Diversity Research Audit Proposal
Diversity Research Audit Proposal
The diversity audit will be conducted in 2 parts:
Part 1 is the audit proposal which is due in Module 2, and the final project paper is due later, inModule 5.
For now, FOCUS on the Audit Proposal due in Module 2. There are two options for this research project:
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Instructions for Option 1. Perform a diversity audit on an organization with which you are associated (or have been associated with)
a. Obtain authorization for the audit from a manager or a human resource leader. After you have received authorization by the organization to conduct this audit (if you are performing the diversity audit on an organization with which you are associated or have been associated with), make an appointment to interview at least one company representative or employee. If you can interview people from different functions and levels (human resources, training, managers, and employees), it will provide different perspectives.
Your proposal should include ALL of these bullet points:
- The background of the company (for example, 1 paragraph introduce the company background, how you are associated with it, etc.)
- Who do you wish to interview and why (to establish reliability of the information)?
- The criteria by which results will be measured (what are the ‘diversity’ criteria to be used to measure this company? For example, if you were to measure a company to see if they are truly diverse or not, what criteria would you use to measure it? You can use secondary research to assist you. For example, how are diversity measured? In what ways are the factors of diversity categorized? Hint: quantitative measurements, qualitative measurements and activity-based measurements).
- A list of 10 questions which will be asked in the audit or develop thoughtful questions on the topic of diversity you will seek to answer in your research to measure the organization’s diversity initiative against (These questions will help you answer whether or not they met the ‘criteria’ you set forth in the bullet point above)
- Conduct a preliminary literature review for your research of the company. The literature review should include sources from scholarly and professional journals describing the performance of an organization as it relates to diversity. If you work for a big company, say, General Electric, you might be able to find some research on it. However, if you cannot find anything on the company you are associated with, then find literature review about “performance of an organization as it relates to diversity” and that can be ANY company. As part of this literature review, you also include what you might find on the company’s website that you are researching in regards to diversity. The literature review should include a bibliography of sources (at least 6 in total, and 4 of them must be scholarly sources) and a brief paragraph describing the contents of the source.
2. Instructions for Option 2 : Perform a research audit on one of the top 10 companies identified by DiversityInc. as a company that demonstrates the business case for diversity. Students will submit a proposal which includes the following 4 bullet points:
- The company you plan on researching – pick one (1 paragraph about this company to introduce this company background, etc.)
- The criteria by which results will be measured (what are the ‘diversity’ criteria to be used to measure this company? For example, if you were to measure a company to see if they are truly diverse or not, what criteria would you use to measure it? You can use secondary research to assist you. For example, how are diversity measured? In what ways are the factors of diversity categorized? Hint: quantitative measurements, qualitative measurements and activity-based measurements).
- A list of ten questions which will be asked in the audit or develop thoughtful questions on the topic of diversity you will seek to answer in your research to measure the organization’s diversity initiative against (These questions will help you answer whether or not they met the ‘criteria’ you set forth in the bullet point above)
- Conduct a preliminary literature review for your research of the company. The literature review should include sources from scholarly and professional journals describing the performance of the organization as it relates to diversity, in addition to the organization’s website that you are researching. The literature review should include a bibliography of sources (at least 6 in total, and 4 of them must be scholarly sources) and a brief paragraph describing the contents of the source.
- What are scholarly sources? Peer-reviewed journal articles, research articles posted on websites, text books (such as those used in this course). To find peer-reviewed journal articles, search via www.esc.edu/library
- What are NOT scholarly sources? News article, Blog, wikipedia, answers.com, personal website, tweets, one-page poster, letter to the editor, etc.
- To read more on what the differences are between scholarly journals, professional journals and popular magazines, read more here http://ask.stedwards.edu/a.php?qid=73144 (if link does not work, let the instructor know).
If you are not sure if what you found are scholarly sources, send them to your instructor, and ask for advice.
- Conduct the audit by visiting the organization and conducting an interview(s). Ask for a tour of the organization so that you may gather additional information through observation. If available, try to obtain copies of the company newsletters, value statements, and so forth. If you are using one of the DiversityInc. firms, include in your research the criteria you developed, the questions you researched, the literature you used and the results of your findings.
- Findings: Evaluate what you have learned about the company in terms of diversity, comparing it against the criteria you established. Be sure to pay attention to subtle cues (i.e. is there evidence that they really do what they say they do). For example, a manager proudly pointed out that his large retail organization hired physically challenged workers. However, they were all assigned to work in the stockroom, where they were never seen by any customers. Feel free to add additional criteria that you did not think of after the interview/visit.
- Prepare a 7-10 page paper which explains your findings in detail. The paper should be free from spelling and grammatical errors. Make sure you cite all written web sources, journal articles and interviews in a bibliography, and contain exhibits, such as copies of the organizational value statements or company newsletters, if appropriate.
- To summarize, your report should detail the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s diversity initiatives. List the criteria (one page), provide some company background/history (one page), evaluate the organization’s efforts in terms of diversity, and make recommendations for improvement.