Central Australian College: Diversity and Wesfarmers Case Study Report

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of diversity and diversity management within Wesfarmers, an Australian retail conglomerate. It examines the company's approach to fostering an inclusive workplace, focusing on gender balance and the inclusion of Indigenous people. The study delves into the background of diversity management, its benefits, and the factors that influence its effectiveness, such as recruitment, training, organizational culture, and performance management. It identifies the challenges Wesfarmers faces in managing its diverse workforce and the strategies it employs to overcome these issues. The research methodology includes a quantitative research design, with primary data collected through surveys from 200 Wesfarmers employees in Hobart, Australia. The report also covers ethical considerations, the significance of the study, and concludes with findings, recommendations, and a discussion of how Wesfarmers can further improve its diversity management practices. The report also highlights Wesfarmers' financial performance, market share, and workforce demographics, emphasizing the importance of diversity in achieving business success.

Running head: DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST
CENTURY
CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE
HOBART, TASMANIA
BSBRES801 Initiate and lead applied research
DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY:
A CASE STUDY OF WESFARMERS, AUSTRALIA
Name of the Student:
Submission Date:

1DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this paper based on the topic “Diversity and Diversity
Management in the 21st Century: A Case Study of Wesfarmers, Australia” is
a piece of original work. I have offered due credit to the scholars or the
authors whose works have been used for reference by way of in-text
citations and a reference list. I further certify that this paper had not been
published or submitted by anyone else apart from me.
Thank You
-----------------------------------------------------------
(Name of the Student)

2DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would firstly like to thank my Professor, Mr……, for giving me the
opportunity to complete my paper on the topic “Diversity and Diversity
Management in the 21st Century: A Case Study of Wesfarmers, Australia”. I
would also thank my Supervisor for the constant academic support provided
by him and without which I would not have been able to complete this
paper.
Lastly, I would also like to thank my friends and family members for the
constant support that they have offered me.
Thank you
-------------------------------------------------------
(Name of the Student)

3DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
ABSTRACT
The aim of this paper is to undertake an analysis of diversity and diversity
management in the 21st century in the particular context of the corporation
Wesfarmers. Furthermore, the study also focuses on the diversity
management issues faced by the corporations and also the measures which
they are using for the resolution of the same. The researcher intends to
complete the study through the usage of the quantitative research design
and thereby the primary data collection method had used. More
importantly, the researcher intends to use the tool of survey to collect
information from 200 workers of the retail outlets of Wesfarmers in Hobart,
Australia. For the analysis of this data the researcher intends to use the
quantitative data analysis method. The entire study would be completed
within 7 weeks. This study is an important one since it highlights the
diversity management issues faced by the retail corporations through the
usage of the case study of Wesfarmers and also the manner in which the
corporations can overcome these diversity management issues.

4DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................6
1.1 Chapter Overview..................................................................................6
1.2 Background of the Study.......................................................................6
1.3 Overview of Wesfarmers........................................................................7
1.4 Diversity Management in Wesfarmers...................................................9
1.5 Diversity Management Issues faced by Wesfarmers...........................10
1.6 Measures used by Wesfarmers for addressing its Diversity
Management Issues...................................................................................12
1.7 Rationale of the Study..........................................................................13
1.8 Research Objectives, Questions and Hypotheses................................14
1.9 Summary..............................................................................................15
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................17
2.1 Introduction.........................................................................................17
2.2 Diversity and Diversity Management...................................................17
2.3 Benefits offered by Diversity Management..........................................18
2.4 Factors affecting Diversity Management.............................................19
2.4.1 Recruitment and Selection............................................................19
2.4.2 Training and Development............................................................19
2.4.3 Organizational Cultural.................................................................20
2.4.4 Performance Management............................................................20
2.5 Issues faced by corporations related to Diversity Management.........20
2.6 Conceptual Framework........................................................................21
2.7 Literature Gap......................................................................................22
2.8 Summary..............................................................................................22

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..................................................23
3.1 Introduction.........................................................................................23
3.2 Research Design..................................................................................23
3.3 Study Area............................................................................................23
3.4 Sampling..............................................................................................23
3.5 Sample Size..........................................................................................23
3.6 Data Collection.....................................................................................24
3.7 Instrumentation...................................................................................24
3.8 Data Analysis Tools..............................................................................24
3.9 Data Analysis Method..........................................................................24
3.10 Budget................................................................................................25
3.11 Timeline.............................................................................................25
3.12 Limitations of the Study.....................................................................26
3.13 Conclusion..........................................................................................26
CHAPTER 4: ETHICS AND RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE.............................27
4.1 Ethical Considerations.........................................................................27
4.2 Significance of the Study.....................................................................27
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................29
5.1 Summary of the Findings.....................................................................29
5.2 Conclusion............................................................................................29
5.3 Recommendations................................................................................30
References.....................................................................................................32

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Chapter Overview
This chapter highlights the important facets of the study on the basis
of which the entire study had been conducted. For instance, the researcher
had elucidated the background information of the study, the concepts of
diversity and diversity management in the 21st century and also the manner
in which the major business corporations like Wesfarmers are managing
diversity presently and others. In addition to these, the researcher had also
formulated the important hypotheses of the study in this particular chapter
along with discussion of the same.
1.2 Background of the Study
As stated by Becket (2016), the process of globalization as well as the
extensive usage of the different modern technological developments had
substantially changed the nature of the contemporary business world.
Anderson and Bolton (2018) are of the viewpoint that this change is not only
perceptible in the particular context of the products or the services which
are being offered by the contemporary business or the business models
which are being used by them but also when the workforce of the modern-
day corporations are being taken into account. For instance, it is seen that
an important feature of the workforce of the contemporary business
corporations can be attributed to the fact that unlike the earlier times they
have become highly diverse in nature (Vaiman, Collings & Scullion, 2017).
As a matter of fact, the corporations are increasing offering employment
opportunities to people from diverse social, ethnic, cultural and other
backgrounds to complete the different organizational works in an effective
manner. This can be explained on the basis of the fact that the
contemporary corporations not only operate in diverse markets or locations
but also offer a wide array of services or products which require different
kinds of skill sets or expertise level (McCallaghan, Jackson & Heyns, 2019).

7DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Furthermore, by fostering diversity the corporations are being able to
facilitate the exchange or for that matter the transfer of skill sets or
knowledge among the workers which in turn would enable them to
complete different tasks adequately and thereby enhance individual as well
as organizational performance as well (Markey et al., 2018). In addition to
these, it had been seen that the national governments of the different
nations of the world like Australia, Canada and others had mandated the
business corporations to offer adequate employment opportunities to the
diverse ethnic groups, indigenous people and others of their nation so as to
facilitate the development or the growth of these people and also of the
national economy as well (Young & Jones, 2019).
Ying Liao et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that the contemporary
corporations not only needs to focus on the enhancement of their workforce
diversity in terms of different ethnic groups, indigenous people, people from
different social or cultural backgrounds and others but also on the inclusion
of women, people with diverse kinds of disability and others. Adding to this,
Dhanani and Jones (2017) have noted that an important challenge that the
different corporations face related to the fostering of diversity within their
workplace can be attributed to the fact that because of the differences in
values, beliefs and other important attributes held by these people the
number of workplace conflicts increases substantially. This if not managed
adequately can adversely affect the growth or the development of the
corporation and also negatively affect their profitability as well (Noon,
2018). Thus, it becomes important for the corporations to use the process of
negotiation to resolve these conflicts, enhance engagement among the
workers and also take the help of other important so as to derive the
required benefits from their diverse workforce. It is in the background of
these facets of the process of diversity that this study aims to undertake an
analysis of diversity and diversity management in the 21st century in the
particular context of the business corporation Wesfarmers.

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1.3 Overview of Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers Limited, established in 1914 by Farmers' and Settlers'
Association of Western Australia and headquartered in 40 The Esplanade,
Perth, Western Australia, Australia, is an Australian conglomerate which
has extensive interests in the Australian and New Zealand retail industry
(Wesfarmers.com.au, 2020). The primary idea behind the formation of this
particular conglomerate was to offer the best quality merchandise and
services to the Western Australian farmers and gradually it grew into a
major retail conglomerate of the nations of Australia and New Zealand
(Forbes.com, 2020). Furthermore, in the year 1984 the corporation was
listed on the “Australian Securities Exchange” and in the year 2016 it
became the largest retail corporation of the nation of Australia overtaking
Woolworths and BHP (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2020). More importantly, the
corporation under discussion here is known for the high quality of retail
products, chemicals, insurance services, telecommunication services,
information technology services, fertilizers, coal mining and other similar
products or services that it offers to its target market (Forbes.com, 2020).
The concerned corporation has various subsidiaries like Coles, Kmart,
Bunnings Warehouse, Harris Technologies and others operational in the
nations of Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, India, United Kingdom and
others (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2020).

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Figure 1: Financial Statistics of Wesfarmers Limited
Source: Wesfarmers.com.au (2020)
As per Wesfarmers.com.au (2020), the net profitability generated by
Wesfarmers in the year 2019 was $2,772 million whereas the gross revenue
generated by it was $68.44 billion which in turn makes it the largest retail
corporation of the nation of Australia. In addition to these, it had been seen
that the corporation under discussion here holds more than 38.9% of the
market share within the retail industry of the nation of Australia, which is a
matter of fact makes it the largest retail corporation of Australia in terms of
the market share held by it (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2020). Furthermore, as of
2019 the corporation offered employment to more than 223,000 people from
Australia, New Zealand and the other nations of its operation and a
significant number of these workers of the corporation are indigenous
people, people from different cultural, social and ethnic backgrounds
(Forbes.com, 2020). In this relation, it needs to be said that the effective
usage of this diverse workforce of the corporation had not only enabled it to

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substantially improve its performance in the present times but also greatly
contributed towards the success attained by the same as well.
1.4 Diversity Management in Wesfarmers
Anderson and Bolton (2018) are of the viewpoint that the retail
industry in the present times had emerged the largest industry of the world
within the economic framework of the different nations of the world and
thereby offers employment opportunities to millions of people all over the
world. Adding to this, Mazibuko and Govender (2017) have noted that the
retail industry deals with customers from all walks of the society
irrespective of economic, social, cultural or the ethnic background to which
they belong and thus it becomes important for the retail corporations to
recruit workers from different backgrounds so as to offer adequate
customer services to its diverse clientele. More importantly, it had been
seen that for the effective management of their diverse workforce the retail
corporations are increasingly taking the help of the process of diversity
management and ingraining the same within the human resources
management practices and also the overall business strategies followed by
them (Gould & Sardeshmukh, 2017). This as a matter of fact had helped the
corporations related to the retail industry to substantially broaden its target
market through the improvement of its customer service and thereby
achieve the required amount of success as well. In this regard, the retail
conglomerate Wesfarmers is no different since over the years it had been
seen that the concerned corporation had embraced the process of diversity
and diversity management for the becoming the largest retail corporation of
Australia.
According to Wesfarmers.com.au (2020), the goal of the diversity
management practices followed by the corporation is to “strive to create an
inclusive work environment, with particular attention to gender balance and
the inclusion of Indigenous people”. In this relation, it needs to be said that
the concerned corporation is one of the pioneers in terms of diversity and

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diversity management practices followed by it and thereby are very few
corporations of Australia which can match with these practices or policies
followed by Wesfarmers. For instance, it had been seen that 35.1% of the
workers of the concerned corporation are females whereas 28.9% of the
employees holding management or leadership designations within the
corporation are females which as a matter of fact is the highest in the
nation of Australia (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2020). More importantly, it is seen
that the diversity in terms of workforce of Wesfarmers is not just limited to
male-female diversity rather it extends to diversity in terms of indigenous
people, workers from different cultural, social or ethnic backgrounds as
well. As a matter of fact, it is seen that 2.2% of the total workforce of the
concerned corporation are indigenous people of Australia and the
corporation is planning is enhance this representation even further
(Wesfarmers.com.au, 2020). More importantly, the corporation is presently
undertaking various campus drives and other similar kinds of activities to
hire more workers from diverse backgrounds so as to enhance the diversity
of the corporation (Forbes.com, 2020). In addition to these, it had been seen
that the various kinds of basic as well as advanced training programs,
workshops and others are being offered to these workers so that they would
be able to perform as per the expectations of the corporation and thereby
make the most of the employment opportunity that had been offered to
them while contributing towards the overall growth of the corporation as
well (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2020). Furthermore, the corporation had also
formulated adequate diversity management policies, inclusion policies and
others so as to effectively address the conflicts or the issues which might
arise on the score of the same and achieve the objectives with which these
policies are being used.
1.5 Diversity Management Issues faced by Wesfarmers
Philip and Soumyaja (2019) are of the viewpoint that the concept of
diversity management is a nascent one and thus it is seen that there are not

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many business corporations which are ardently following or using the same.
Adding to this, Trittin and Schoeneborn (2017) have noted that the issues or
for that matter the challenges which the different business corporations
face related to the usage of the concepts of diversity and diversity
management often deter them from the usage of the same. In this relation,
it needs to be said that some of the most important challenges or the issues
that the different retail corporations normally face related to the usage of
the concept of workforce diversity are performance management, career
development, recruitment and selection, diversity management policies or
practices, training and development and others (Bizjak, 2019). In the
particular context of the retail corporation Wesfarmers it is seen that the
most important issue related to diversity management that the concerned
corporation is presently facing can be attributed to the aspect of
performance management (Forbes.com, 2020).
As discussed by Bizjak, Faldetta and Sicca (2018), performance
management is an important process used by the contemporary business
corporations for the evaluation, analysis and also for the improvement of
the performance of their workers. Adding to this, Pepple and Davies (2019)
have noted that the corporations generally outline certain performance
standards or key performance indicators on the basis of which the
performance of the workers is being evaluated and also constructive
feedbacks are being offered to them for the further improvement of their
performance. In the particular context of the corporation Wesfarmers it is
seen that the concerned corporation had been facing performance related
issues since all the workers of the diverse workforce of the corporation have
not been able to perform as per the expectations or for that matter the
needs of the corporation. This can be explained on the basis of the fact that
often it is seen that the people from diverse backgrounds do not have the
skill sets which are on par with the ones possessed by the people of the
mainland (Dogra & Dixit, 2016). This in turn had adversely affected the

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performance of the different teams of the corporation under discussion here
and thereby the overall performance of the corporation as well. Another
important issue that the corporation is presently facing in relation to
diversity is related to the aspect of recruitment and selection. For instance,
it had been seen that the concerned corporation for the enhancement of its
workforce diversity is offering employment opportunities to the people from
different social, cultural or ethnic backgrounds without stringently
scrutinizing their qualification or skill sets (Bizjak, 2019). Although this had
substantially boosted the diversity of the concerned corporation yet at the
same time it is seen that this had adversely affected the overall performance
of the corporation. More importantly, the corporation offers employment
opportunities to a limited number of people and thus it can be said that had
the corporation not focused on enhancing its workforce diversity then it
would have been able to offer employment opportunities to the individuals
with adequate skill sets or qualification which in turn would have positively
benefited the corporation.
Training and development is another important challenge related to
diversity that the corporation under discussion here is presently facing.
Dogra and Dixit (2016) are of the viewpoint that the learning style or for
that matter the learning abilities of the individuals is greatly reliant on the
cultural, ethnic or the social background to which they belong. Thus, it had
been having a diverse workforce makes it very difficult for the concerned
corporation to offer the required training to its workers since because of
their diversity there is a huge difference in their learning style or learning
ability. Another important challenge that the concerned corporation is
presently facing is related to the aspect of career development of the
workers who are from different cultural, social or ethnic backgrounds. For
instance, the concerned corporation needs to offer various kinds of
advanced training programs, conduct workshops and others for the
development of the leadership, management and other kinds of abilities of

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these workers (Johanson & Vakkuri, 2017). In addition to these, it had been
seen that the corporations in order to ensure that their workplace boasts of
a congenial workplace culture wherein the workers from different social,
cultural or ethnic backgrounds would not have to face any form of
discrimination or stigmatization needs to formulate adequate diversity
management policies taking into account the needs of all its workers (De
Jong, 2016). In the particular context of Wesfarmers, it had been seen that
although the concerned corporation had been able to develop adequate
diversity management policies for the management of its workforce
diversity yet at the same time it had been seen that it is still facing various
kinds of conflicts among its different workers which in turn is adversely
affecting its organizational culture and its overall performance.
Furthermore, these diversity management policies or the practices of the
corporation are not being regularly evaluated or for that matter amended as
per the changing needs of the corporation. These in short are some of the
most important diversity management issues that the corporation under
discussion here is presently facing.
1.6 Measures used by Wesfarmers for addressing its Diversity
Management Issues
Garcia Martinez, Zouaghi and Garcia Marco (2017) are of the
viewpoint that the effectiveness or the efficiency of the diversity
management policies or the practices used by the corporations substantially
depends on the extent to which they are being able to resolve or for that
matter address the issues related to the same. Adding to this, Özbilgin et al.
(2016) have noted that the different corporations are firstly required to
effectively identify the diversity management issues that they are facing and
on the basis of the same formulate the measures or the strategies taking
into perspective the viewpoints of all the stakeholders involved in the same
for the resolution of the issues. In the particular context of the corporation
Wesfarmers, it had been seen that the concerned corporation had also

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devised various kinds of measures for the adequate resolution of the
different diversity management issues that it is facing presently. Some of
the most important ones in this regard are the formulation of a new
performance management system, training and development program,
career development plan, diversity management policies and others
(Forbes.com, 2020).
Wesfarmers for addressing the performance management issues that
it had been facing on the score of its diverse workforce had development a
new performance management system through which periodical
performance assessments rather than annual assessments of the
performance of the workers are being undertaken. More importantly, on the
basis of the results obtained from this particular performance assessment
constructive feedback, training programs, skill development workshops and
others are being organized so as to help the workers to perform as per the
expectations of the corporation and thereby contribute towards its growth
or development (Kröger, 2018). Furthermore, it had been seen that the
corporation under discussion here had also modified its training or
development programs as well and the learning abilities or for that matter
the learning styles of all the workers of the corporation are being taken into
account for the designing of these training and development programs. In
addition to these, the corporation had also made significant changes within
the career development plan which is being used by it. For instance, on the
basis of the needs of the workers and also their performance relevant
management, leadership and other skill development training programs are
being offered to them so as help them to acquire the skills which will
enable them to elongate their career within the corporation (Romani et al.,
2017). Furthermore, the corporation had also modified its recruitment and
selection strategy as well in order to resolve the diversity management
issues that it is presently facing. As a matter of fact, it is seen that unlike
the earlier times the HR professionals of the corporation under discussion

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here are laying special emphasis on the qualifications, expertise, skill sets
and the other important attributes of the candidates which will enable them
to perform as per the expectations of the corporations and thereby make a
positive contribution towards the growth of the corporation (Forbes.com,
2020). Lastly, changes have also been made within the diversity
management policies or the practices which are being followed by the
corporation. For example, the present diversity management policy of the
corporation had been designed taking into account the perspective all the
workers of the corporation and also different zero tolerance policies have
been formulated to ensure the fact that the workers from diverse cultural,
social or ethnic backgrounds do not have to any discrimination or
stigmatization within the corporation (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2020). These
measures used by the corporation under discussion here had enabled the
corporation to effective reduce the negative connotations of the different
diversity management issues that it is presently facing if not to completely
resolve the same.
1.7 Rationale of the Study
The aim of this study is to undertake an analysis of diversity and
diversity management in the 21st century in the particular context of the
corporation Wesfarmers. Romani et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that the
concept of diversity is an important one from the perspective of the 21st
century business landscape not only because of the diverse clientele that
they need to deal with but also on the score of the fact that the people are
becoming increasingly multicultural. More importantly, the wide array of
services or the work which is being performed by the contemporary retail
corporations requires workers with diverse skill sets or expertise for the
completion (Knights & Omanović, 2016). Furthermore, if the workforce of a
corporation is a highly diverse one then the workers have the option to
learn new skill sets from their colleagues and thereby complete their work
in an effective manner and also complete different varieties of tasks as well

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(Syed & Ozbilgin, 2019). In addition to these, this also substantially
improves the organizational or the workplace cultural of the corporations
and thereby helps the workers to perform as per their maximum potentiality
and offer the required services to the diverse clientele of the organizations
(Hennekam, Tahssain‐Gay & Syed, 2017). However, at the same time it
needs to be despite the plethora of benefits offered by the effective usage of
the process of diversity management it had been seen that the majority of
the retail corporations even in the 21st century have not been able to
adequately inculcate diversity within their workforce.
As discussed by Davis, Frolova and Callahan (2016), an important
challenge that the different retail corporations are presently facing related
to the inculcation of diversity within their workforce can be attributed to the
fact that if adequate diversity management policies or practices are not
being used then this can lead to various kinds of conflicts or issues. Adding
to this, Kakabadse and Bank (2018) have noted that in the absence of any
diversity management practices the workers from different cultural, social
or ethnic backgrounds are likely to face a substantial amount of
discrimination or stigmatization within the workplace which can not only
adversely affect their individual performance but can also take a toll on the
overall organizational performance as well. Thus, it had become important
for the contemporary retail corporations like Wesfarmers and others to
develop adequate diversity management policies or practices so as to reap
the desired benefits from the inculcation of workplace diversity. In the light
of these aspects, the researcher in this paper by analyzing the diversity
management within Wesfarmers (which is one of the most successful
corporations of Australia in terms of diversity management) had elucidated
the manner in which the contemporary retail corporations need to manage
diversity within their workplace so as to get adequate benefits from the
usage of the concept of workplace diversity. For the attainment of this
particular end, the researcher had tried to apply the concepts articulated in

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the past literature related to the concepts of diversity and diversity
management to the corporation Wesfarmers for highlighting the manner in
which the retail corporations need to use the same.
1.8 Research Objectives, Questions and Hypotheses
On the basis of the above discussion, the research objectives that had
been formulated for the conduct of this study are listed below-
1. To identify the most important diversity management issues that the
contemporary retail corporations face through the usage of the case
study of Wesfarmers
2. To understand the benefits that the retail corporations can derive
through the effective usage of the process of diversity management
through the usage of the case study of Wesfarmers
3. To evaluate the manner in which the retail corporations need to
manage their workforce diversity through the usage of the case study
of Wesfarmers
4. To recommend ways through which Wesfarmers can overcome its
diversity management issues
The research questions on which the study will focus upon are listed below-
1. What are the most important diversity management issues that the
contemporary retail corporations face through the usage of the case
study of Wesfarmers?
2. What are the benefits that the retail corporations can derive through
the effective usage of the process of diversity management through
the usage of the case study of Wesfarmers?
3. How can the retail corporations manage their workforce diversity
through the usage of the case study of Wesfarmers?
4. What are the ways through which Wesfarmers can overcome its
diversity management issues?

