The Discrimination Against Women Employees in the Telecommunication Industry

The Discrimination Against Women Employees in the Telecommunication Industry Aims of the Dissertation This dissertation will aim at investigating how women are impacted negatively as a result of employment discrimination in the telecommunication industry in Europe and Middle East. Discrimination in this sense means that there are fewer women than men working in the telecommunication industry in Europe and Middle East.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on The Discrimination Against Women Employees in the Telecommunication Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In investigating this matter, the dissertation will answer the question of whether the discrimination against women employees in the telecommunication industry is justified or unjustified. The dissertation will examine whether discrimination against women working in the industry has a negative impact on them. This research will endeavor to answer the following research questions: Why do telecommunication businesses discriminate again st women employees in Europe and Middle East? What mechanisms should be put in place to increase the ratio of women to men working in the telecommunication industry in Europe and Middle East? Methodology The data to be collected in this research is first hand information from women working in the telecommunication industry. The women will give their views and experiences regarding employee discrimination against women in the industry. In collecting the data, the research will consider reviewing secondary sources of information such as government studies. This will provide the researcher with information about any research that has been done by the government in an attempt to get information regarding the telecommunication industry. The kind of research methodology to be used is determined by the nature of the research being conducted. Quantitative research methodology is used when measuring variables or trying to test existing theories and establishing their validity (nsf, n.d). Th e collected data is used to formulate new hypothesis on the basis of new evidence. On the other hand, qualitative research is more applicable in understanding meanings, experiences and beliefs about a particular subject. The methodology that this research will heavily rely on in data collection is qualitative data collection because it is varied and provides information in its entirety as long as it is not statistical or numeric. The first qualitative data collection method to be used is conducting interviews. Since the aim of the research is to investigate the negative impact on women arising from their discrimination in telecommunication in Middle East and Europe, it will be crucial to interview a sample of women working in telecommunication industry. This will give first hand information which is the perspective of the women themselves regarding the subject.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 1 5% OFF Learn More An interview will be an effective methodology of collecting information since it first establishes a close relationship between the interviewer and the interviewees. Through interviews, it will also be easy to make follow up when looking for finer details of any interesting piece of information. Sampling is the random picking of a group of people to provide information on a particular subject. The countries from which the samples will be taken include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, and Lebanon. The sample will include wide range of women including employees of operators, vendors and intermediaries. The technique to be used in the research to identify the sample is picking women who have worked in the industry for at least two years. Interview is an effective way of answering the research questions because definitely, from the interviews reasons of why employers discriminate against women in the industry will be given. Through the interviews, women wil l also be capable of suggesting ways through which they feel that their ratio in the industry can be increased. There are two types of interviews to be used. The first type of interview is a structured interview where a questionnaire is given out to the respondents to fill out the information .The other type of an interview is referred to as in-depth interview which does not involve any rigid questions to be answered. The study will use the structured questionnaire to get answers for some specific questions in order to get uniform results from several respondents. In-depth guided interviews on the other hand will give the respondents a chance to answer questions freely and hold discussions. For the sake of collecting ample information, the research will conduct individual interviews several times. The choice of qualitative data collection as the methodology to be used is backed by the fact that qualitative research has the capacity of providing detailed information regarding the way a group of people experiences an issue that is being researched. This type of methodology presents the human part of an issue such as the beliefs, opinions or even the expectations of different people.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on The Discrimination Against Women Employees in the Telecommunication Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The methodology fits in well with the aim of the research of identifying the negative impacts on women of denying them a chance to lead in the telecommunication industry. Women’s being denied leadership opportunities in the telecommunication industry is a sensitive issue that would require closeness in trying to understand the negative side of the matter to them. Such closeness with the respondents in collecting information can only be achieved by using qualitative methods such interviews. Observation at times will also be applicable because in discussing with the w omen, it will also be possible to observe their reactions and emotions. Data analysis is a crucial part towards completion of a study. In this research, data analysis will involve carefully looking at the results from the interviews conducted. From the data provided by the interviewees, the researcher will try to identify the reasons behind discrimination against women employees in telecommunication industry. The analysis will involve identifying some of the ways suggested by interviewees of eliminating the discrimination. In the analysis, the practicality of the research outcomes in solving the real problems in the field will also be evaluated. It is common for research undertakings to present challenges and this research is no exception. The first challenge that might surface is that some of the interviewees may be biased and provide information which is not reliable. This may be as a result of personal dispositions or general unwillingness among some interviewees to participate i n the interviews. Another challenge is the financial cost of the research. Although the initial budget has been factored, additional cost may spring up while the research is in progress and this will be a challenge for the researcher Feasibility A successful and comprehensive dissertation requires the researcher to be determined and committed (White, 2004). There are some resources such as books and funding for travel among others that a researcher should ensure are in place before the actual data collection begins. This necessitates a feasibility study to determine whether all the necessary resources for the research are available (White, 2003).