10.1.4 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 2: ASSIGNMENT 1 [100] READ THE EXCERPT BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW: BMW AND EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY The BMW Group sees diversity as a strength and this factor in its workforce is one of the keys to its corporate success. The BMW Group believes that diversity fosters innovation and therefore also boosts competitiveness. A deeper understanding of the needs of customers around the world is just one example. In recent years, the BMW Group's diversity concept has continued to broaden the eclectic nature of its workforce in terms of gender, cultural background, age and experience. For this reason, the Board of Management not only approved the Group's existing diversity concept, but broadened it during the year under report. I PROMOTING DIVERSITY AT ALL LEVELS The BMW Group places great emphasis on an unprejudiced, appreciative and inclusive working environment for all its employees. To underline its conviction, in 2020 the BMW Group continued expanding the diversity concept with the existing dimensions of gender, cultural background, age and experience to include sexual orientation and identity as well as disability. The BMW Group promotes a culture that sees strength in diversity and difference as a valued asset. It seeks to raise awareness of diversity issues among its employees and managers by means of training, presentations and dialogue formats and also promotes diversity and equal opportunity via its recruiting and personnel development measures. During the year under report, the BMW Group again organised an international Diversity Week with the aim of raising awareness of every dimension of diversity within the company and exerting a positive influence on its corporate culture. However, the programme was conducted exclusively online due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Diversity Week and the simultaneously run global diversity awareness campaign were transmitted in a variety of digital formats and reached an approximate total of 92.000 BMW Group employees online. The equal treatment of all employees is a fundamental principle firmly enshrined in Group policy. I I BACHELOR OF COMMERCE YEAR 2- ACADEMIC AND ASSESSMENT CALENDAR - DISTANCE The BMW Group Code of Conduct and the BMW Group Code of Human Rights and Working Conditions rigorously address discrimination of all kinds. Employees are asked to contact their managers, the relevant specialised units, the personnel department or the Works Council if they have any pertinent concerns. The BMW Group SpeakUp Line is a telephone service available in over 30 languages that gives employees worldwide the opportunity to report possible violations both anonymously and confidentially SOURCE: BMW GROUP REPORT 2020 N.B. Students are required to conduct their own online desktop research in order to complete assignment questions. QUESTION FOUR [15] "The Diversity Week and the simultaneously run global diversity awareness campaign were transmitted in a variety of digital formats and reached an approximate total of 92,000 BMW Group employees online." The extract above is indicative that the use of information technology to communicate, including the idea of virtual teams, is essential. Critically discuss the benefits of virtual teams towards the BMW Group. Please conduct your own online desktop research in order to support your