BUSN 11076: Managing Cultural Diversity in Workplace, UWS Project

This research proposal investigates the impact of cultural diversity in the workplace, with a specific focus on the hotel and tourism industry in Myanmar. It aims to determine the significance of managing cultural diversity, its effects on organizations, and effective management methods. The proposal includes a literature review, research objectives, questions, scope, and methodology, outlining a descriptive research design utilizing surveys for data collection. The study seeks to provide insights and management approaches to address cultural diversity issues, ultimately improving industry performance and fostering a sustainable environment. Desklib offers similar research papers and AI-powered tools to aid students in their academic pursuits.

Running head: Research Proposal
The Impact of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace & Managing Cultural Diversity in
Hotel and Tourism Industry
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

2Research Proposal
Abstract
Diversity can be described as the method of accepting, understanding and recognizing the
differences between multiple individuals considering their gender, age, race, ethnicity, class,
spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation and physical ability. Diversity can be categorized in two
major types. The first type of the diversity is based on the gender, age and sexual orientation.
These factors can be easily visualized by other people. Making differences based on the
mentioned factors comes in the first major type of diversity. These factors act as the filters in
various fields. These factors allow an individual to differentiate another person from a group of
individuals. The second type of the diversity comprises of factors that are not visible to the
society. Such factors are education, religion, geographical location. This research proposal is
prepared to portray the effectiveness of cultural diversity in the workplace. The research proposal
will also help the Hotel and tourism industry of Myanmar to easily manage the cultural diversity
in their workplace. This will allow them to solve the issues of cultural diversity faced in their
workplace. This proposal will described all the methods that will be used to achieve a sustainable
environment in the concerned industry. Few literatures are also reviewed to show the
effectiveness of managing the cultural diversity in the hospitality industry of Myanmar.

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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................4
Key aims of the research......................................................................................................4
Background Study...............................................................................................................5
Research Problem................................................................................................................5
Research Objectives.........................................................................................................6
Research Questions..........................................................................................................6
Scope of the Study...............................................................................................................6
Relevance of the Study........................................................................................................7
Research Methodology........................................................................................................8
Research Design..............................................................................................................8
Data Collection Method...................................................................................................8
`Data Analysis Method........................................................................................................9
Study Timeframe.................................................................................................................9
Budget of Research..............................................................................................................9
Summary..............................................................................................................................9
References............................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
With the increasing globalization, people require to communicate in a frequent manner.
The interacting ends can differ in the backgrounds, beliefs and cultures. In these recent days,
numerous organizations are using few project management approaches to handle the issues of
cultural diversity. Individual from various backgrounds can perform more effectively together as
they can perform their operations with variety of opinions and efforts. Some businesses in
Myanmar are using few methods to mitigate the issues like initiatives, work delegation,
motivation and performance standards. The major negative effect of the cultural diversity is the
raised tendency of the company’s personnel for indulging the interpersonal conflicts. The
cultural diverse employees have various opinions, customs, thoughts, values, trends, beliefs,
values, traditions and norms.
This research proposal will portray the effectiveness of the cultural divergence in an
organization. This research proposal will also assist the hospitality industry of Myanmar to easily
manage the cultural differences in their workplace. This research proposal will describe each and
every methods that will be used to complete the research. The proposal presented a literature
review to analyze the research subject in an in-depth manner. The data analysis and collection
methods which will be used to conduct the research is also discussed in this proposal.
Key aims of the research
The major aim of this research study is to measure the effectiveness of the cultural
diversity in a workplace. The research will allow also provide few management approaches
which will allow the tourism industry of Myanmar to handle the cultural diversity issues in the

