Date of Award
1998
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Business Administration
Department
Business
First Advisor
Gareth Gardiner
Second Advisor
James Lister
Third Advisor
Joseph Lonigro
Abstract
This thesis will focus on the study of the diversity management in businesses today, since the 2Ist century is around the comer. It seeks to study and highlight the importance and benefits of having a diverse workforce in today's organizations. Each day more and more companies are doing business globally, and that is why this thesis attempts to find a balance among the similarities and differences employees might encounter in any organization.
The advantages of a diverse workforce for successfully penetrating global, ethnic minority, and other group markets are many. Yet, making diversity work while simultaneously ensuring a stable and cohesive corporate or institutional environment can be challenging. Achieving and managing diversity demands sensitivity to and respect for group and individual differences.
Many businesses have realized that it is important to go beyond national frontiers in order to expand and understand diverse groups of customers and making its product successful in other types of markets. Globalization is not just an advantage but is becoming a necessity in today's businesses.
Doing business abroad will help considerably to understand diversity in the workplace. One of the first steps to optimizing the productivity of employees is to help them intellectually and emotionally understand why different groups of people have diverse beliefs and cultural behaviors. The ultimate goal of diversity management is to recognize, work through, and eventually transform stereotypes of others.
Over the years the issue of diversity has taken on more and more importance. This is so because the number of immigrants in the United States is spreading their cultural impact all over the country.
The purpose of the present study is to examine whether having a diversity management strategy should be considered as a competitive advantage for companies to improve their effectiveness and be successful. Differences among workers should be seen as valuable assets or tools to create an effective working environment in a competitive economy.
The project's hypothesis is based primarily in the statement that as many companies use diversity as a consistent management practice, the more benefits they will obtain from working with a diverse workforce. Companies should give everybody the opportunity to grow and move up into the corporate ladder regardless of his or her beliefs, cultural background, age, sexual orientation, gender or other differences.
Three different diversity studies were analyzed in depth in order to see how each one has been managed and how it was useful to each organization. These three studies produced considerable evidence to suggest that the hypothesis be accepted and to conclude that, managing diversity in the workplace will be always an advantage if it is well managed and practiced consistently.
Recommended Citation
Arjona, Kathia G., "Managing Diversity in the Global Economy" (1998). Theses. 424.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/424
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