding about a
topic can be developed (Lozano and Escrich, 2017).
In this research questionnaire and interview are used as primary sources of information while
secondary sources of information are used for the formation of literature review.
Sampling: It is related with selection of sample population for conducting research from a large
population containing similar characteristics so that the research results obtained from the sample
can be applied throughout the population. In this research a sample size of 30 employees of
Unilever are selected based on random basis for questionnaire and 10 are chosen for conducting
interview.
Questionnaire
Quantitative questions
Q1) Do you have knowledge about inclusive and diverse workforce?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Do you think that creating a diverse and inclusive workforce are beneficial for company?
a) Agree
b) Disagree
Q3) Do you think that workers in Unilever are treated equally?
a) Yes
b) No
Q4) How can a workforce with variety of skills be created in company?
a) Unbiased discrimination
b) Having variety of work
Q5) What are the benefits of having equality and diversity in workplace at Unilever?

a) Increased innovation
b) Variety of work can be done
c) Better working environment
Q6) How can involvement be beneficial for employees?
a) Increased job satisfaction
b) Better performance
c) Equal opportunities for growth
Q7) What are the issues faced due to having a diverse workforce?
a) Increased resistance
b) language barriers
Q8) What are the disadvantages of not having an inclusive and diverse workforce?
a) Low employee retention
b) Low customer satisfaction
c) Poor performance of workers
Qualitative questions
Q9) What are the strategies and initiatives which can help in creating such environment?
a) Employee engagement
b) Inclusion feedback
c) Participative leadership
Q10) How can the strategies be effectively implemented in company?
a) Implementation of Equality Act, 2010
b) Organisational culture
c) Performance appraisals
Q11) Recommendations if any.
P5) Interpretation of findings
Q1) Do you have knowledge about inclusive and diverse
workforce?
Frequency
a) Yes 10
b) No 20

a) Yes b) No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
10
20
Frequency
From this graph it can be said that only 10 out of the 30 respondents know about
inclusiveness and diverseness in company while the rest 20 do not know about the same. This
means that the workers of Unilever do not know how can equality among diverse workers can
help in booting their performance along with increasing their satisfaction with their job.
Q2) Do you think that creating a diverse and inclusive workforce
are beneficial for company?
Frequency
a) Agree 16
b) Disagree 14
a) Agree b) Disagree
13
13.5
14
14.5
15
15.5
16
16
14 Frequency
From this graph it can be interpreted that 16 respondents agree with the benefits of
having an equal and diverse workforce while the rest 14 do not agree on the same. It is thus
important that Unilever create an effective working environment by through increasing inclusion
of workers in decision making along with increasing diversity in workers.
Q3) Do you think that workers in Unilever are treated equally? Frequency

a) Yes 12
b) No 18
a) Yes b) No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
12
18
Frequency
This graph help in interpreting that from 30 employees, 12 say that workers are treated in
equally while the rest 18 do not agree on the same. The company need to create an environment
where all the workers are given equal opportunities of growth and development so that their
performance can improve.
Q4) How can a workforce with variety of skills be created in
company?
Frequency
a) Unbiased discrimination 20
b) Having variety of work 10

a) Unbiased discrimination
b) Having variety of work
0
5
10
15
20
20
10
Frequency
From this graph it can be said that Unilever can create a diverse working environment as
20 respondents of 30 say that unbiased discrimination can help in doing so while other 10 say
that having different types of work can help in doing so. These can be effectively implemented
by Unilever so that an equal and diverse workforce can be build.
Q5) What are the benefits of having equality and diversity in
workplace at Unilever?
Frequency
a) Increased innovation 12
b) Variety of work can be done 10
c) Better working environment 8
a) Increased innovation
b) Variety of work can be done
c) Better working environment
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Frequency
This graph help in determining that 12 workers of 30 say that equality and diversity help
in increasing innovation, 10 say that it can help the company in doing a variety of work while the

rest 8 say that it can help in creating better working environment. Thus there are various benefits
of increasing equality among workers irrespective of their differences.
Q6) How can involvement be beneficial for employees? Frequency
a) Increased job satisfaction 12
b) Better performance 8
c) Equal opportunities for growth 10
a) Increased job satisfaction
b) Better performance
c) Equal opportunities for growth
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Frequency
From this graph it can be said that from the 30 respondents, 12 say that involvement can
help in increasing job satisfaction, 8 say that it can help in improving their performance and the
rest 10 say that it can give them equal opportunities for growth. Thus equal treatment of workers
can help in proving various benefits to the workers.
Q7) What are the issues faced due to having a diverse workforce? Frequency
a) Increased resistance 15
b) language barriers 15

