Influence of Equality and Diversity: Rowlinson Knitwear Study

This report, focusing on Rowlinson Knitwear Ltd, a UK-based manufacturing company, examines the influence of equality and diversity in reducing the gender pay gap. The report begins with an introduction outlining the importance of workplace equality and the challenges posed by gender pay disparities. It details the aims and objectives, research questions, and a comprehensive literature review. A project management plan is presented, including cost estimations, scope, timeframes, and risk assessments. The research methodology includes qualitative and quantitative approaches, data collection methods, and sampling techniques. The report also includes findings of the research conducted by the researcher by using appropriate tools such as Gantt chart, WBS, and data analysis. The report concludes with recommendations and a performance review, emphasizing the benefits of building an inclusive and diverse work environment. Data analysis is performed, and recommendations are provided to address the gender pay gap and promote equality within the company.

Managing a Successful
Business Project

Table of Contents
TITLE:.............................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
a) Prepare aims and objectives ...................................................................................................3
b) Project management plan........................................................................................................5
c) Research conducted by the researcher by using appropriate tools..........................................6
d) Findings of the research conducted........................................................................................8
e) Data analysis by researcher...................................................................................................11
f) Recommendations.................................................................................................................21
g) Performance review..............................................................................................................21
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................22
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................23

TITLE:
“To determine the influence of equality and diversity in reducing the gender pay gap”. A
study on Rowlinson Knitwear Ltd.”
INTRODUCTION
As the businesses are growing and developing in the global market they are having a
change in the combination of their workforce which means that employees belonging to different
nations, religion, caste, age etc. are also applying for jobs. This has increased the level of
diversity among employees at workplace which can have negative effects on the performance of
employees. It is therefore important for organisations to develop equality at workplace so that
equal opportunities can be given to all the employees which will enhance their work performance
so that a competitive edge can be gained in market (Ahamed, Wen and Gupta, 2019). This report
is based on Rowlinson Knitwear Ltd which is a manufacturing company and is based in England,
UK. The company produces high quality knitwear and school wear for school students at
affordable prices which can help the parents of students in purchasing school uniforms for their
kids. The company is facing issues due to difference in pay based on gender inequality which
affects the efficiency of workers. Under this report the ways in which gender pay gap can be
reduced along with its effects on the employees will be discussed along with the use of various
research tools and techniques so that the research can be conducted in a desired manner.
a) Prepare aims and objectives
With the increase in modernisation of world and increased participation of women in the
operation of businesses it is important that they are treated equally at the workplace which can
help in enhancing their level of safety and security at workplace. It is also essential that women
are not discriminated on the basis of payment which means that there should be no gender pay
gap for the same work done by the male and female employees (Appleby, 2019). This help in
building the brand image of company as more support from customers can be gained by
company on behalf of women empowerment and equal treatment of women.
Aims:
“To determine the influence of equality and diversity in reducing the gender pay gap”. A
study on Rowlinson Knitwear.

Objectives:
 To examine the influence of equity and diversity in reducing gender pay gap
 To evaluate the strategies adopted to build equal and diverse work environment.
 To determine the benefits of building sameness and diverseness at the work place.
Research questions:
 What do you understand by equity and diversity in Rowlinson Knitwear?
 Which type of strategies can be adopted by Rowlinson to build sameness and
heterogeneity?
 State the benefits of building equality and variety at the work place?
Literature Review:
According to Lynne Callister, 2019, equality and diversity is a major concern for UK
businesses. Under equality act staff members has full right to safe themselves from any kind of
harassment, bullying and discrimination. Effective policies regarding equality and diversity
should be framed so that business can be operated smoothly. By paying equal wages or
remuneration to employees working on the same post aid firm to build goodwill for the
company. Diversity is essential to be introduced in the working premises so that competitive
advantages can be gained against rivalry (Definition about equality and diversity .2019).
According to Tom Wells, 2018, building an inclusive environment at workplace helps
employees belonging to different ethnicities, backgrounds, religions and gender can feel safe and
secure to work together in an organisation. Diverse teams come with diverse ideas and new and
innovative skills which can help in producing better results for the company (Effective ways to
build diverse and inclusive workplace .2018). There are various ways in which diversity and
inclusiveness can be equally brought in the working environment like challenging the
unconscious bias of the managers, using inclusive language which is understandable by all,
creating cultural events, getting inclusive feedback on regular basis etc.
According to Louise Petty, 2016, The aims of building an inclusive and diverse
environment at workplace is important so that all the employees can access to equal
opportunities and fair treatment so that their confidence can be boosted which also improve their
efficiency and productivity (How equality and diversity improves workplace .2016).

