Research Proposal
Research Proposal
On
Managing cultural diversity in the workplace: A case study on Prudential Plc
Contents
Introduction3
Research Aims and Objectives4
Research Question4
Rationale of the research4
Research Hypothesis4
Literature review5
Equality and diversity5
Cultural diversity in the workplace5
Impacts of cultural diversity in organisation5
Benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace6
Managing cultural diversity in Prudential Plc6
Research Methodologies8
Research Philosophy8
Research Approach8
Research Strategy9
Research Method9
Data Collection Method9
Sampling Method10
Research Techniques and Procedures10
Research Ethics10
Timescale and Gantt chart11
Conclusion12
References13
Appendix15
Introduction
Equality regulates the rights of the employees in the workplace in with the same access to the same opportunities and diversity ensures the difference among the employees and group of people in the workplace by covering a positive value of those differences. As on all employees working with the organisation are affected by diversity and equality both, so managing these issues are very overriding for any organisation. Based on this theme, “managing cultural diversity in the workplace within Prudential Plc” this topic has been selected. Actually cultural diversity is the different culture and the level of manifold, as opposed to monoculture or homogenisation of cultures and global monoculture akin to cultural decay. On the basis of this project, the cultural diversity respects all cultures within the organisation practices. Here, in this project how the cultural diversity can be managed with the organisation that will be discussed besides the literature reviews and different methodologies will be applied to collect data and analyse it. This paper will conduct with hypothesis and ethics of this project. Findings and analysis of this project will be presented in different charts, tables and pie charts that will clear the project outcome.
Research Aims and Objectives
Aim
The aim of this project is to examine how the cultural diversity impact in the workplace within Prudential Plc.
Objectives
To determine the cultural diversity in the workplace
To enact the primary research on cultural diversity within Prudential Plc
To analyse how the cultural diversity impact on the workplace
To evaluate the practice of cultural diversity in the workplace within Prudential Plc
Research Question
How the cultural diversity impact in the workplace within Prudential Plc?
Rationale of the research
The theme of this project was equality and diversity, based on this theme the project title was selected as managing cultural diversity in the workplace within Prudential Plc. As cultural diversity ensures the multi dimensional employees with different skills, knowledge and parameters, the benefits of the organisation are increased. Besides, information and researches are available on this topic that influences to select this topic within this theme. To know how cultural diversity is managed through the organisational practices, this project title was selected mainly. It will encourage achieving maximum impact from advisor and so this paper will conduct with managing cultural diversity in the workplace with Prudential Plc.
Research Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis: There is a positive or negative relationship between cultural diversity and workplace within Prudential Plc
Alternative Hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between cultural diversity and workplace within Prudential Plc.
Literature review
Equality and diversity
According to Richardson and Monro (2012) equality regulates the rights of the employees in the workplace in with the same access to the same opportunities and diversity ensures the difference among the employees and group of people in the workplace by covering a positive value of those differences (Richardson and Monro, 2012). As on all employees working with the organisation are affected by diversity and equality both, so managing these issues are very overriding for any organisation.
Cultural diversity in the workplace
Martin (2014) stated that the cultural diversity ensures the multi-cultural environment among the employees in the workplace. Here the organisations and companies open the hiring opportunities from anywhere in the world with different backgrounds like regardless of race, ethnicity, ages, religion and cultures and different regions (Martin, 2014). The pool of people, when the companies recruit and retain them without any discrimination, may ensure the sustainability of cultural diversity. For example, cultural diversity in the workplace is maintained when with different languages e.g. Spanish, English, German, Italic and French are practiced. Even from these countries when the employees will be recruited it obviously ensures the cultural diversity (Fine et al., 2010). It helps in team building for example it a 6 pair team, when 10 people will be outside of UK and maximum from Middle East and South Asia, the team work will be effective because they have many experiences with reality and life style of their people. In this way, in the workplace the cultural diversity is maintained effectively.
Impacts of cultural diversity in organisation
According to Seymen (2016), cultural diversity impacts on the organisation with positive and negative implication because every issue has two sides. The cultural diversity accumulates different skills and knowledge which supply the assistance of the works. Besides it forecast the complexity because with different people have different demand and expectation which all cannot be fulfilled by the organisation easily. Peach of harmony can be ensured by ensuring the cultural diversity in the workplace (Seymen, 2016). The employees will be satisfied because they will be motivated recruiting different cultural people in the workplace. The ideas and knowledge will be exchanged and shared with the employees in the workplace that will increase the productivity of the organisation. This ensures the positive impacts of cultural diversity in the workplace. On the other hand, it may create the discrimination feelings which lead to labour rights negatively. Sometime the ethnic violence can be generated because different motivators are working in a place (Sales, 2016). The overpopulation may be arisen which create the space limitation that lead to organisational discrepancies. In this way, cultural diversity impacts on the organisation negatively.
Benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace
Green et al., (2012) stated that obviously cultural diversity carries the benefits of its application in the workplace because variety of knowledge and skills are accumulated in the workplace by cultural diversity. Most of the cases, these skills and knowledge influence to the benefits of the organisation e.g. productivity, creativity and other outcome may be ensured (Green et al., 2012). Profits, employment engagement, employment retention, company reputation, wide range of skills and cultural insight will be increased through the cultural diversity implication in the workplace. As the efforts of the employees are increased, the productivity will be increased and their engagement must be ensured by them because they will be provided the motivation. That time the profits will be increased and company reputation will be raised because cultural diversity creates a great image for any organisation (Martin, 2014). Range of skills will be increased because from different countries and regions the employees are recruited that’s why the skills and knowledge are increased.
Managing cultural diversity in Prudential Plc
Prudential Plc is a UK based public limited company which operates the financial activities and provides the services to the customers. Although the headquarters of this company is in London, the services are provided worldwide. It needs high range of employees as the financial companies need the trusts and presence (Prudential plc, 2020). This company has more than 23,792 according to 2018 report that may have been increased by this year. From different countries they recruit the employees with different culture. South Asia, Middle East, UK and USA all people are recruited in this company which forecast the skills and knowledge with high level. They have with different languages and cultures with different regions that practiced different culture. It supplies different motivation and efforts to the organisation increasing the productivity and organisational supports (Prudential Plc, 2020).
Research Methodologies
Research Philosophy
Research philosophy, a belief on the technique is applied to gathered, used and analysed about a phenomenon. Two major research philosophies were used in western tradition of research e.g. positivism and interpretivism. From an objective viewpoint, the positivism philosophy can be observed and described that is always stable of reality without interrupting the studied phenomenon (Crossan, 2013). Other side, the contended of interpretivist can that reality be understood through the subjective interpretation. That might indicate the interpretivism philosophy in research project. For this project, the positivism philosophy will be executed and conducted with this research project. The positivism philosophy will support the prediction of the research outcome that will be based on previous observation and explanation of realities and the interrelationship that’s why this project will execute this philosophy (Crossan, 2013). With the physical and natural science, the positivism philosophy can be succeeded in association as well as the manipulation of reality can be encouraged as variables are presence in regularities; these are the advantages of this philosophy. Sometime the positivism philosophy cannot be measured and researched because of prediction is not isolated easily; it creates the disadvantages for the research project from this philosophy.
Research Approach
Research approach helps to test and generalise the research outcome with the project where two of the approaches actually are applied in this project. The validity of assumption is tested by the deductive approach in hand, whereas in the new theories and generalisations emergences and creations are contributed by inductive approach (Cavaye, 2016). The deductive approach works with true premises where the conclusions will be true. By the way, the inductive approach works with known values and premises those are applied to create a generalised conclusion. This project will conduct the deductive approach because the hypothesis and predictions are allowed by the deductive approach. Deductive approach works with an existing theory and research which create the flexibility in preparing the research projects; that is advantage of this approach (Cavaye, 2016). On the contrary, deductive approach is based on hypothesis which cannot create an actual conclusion and meet the finalisation of the project; it creates the disadvantages of this project.
Research Strategy
Research strategy forecast how the project will gather information and data using different type of methods. Main four strategies are actually being applied in all types of research projects e.g. case study, qualitative interviews or interview, quantitative survey or survey and finally the action research (Steyerberg et al., 2013). Case study focuses in depth-analysis of the projects whereas the qualitative interviews collect data answering some questions from the audiences. The quantitative survey ensures high number of participants which provide large number of data to complete the research. The action oriented research is practical business research where theory and participants all are applied to the project. This project will conduct the interview and survey mostly because a large number of participants must have to be ensured to complete this research paper (Steyerberg et al., 2013). These methods can ensure the flexibilities in collecting data which will fulfil the scarcities of data within the research project; that is advantage for this strategy. On the other hand, actualisation cannot be ensured because interview can be vague and survey data may be unrealistic that create the limitation of this project strategy.
Research Method
To collect and analyse data, there are two types of methods have to be followed within the project e.g. quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative research method allows the presentation of data collection in different graphs and charts as well as diagrams whereas the qualitative approach represents the data in words e.g. interviews and disclosure analysis. The quantitative methods are surveys and experiments (Scheurich, 2017). This project will execute the mixed methodologies because as the research strategies it will conduct the interviews and surveys and hence quantitative and qualitative allows both interviews and surveys. The perfection in presentation of collected data will be ensured through mixed method application that is the advantage for this method whereas the complexity, time and costs all will be increased because of mixed methodologies which create the limitation of this research method.