5Research Proposal
concerned industry. This will improve the performance of the concerned industry by solving all
the issues rising due to the cultural diversity.
Background Study
With the development in globalization, people from different cultures, backgrounds and
beliefs need to communicate in more frequent times. In these recent days, numerous industries
are using an efficient diversity management to support and fight against the discrimination in
their workplace. The growth of diversity is developing in a rapid way and thus, every industry
require an effective and efficient diversity management in their workplace (Kottak 2015). Many
authors also presented that the diversity should be managed in every industry to adapt and accept
every change and to raise the creativeness of the industry. The diversity in a workplace is
increasing with the increasing number of population in the organization (Banks 2015).
Internationalization of the industry, global marketing development, increasing awareness of the
diverse people and the workforce flexibility are the main elements in cultural diversity in an
organization.
Research Problem
The previous studies determined that the hospitality industry of Myanmar faces huge
problems due to cultural diversity in a frequent manner. This disallowed the business to develop
its performance as well as affect the industry in a negative manner. Some businesses in Myanmar
are using few methods to mitigate the issues like initiatives, work delegation, motivation and
performance standards (Trax, Brunow and Suedekum 2015). With the emergence of
technologies, globalization has taken place. In this age of internet, industrialization has taken
place in global perspective, hence the cultural diversity in the organization has increased as well.

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“Cultural diversity is when differences in race, ethnicity, language, nationality, religion, and
sexual orientation are represented within a community”. This helps in the development of the
business. Multi-cultural organisations have the capability of retaining the best talents in all the
sector. The ideas of the different culture can be incorporated in the organization with the help of
cultural diversity. The cultural diversity has some negative impact as well. This includes,
miscommunication, creation of unnecessary barriers in the system, problems of adaptations with
one another, and a few more. It can be very difficult to arrive at a common conclusion when an
organization is having numerous fusion of culture. The crash of culture between the majority and
the minority group plays a significant role in the multi-cultural work places. The employees
usually felt that their workplace is not introducing proper diversity practices. The hospitality
industry failed to use proper and strategic diversity practices to resolve and avoid the issues. The
diversity management is a critical concern for every HRM department of the organizations as
people are highly concerned with the cultural difference and are continuously differentiating the
individuals with respect to the cultural factors. The employees usually felt that their workplace is
not introducing proper diversity practices. The hospitality industry failed to use proper and
strategic diversity practices to resolve and avoid the issues. The diversity issues are increasing in
a rapid manner and the issues should immediately be resolved such that the concerned industry
can easily provide quality services to their customers (Bellini et al. 2013). An effective
management of the cultural diversity will also allow the concerned industry to retain staffs in
their business.
Research Objectives
The major objectives of this research are:

7Research Proposal
 To know the significance of managing cultural diversity in the hospitality industry of
Myanmar To determine the impact of cultural diversity in an organization To determine the method used to manage the cultural diversity in the hospitality
industry.
Research Questions
RQ1. What is the significance of managing cultural diversity in the hospitality industry of
Myanmar?
RQ2. What is the effect of cultural diversity in an organization?
RQ3. How to manage cultural diversity in tourism industry?
Scope of the Study
The scope of this research is to know the effectiveness of cultural diversity in the
organization. The study will also illustrate the significance of managing the cultural diversity in
an organization. In these recent day, organizations are hiring people globally which is increasing
the cultural diversity in the workplace (Frijns, Dodd and Cimerova 2016). This is increasing the
complexity for the authorities to handle the issue. The hiring process cannot rather should not be
stopped to hire people from all over the globe. Thus, a proper management system should be
used in every organization to stop this issue. The cultural diversity in organization is also
disallowing the business processes to develop. Cultural Diversity is also considered as a major
element for the companies which are operating for the long term. The cross cultural obstacles can
lead to emerge few invisible challenges for the organization such as risk, communication style
and proper planning as well as appropriate business decision (Leach 2014). The problems of

