Disparate Treatment and Disparate Impact are two theories under Title VII of the United States Civil Rights Act. Together, they were intended to prohibit discriminatory actions on part of employers toward racial, sexual or class minorities. The theory of Disparate Treatment first came into judicial discourse in the Griggs v. Duke Power Co. During and…
Category: Management
Federal and state laws that govern how employers acquire and use applicants’ and employees’ background information
Corporate laws pertaining to usage of employee/candidate information have gotten stringent over the years. This is a positive development, for otherwise, important private information will be subject to misuse and exploitation. And, in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) age, electronic communication between employees has thrown open many new ways of information leakage. As workplaces…
How can an organization achieve and maintain a pattern of ethical behavior?
One of the ways in which an organization can achieve and maintain a modicum of ethical behavior is by adopting a Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics adopted by a business organization reflects its approach to business and also defines it’s values and standards. These sets of self-imposed rules originate from corporate social responsibility…
What lessons should be learned from the government’s botched response to Hurricane Katrina?
Hurricane Katrina will be remembered as one of the most embarrassing episodes of governance failure. This failure is palpable in both the lead-up as well as the aftermath of the event. In the lead-up to the event, local administrators could not act expeditiously in evacuating vulnerable populations to safer ground. After the event, authorities were…
Do workers no longer need a trade union as management takes care of their needs and views?
Modern management theory and practice pay scant attention to the value or relevance of trade unions. It is believed by modern managers that the Human Resource Management department is sufficiently equipped to address employee concerns and grievances that no other form of representation is needed. But empirical evidence does not support this assertion. If anything,…
Business Leadership Study: Can Yang Jianguo make the transition from a regional star to a global leader?
Yang Jianguo’s promotion as the Senior Vice President of global product development is well deserved. Having headed the Chinese division of Deronde International with distinction, his appointment to this international role is promising as well as challenging. By the end of his first few weeks in the new role, he is already frustrated and confused…
Forest Fire Management in Southwestern United States
Wildfires are a naturally occurring phenomena, especially in geographic locations that witness severe summers. The Southwestern United States is a vast swathe of land that has a dry and hot climate for most of the year. Ever since European settlers began to inhabit this region, wildfires have been recorded in this area. Though these fires…
What is the liability of employers for employee psychiatric illness in relation to the common law duty of care
Business corporations are instituted for the primary purpose of economic gain. Often, as the pressure to show impressive profits in each financial quarter increases, it is the workforce who are put under undue stress. Ranging from unreasonably high productivity standards, to sub-standard and hazardous work environments, workers face several potential risks to their mental and…
The Role of the Professional Code of Ethics in addressing IT Security Threats
Late last century, we saw the rapid rise of Information Technology, replacing erstwhile manufacturing based industrial societies into knowledge based ones. With this transformation came attendant risks and threats to security of information. This aspect of the new digital age has invoked much debate and concern among stakeholders. Some IT companies have come up with…
Will the “free market” in China encourage the growth of democracy?
That China continues to be a communist state with no meaningful democratic practices in place is a cause of concern for the international community. The Communist Party follows a traditional process of selecting members for its leadership positions. Such being the case, it is impossible for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to make it to…