"As per Trochim (2005), ‘a population’ reference is made to the generalisation or focus to a groupthat’s being used for purposes of the study. The prominent researcher Sekaran (2003) refers to ‘apopulation’ as a sample group incorporating all the elements that are of interest to theresearcher.A survey-based questionnaire will be used in the second part of the research as a quantitativedata collection tool (Creswell and Poth, 2017). This tool will be utilised to directly obtain theresponses from a chosen amount of 100 employees across the construction organisations inSouth Africa. The questionnaire will be undertaken an online survey platform namelysurveymonkey.com. This will allow the research questions to be effectively addressed by way ofthe mixed research methodology (Halcomb and Hickman, 2015). Survey-based questionnaires are known to be different in their construction compared tointerviews in several ways (Smit and Plessis, 2016).Interviews are more effective to a smallercomposition of individuals with a general homogenous experience, while surveys prove to gatherspecific information by using a larger sampling approach, hence my choice of using 100 as abenchmark for my particular research. The questionnaire will range from closed to open-endedquestions to ensure that participants answer the survey as transparently, honestly and accuratelyas possible (Easterby-Smith et al., 2012).2.10 Data collection and analysis plan and the alignment of methodologywith the research questionThe research proposal is meant to explore the underlying reasons behind the ethnicity issues andchallenges evident across the industry from the perspective of management (Bernard et al.,2016). The research supports both the research question and purpose through the utilisation of16 | P a g e the mixed research methods which form the underlying basis for the research topic. It is thusconsidered that both the research question and purpose aligns with the methods andmethodology of the research (Bryman, 2015). This alignment with the research methodology hasbeen established or identified as it is imperative that the secondary data is utilised to explore theprevalent workforce diversity challenges present in the industry, which is the key reason whygender inequality and discrimination exist within the framework of the construction sector ofSouth Africa. Therefore, the mixed research method will be the most effective way of exploringthe theoretical framework associated with diversity challenges (Creswell, 2013). 2.11 Alternative tools and strategies that were not considered forthis research/justificationDue to the individual advantages and disadvantages of the quantitative or qualitative researchmethods as well as the evaluation of their time efficiency and cost effectiveness do not supportthis research study (Flick, 2013). It is further ascertained that the level of reliability and credibilityfacilitated by the mixed research approach will be more beneficial for this study. Any otherpotential alternative strategies that can be used for data analysis could pose a considerablechallenge of misinterpretation due to the lack of integrated interpretational discussions of thefindings (Frels and Onwuegbuzie, 2013). However because of my in-depth research question andthe limitations of research assistants, lack of time may pose a challenge to effectively completethe research topic, hence the use of positivism using the quantitative approach can beconsidered to adequately answer the research question, this implies that it is essential that theoriginal data analysis technique of triangulation is used for analysing the research (Easterby- Smith et al., 2012).17 | P a g e 2.12 Ethical implications of the research methodology and proposedsolutions to the challengesThe ethical challenges regarding the secondary data collection will be merely to obtain thejournal articles from the proper resources in a lawful and ethical manner by accessing theacademic databases through the proper channels and providing proper referencing methods forthe use of the journal articles. The research will mitigate all the ethical challenges andimplications by ensuring that the relevant participants are informed about the voluntary natureof their participation and are free to participate in this study which is not compulsory orgoverned by law or an organisational HRM policy(Halcomb and Hickman, 2015). Furthermore,since the employees of the construction industry will be involved in the research, all participantsof this study will need to be 18 years and older in order to avoid any ethical or labourimplications. An honesty declaration will be signed to maintain participant confidentiality,protection and privacy, with clear explanation given for the research interview or survey,adequate steps will also be taken not to breach any unintended confidential information(e.g.medical or educational private information).When personal data are collected or processed for research in South Africa, informing researchparticipants is a mandatory requirement set by the Personal Data Act. Assurance will also beprovided to the participant by way of the consent form whereby the participant’s identity andprivate information is protected. The names of the organisations can also be protected ormasked within the framework of the research2.13 Limitations of the research study18 | P a g e The research study will be confined to employees within the industry, thus the research studywill lack external validity. A perceived limitation of the study may reflect that the chosenrespondents may not answer the questions truthfully for fear of possible victimisation withintheir working environment (Creswell, 2013).Time maybe a further constraint because respondents maybe compromised regarding their workduties, leisure or personal space in order to accurately complete the surveys, hence the entiresample size may not be returned for accurate data analysis (Sekaren, 2003).The research study will utilise a non-probability sample method in the form of convenientsampling. As a result of this, certain groups will be under-represented, thus selection bias willoccur. This however will reduce the extent to which the results of the study may be generalisedto the entire population to which the selected research hypotheses may apply.Practical considerations and plan for completion2.14 Challenges anticipated in analysing and interpreting the data andtheir mitigationIt is further considered that the mixed research method is characterised by the complexity of theresearch design because of the method of approach (Woodward, 2013). The mixed researchapproach focuses on adopting the pragmatic system that makes an allowance for the evaluationof the best possible alternative that permits the research to address the primary issues in orderto propose and make effective changes across the applicable domain(Miles et al., 2013).Thismethod creates a data collection system which runs concurrently with the integration of dataduring various inception stages(Cresswell,2013).This implies that there will be both practical19 | P a g e "