8Research Proposal
diversity involve the attributes are complex to determine and define. There are many
organizations which operate globally without having some proper strategic plan. The strategic
plans should always include the cultural diversity factor and the management processes to handle
all diversity issues that are arising in the workplace. However cultural diversity has few
advantages or benefits for an organization. It allows the staffs of an organization too know the
diverse culture of other employees and customers (Fasel, Green and Sarrasin 2013). The first
approach can be a complex factor for every employee to understand the diverse culture of the
employee but after determining the culture it becomes easy for the employees to easily handle or
face the same people at the next time. There are many organizations which operate globally
without having some proper strategic plan. The strategic plans should always include the cultural
diversity factor and the management processes to handle all diversity issues that are arising in the
workplace. It helps them to broaden their view-points. The organizations which have proper
management system of the cultural diversity provide multiple solutions for a single problem by
analyzing the diverse areas of the issue (Rice 2015). The diversity management allows a
company to transform the diversity from legal aspect to a valuable asset of the organization.
Relevance of the Study
Cultural Diversity is a trending topic nowadays. Diversity can be categorized in two
major types. The first type of the diversity is based on the gender, age and sexual orientation.
These factors can be easily visualized by other people. Making differences based on the
mentioned factors comes in the first major type of diversity. These factors act as the filters in
various fields. These factors allow an individual to differentiate another person from a group of
individuals. The second type of the diversity comprises of factors that are not visible to the
society. Such factors are education, religion, geographical location. The organizations are facing

9Research Proposal
numerous issues in their management level to handle the cultural divergence problem in their
organization. Therefore, this research study is highly important in for such organizations
(Schachner 2016). The proper management of the cultural diversity in the workplace become one
of the critical factor for the organizations to improve the performance of their employees. This
allows the managers to comprehend and embrace various concepts of the workplace diversity
(Spaaij 2013). This research study will also allow many organizations to manage the cultural
diversity issue in their working environment. Thus, this research study is highly relevant in this
competitive global market.
Research Methodology
Research Design
The research study is based on the real time issue and it should analyzed by considering
each and every aspects of the topic. The investigators will be using the descriptive research
design for analyzing the research topic. The descriptive research design will help the researchers
to study the research subject critically and logically. Exploratory and the explanatory research
designs will not be used in this research study because it will be a complex process for the
researchers to analyze the topic by selecting the exploratory and the explanatory research designs
(Vangen and Winchester 2014). An in-depth analysis is required for this research study as it is
critical for the researchers to study each and every research areas of the chosen topic. The
Cultural diversity is not a fixed variable (Best 2014). The efficiency and the measure can vary
from one organization to other.

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Data Collection Method
This research will require primary data. These primary data will be gathered through a
survey process. 50 participants will be participating in this survey. Non-probability sampling
technique will be used in the research study (Chan, Fung and Chien 2013). A set 50 questions
will be provided to them. The participants will be the staffs of an organization. The survey
process will be helpful for this research as it will provide the real time experience to the
researchers. The 10 questions of the questionnaire set will be associated with the research topic
(Anyan 2013). The questions will be professional as well as they will portray the importance of
managing the cultural diversity in an organization. In the survey process, none of the participants
will be enforced to take part in survey process. Moreover, the participants will be allowed to
draw their participation from the survey process. The questionnaire set will not contain any kind
of logo and will not promote any kind of promotion of any organization or institution
(Alshenqeeti 2014). Thus, the research study will be completed by considering several ethical
aspects.
`Data Analysis Method
The collected data from the survey process will be analyzed through charts, tables and
graphs. Initially, the gathered data will be transformed to percentage form. This will allow the
researchers to study the results comparatively. Then, the percentage value will be plotted in a
graph or chart which will help the readers to view and detail the research study easily (Deresky
and Christopher 2015). The results will be presented keeping the sources as an evidence. The
data will be presented in the graph form which will help both the researchers and the readers to
compare the results and also to conclude the research topic.