a) Increased resistance b) language barriers
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16 15 15
Frequency
From this graph it can be said that there are various barriers of having diverseness among
workers as 15 respondents out of 30 say that there can be increased resistance among workers for
bringing any change in company and rest 15 can say that it can create language barriers which
can affect effective communication in company. These barriers can be removed with the use of
effective techniques so that a good working environment can be created.
Q8) What are the disadvantages of not having an inclusive and
diverse workforce?
Frequency
a) Low employee retention 13
b) Low customer satisfaction 7
c) Poor performance of workers 10
a) Low employee retention
b) Low customer satisfaction
c) Poor performance of workers
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Frequency

From this graph it can be said that 13 respondents say that there the employee retention of
company will reduce, 7 say that there will be less customer satisfaction and rest 10 say that the
performance of workers will become poor if an equal and diverse working environment is not
created in company which increases the importance of reducing such a working environment.
Q9) What are the strategies and initiatives
which can help in creating such
environment?
Explanation
a) Employee engagement This can help in increasing participation of
workers in decision making irrespective of their
differences so that equality can be promoted.
b) Inclusion feedback Regular feedback related to inclusion must be
taken so that the improvement in inclusion in
company can be monitored.
c) Participative leadership Leaders of Unilever must use participative style
so that all the workers can be involved in decision
making.
Q10) How can the strategies be effectively
implemented in company?
Explanation
a) Implementation of Equality Act, 2010 This legislation must be involved in company
policies so that discrimination among workers
can be reduced effectively and strategies can
be implemented (Ng and Rumens, 2017).
b) Organisational culture Creating a culture where all the workers are
treated equally and diversity is respected can
also help in improving working environment.
c) Performance appraisals Appraising workers based on performance can
reduce discrimination based on their
characteristics and improve equality among
them.

P6) Recommendations
From the above discussion it can be said that Unilever can use various strategies and
initiatives that can help it in creating an inclusive and diverse workforce so that a large number
of benefits can be achieved by the company and its workers. Following are some
recommendations that can be followed by Unilever:
• Unilever must create a culture where differences are valued and equal and fair treatment
is given to the workers.
• Employee engagement needs to be improved so that an inclusive working environment
can be created for workers (Romani and Muhr, 2017).
• Performance appraisals, feedback related to inclusion etc. should be implemented by
Unilever so that effective working environment can be created.
TASK 3
P7 Reflection
Performance Review
What was the Project supposed to accomplish?
The project on which I completed the research was related with determining the strategies and
initiatives which can help in creating an inclusive and diverse workforce in an organisation.
Did the project succeed in its aims/ how do you know? Specifically, please outline any
evaluation and assessment undertaken?
I was successfully able to achieve the aims and objectives of the project I used my efficient and
effective research skills so that better results can be found which can be practically applied. The
research results which were drawn through this research can help Unilever in creating an
effective working environment by treating all its workers equally without their differences.
What things do you think worked well and why? Evaluate all aspects of the project?
During the project I was able to effectively utilise mu communication skills, research and
interpretation skills so that the objectives of research can be achieved on time. I was able to use
research tools effectively so that the project could be completed in a desired manner.
What problems emerged during the project and how were they tackled? Was there timely

identification of issues and resolution during the project process?
There were certain issues that were faced by me during the project like difficulty in convincing
respondents to take part in research, coordinating the work of team members, establishing
correct sample size etc. These issues were efficiently tackled by me through my effective
communication skills so that I was able to influence the respondents. I used my negotiation
skills in managing the work of team members so that coordination of work can take place.
These issues were identified on time so that I was able to take effective actions so that they can
be handled and the quality of project does not get compromised.
What did you learn from undertaking the project?
From this project I was able to improve my knowledge regarding importance of having equality
and diversity among workers in company and how such a workforce can be created as this help
in providing various benefits to the company. I also was able to refine my research skills and
how they can be practically applied so that better results can be achieved which can help me in
further enhancing my skills and doing better research in future.
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?
During the research I was able to identify that I have various areas where I am strong like
communication skills, use of research tools, negotiation skills, research and interpretation etc.
These strengths helped me in completing my project on time and in an efficient manner.
However, I also identified certain areas which require improvements so that I can become even
better at research like finding appropriate sources of research, determining sample size etc.
These needs to be improved so that I can become a better researcher.
How will this inform and support your continuous professional development?
This research will help me in getting research projects in future which will help me in
enhancing my knowledge in various subjects and also help me in improving my research skills.
It will also help me financially as I can be appointed as a researcher by various big firms which
will help in my continuous professional development.

