Investigation of Gender Discrimination in ASDA Stores - Project Plan

This project proposal investigates allegations of gender discrimination against women working in ASDA stores. It outlines a comprehensive plan, including an overview of the research, which examines the legal context of equal pay and potential discrimination within ASDA's workforce. The project aims to identify the ratio of male and female workers, understand relevant UK laws, analyze past legal actions against ASDA, and assess the company's policies on discrimination. The proposal details the scope, limitations, resources, and costs, including a Gantt chart and a risk register. It uses both primary and secondary sources, such as government reports and employee feedback. The project management section discusses project stages and potential risks, such as financial constraints and unskilled team members, along with mitigation strategies. The ultimate goal is to provide recommendations for ASDA to address and overcome gender inequality issues, contributing to a more equitable workplace.

Project Proposal

Table of Contents
Topic: Investigation if women working in ASDA store are facing gender discrimination.............1
Task 1: Project Plan.........................................................................................................................1
Overview of research..............................................................................................................1
Aim and Objectives................................................................................................................1
Scope and limitations.............................................................................................................2
Resources and cost considerations.........................................................................................2
Gantt chart..............................................................................................................................2
Risk Register and project management..................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

Topic: Investigation if women working in ASDA store are facing gender
discrimination
Task 1: Project Plan
Overview of research
As per the employment tribunal rule, every woman has right to get equal pay for job at
workplace, under any condition, if employer fails to meet the same, then they can make
complaints about it (Barrientos, 2019). In case of ASDA, it is one of the top retailers of UK and
has more than 631 stores; where near about 165,000 workers are currently employed. According
to BBC report, this retailer has faced a mass legal action due to unequal payment scale at its
stores (Asda faces mass legal action over equal pay for women, 2014).
In this regard, under present report, an investigation is going to carry out for studying if
respective organisation has made discrimination in workers on the basis of gender, or it is just an
allegation. The main reason to conduct this project on chosen topic, is to critique the feminist
leadership, including policies that organisations have made to improve women's role at
workplace. Since gender discrimination issue is considered as unethical practices, therefore,
making investigation on chosen company which is one of the largest retailers, give advantage to
evaluate employment policies and strategies that are made to resolve it (Alexander, 2020). For
this purpose, number of secondary and primary sources like newspaper articles, government
report, feedback of employees of ASDA etc. will be taken, to conduct a proper case study, so
that proper recommendations can be made for this firm to overcome from the same.
Aim and Objectives
Aim: “To investigate the allegations made on ASDA for discriminating its workers on the
basis of gender”.
Objectives:
 To identify the ratio of man and women workers in ASDA stores
 To determine the laws and legislations of UK made for improving condition of labours at
workplace
 To underpin the legal actions faced by ASDA due to allegations of paying less to women
as compared to men in its stores
 To identify the policies of ASDA which are made to reduce discrimination at workplace
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Scope and limitations
Scope: This section help in determining the effectiveness which a project manager will
gain through the respective research. Moreover, it will also help project manager in developing
effective decision. Conducting a project on such a vast topic, aid project makers to enhance their
knowledge about employment rights, including contribution of public authorities of a country in
improving the condition of labours at workplace (O’Brien, 2020). This research will also help in
determining women's condition in today's business environment, as well as ways which will aid
to improving the same. The included scope of this project is gather authenticate data which
proves whether allegations made on ASDA was true or not. While excluded scope includes what
kind of discriminations are still happen at workplace in organisations.
Limitation: It is considered as a factor which seems limitations for a project manager
because they will not able to conduct their wok in effective as well as appropriate manner.
Shortage of time and authenticate resources, may arise limitations in obtaining the effective
outcomes in present research. So it is essential for the project manager to understand these
factors as well as develop strategies for overcome it in the effective manner.
Resources and cost considerations
In this section of research, project manager will determined what all resources they
required for conducting specific project in the effective manner. Moreover, they will also
identify financial requirement for the accomplishment of work in effective manner for the
attainment of desire goal as well as objective. In order to make investigation on chosen topic, a
number of resources are required, which includes – efficient time, internet, human resources,
authenticate websites, pen drive to store information, digital technology (for gathering, analysing
and presenting primary data information) and so forth (Konov, 2016). Hereby, to bring all these
resources and conduct entire activities of project, adequate amount of capital is also required,
which is near about £250.
Gantt chart
It is developed by Henry Gantt around the 1910 to 1915. It is considered as type of bar
chart which generally illustrates about project schedule as well as it also shows dependent
relationship among the activities as well as current schedule status. In addition to this, gantt chart
is effective for the research or project manager as it will help in visualizing its resource capacity.
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This will also allows them to effective allocate people to the project so that key resources cannot
be wasted.
Risk Register and project management
Risk register is a tool or technique related to the risk management as well as project
management. The risk register incorporates all data about each distinguished risk, for example,
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the nature of that risk, level of risk or hazard, who claims it and what are the relief quantifies set