11Research Proposal

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Study Timeframe
Activities First
to
fourt
h
week
Fourth
to
elevent
h week
Eleventh
week to
fourteent
h week
Fourteent
h Week to
Seventeent
h week
Sevente
enth to
twenty
second
week
twenty
second
week to
twenty
third week
Twent
y
fourth
week
Choosing the
research
Topic

Literature
Review
 
Producing
the Layout of
the research

Conducting
Literature
Review
  
Collecting
Primary
Sources
through
survey
  
Analyzing
the collected
data
 
Concluding
the Research
Study

Forming the  

13Research Proposal
draft of the
research
Study
Submitting
the final
research

Thus, it is supposed that the research study will be completed within 24 weeks. In case of
any failure, the research study can be be extended to 28 to 29 weeks. The time frame will be
strictly followed by the researchers to complete the research.
Budget of Research
Sl.
No.
Tasks Expected Budget
1 Selection of the research subject $256.32
2 Literature Review $909.36
3 Data Collection $545.63
4 Data Analysis $623.36
5 Project Closure $124.36
6 Total $2459.03
The researchers will be bounded to follow the expected budget for the research study. It
is to be ensured by the researchers to not cross the expected budget of the research study. The
budget can vary day to day but it estimated that the research study can be finished within $2500.
Summary
After performing the research we have reached a conclusion that, for the purpose of the
social and organizational engineering, the cultural diversity can be considered to be one of the

14Research Proposal
greatest aspect of the organization. Competitive assignments and Team work are genuine and
regular tools in performing the tactical activities of numerous organization related to business.
The knowledge of ‘how cultural diversity affects the effectiveness’ of the arrangements in the
work places is significant for the process of decision making. For performing the research we
have established a time frame within which the research has been concluded. The time frame has
helped in the process of determining the time required for the individual task to take place in the
organization. Apart from this, a budget analysis is perform to determine the budget which is
required for the project. The budget analysis helps in determining the cost required for each and
phase of the project.

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References
Alshenqeeti, H., 2014. Interviewing as a data collection method: A critical review. English
linguistics research, 3(1), pp.39-45.
Anyan, F., 2013. The Influence of Power Shifts in Data Collection and Analysis Stages: A Focus
on Qualitative Research Interview. Qualitative Report, 18, p.36.
Banks, J.A., 2015. Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching.
Routledge.
Bellini, E., Ottaviano, G.I., Pinelli, D. and Prarolo, G., 2013. Cultural diversity and economic
performance: evidence from European regions. In Geography, institutions and regional
economic performance (pp. 121-141). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Best, S., 2014. Understanding and doing successful research: data collection and analysis for
the social sciences. Routledge.
Chan, Z.C., Fung, Y.L. and Chien, W.T., 2013. Bracketing in phenomenology: Only undertaken
in the data collection and analysis process?. The qualitative report, 18(30), p.1.
Deresky, H. and Christopher, E., 2015. International management: Managing cultural diversity.
Pearson Higher Education AU.
Fasel, N., Green, E.G. and Sarrasin, O., 2013. Facing cultural diversity. European Psychologist.
Frijns, B., Dodd, O. and Cimerova, H., 2016. The impact of cultural diversity in corporate boards
on firm performance. Journal of Corporate Finance, 41, pp.521-541.

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Kottak, C.P., 2015. Cultural anthropology: Appreciating cultural diversity. McGraw-Hill
Education.
Leach, M.M., 2014. Cultural diversity and suicide: Ethnic, religious, gender, and sexual
orientation perspectives. Routledge.
McDaniel, C. and Gates, R., 2013. Marketing research. Singapore.
Rice, M.F., 2015. Diversity and public administration. ME Sharpe.
Schachner, M.K., Noack, P., Van de Vijver, F.J. and Eckstein, K., 2016. Cultural diversity
climate and psychological adjustment at school—Equality and inclusion versus cultural
pluralism. Child Development, 87(4), pp.1175-1191.
Spaaij, R., 2013. Cultural diversity in community sport: An ethnographic inquiry of Somali
Australians’ experiences. Sport Management Review, 16(1), pp.29-40.
Trax, M., Brunow, S. and Suedekum, J., 2015. Cultural diversity and plant-level
productivity. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 53, pp.85-96.
Vangen, S. and Winchester, N., 2014. Managing cultural diversity in collaborations: A focus on
management tensions. Public Management Review, 16(5), pp.686-707.