American is supposed to be the land of dreams where anything is possible. At least this is what is implied on the base of the Statue of Liberty While America provides countless opportunities for its citizens many still argue that it is unequal. By exploring the concept of affirmative action, one can gain a better understand of how racism affects business in a negative fashion.
What is Affirmative Action?
Affirmative action is defined as, “means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded.”(Steele & Fullwinder).Racism also contributes to financial inequality, poor education, poor health care, and inability to keep up with a changing business world.
Fullinwinder states several facts to support the idea of affirmative action(Steele & Fullwinder). The main purpose of affirmative action was to encourage firms to find procedures that would be unfair to any minorities within the company. This was intended to help end equality in the work place. Fullinwinder states that this would help salaries increase as well as business opportunities until the world no longer needed affirmative action plans to help end inequality. It was original meant to be a short term solution for a long term problem. Fullinwinder states that by giving affirmative action programs a chance, in turn minorities would then be able to send their own children to college thus ending the cycle of inequality.
Fullinwinder believed that there was ample evidence to support that race placed a factor in if one received business opportunities(Steele & Fullwinder). The main argument against the idea of an equal America is the financial disadvantages. Changes in employment patterns, the requirements for extensive education, and changes in household structure may have contributed to financial inequality. The working and middle class are working longer hours, in heavy debt, unable to save, and cannot always afford necessary healthcare.
Labor union memberships have dropped drastically, resulting in lower wages. As a result locations of these businesses, especially manufacturing businesses, move to areas that where wages are even lower. This takes away major manufacturing jobs away from the American people leaving them with low wage service sector jobs. Education plays a big role on how much an employee earns(Steele & Fullwinder). Income increases with the amount of education an employee has. This creates a gap between those with higher education and those who do not. The affirmative action programs were a means of combating this problem.
Fullinwinder states that equality should benefit everyone, even though a few individuals could be effected, such as Caucasian males(Steele & Fullwinder). In other words, Fullinwinder uses the concept of sacrifice for the greater good. These programs also served to inspire minorities to achieve more and allow whites to continue holding positions of power within the business world.
Affirmative Action and Quotas
In the 1970’s it was ruled that employers could face prosecution if they failed to produce an accurate representation of minorities congruent with their community in their work force(Steele & Fullwinder). This meant that many policies had to be changes and reviewed to accommodate the minorities. This caused a dissention amongworkers. Even Fullwinder concluded that this was a form of reverse discrimination and not helpful in the overall plan of affirmative action in American business.
Communication is key to developing meaningful relationships with groups within the work for. By being able to identify the different ways we interact with each other we are able to better promote effective interpersonal communication, yet quotas often hinder this process. One of the most basic principles is to treat others with respect, yet it one feels that they are being “replaced” this automatically causes resentment. Difficulties with quotas are mere distractions blocking us from viewing the bigger picture of affirmative action.
In order for a cultural diverse work place to succeed everyone must be respectful of different cultures without any form of bias. Without bias, culture should not hinder performance. There are different perceptions about cultures, some are true and some are false. It is important to recognize these and accept the truths and ignore the falsities. Quotas might be good in theory but inadequate in healing rifts between races in the work place.
Steele’s Views on Affirmative Action
With all the positive aspects of affirmative action also came negative ones. Steele speaks out adamantly against these actions feeling that they are a detriment to all races involved. Steele states that these actions just cause dissention among workers. Steele argues that hard work and integrity are the two greatest indicators to make one equal in the work force not legislation. With the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s and those not afraid to speak out against the unjust, the fight against racism and segregation has made great leaps into the more accepting and integrated society we now enjoy(Steele & Fullwinder). Government has worked tirelessly in promoting new legislation to ensure equal rights for all who live in America. Segregation is prohibited by law. No matter the race or sex, everyone has the ability to take part in all the benefits we enjoy as Americans. Statistics show that the vast majority of people believe any form of racism or segregation is also morally wrong.
Subtle and Obvious Forms of Racism
Steele also explains that there are different types of racism in the business world(Steele & Fullwinder). In some cases racism may be so subtle that neither race truly understands or recognizes it. Microagression refers to the idea that minorities may feel that they are discriminated against when that may not necessarily be the intention of the person perpetrating the act. This over sensitivity to race is something Steele condemns(Steele & Fullwinder). Also small acts such as unconsciously trusting a white applicant over an African American applicant are examples of subtle racism(Steele & Fullwinder). The person hiring may not even realize he or she is doing this unless it is brought to their attention, their subconsciousrecognizing distrust but not relating that it could be an issue of race.
Obvious racism refers to racism that in fully intended by the perpetrator, such as paying a woman less than a man doing the same job, or refusing to hire someone based solely on their race. Obvious racism is often vicious and without cause other than unfounded prejudices.
Conclusion
In conclusion, perhaps the most important right we have as Americans is our ability to vigilantly assert our political rights and civic responsibilities means, whether it be through affirmative action or both. I feel that America has a lofty goal in hoping to obtain true equality. Even though there are issues that need to be improved on if we are ever to become an equal society (if such a thing can even exist!), we have the right to ask for change and the right to insure it happens! A diverse cultural work force can be a great benefit, as all culture has different sets of ideas that can be brought to the table for the better good of the company.Ethical standards are paramount to good business practices. A sound ethical framework helps establish a sense of community, pride, and accountability within a business or organization(Steele & Fullwinder).
Perhaps the best form of affirmative research would be to improve communication within local local businesses. Counseling may assist in implementing the process to remedy problems that need immediate action or input. Over the long term the decisions made should positively impact all “stakeholders” and strengthen the community as a whole. This can only be achieved by exploring a wide range of perspectives and possible outcomes. All perspectives should be taken into consideration without bias. Developing a sense of community among races is more beneficial in the long run than affirmative actions.
Works Cited:
Steele, and Fullinwinder. "Steele: Affimative Action." -1 (0): -. Print.Works Cited:
