MGT 424

1
Week 2 - Diversity

• MGT 424
• Senior Seminar In Management
• Sullivan University WJ Patterson

2
What is Diveristy

• No clear cut definition of diversity
• Means different things to different people
• Can be based on age, gender, race, ethnicity,
  religion, etc
• Webster's defines diversity as the state of
  being diverse, different, variety, multiformity.
• Diversity is found in business in customers,
  vendors, employees. Businesses need to be
  proactive when it comes to diversity to leverage
  and capitalize on these differences.

3
Why do we have Diversity

• Immigration and Migration
• Political reform and upheaval
• Improvements in technology
• Increases in Transnational mergers/acquisitions
• Increase in FDI (foreign direct investment)
• Changing social trends

4
Why do we need to understand Diversity?

• Growth expansion opportunities will increasingly
  come from parts of the world which have
  traditionally been overlooked by US and European
  businesses.
• Businesses will increasingly hire or manage a
  globally diverse workforce both domestically and
  abroad
• Competition now transcends national boarders.

5
What is Managing Diversity about?

• Corporations that encourage and nurture diversity
  among their employees.
• Understanding differences and developing a
  framework for transferring knowledge more quickly
  and effectively.
• Leveraging products and markets
• Ensuring that individuals of different background
  are able to contribute fully to the
  organizations success.
• Aligning corporate culture to be flexible and
  adaptable with multiple cultures and growing
  global work force, workplace and market realities.

6
The Key to Achieving Synergy is through

• Understanding cultural differences
• Appreciating diversity implications
• Breaking down stereotypes
• Providing cross cultural training.
• Integration through interaction
• Taking the best features from each culture

7
Barriers to Gender Equality Issues

• Education
• Types of jobs
• Insufficient quality of child care
• Dual roles of worker and homemaker
• Negative stereotypes of the dual roles
• Pregnancy dismissals
• Reluctance of employers to hire because of family
  responsibilities