b) Project management plan
It is important to create an appropriate project management plan so tat the complete
project can be managed efficiently with the available resources and can be finished on time
thereby fulfilling the goals and objectives of the project. The plan created by the researcher for
Rowlinson is:
 Cost: The most important step while commencing a project is the calculation of estimated
cost so that the required resources can be acquired, appropriate tools and techniques can
be used and the project can be executed in the manner desired (Bendl and et. al., 2015).
The project plan depends heavily on the cost which is determined by the researcher as it
helps in dividing the cost in appropriate segments so that effective results are achieved. A
cost estimation of the project is given below:
Particulars Amount
Promotional expenses £50
Cost required for tools and techniques £100
Training and development programmes £150
Collection of data £100
Miscellaneous Expenses £300
Total Cost £700
 Scope: Under the scope of the project various results that need to be achieved along with
the ways of achieving those results is determined so that the objectives of the project are
efficiently accomplished. Goals, deliverables, features, functions, deadlines etc. are
determined so that the worth of the project can be known which can help in creating an
inclusive and diversified work culture at the company. Time: It is the estimation of the total time that will be required to complete the project in
the desired manner. The total time which will be required from forming a team, collecting
the required data, application of tools and techniques etc. so that the project can be
efficiently completed is about 3 months. The researcher needs to manage the project

within the limited time available by effectively applying their research skills and
knowledge so that the project gets completed on time. Quality: It is essential to ensure that all the activities that are undertaken by the
researcher to design, plan and implement the project are effective and efficient and align
with the purpose and objectives of the project which is to promote equality and diversity
in Rowlinson Knitwear so that the gender pay gap can be eliminated and everyone
receive equal pay for equal amount of work done (Blau, 2016). Communication: Effective communication is an important aspect of completing the
project efficiently because the information needs to flow smoothly among all the team
members so that the project gets completed on time. There are various ways in which
communication can be done to produce effective result like e-mails, video calls,
messages, mobile phones etc. These methods increase the transparency and ease of
sharing information among all the members concerned. Risk: It is the possibility that the events of the project might not occur in the manner
which is planned which might cause negative impact on the project leading to the non-
fulfilment of the project goals. Some of the risks which can commonly occur in the
project are shortage of time and funds, inappropriate use of tools and techniques etc.
Some other risks which can be faced by the researcher are lack of required knowledge
about the project objectives, wrongly determining the project scope which can affect the
outcomes of the project.
 Resources: All the tangible and intangible assets which are required by the researcher to
fulfil project objectives so that desired results can be achieved are termed as resources.
Some resources which will be required by the researcher are printers, laptops, office, a
team of 4 members, mobile phones etc. which can help in establishing effective
communication among all the project members (Fortin, 2019).
c) Research conducted by the researcher by using appropriate tools
Gantt Chart: It is a graphical representation of all the activities on a horizontal bar chart
along with the mention of time that will be required to complete each activity in that time. Gantt
chart help in scheduling, managing and monitoring all the tasks and resources of a project. The
components of a Gantt chart includes task list, timeline, dateline, datelines, dependencies,

resources assigned etc. It also shows dependency relationships between activities and current
schedule status.