Conclusion
From this report it can be concluded that for an organisation it is important that it treats
its employees equally without discriminating them based on their different characteristics so
through huge number of benefits can be achieved. Various methods can be systematically and
strategically implemented in company so that it can improve the performance of workers and
enhance its brand image in market. It can also be said that in order to conduct a research properly
it is important that appropriate research tools are used and data is collected from accurate and
authentic sources so that high quality results can be achieved.

References
Books and Journals
Bacouël-Jentjens, S. and Christiansen, L.C., 2016. Diversity management in Denmark and
France: A comparative approach. In Research handbook of international and
comparative perspectives on diversity management.
Bešić, A. and Hirt, C., 2016. Diversity management across borders: the role of the national
context. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.
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.
Cucari, N., Esposito De Falco, S. and Orlando, B., 2018. Diversity of board of directors and
environmental social governance: Evidence from Italian listed companies. Corporate
Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25(3), pp.250-266.
Davis, P.J., Frolova, Y. and Callahan, W., 2016. Workplace diversity management in
Australia. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.Sarter, E.K. and
Thomson, E., 2020. Fulfilling its promise? Strategic public procurement and the impact
of equality considerations on employers’ behaviour in Scotland. Public Money &
Management, 40(6), pp.437-445.
Edward Elgar Publishing.Carter, N., 2018. The politics of the environment: Ideas, activism,
policy. Cambridge University Press.
Ibrahim, A.H. and Hanefah, M.M., 2016. Board diversity and corporate social responsibility in
Jordan. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting.
Johansson, M. and Ringblom, L., 2017. The Business Case of Gender Equality in Swedish
Forestry and Mining‐Restricting or Enabling Organizational Change. Gender, Work &
Organization, 24(6), pp.628-642.
Klein, U., 2016, January. Gender equality and diversity politics in higher education: Conflicts,
challenges and requirements for collaboration. In Women's Studies International
Forum (Vol. 54, pp. 147-156). Pergamon.
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.
Loseke, D., 2017. Thinking about social problems: An introduction to constructionist
perspectives. Routledge
Lozano, J.F. and Escrich, T., 2017. Cultural diversity in business: A critical reflection on the
ideology of tolerance. Journal of Business Ethics, 142(4), pp.679-696.
Ng, E. and Rumens, N., 2017. Diversity and inclusion for LGBT workers: Current issues and
new horizons for research. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences. 34(2). pp.109-
120.
Romani, L., Holck, L., Holgersson, C. and Muhr, S.L., 2017. Diversity Management and the
Scandinavian Model: Illustrations from Denmark and Sweden . In☆ Management and
Diversity. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Online
Lynne .2019. Equality and diversity in workplace [Online] Available through:
<https://www.skillcast.com/blog/7-tips-promote-equality-end-workplace-
discrimination>
Charong .2019. Creating equality and diversity in workplace [Online] Available through:
<https://www.socialchorus.com/blog/employee-experience/15-ways-to-improve-
diversity-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace/>
Anja .2018. Benefits of equality and diversity [Online] Available through:
<https://www.talentlyft.com/en/blog/article/244/top-10-benefits-of-diversity-in-the-
workplace-infographic-included>

Project Logbook for the chosen
organisation:
Name of the learner: Name of the Supervisor:
Project Title: “To determine the strategies and
initiatives which can help in creating an
inclusive and diverse workforce in an
organisation.” A case study on Unilever.
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 research for finding
strategies that can be implemented in
company to create an inclusive and diverse
workforce.
Yes
Yes
No, I don't think any change is 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
Yes, Risk related to finding correct data
sources, determining sample size.

risks/issues that have an impact on the
project management plan?
Yes, I faced issues of convincing workers of
Unilever to participate in questionnaire and
interview, managing team etc.
Problems encountered
 What barriers did you face?
 How did you overcome them?
Time management and limitation of
resources.
I used Gantt chart and WBS to overcome
these issues.
New Ideas and change of project 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 sometimes felt stressed and confused but I
took help from my mentors and friends to
deal with them.
I put a lot of efforts for getting better results
while performing the tasks.
For improving the skills of next week I can
participate in more researches.
This can help me in becoming better in my
research skills so that better results can be
concluded.
Tasks planned for next week
 Which tasks are priority?
The main tasks for completion of project is
data collection and interpretation in
organized manner.

 Have you set aside sufficient time for
completion?
Yes, with the help of Gantt chart I allocated
time among different activities.
Project plan status to date (on, ahead, behind)
Supervisor comments to address
Signature of the Supervisor and date: