Project: Challenges of Equality and Diversity at Marks and Spencer

This project analyzes the challenges of equality and diversity within Marks and Spencer (M&S). It examines various issues, including cultural differences, gender inequality, and communication problems, and their impact on the workplace. The project outlines a project management plan, including cost, scope, time, and resources. It employs a qualitative research methodology, collecting both primary and secondary data, and utilizes thematic analysis to interpret findings. The study reveals that diversity issues significantly affect the workplace, impacting employee morale and productivity. The project concludes with recommendations for resolving these issues, emphasizing the importance of enhancing the workplace environment by addressing equality and diversity concerns. The project aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of diversity challenges and their potential solutions within a large retail organization.

MANAGING A
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

TASK A
Topic
Project topic is “Different kinds of challenges that can occur because of equality and
diversity.”
Overview of chosen Organization
Marks and Spencer are a British multinational retailer that was founded in 1884 in Leeds,
United Kingdom. Headquarter of M & S is in London, England. M & S sell products such as
clothing, food products and home products. They have approximately 1043 stores located in UK
itself and 444 stores world wide at other locations. They have different kinds of stores where
they provide their products and services to their customers: full line stores, food hall, home
stores, online service, outlet stores etc.
Project Aim
Project aim is “To analyse different kinds of challenges that can occur because of
equality and diversity. “Marks and Spencer case study”
Project objectives
Project objectives are:
 To evaluate different kinds of challenges that can occur because of equality and diversity
 To analyses ways in which equality and diversity challenges can impact workplace.
 To recommend ways though which equality and diversity issues can be resolved.
Research Questions
Project research questions are:
 What are different kinds of challenges that can occur because of equality and diversity?
 How equality and diversity challenges can impact workplace?
 What are some ways through which arise equality and diversity issues can be resolved?
Background
Equality and diversity issues have always been one of the main and biggest challenge for
an organization that can impact workforce of an organization in many different ways (Jozwiak,
2019). These issues can not only demotivate a person but an also negatively impact their overall
performance. Due to these issues organizational culture as well as business environment can also
be impacted in a negative manner. It is important for organizations like M&S to focus upon
strategies or techniques though which such kind of issues can be resolved within workforce.
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Some of the most common equality and diversity issues that can be faced by employees of an
organization are: cultural differences, inequality issues, cast and racial differences, different
kinds of disability that can be both mental and physical, communication issues, language issues
and sometimes gap in generation is also an issue. Other than this there are many other issues that
can arise within an organization. These are some of the most common issues that can arise within
an organization (Köllen, Kakkuri-Knuuttila and Bendl, 2018). Due to these issues overall
performance of an organization is impacted in a negative manner. In order to resolve these issues
there are many methods that can be used as tactics or strategies such as changes within H
policies, training and development and many more.
Project management plan
It can be defined as a kind of baseline plan that includes scope, schedule, timeline and
cost of the project (Mahlangu, 2019). It is mostly used by project manager to understand ways in
which they can monitor their overall project ways in which they can control resources, budget,
time schedule and risk associated with the project.
Cost: Project manager is required to focus upon cost as it helps in depicting and managing
Project cost (Traynor, 2017). Cost of completing this project is £500.
Scope: Another aspect is scope that helps in defining overall scope of the project. Diversity
problems and equality problems within an organization can impact an organization in many
different ways (Matlin and et. al., 2019). It can not only impact motivational and satisfaction
level of employees but it can also degrade overall performance of employees as well due to
which organizational performance is impacted and working environment or culture can also get
impacted. There are many methods or techniques that can be used to resolve diversity problems
and equality issues that can arise within an organization.
Time: PMP helps in identification of time period required for project completion. 8 week is the
time period which is required for completing project.
Quality: Project management plan also helps in explaining methods for quality management of
project (Meredith, Shafer and Mantel Jr, 2017). For maintaining project quality data will be
collected from authentic sources.
