Suchergebnisse

PurposeGiven the growing importance of the Hispanic population in the USA, the increasing presence of this minority at all organizational levels, and the possibility that different subcultures would value different traits when hiring, the purpose of this research was to determine if there were culture‐related differences in the importance placed on 26 job applicant attributes by Hispanics and non‐Hispanics who were involved in hiring.Design/methodology/approachThis study compares the importance ratings of 26 job selection attributes by Hispanic and non‐Hispanic respondents to determine the hiring criteria that are important to each group, and to see if differences are statistically significant.FindingsSignificant differences in mean rating scores were found in 13 of the 26 criteria. The Hispanic sample attached greater importance to subjective traits, while the non‐Hispanic group had higher ratings for objectively‐assessed traits.Practical implicationsGiven organizational efforts to increase diversity and changing demographics in the US workforce, the results of this study should prove useful to individuals and organizations in the private and public sectors. The findings show that Hispanic and non‐Hispanic respondents had significantly different perceptions with regard to the importance of certain hiring criteria and hence, may assess candidates differently because of what they consider important.Originality/valueThese findings should lead to better understanding among US subcultures, help organizations manage cultural diversity, assist academicians in preparing students for business careers, and improve the matching process between hiring organizations and job applicants.

The workplace is a focal point for debates about religion and public life. This article examines the question of religion at work, and how to fairly resolve the conflicts it generates. Specifically, it advocates for the use of alternative dispute resolution to address these conflicts. Alternative dispute resolution refers to a set of dispute processing methods, mainly arbitration and mediation. Unlike litigation, these procedures rely on the consent and cooperation of the parties involved. I argue that alternative dispute resolution is best conceived of as a desirable complement to the rule of law rather than a cheaper alternative. It conveys a distinctive approach to procedural fairness, which is attentive to individual circumstances, and it frames the relationship between disputants in a cooperative way. Alternative dispute resolution is thus a valuable tool for the accommodation of religious diversity in the professional world.

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to enhance understanding of why and how companies implement diversity management in practice, and of factors that may explain their approach.


Design/methodology/approach
– This study takes inspiration from existing typologies depicting organisation-wide perspectives on diversity management, and articulates them in more detail by applying practice-driven indicators and highlighting possible contingent factors at play. The resulting framework is used to investigate diversity management in Italy. Data from a survey conducted among 90 companies and two focus groups with experts and managers are presented.


Findings
– The most common approach among Italian companies focuses on addressing social expectations, seemingly shaped by isomorphic pressures and the need to secure legitimacy in their environment. Results also point to an understanding and practice of diversity management in Italy that also incorporate compliance and opportunity-oriented aspects, in an interplay between coercion and voluntarism that reflects local perspective and priorities.


Originality/value
– This study makes an effort to address the paucity of studies linking approaches to managing diversity with managerial interventions and contextual factors. The research model connecting approaches with practice-driven aspects and explanatory factors shows descriptive and predictive potential, although it should be contextualised to the specific setting under investigation. This study also fills a research gap in Italy, where existing research primarily involves case studies and qualitative approaches and focuses on gender issues. Implications for research and practice drawn from this study can be useful to scholars and practitioners in other countries.

AbstractPeople with disabilities (PWDs) defined as the world's largest minority stakeholder group continue to face significant barriers to labor market entry and corporate inclusion. The associated social and economic costs of supporting non‐working PWDs can be high and long term. Yet, their potential contribution and impact on human capital, firm productivity, and the innovative capacity of business entities are valuable but underutilized. The employment of PWDs has institutional and managerial implications for equitable opportunities, social mobility, and workplace diversity. This study assesses the quality of corporate disclosure on disability issues by firms in the United Kingdom, as a stepping stone for mainstreaming integration of PWDs into labor markets under the scope of corporate social accountability. We benchmark 274 UK sustainability reports against PWDs‐adapted indicators of the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, highlighting trends pertaining to disability employment. The findings suggest that corporate disclosures on the employment of PWDs are lacking. The implications for PWDs are highlighted considering firm employee and managerial policies and national and transnational regulatory frameworks, towards more meaningful reporting for better alignment between PWD expectations and firm practices.

The concept of diversity management refers to the business strategy adopted by organizations for the recruitment, retention, and inclusive development of individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Since then, due to the huge socio-cultural, political, and economic transformations, along with the globalization of trade and business models, on the one hand, and the migration flows of people across the globe, on the other, the degree of diversity within organizations has grown exponentially, diversity management has become strategic, and copious literature on this issue has developed over the last three decades. After a brief introduction to the wide field of diversity management, the paper focuses attention on the specific issues of gender diversity in the workplace. Particularly, the analysis concern women's access to the workplace and the related education and training paths, economic treatment, career opportunities, and the possibility of having in charge leadership roles in organizations. Subsequently, the gender gap is explored by presenting a snapshot of the situation in the European Union (EU) and Italy, also considering the consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic. Then the attention is focused on the current Italian regulatory framework. Finally, some concluding remarks and a possible scenario are presented.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on the discussions that took place and the key themes raised at a conference focusing on the role of the union equality representative, held at the British Trades Union Congress (TUC), London, in February 2009.Design/methodology/approachThe conference was structured around the contribution of a number of keynote speakers, reports back from project workers and question and answer sessions with delegates. The paper is based on observation, summary notes and conference documents.FindingsThe conference demonstrated the potential for a new type of union representative to help address inequality and discrimination in the workplace, with clear examples of early successes reported by unions participating in the project. However, it also highlighted barriers that may still remain until the equality rep has the same legal rights and status accorded to other union representatives in the UK.Originality/valueThis report highlights a key new initiative from the British trade union movement in addressing equality and diversity issues at work through the recruitment, training, organising and ongoing support of a network of specialised union equality representatives.