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The research will use both primary and secondary sources of information. Secondary sources will include books, journals and internet sources while primary data is new information that will be collected from the field. The required resources such as academic texts are available in the online library and other public libraries I have identified. In addition, a trial with a subset of the prospective interviewees has already been conducted and their response is positive towards facilitating the research. The researchers’ employer is understanding and has granted full permission for the research to be conducted. The employer has permitted the researcher to interview the samples during specific working hours. He has also allowed the samples to talk to the researcher during some agreed hours. Travel outside the country is also anticipated hence the travelling cost and permission have been sought. How the Research Fits Existing Published Work Different researchers have conducted vari ous studies focusing on women in the telecommunication industry and how they are either discriminated in some various countries. For example, in 1995, the South African government enacted a policy aimed at providing access to information to all South Africans. According to Schreiner (2011), Bamshela which is a rural town in South Africa is selected to receive the services of a telecenter. It is one of the most underdeveloped regions in South Africa where infrastructure and communication facilities are hard to get. This study is important to the current study because by looking at a case in Africa, this can be used as an example in understanding employment discrimination against women in telecommunications in Europe and Middle East. Women in Bamshela are unfortunate and spend most of their lives in subsistence farming with only a few of them securing positions in the telecommunication industry. Schreiner discovers that there is employment discrimination against women at the telecente r. The study further analyzes the effects of discriminating against women as employees in telecommunication industry (Schreiner, 2011). From Schreiner’s study it was evident that women employed at the telecenter were not less productive than men. This research was conducted using surveys in these regions to collect the information. Secondly, women are discriminated against in telecommunication industry on the basis of race and gender (Robinson Peoples, 1996). Men are given privileges while discriminating against women by denying them a similar chance to work in the industry. Robinson and Peoples (1996) revealed this in their study leading to actions being taken to rectify the disparity. Eventually, the players in the industry started according women positions within the industry. The findings of this research are important in this research because they will give a chance to make comparison. Apart from Europe and Middle East, women discrimination in telecommunication is preva lent in other parts of the world. This will make it easy to approach the case of Middle East and Europe from an informed point of view from the studies in Africa and elsewhere. According to Gordon (1976), there are positive implications of giving women a chance to work in the telecommunication industry. There are numerous challenges that employed people have to contend with to get to their places of work. At times there are transportation problems hence the employees have to plan their time wisely. The challenge becomes more pronounced for women who have to manage their families and their work. Women who have young children encounter problems because the children require their attention. This study is relevant in this research as it highlights how some of these problems can be solved through telecommunication. Women should be given a chance to work in the telecommunication industry since consideration for them to work from home is a possibility. Unless this happens women will contin ue to be less productive (Gordon, 1976). Reasons for Choice of This Topic The first and most important thing that should be done before a researcher decides to research on a dissertation is to identify the topic (ESC, n.d). The principal reason behind the choice of this topic is my interest in it. Apart from the obvious reasons of doing research to earn academic credentials, conducting research on a particular topic is important in making changes to various sectors (Michael, 2011). The choice of the topic of this research is informed by the fact that there has been discrimination against women in the telecommunication industry in Europe and the Middle East. The research conducted during this dissertation will be important to my firm as it can be used to come up with strategies of increasing the ratio of women to men employed in the telecommunication industry. Insights from the research may inspire other firms to take initiatives that will ensure that women secure more employment pos itions in telecommunication industry as it is one of the fastest growing sectors in Europe and Middle East. Milestone Description Due date Remarks 1 Stage 1: Area of interest identified August 03,2011 Completed 2 Stage 2: Specific topic selected August 10,2011 Completed 3 Stage 3: Topic refined to develop dissertation proposal August 17,2011 Completed 4 Stage 4: Proposal written and submitted Sep 14 2011 Completed 5 Stage 5: Collection of data and information October 31 2011 6 Stage 6: Analysis and interpretation of collected data/information Nov 30 2011 7 Stage 7: Writing up Jan 31 2012 8 Stage 8: Final draft prepared – submission of dissertation Feb 15 2011 9 Final Deadline – nine months from classroom date. References Delmon. (n.d). Telecommunication. Web. ESC. (n.d). Developing a Research Question. Web. Michael, D. (2011). Qualitative Research in Information Systems. Web. Sweetman, C. (2000). Gender and technology. New York: Gender and technology. White, B. (2003). Dissertation Skills for Business and Management Students. London: Cengage Learning. White, B. (2002). Writing your MBA Dissertation.london: Cengage Learning. Gordon, F. (1976). Telecommunications:Implications for Women. Original Research , 68-74. Robinson, R., Peoples, J. (1996). Market Structure, Racial and Gender Discrimination. American Journal of Econoics and Sociology , 309-325. Schreiner, H. (2011). Rural Women, Development and Telecommunications: A pilot Programme in South Africa. Web. nsf. (n.d). Overview of Qualitative Methods. Web. Patton, M. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. New York: Sage.