target the essay question ! ‘consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an...

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Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What do each of these key terms mean ?

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Page 1: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

Target the essay question !

‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy

as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy

in a business organisation.’

What do each of these key terms mean ?

Page 2: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

What are tutors looking for in assignments … ?

Usually two levels of engagement with the topic:

1. Descriptive … show clear understanding of main

theories, ideas, models or practices, i.e. what theorists

are claiming, or what is happening in practice.

Page 3: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

What are tutors looking for in assignments … ?

Usually two levels of engagement with the topic:

2. Analytical … show evidence for claims, i.e. why something

could be true in practice, or perhaps cause and effect

relationships, i.e. how one factor impacts on something

else.

Page 4: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

Analytical assignment writing

Why is this theory important for business ? Who says so ?How does it apply to your specific situation ?

Practical application

Page 5: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

Analytical assignment writing Reach your own view

through

the evidence that you present from others.

Page 6: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

Critiquing a past assignment

What does an experienced student think the key assessment criteria actually are ?

'Critical analysis in action’

Now let’s examine the essay in detail …

Page 7: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

IntroductionDiversity and Equal Opportunities are two sides of the same coin when it comes to discussing human resource management. But both approaches relate to gender, sex and race differently. This essay aims to discuss the significance of adopting a managing diversity strategy over equal opportunities and what this means for organisations that decide to adopt this approach in their culture. Cox, O’Neill and Quinn (2001:3) define diversity as “the variation of social and cultural identities among people existing together in a defined employment or marketing system.” Foot and Hook (2011) also define it as celebrating the differences between people, and using these to enhance creativity, problem-solving, productivity and responsiveness to customer needs. The awareness for diversity has been on the increase not just because it is a morally good thing, but also because it makes good business sense. According to Clements and Jones (2006:6), taking advantage of and celebrating diversity is more a way of life than a set of policies. It is no good for an organization to have a diversity strategy and/or policies. Those policies must be turned into day-to-day realities for its people.

Page 8: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

So how does a good introduction engage with the question effectively ?

• It should show that you’ve grasped the key implications of the assignment question, through your interpretation of that in your own words.

• It could indicate why this is an important topic• It could define some key terms contained in the title• It should explain briefly what the essay is therefore

going to cover and how. • It may well indicate some key findings that are reached

in the essay.

Page 9: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

Where does Naomi begin critical analysis ?(Para 2) In an organisation, managing a diversity strategy opens the door to a wide range of business benefits. As stated by Foot and Hook (2011), the benefits of a diverse workforce has four main business advantages which are; recruitment and retention, employee satisfaction and productivity, employer brand and customer and product innovation. An organization aims to maximize profit at a low cost, and a diverse workforce helps in achieving this goal. A diverse workforce means more talent and skill for the organisation to tap into. It also promotes employee satisfaction and productivity in the sense that, employees are recognised based on their contributions, in terms of their skills and this on the other hand leads to a reduction in staff turnover as it shows that employees are being valued for their contribution towards the set goals of the organisation. This is good for the image of an organization as it shows it values the differences of individuals in its workforce. “True competitive advantage requires the best from everyone without restrictions; it demands a prejudice-free and inclusive attitude towards actual and potential employees” (Price 2004).

Page 10: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

Where does she signal her interpretation of other authors’ ideas ?

(Para 3) … But if an organisation is to manage a diverse workforce, they are of the opinion that such an organisation must first “be exposed to it, experience it, acquire knowledge about it, and they must develop an understanding of diversity”. In other words, before an organisation can say it is managing a diverse workforce or recognise diversity, it must have gone through a process of training all of its employees, from managers down to junior staff, on the benefits of embracing diversity and by doing this, the organisation is inculcating diversity into its business culture.

Why is this important ?

Page 11: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

Where does Naomi start to present a counter-argument to DM ?

(Para 7) However, Wiley (1996) argues that organisations are still dealing with issues of managing a diverse workforce. Problems such as, indifferent attitudes to the feelings of other employees and ignorance of the concerns of their diverse employees will have a negative effect on managing diversity. These and many other issues present obstacles that employers have to address so that their workforce can reach a maximum level of efficiency. Another potential flaw of having a diverse workforce is that slight forms of biases against diverse individuals may still exist informally within the organisation and/or outside of the work environment; thus, highly impacting individuals within the organisation (Friday and Friday 2003).

How important is this ‘other side’ of the story ?

Page 12: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

Where does she begin to discuss EO ?

(Para 10) Equal opportunities focus on groups who are being discriminated against such as women, blacks and the disabled. The discrimination can be direct and indirect. Direct in the sense that an individual is treated differently from other people because of his/her sex, skin colour, religious beliefs and cultural background. Indirect discrimination is a less obvious form of discrimination that uses certain conditions that are favourable to a particular group and less favourable to another. Employers sometimes discriminate indirectly by looking for requirements to fill a job position that will inadvertently disqualify a particular from applying. For example, the police force putting a fixed height requirement for entry is indirectly putting women at a disadvantage, even if they have the skills to do the job.

So how is Naomi structuring her essay ?Is this the best approach for effective critical analysis ?

Page 13: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

Conclusion

In conclusion, managing diversity and equal opportunities have similarities as well as differences. Managing diversity on one hand, celebrates the differences in individuals and utilising each individual’s potential for the benefit of the organisation. While equal opportunities uses the law to fight the cause of discriminated groups. Adopting a managing diversity gives organisations the opportunity to tap into a vast area of skills in the labour market, it does not focus on disadvantaged groups but rather its focus is on the qualities that make an individual different. Differences that if effectively managed, produces a positive result for organisations in the form of increased profits as well as a larger customer base, while within the workforce there is a sense of fulfilment as individuals feel that they are part of a team. Also, as the society evolves into a globalized village, the opportunities open to a diversified workforce is boundless. Organisations can explore new marketing ideas, better serve its customers and more importantly create a gap between themselves and competitors. Diversity, although has its downsides, has been able to achieve what equal opportunities couldn’t do, and that is, appreciating the positives found in each individual regardless of age, religion, cultural and religious beliefs, sexual orientation and educational background.

How appropriate is this content for the conclusion ?

Page 14: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

What did the tutor think of the essay ?

This is a well considered piece of work. It would be good if you could have been more explicit about the nature and differences of managing diversity and equal opportunity, and the impact of the organisation adopting one of these approaches.

Grade B

Page 15: Target the essay question ! ‘Consider adopting a managing diversity strategy as opposed to an equal opportunity strategy in a business organisation.’ What

See the full workshop video on the ELS website …

ELS workshop with Naomi