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The hypotheses of this study are listed below-
H1- Diversity management positively contributes towards the growth or the
development of the corporations
H0- Diversity management does not contribute towards the growth or the
development of the corporations
On the basis of this, it can be said that the purpose of this study is to
to undertake an analysis of diversity and diversity management in the 21st
century in the particular context of the corporation Wesfarmers with special
emphasis to the diversity management issues faced by them.
1.9 Summary
To sum up, the researcher in the above discussion had highlighted the
background or for that matter the context in which the entire study had
been conducted. More importantly, the researcher had also presented an
overview of the workforce diversity and the diversity management practices
which are being used by Wesfarmers. Along with this, the researcher had
also highlighted the diversity management issues that the concerned
corporation is presently facing and also the measures which are being
adopted by the corporation for the resolution of the same. This information
had been used by the researcher for the purpose of formulating the
objectives on the basis of which the entire study would be conducted. In
addition to these, the researcher had also highlighted the importance of this
particular topic from the perspective of the contemporary business world
and also formulated relevant hypotheses on the basis of which the entire
study would be conducted.

20DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter presents an overview of the past secondary literature
related to the concepts of diversity and diversity management. More
importantly, discussion related to the benefits offered by diversity
management, the factors which affect the same, the issues related to the
usage of diversity management and others have been undertaken. In
addition to these, the researcher had also elucidated the gap which exists in
literature related to diversity and diversity management that this study
intends to overcome.
2.2 Diversity and Diversity Management
As discussed by Benschop, (2016), diversity in workforce refers to the
wide array of workers be it terms of social, cultural or ethnic differences
that a particular workplace boasts of. Ozturk and Tatli (2016) are of the
viewpoint that the contemporary corporations because of their international
or global business operations often consists of workers from different
backgrounds so as to adequately complete the different work or job roles
within their workplace. More importantly, as per the employment
regulations of the different nations of the world the corporations are
required to offer adequate employment opportunities to people from the
diverse minority groups, cultural, social or ethnic backgrounds and others
(Kundu & Mor, 2017). This in turn had substantially enhanced the
workplace diversity within the workplaces of the different business
corporations and thereby given rise to the concept of diversity
management.
Ali and French (2019) are of the diversity management refers to the
organizational measures or the organizational actions which are being
undertaken by a particular business corporation for the purpose of

21DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
promoting greater inclusion of the workers who are from different cultural,
social or ethnic backgrounds. Adding to this, Kundu and Mor (2016) have
noted that the diversity management process used by the different
corporations aims to empower the workers, facilitate the exchange of
knowledge and skills among the workers and also create the kind of
workplace culture wherein the workers from different backgrounds would
be able to work in a collective manner and thereby positively contribute
towards organizational growth or development. More importantly, it had
been seen that there are various characteristic features of the diversity
management process used by the different business corporations like it is
voluntary in nature, it should offer tangible benefits to the corporations,
needs to be respected as well as followed by all the employees including the
top management and others (Becket, 2016). In this relation, it needs to be
said that an important factor which propels the different business
corporations for adequately utilizing the construct of diversity management
can be attributed to the benefits offered by the usage of the concerned
process.
2.3 Benefits offered by Diversity Management
Sanyang and Othman (2019) are of the viewpoint that an important
benefit offered by the process of diversity management is the fact that the
adequate usage of this particular process positively affects the overall
organizational performance of the different business corporations. Adding
to this, Anderson and Bolton (2018) have noted that unlike the earlier times
presently the business corporations are offering a wide range of products or
services to their target market and also the clientele with which they deal
with is a highly diverse one. More importantly, for offering these products
or services or for the purpose of offering adequate customer services to this
diverse clientele the corporations require a highly diverse workforce which
will be able to effectively perform these job roles (Otaye-Ebede, 2019).
Thus, the process of diversity management by helping the corporations to

22DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
enhance their workforce diversity and also effectively manage the same
offers the organizations the required opportunities to handle these two
responsibilities. This can be explained on the basis of the fact that the
workers from different backgrounds have different skill sets or expertise
level and thus by fostering workforce diversity the corporations offers the
opportunity to the workers to learn new skill sets from the colleagues
(Ravazzani, 2016). This in turn enables them to complete different job roles,
use the concepts of innovation, design thinking, creativity and others for the
completion of the job roles that are being delegated to them. Furthermore,
the diversity of workforce also means that the corporations would be able to
adequately address the diverse needs or for that matter the requirements of
its clientele or the target market on which it focuses upon which in turn
would enable them to earn their satisfaction or loyalty and thereby enhance
their performance as well as profitability (Chaudhry, 2016).
As discussed by Hennekam, Tahssain‐Gay and Syed (2017), the
inculcation of workforce diversity offers the opportunity to the corporations
to significantly enhance the engagement among its different workers.
Adding to this, Schu, Morschett and Swoboda (2016) have noted that this in
turn positively affects the organizational or for that matter the workplace
culture of the corporations and thereby helps the corporations to create the
kind of organizational climate wherein the workers would be able to
perform as per the maximum potential. In addition to these, the
corporations also have the option to take cultural, social or ethnic insights
from their diverse workforce for new product development, formulation of
new marketing or advertisement campaigns and others which in turn are
likely to positively enhance the growth of the corporations and thereby help
in the achievement of the organizational goals or objectives (Reegård,
2016). More importantly, the adequate usage of the concept of workplace
diversity also enables the corporations to significantly improve their brand
or for that matter market image which in turn helps them to positively affect

23DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
the attitude or the buying behavior of their target market (Nath et al.,
2019). These in short are some important benefits offered by the process of
diversity management to the contemporary business corporations.
2.4 Factors affecting Diversity Management
2.4.1 Recruitment and Selection
Young and Jones (2019) are of the viewpoint that the recruitment and
selection strategy which is being used by a particular corporation
significantly influences the diversity management approach which is being
used by the concerned corporation. Adding to this, Quach, Jebarajakirthy
and Thaichon (2017) have noted that if a particular corporation gives more
emphasis on the recruitment of candidates from different backgrounds then
it is likely that the concerned corporation would be able to develop
adequate workplace diversity and it would thereby have to formulate its
diversity management approach on the basis of the needs or the
requirements of this diverse workforce. However, at the same time it needs
to be said that the corporations during the recruitment process also needs
to lay special emphasis on the qualifications, expertise level, skill sets and
other important attributes of the candidates rather than their background
(Dhanani & Jones, 2017).
2.4.2 Training and Development
According to Ying Liao et al. (2017), the nature of training and
development programs which are being offered by a particular corporation
substantially determines the ability of the workers to perform as per the
expectations of the concerned corporation. This in turn determines whether
the employees would be working for the concerned corporation or nor or
whether the concerned corporation is willing to persist with the employees
or not (McCallaghan, Jackson & Heyns, 2019). Thus, the process of training
and development by directly influencing the workplace diversity of a

24DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
particular corporation influences the diversity management which will be
used by the same.
2.4.3 Organizational Cultural
Markey et al. (2018) are of the viewpoint that the corporations need
to create the kind of organizational or workplace culture wherein the
workers from different backgrounds would not have to face any form or
discrimination or stigmatization. Adding to this, Vaiman, Collings and
Scullion (2017) have noted that this is important since discrimination or
stigmatization is likely to negatively affect the morale of the workers and
thereby adversely affect their performance as well. Thus, the corporations
need to create the kind of workplace culture wherein the workers would be
able to perform as per their maximum potential and thereby contribute
positively towards the organizational growth or development. In the light of
these aspects, it can be said that organizational culture is an important
factor which significantly influences the diversity management approach
used by the corporations.
2.4.4 Performance Management
The performance management process used by the corporations is
another important factor which directly affects the diversity management
approaches used by the corporations. In this relation, it needs to be said
that the people from the different cultural, social or ethnic backgrounds
because of the societal evils that they face often lack the qualifications, skill
sets, expertise and other important attributes which are needed so as to
perform as per the organizational requirements (Gould & Sardeshmukh,
2017). Thus, the corporations are required to undertake frequent
performance reviews and on the basis of the results of the same offer
constructive feedbacks, arrange training programs and others for the
improvement of the performance of these workers.

25DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
2.5 Issues faced by corporations related to Diversity Management
Garcia Martinez, Zouaghi and Garcia Marco (2017) are of the
viewpoint that there are various issues that the contemporary corporations
face related to the usage of the process of diversity management and this in
turn often deters them from using the concerned process. Adding to this,
Philip and Soumyaja (2019) have noted that an important challenge or issue
that the different corporations commonly face related to diversity
management can be attributed to the large number of conflicts that they
face on the score of their workforce diversity. This can be explained on the
basis of the fact that the people from different backgrounds hold diverse
viewpoints, beliefs, opinions, follow various traditions and others and thus it
often becomes a bit difficult for the workers from different backgrounds to
work in a collaborative manner within a particular workplace which in turn
gives rise to various kinds of conflicts. Another important issue that the
corporations commonly face can be ascribed to the aspect of performance
management (Bizjak, Faldetta & Sicca, 2018). For instance, it had been
seen that the workers from different backgrounds find it very difficult to
perform as per the performance standards of a corporations or its
expectations which in turn substantially reduces the performance of the
concerned corporation. The learning style or for that matter the learning
abilities of the individuals also vary as per the social or the cultural
background to which they belong which in turn makes it a challenge for the
corporations to offer them the required training (Mazibuko & Govender,
2017). In addition to these, it had been seen that if a corporation focuses
too much on the enhancement of its workforce diversity then it ends up
recruiting the candidates from diverse backgrounds who do not possess the
required expertise, qualifications or the skill sets to complete the tasks
which are being allocated to them by the corporation (Johanson & Vakkuri,
2017). Lastly, if a particular corporation has a high level of workforce
diversity then it becomes very difficult for it to formulate or for that matter
design its different policies be it the diversity management policies or the

26DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Recruitment and
Selection
Training and
Development
Organizational Culture
Performance
Management
Diversity Management
other organizational policies since it needs to take into account the
perspective of all these workers for the formulation or the designing of the
same (Romani et al., 2017).
2.6 Conceptual Framework
Figure 2: Conceptual Framework
Source: (Created by the Author)
2.7 Literature Gap
The researcher while searching for past secondary literature related
to diversity and diversity management within the retail sector on Google
Scholar found that a substantial amount of research work had already been
performed on these two concepts from the particular context of the
business world. However, at the same time it needs to be said that the
researcher was not being able to find many peer-reviewed articles,
textbooks and other credible sources of information related to the
challenges that the retail corporations face regarding the usage of the

27DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
concepts of diversity and diversity management and also the manner in
which they can overcome the same. Thus, the researcher in this particular
study tries to overcome this literature gap by highlighting the issues that
the retail corporations commonly face for the usage of the concepts of
diversity and diversity management and also the manner in which they can
overcome the same. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that this
study will serve as a framework for the future researchers who intend to
conduct further research work on this topic or other related topics.
2.8 Summary
To sum up, the researcher in the above discussion had highlighted the
important theoretical concepts related to diversity and diversity
management within the spectrum of the retail industry. More importantly,
on the basis of this discussion the researcher had also formulated the
conceptual framework of this study and also highlighted the literature gap
that this study intends to cover.

28DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This chapter presents an overview of the research methodological
framework that the researcher intends to use for the conduct of the study.
More importantly, along with highlighting the different components of the
research methodological framework that will be used, the researcher had
also offered reasons or justifications for the usage of the same.
3.2 Research Design
The researcher intends to use a quantitative research design for the
conduct of this study. This choice of the research design had been
influenced by the fact that the researcher intends to collect primary data for
the conduct of this study and thus it is likely that the usage of this particular
research design will help the researcher to adequately complete the study.
3.3 Study Area
The data or the information needed for the completion of this study
will be collected from the different retail outlets of Wesfarmers in Hobart,
Australia. This particular area had been selected for the collection of the
required data since they are easily accessible for the researcher and thus
the researcher had the opportunity to contact them for data collection.
3.4 Sampling
Random sampling method will be used by the researcher for the
conduct of this study. Quinlan et al. (2019) have noted that an important
assumption made by this particular sampling method is the fact that the
opinions or for that matter the traits of a particular demographic of the
population are representative of the entire population. Thus, by collecting
the required data from a few retail outlets of Wesfarmers located in Hobart
the researcher would be able to get an overall idea of the diversity

29DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
management issues faced by the entire corporation and also the measures
that it is presently undertaking for the resolution of the same.
3.5 Sample Size
The sample size for this study is 200 and thus primary data will be
collected through survey from 200 workers of Wesfarmers related to its
retail outlets in Hobart, Australia.
3.6 Data Collection
According to Basias and Pollalis (2018), primary data collection and
secondary data collection are the two most important data collection
methods which are generally used by the researchers for the collection of
the data or information needed for the completion of their study. Adding to
this, Hair Jr., Page and Brunsveld (2019) have noted that the primary data
collection method is the one wherein the researchers are required primary
or firsthand data from the respondents through surveys, interviews, direct
observation and others. On the other hand, the secondary data collection
method is the one wherein the researchers are required to collect data or
information from different secondary sources of information like peer-
reviewed articles, credible newspaper articles, industry reports, annual
reports of the corporations and others (Bell, Bryman & Harley, 2018). The
researcher in this study intends to use the primary data collection and
thereby use the tool of survey to collect responses from 200 workers of
Wesfarmers related to its retail outlets in Hobart, Australia. The usage of
this particular data collection will enable the researcher to collect firsthand
data directly from the workers of Wesfarmers who are mostly affected by
the diversity management policies followed by the concerned corporation.
3.7 Instrumentation
Google form will be used for creating the survey questionnaire and
this survey form will be sent to the workers of Wesfarmers through emails
which they would have to fill and send back. More importantly, prior to this,

30DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
a consent form will be sent to them so as to take their approval for
participating in the survey.
3.8 Data Analysis Tools
The primary data collected from the workers of Wesfarmers will be
analyzed through the usage of the “Statistical Package for the Social
Sciences” Software. More importantly, the researcher will also take the
help of different kinds of statistical analysis techniques like correlation,
regression, hypotheses testing and others for adequately analyzing the
variables of the study and also for the purpose of effectively addressing the
different objectives of the study.
3.9 Data Analysis Method
As discussed by Sekaran and Bougie (2016), the data analysis method
used by the researchers is reliant on the data collection method that they
have used and on the basis of the same, qualitative data analysis method
and quantitative data analysis methods are the two commonly used data
analysis methods. Adding to this, Ghauri, Grønhaug and Strange (2020)
have noted that the qualitative data analysis method is generally used for
the analysis of non-numerical or non-statistical data whereas the
quantitative data analysis method is used by the researchers for the
analysis of numerical or statistical data. The researcher in the particular
context of this study intends to use the quantitative data analysis method.
This can be explained on the basis of the fact that the researcher will collect
data or information through the usage of the primary data collection
method and thereby for the analysis of the same, the researcher would have
to use the quantitative data analysis method.
3.10 Budget
An overview of the budget requirements of the study is being outlined
or highlighted by the below given table-
Activities Budget

31DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Textbooks, peer-reviewed articles
and other important sources of
secondary literature
$6,500
Primary data collection $1,500
Analysis of the primary data $1,500
Others $500
Total $10,000
3.11 Timeline
The timeline along with the different tasks which will be followed by
the researcher is being outlined by the below given figure-
3.12 Limitations of the Study
The researcher because of time and resource constraints was being
able to conduct survey with only 200 workers of Wesfarmers related to its
retail outlets in Hobart and thus surveys were not being conducted with the

32DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
workers of Wesfarmers related to its retail outlets in the other parts of
Australia. Furthermore, the researcher due to accessibility issues was not
being able to conduct interviews with the Managers or the other high
ranking employees of the corporation under discussion here. These in short
are the two major limitations of the study which in turn are likely to
substantially narrow down the scope of the study and thereby adversely
affect its quality as well.
3.13 Conclusion
To sum up, the above discussion presents an overview of the
important research methodological tools which the researcher intends along
with the reasons for the usage of the same. In addition to these, the
researcher had also presented an outline of the budgetary requirements of
the study and also the timeline which will be followed for the completion of
the study as well.

33DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
CHAPTER 4: ETHICS AND RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
4.1 Ethical Considerations
Cuervo‐Cazurra et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that the researchers
need to ensure the fact that the research works that they are conducting
needs to comply with the various ethical standards of conducting research
for the same to be effective. Thus, the researcher for the completion of this
particular study intends to comply with all the ethical as well as the
academic guidelines of conducting research. In this regard, it needs to be
said that the researcher had complied with the ethical or the academic
standards of conducting research of Central Australian College, Hobart,
Tasmania. More importantly, prior consent was taken from all the
participants in the survey through a consent form to ensure the fact that all
the participants were willing to participate in the same and no one was
forced to provide the data. Furthermore, the researcher ensured the fact
that the participants were not being asked to divulge any of their private,
confidential, financial and other information which they might not be
comfortable to offer. Moreover, the data or for that the information
collected from the survey participants had been protected as per the
precepts of the Data Protection Act and thereby used only for the
completion of the study and for no other purposes. Lastly, the researcher
had tried to avoid plagiarism by offering the due credit to the scholars as
well as the authors whose works have been used for the completion of this
study through the usage of in-text citations and also a reference. This had
been done by the researcher not only for the purpose of complying with the
ethical or the academic standards of conducting research but also for the
purpose of maintaining the originality of this study and thereby to enhance
the quality of the same as well.

34DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
4.2 Significance of the Study
The most important significance of this particular study lies in the fact
that this study focuses on the topic of diversity and diversity in the 21st
century while highlighting the diversity management issues that the
contemporary retail corporations commonly face related to diversity
management and also the manner in which they can resolve these issues. In
this relation, it needs to be said that because of the plethora of products or
services which are being offered by the contemporary retail corporations
and also the vast diversity of clientele that they usually focus upon it had
been become important for them to have a diverse workforce (Garcia
Martinez, Zouaghi & Garcia Marco, 2017). This diverse workforce not only
helps the corporations to acquire insightful inputs through which they can
significantly improve the quality or for that matter the nature of the
products or services that are being offered by them but also to manage their
diverse clientele adequately along with other benefits (Ying Liao et al.,
2017). However, at the same time it had been seen that there are various
issues related to diversity management which the corporations commonly
face and this in turn deters them to take the help of the concerned process
(Young & Jones, 2019). Moreover, it had been seen that there are very few
past scholarly works which focus on this particular aspect despite the
importance of the same. Thus, the significance or for that matter the
importance of this particular study lies in the fact that it will not only try to
overcome this research gap but also elucidate the manner in which the
different contemporary retail corporations can overcome the diversity
management issues that they are presently facing and thereby use this
particular management approach in the best possible manner. Furthermore,
the future researchers would also have the opportunity to use this
particular study as a framework for conducting further research work on
the same topic or some other related topics.

35DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary of the Findings
On the basis of the above discussion which was conducted in the light
of the past secondary literature related to the concepts of diversity and
diversity management, the key likely or expected findings of the study are
listed below-
 The adequate usage of the construct of diversity management had
enabled Wesfarmers to significantly enhance its workforce diversity
which in turn had enabled it to enhance its organizational
performance, profitability, improve its organizational culture and also
its brand image in the business market of its operation. These aspects
have positively affected the growth of the concerned corporation and
also helped it to acquire competitive advantage within the retail
sector of Australia.
 The most important issues related to diversity management that the
corporation under discussion here is presently facing can be
attributed to the aspects of performance management, recruitment
and selection of the new candidate, training and development of the
workers, organizational culture and others. These issues that the
corporation is presently facing are making the usage of the process of
diversity management a very difficult one for it and are also taking a
toll on its overall organizational performance as well as profitability.
 The corporation Wesfarmers in order to effectively resolve the
diversity management issues that it is presently facing related to
performance management, organizational culture, training and
development, recruitment and selection and others needs to modify
these approaches. Furthermore, the perspective of the workers from
different backgrounds, considerations for the development of their

36DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
skill sets, the values, beliefs and others held by them also needs to be
integrated within the new approaches which will replace the ones
that are being presently followed by the corporation.
5.2 Conclusion
The discussions undertaken in the previous chapters clearly indicate
that although workforce diversity had become an important need of the
different business corporations especially the ones related to the retail
industry yet it had been seen that there are very few corporations which are
actually using the concerned concept. More importantly, it had been seen
that even the few corporations which are using the construct of diversity
management are facing various issues related to performance management,
recruitment and selection, career development of the workers,
organizational culture, training and development and others. These issues
as a matter of fact often deter the corporations from adequately using the
process of diversity management despite the fact that the effective usage of
the same offers various benefits to the corporations. For instance, it had
been seen that the corporations have the opportunity to enhance their
profitability, to increase their organizational growth or development, to
enhance the effectiveness of their workforce, to introduce new products or
services, to offer adequate customer services to their diverse clientele and
others through the adequate usage of the construct of diversity. Thus, it
becomes important for the corporations to effectively resolve the issues
related to workplace diversity or for that matter related to diversity
management that they commonly face and thereby derive the benefits from
the same. This can be easily done by the corporations through the
integration of the values, beliefs, traditions, ideas or the perspectives held
by all their workers within the different policies or the processes used by
them. This in turn would offer adequate growth or development
opportunities to all the workers and thereby would enable them to not only

37DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
improve their performance but also make a positive contribution towards
the overall organizational performance as well.
5.3 Recommendations
The most important measures that Wesfarmers can follow for the
purpose of overcoming the diversity management issues that it is presently
facing are listed below-
 The corporation needs to improve its training programs and design
the same by taking into account the learning abilities or for that
matter the learning styles of the individuals who are being offered the
training. This in turn would ensure the fact that the individuals are
being able to reap the desired benefits from these training programs
and thus there would not be any difference between them and the
other workers of the corporation in terms of performance or other
attributes.
 The corporation has the option to improve its performance
management process by frequently or periodically undertaking the
performance assessment of its workers rather than on annual basis.
This will enable the corporation to closely monitor the performance of
its workers and on the basis of the results of the performance
assessment the management team can offer constructive feedbacks to
the workers. In addition to these, the management team can also
organize training and development programs for the workers on the
basis of the results of their performance assessment so as to enable
them to acquire the skills that they lack and thereby help them to
perform as per the expectations of the corporation.
 Enhancement of workforce diversity significantly enhances conflicts
among the workers and these if not adequately managed can
adversely affect the workplace culture and also the overall
organizational productivity as well. Thus, Wesfarmers needs to
effectively resolve these workplace conflicts among its different

38DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
workers by taking into account the perspectives of all the individuals
involved in the process. Furthermore, the corporation has the option
to reduce these workplace conflicts among its different workers
through the effective usage of the process of employee engagement
and others. In addition to these, the corporation needs to create the
kind of organizational or workplace culture wherein the workers
would not have to face any form of discrimination or stigmatization
and would be able to perform as per their potential and thereby
contribute towards the organizational growth in the best possible
manner.
 The corporation in order to address its diversity management issues
also needs to significantly improve the recruitment and selection
strategy which it follows. For instance, rather than solely focusing on
the aspect of enhancing workplace diversity, the corporation also
needs to ensure the fact that the workers who are being hired by it
have the required skill sets, qualifications, expertise and other
important attributes which will enable them to perform as per the
corporation’s performance standards or its expectations.

39DIVERSITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
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