Data Collection Method
From two sources, the data is collected for this project e.g. primary and secondary data collect methods. Primary data is collected from direct source e.g. direct samples, people and participants, different agencies and direct organisations. On the other hand, from statistic bureau, organisational websites and online data base management systems are the sources of secondary data collection (Alshenqeeti, 2014). This project prefers the primary data source and method because it will execute the survey and interviews which actually indicate the primary data collection method. The primary data creates more authenticity and realistic that is advantage of this method, but the primary data presentation is very complex and extensively time consuming. It increases the costs of data collection that is the limitation of this data collection method.
Sampling Method
As this project will execute primary research and quantitative survey and interviews, the sampling will be required to collect data as participants. But the thing is that, appropriate sampling method can ensure the effectiveness of data collection. Random, cluster, systematic and many other sampling methods can be applied in a report (Larson and Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). This project will apply the simple random sampling method because it creates ease for collecting data from them and save time to complete data. Simple random sampling overcomes the limitations of the participants, scarcities of data and complexities of collection; it ensures the advantage of this project. But the thing is that maximum impact and standard of data will be lost because the level and sequence of data cannot be met through this simple random sampling.
Research Techniques and Procedures
The descriptive statistics, normality tests, reliability, outlier, hypothesis tests and multiple regression analysis are the basic research techniques and procedures. This project will interpret the descriptive statistics where different type of graphs and charts which are usually analysed collected data. Because of flexibility and ease of application, this technique will be executed in this project (Corbin and Strauss, 2014). An obvious description and scenario will be presented in this technique that is the advantage for this project. But the thing is that, only descriptive data analysis cannot find the relationship between variables which demand the regression analysis with correlative description that is the disadvantage for this project.
Research Ethics
According to data protection act 2010, the data will be collected and it will be stored in different devices. It will not be used for further research and any researchers will not find the data without permission of data protection act. Even the data will be collected from samples without payment and authenticity will be ensured.
Timescale and Gantt chart
This project will be prepared according to this milestone which covers all the section of the research project that must be required to complete the research project.
Conclusion
With cultural diversity, the organisation development and productivity is interrelated for which it should be maintained effectively in the workplace. This paper focused on the benefits and impacts of cultural diversity in the workplace within Prudential Plc. Most of the cases, the cultural diversity influences the positive impacts on the organisation. As the productivity and profits of the organisation are increased, the employee engagement must be increased. This paper reviewed the overriding literatures which are interrelated with cultural diversity management in the workplace. Using mixed methodology the research has been designed which ensure the deductive approach and positivism philosophy. To collect data, survey technique and analyse the data the quantitative research method as well as qualitative research method has been applied. The descriptive research has been practiced to ensure the statistical supports from the research methodology.
References
Alshenqeeti, H., (2014). Interviewing as a data collection method: A critical review. English linguistics research, 3(1), pp.39-45.
Cavaye, A.L., (2016). Case study research: a multi‐faceted research approach for IS. Information systems journal, 6(3), pp.227-242.
Corbin, J. and Strauss, A., (2014). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage publications.
Crossan, F., (2013). Research philosophy: towards an understanding. Nurse Researcher (through 2013), 11(1), p.46.
Fine, M.G., Johnson, F.L. and Ryan, M.S., (2010). Cultural diversity in the workplace. Public Personnel Management, 19(3), pp.305-320.
Green, K.A., López, M., Wysocki, A. and Kepner, K., (2012). Diversity in the workplace: Benefits, challenges, and the required managerial tools. University of Florida, 1(4), pp.1-3.
Larson, R. and Csikszentmihalyi, M., (2014). The experience sampling method. In Flow and the foundations of positive psychology (pp. 21-34). Springer, Dordrecht.
Martin, G.C., (2014). The effects of cultural diversity in the workplace. Journal of Diversity Management (JDM), 9(2), pp.89-92.
Prudentialplc.com. (2020). Home – Prudential Plc. [online] Available at: [Accessed 20 March 2020].
Richardson, D. and Monro, S., (2012). Sexuality, equality and diversity. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Sales, C., (2016). Organisational culture in multinational organisations. Journal of Contemporary Management, 3(1), pp.60-76.
Scheurich, J.J., (2017). Research method in the postmodern (Vol. 3). Psychology Press.
Seymen, O.A., (2016). The cultural diversity phenomenon in organisations and different approaches for effective cultural diversity management: a literary review. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal.
Steyerberg, E.W., Moons, K.G., van der Windt, D.A., Hayden, J.A., Perel, P., Schroter, S., Riley, R.D., Hemingway, H., Altman, D.G. and PROGRESS Group, (2013). Prognosis Research Strategy (PROGRESS) 3: prognostic model research. PLoS medicine, 10(2).
Appendix