Discrimination and Affirmative Action

Discrimination is a vice present in different areas like learning institutions, health centers, work places, and in homes. Therefore, there is always action taken to overcome such discriminative acts which is affirmative action that deals with injustices of all kinds (Kellugh, J. E., 2006). In a business, there are a number of issues involving discrimination and affirmative action. Wal-Mart stores are a business entity with chains of large discount stores and warehouse stores. There are ethical issues that arise within businesses, affecting both the stakeholders and shareholders. Stakeholders entail all parties that have stake in a business, be it a customer, employee, the government and any other person with the outcome of the business. Business entities like Wal-Mart are faced with different ethical issues requiring stakeholders input in solving the underlying issues. Discrimination in Wal-Mart is an ethical issue which requires affirmative action from the stakeholders in the business (Babkina, A. M., 2004).

Discrimination is in different forms ranging from gender discrimination to racial discrimination. The main discrimination cases raised in Wal-Mart were issues on gender discrimination. The store was accused by its female employees of discrimination against them in various areas. These included lower pay than their male counterparts, fewer promotions of female employees, having most hourly shift employees as females with few holding managerial positions. The stakeholders affected by this issue of discrimination were the female employees, human resource department and their employer. Once tabled among the stakeholders, this issue of discrimination elicited a number of reactions from all parties. The main issue was that female employees felt unfairly treated due to their gender yet they work in the same environment and perform the same tasks as their male counterparts.

Discrimination as an ethical issue is a sensitive matter to anybody that has faced any form of the same. (Kennedy, R., 2013). When the issue of discrimination against some employees was raised at Wal-Mart, the stakeholders decided to take affirmative action to overcome the same. According to the store ethics, every employee has equal rights to work in an environment free of discrimination (Rabe, J., 2001). The issue of female employees being discriminated is against the values of the stores. To solve this issue, a few measures were put in place to correct the discrimination acts. After running interviews on the stakeholders, different views came up. It was agreed upon that the working conditions of both the male and female employees should be addresses in the same level depending on the shifts. Pay was to be standardized where both male and female employees of the same rank were to get equal pay.

Managerial positions in a business or work place as well as promotions are eyed by many employees and each of them strives hard to get a promotion and climb up the ladder. The stakeholders of Wal-Mart, dealing with the issue of discrimination in terms of denial of promotions and managerial positions of female employees decided to enact a rule on the same. The decision made was that employees would be promoted according to performance despite their gender (Leiter, W. M. & Leiter, S., 2011). Performance was to be analyzed by board members through feedback from the supervisors and immediate managers at the various stores. Performance was to be based on quality work, punctuality, good customer service and proper interpersonal relationships with other employees. Moreover, the longer the time worked in a particular store would deserve a promotion if one possesses the right credentials and proper work ethics. Based on their values, the stakeholders felt it would be fair and ethically right to treat all employees equally because they all contribute to the success of the stores.

References

Babkina, A. M. (2004). Affirmative Action: An Annotated Bibliography.

New York: Nova Publishers

Kellugh, J. E. (2006). Understanding Affirmative Action: Politics, Discrimination, and the Search for Justice. Georgetown: Georgetown University Press

Kennedy, R. (2013). For Discrimination: Race, Affirmative Action, and the Law.

New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Leiter, W. M. & Leiter, S. (2011). Affirmative Action in Antidiscrimination Law and Policy: An Overview and Synthesis, Second Edition. New York: SUNY Press.

Rabe, J. (2001). Equality, Affirmative Action and Justice. Stockholm: (BoD) Books on Demand