Work Break Down Structure (WBS): It is the most effective tool which is used by the
researcher so that the team's work can be divided into manageable sections which means that the
complete project is broken down into smaller and achievable tasks so that the complete project
gets completed on time. The divided tasks are independent, measurable with clearly defined
limits. Hence the project can be reduced to smaller sections which can help in achieving the
results in an efficient manner (Hutchinson, Mack and Verhoeven, 2017).

d) Findings of the research conducted
Research is a creative and systematic work which is undertaken by a researcher in which
investigation is done by finding facts through appropriate resources so that new conclusions can
be made which can be applied in order to achieve desired results. Various approaches of
conducting a research are: Qualitative approach: In this approach emphasis is mainly put on the objective
measurements, numerical data and information which is collected by the way of polls,
questionnaires and surveys so that logical conclusions can be made. This method can help
in making efficient decisions supported by numerical data (Kennedy and et. al., 2017).
 Quantitative approach: This research method focuses on market research method in
which data is obtained through open-ended and conversational communication. In this
method answers regarding what people think and why do they think so are collected
which helps in building an in depth knowledge about how improvements can be made.
Observation, interview etc. are some qualitative methods which can be used by
researcher.
Sources of data collection: Primary: In this method the data is personally collected by the researcher by conducting
a first hand research with the help of interviews, questionnaires etc. This method is costly
and time consuming but generates fresh data which can help in coming to efficient
conclusion.
 Secondary: In this method collects second hand data from sources where data related to
research topic can be found. This method is less time consuming and less expensive but
the data may be out dated and irrelevant with the current situation.

Sampling: It is a process in which a selected number of units are chosen from a large
number of units so that the sample can be studied which can help in fairly generalising the
information gathered to the complete number of units (Kim, M, 2015). The sample size is
determined on the basis of mutual characteristics and features of a diverse population. The
researcher is applying random sampling method on 30 people from Rowlinson so that required
information can be found out.
Questionnaire
Quantitative questions:
Q1) Do you know what it means by equality and diversity at place of work?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Do you know that there is a gender pay gap in Rowlinson Knitwear?
a) Yes
b) No
Q3) Are the rules stated under Equality Act 2010 followed in the company?
a) Partially
b) Completely
Q4) Should there be a gender pay gap in the company?
a) No
b) Yes
Q5) How is Rowlinson Knitwear benefited by building equality and diversity in the
working premises?
a) Raises productivity
b) Retain skilled employees
c) Set targets attained
Q6) State some of the drawbacks faced by Rowlinson Knitwear by not introducing
equality and diversity at the workplace?
a) Decreases goodwill
b) Decline profit
c) Unsatisfied employees

Q7) Which type of strategies can be adopted by Rowlinson Knitwear to build equality and
diversity?
a) Training and development programmes
b) Equal opportunities
c) Create diversity friendly polices
Q8) Why is diversity management important in Rowlinson Knitwear?
a) Client management
b) Diverse professional drive innovations
c) Brand management
Qualitative questions:
Q9) What are the reason for gender pay gap among male and female in the working
premises?
a) Education
b) Work Experiences
c) Capability and ability of person
Q10) How is gender pay gap affecting Rowlinson Knitwear in accomplishing set targets?
a) Decrease in goodwill of company
b) Increased protests from women employees
c) Increased conflicts among workers
Q11) Recommendations regarding how equality and diversity can help in reducing
gender pay gap?
e) Data analysis by researcher
Q1) Do you know what it means by equality and diversity at
place of work?
Frequency
a) Yes 10
b) No 20

a) Yes b) No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
10
20
Frequency
Interpretation : From this data it can be interpreted that out of 30 employees only 10 knew
about the concept of equality and diversity at workplace which tells about the unawareness of the
employees about the importance of an inclusive and diverse work environment. This also means
that they are unaware about the gender pay gap in the company which affects the efficiency of
female workers.
Q2) Do you know that there is a gender pay gap in Rowlinson
Knitwear?
Frequency
a) Yes 10
b) No 20