up to react to it. The main purpose of developing risk registers is that it provides project manager
a list of dangers distinguished, stated clearly and evaluated with regards to their significance to
meeting venture destinations. The risk register can lead straightforwardly to risk taking care, for
example, risk mitigation. On the other hand, project management is consider as process which
include several practices or act such as initiate, plan, execute, control, and closing project by a
group in order to accomplish explicit objectives as well as meet explicit achievement models at
the predefined time. The essential test of project management is to accomplish the entirety of the
undertaking objectives inside the given requirements. There are several advantages which
respective project, project manager will gain through development of project management such
as effective goal setting, high level of expertise, improve communication, enhance customers
satisfaction and many more. The risk register and project management of respective research is
given below:-
Risk register
Risk overview Type of
influence
Implication Chance of
occurrence
Consequences Mitigation
strategy
Maintain ethics
and reliability
High In order to
overcome
respective risk
project manager
will conduct
collection of
authenticated data
only might arise
risk on obtaining
outcomes in
desired period of
time. It is so
because if they not
do so then it will
directly impact on
High Considering
authenticity of
each source
increase
reliability of
outcomes. In
addition to this
it will also
increase
effectiveness
of the project
manager at the
specific
industry.
In order to
overcome this
risk, the
strategies
which project
manager can
adopt are
audit the data
periodically,
maintain
quality of
research. This
is so because
it will help in
determining
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the reliability of
the information,
data and statistics
which are gathered
by researcher
related to topic.
that data or
information
are reliable as
well as
collected
through legal
sources in
ethical
manner.
Financial aspect Low Shortage of
finance while
conducting
operating and
functions related
to project might
hamper the way of
completing project
activities in
desired way. In
addition to this, it
will also impact on
the attaining of
desire or standard
outcome of the
research
successfully.
Low The shortage of
finance will
directly and
indirectly
impact on the
effectiveness
of research
outcomes. So it
is essential for
researcher to
arrange proper
source of
finance so that
researcher as
well as other
members
conduct their
practices
properly and
effectively.
In order to
overcome this
issue or risk
project
manager of
respective
project need
to use
available cost
as well as
resources
proper way so
that it will be
utilised
properly for
the attainment
of desire
outcome
effectively.
Unskilled or High The respective risk High Due to this In order to
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under skilled
team members
will directly
impact on the
outcome of the
project. This will
also affect the
accomplishment
seclude or time of
the research. In
addition to this,
there is less
change that
members will
gather authenticate
as well as reliable
information related
to the topic.
accomplishmen
t of work is not
conducted on
time as well as
it will also
effect on the
accomplishmen
t of the project
effectively
because
members not
able to gather
proper
information or
data or
statistics.
overcome this
risk
management
of project
need to
provide
training
classes to the
members so
that they
know how to
gather
information or
data in
effective
manner.
Along with
this it will also
help in
attainment of
research
objective in
effective
manner.
Time
consideration
High If project manager
face this risk then
it will directly lead
to delay in
completing the
project activities,
may arise issue
High Conducting
some tasks like
gathering
secondary
information
from
authenticate
Developing
research skills
and
communicatio
n abilities
with usage of
digital
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submitting the
project on time.
Moreover, it will
also hamper the
quality or standard
of work which is
related to the
project.
sources only
and including
participation of
employees of
ASDA in
survey, may
consume much
time. In
addition to this,
it will also help
in determining
that
information or
data which are
gathered are
authenticating
as well as
reliable.
techniques
help in
completing
project in set
duration.
Along with
this, project
manager can
hire
professional
who know
how to
accomplish a
particular
work in less
time or they
can provide
training to all
members so
that they
conduct work
on time as
well as
effective
manner.
Project management
In order to overcome these risks, project manager of respective project may adopt
process of project management which is based on the five stages i.e. project initiation, project
planning, project execution, project monitoring and at last Project closure. By adopting and
implementing these stages of project management respective project, project manager able to
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minimize or overcome situation which lead to risk as well as it will also help in accomplishment
of project in effective and successful manner. In addition to this it is essential for the respective
research project manager to determine risk as well as issues which research and their team are
face while gathering information or data related to topic. This is so because that will help project
manager in developing most effective decision which leads to accomplishment of project in
specific or allotted time duration. Moreover, there are some strategies which research or project
manager will adopt while developing strategies or plans such as train project manager and its
team so they gather authenticate as well as reliable information related to topic i.e. Investigation
if women working in ASDA store are facing gender discrimination. This will also provide
project manager an opportunity through which they can suggest effective plan or strategy to
ASDA so that they can overcome risk or issues related to gender inequality which are faced by
women employees.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Barrientos, S. (2019). Gender and work in global value chains: Capturing the gains?.
Cambridge University Press.
Alexander, R. (2020). Emerging roles of lead buyer governance for sustainability across global
production networks. Journal of Business Ethics. 162(2), 269-290.
O’Brien, S. B. (2020). Reasonable responses versus proportionality in employee dismissal cases:
A comparison between the Employment Rights Act 1996, s 98 (4) and the Equality Act
2010, s 13 (2), s 15 (1)(b), and s 19 (2)(d). The Student Journal of Professional Practice
and Academic Research. 2(1).
Konov, J. (2016). Piercing the Veil’s Effect on Corporate Human Rights Violations &
International Corporate Crime (Human Trafficking, Slavery, etc). Scholedge
International Journal of Multidisciplinary & Allied Studies. 3(5). 83-115.
Online
Asda faces mass legal action over equal pay for women. (2014). [Online] Available
Through:<https://www.bbc.com/news/business-29753702>.
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