Communication: With the help of PMP, ways in which communication within stakeholders can
be maintained. In order to maintain communication between stakeholder’s time to time meeting
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within main stakeholders will be conducted. This will further help in meeting main objectives of
the project in a timely manner.
Resources: Project management plan also helps in explaining resources required to complete a
project (Mertkan and et. al., 2017). Main resources required for this project are employees of
M&S for collection of primary data, research assistant of McLeod and Partners for conducting
research, project manager for management of project and other important aspects.
Gantt chart is a kind of graphical representation of all the sub task or activities of a
project with time period. IT also helps in explaining time period required by each and every task
to be completed as well as dependencies of all the task. With the help of this chart milestones
that are required to be archived is also determined such that project is not delayed and is not
overbudgeted.
Activity/Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Overview of the
organization
Aim and objectives
PMP with WBS
Methodology
Primary and secondary
data collection
Data Analysis
Conclusion and
Recommendations
Work breakdown structure can be defined as a kind of structure that can be used by
project manager or research assistant to understand all the components of a project that are
required to be achieved for successful completion of a project.
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Research Methodology
Research type
Research papers are of two types on the basis of which complete research is conducted.
Qualitative research is first type and another is quantitative type of research. qualitative research
type majorly focuses upon collection and analysis of data or information that cannot be
quantified or cannot be analysed using statistical or mathematical methods (Gawrych, 2019).
This type of research in answering defined research questions in a proper manner. Whereas,
quantitative type research is majorly used when quantitative data is collected and is analysed
statistical or mathematical methods. For this research, qualitative research type is focused upon
because qualitative research type helps in answering all the research questions in a proper
manner and will also help in achieving desire aim of the project in an appropriate manner.
Research philosophy
Research philosophy of a research paper help in understanding ways in which required
data for research paper is analysed and collected. Two major types of research philosophies are:
interpretivism is first and positivism is second. Interpretivism research philosophy is used for
interpreting interest of human interest within a research or study and is mostly used within
qualitative research papers. Whereas positivism research philosophy is used mostly in
quantitative research studies for viewing and analysing factual knowledge. For this research,
interpretivism research philosophy has been focused as it is a qualitative research study so its
implementation of this research philosophy is quite suitable.
Research Approach
It is used for describing broad assumption steps for methods of data collection, analysis,
and interpretation. There are two majorly used research approaches. Deductive approach is used
in studies that are quantitative in nature as it helps in reaching to a conclusion (Sarvaiya and
Eweje, 2016). Whereas, another approach is inductive approach which is used in qualitative
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studies so that untested conclusions. In this data collected is used to identify themes so that those
themes can be used for generation or building of theory. For this research study, research has
used inductive research approach as it will help in diving collected data into themes so that
untested conclusion can be generated and research questions can be answered in a proper
manner.
Data collection
In a research majorly two types of data are used and each of them have separate methods
through which they are collected. First data type is secondary data, it is a data which is collected
from books, newspaper, journals, articles, research etc. (Wooliscroft, 2016). Whereas, another
type of data is primary data that is collected by researcher themselves and is collected with the
help of questionnaire, survey, interview, observation and many more. For this research, both
primary as well as secondary data has been collected by researcher. Secondary data will be
collected with the help of survey method in which questionnaire will be distributed among
respondents to be filled and analysed.
Sampling
Sampling is a kind of method which is used for selection of participants from a
population so that they can participate within research study for collection of primary data. Two
sampling methods used within research are: non- probability and other is probability method.
First, Probability sampling method is used all members of a population do participate within
study within the study whereas, when non- probability sampling method is used when only some
selected population members have a chance of participating within a study (Coy, 2019). For this
study, researcher has used non- probability sampling method for selection of 30 employees
working within Marks and Spencer organization for collection of primary data.
Data Analysis
Data analysis helps in analysis of collected data so that pre-defined research question can
be answered or for concluding research work. There are two main methods that are mostly used
for data analysis. First thematic which is used for qualitative studies that cannot be quantified. In
this data collected is segregated into common themes. Another method is statistical analysis
method which is used quantitative studies in which quantifiable data is analysed with the help of
mathematical or statistical methods. For this qualitative research study data analysis method
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selected and used is thematic in which common theme will be identified for answering research
questions in a proper manner.
Data Analysis
Theme 1 Can diversity problems and equality challenges and issues impact workplace
Options Respondents
Strongly Agree 15
Agree 10
Disagree 3
Strongly disagree 2
Total 30
Interpretation: Above graph helps in interpreting that 30 out of 15 participants strongly agree
that diversity problems and equality issues can impact workplace. 10 participants simply agree
to the question. However, others did not agree to the question. So, from this analysis it can be
said that equality and diversity issues does impact a workplace. This is majorly because these
kinds of issues can degrade morale of employees that can result in increased employee turnover.
It can further result in decreasing productivity of the company. These kinds of issues not only
impact employee but impact whole workplace of an organization
Theme 2 Most common equality and diversity challenges and issues
Options Respondents
Ethnic and cultural differences 8
Gender inequality 9
Cast and racial differences 7
Generation gaps 3
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Communication and language issues 3
Total 30
Interpretation: Interpretation of above analysed data says that there are a lot of different kinds of
diversity problems and equality challenges and issues that are found within an organization. All
the 30 employees of Marks and Spencer answered differently and gave 5 main issues or
challenges that can be found within an organization. 8 respondents said that Ethnic and cultural
differences are the main equality and diversity issues found within an organization. 9 of them
said Gender inequality is the main issue found within an organization, 7 of them said that Cast
and racial differences is the main issue or challenge. Whereas, 3 of them said Generation gaps
and last 3 respondents said that Communication and language issues is the main diversity
problems and equality issue or challenge that can occur within an organization.
Theme 3 Resolving equality and diversity issues within an organization can enhance
workplace environment
Options Respondents
Strongly Agree 13
Agree 12
Disagree 4
Strongly disagree 1
Total 30
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Interpretation: Above analysed data helps in interpreting that most of the employees either
strongly agrees or simply agrees that resolving diversity problems and equality issues within an
organization can enhance workplace environment. There are only 5 respondents who did not
agree with this question but rest of them agreed. This is mainly because resolving such issue will
help in enhancing motivational and satisfaction level of employees, will also help in enhancing
their overall morale because of which working environment of workplace can be directly
improved.
Theme 4 Equality and diversity issues within an organization can degrade their overall
organizational performance
Options Respondents
Strongly Agree 11
Agree 9
Disagree 7
Strongly disagree 3
Total 30
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Interpretation: data interpreted from above analysis says that most of the respondents agree that
diversity problems and equality issues within an organization can degrade their overall
organizational performance. This is majorly because increasing number of diversity and equality
issues can degrade positivity of organizational environment because of which work and
performance of employees is impacted.
Theme 5 Adverse effects that can be raised because of equality and diversity issues
Options Respondents
Increase employee turnover 10
Demotivate employees 7
Decrease employee satisfaction level 9
Others 4
Total 30
Interpretation: Above analysed data helps in interpreting that diversity and equality issues within
an organization have various kinds of adverse effects. Three most common adverse impact
identified by employees of Marks and Spencer are: increase in employee turnover rate, lower
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motivational level of employees, decreasing satisfaction level of employees. But Some of the
respondents said that there are many other adverse effects that equality and diversity issues can
create.
Theme 6 Can resolving equality and diversity issues can enhance overall organizational
performance
Options Respondents
Strongly Agree 13
Agree 12
Disagree 2
Strongly disagree 3
Total 30
Interpretation: data interpreted from above analysis of collected primary data says that majority
of employees says that by resolving equality and diversity issues can result in enhanced overall
organizational performance. As per the respondents resolving such issues can not only enhance
performance of employees in a positive manner but also enhances performance of organization
directly.
Theme 7 Different ways though which equality and diversity issues arise within an
organization can be resolved
Options Respondents
Bringing changes within HR policies and
procedure
10
Training and development 9
10