MGMT448 Blog

Experience with Discrimination

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by

Tess Ferryman
in

If I were to stumble upon hypothetical news alleging that my favorite company faced a public lawsuit, accusing them of widespread discrimination against individuals from a particular ethnicity, culture, or belief system, it would undoubtedly trigger a whirlwind of emotions and reflections.

First and foremost, I would need to grapple with how these hypothetical claims would impact my feelings about the company. As someone who values fairness and equality, the mere suggestion of discrimination within an organization I admire would deeply unsettle me. It would inevitably lead to a reevaluation of my perceptions of the company and its values.

In terms of my support for the company, the hypothetical allegations would force me to confront difficult decisions. Would I continue to endorse a company embroiled in such controversy? The answer would hinge on the company’s response. Suppose they demonstrated a sincere commitment to addressing and rectifying the situation, perhaps through transparent investigations and concrete actions to promote diversity and inclusion. In that case, I might be persuaded to maintain my support. However, if the company failed to address the allegations adequately, I would likely reconsider my stance and withdraw my support.

The prospect of potentially working for this company in the future would become a more complicated consideration. Despite any previous aspirations to work for my favorite company, the hypothetical allegations of discrimination would undoubtedly give me pause. I would need assurances that the company was taking meaningful steps to address the issue and create a more inclusive workplace environment before I would feel comfortable applying for a position there.

Allegations of discrimination against my favorite company would prompt significant introspection and evaluation of my relationship with the organization. While my admiration for the company may remain, it would be contingent upon their response to the allegations and their commitment to fostering a culture of equality and inclusion.

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Comments

3 responses to “Experience with Discrimination”

  1. Marley Samuel Avatar
    Marley Samuel

    Hi Tess!

    I like how you mentioned that the company’s response to the allegations of discrimination would affect your feelings on them. I feel the same way because sometimes it’s a genuine mistake. If the company comes out and admits wrongdoing and puts a solid plan in place so it doesn’t happen again, then I would probably continue to support them. Unfortunately companies oftentimes just deny the allegations outright or say that they weren’t aware of them. Even if the top executives at the company honestly weren’t aware, outright denying the allegations is never the correct response.

    Reply
  2. Michael Valdez Avatar
    Michael Valdez

    Hey Tess,
    Good post. I like the angle you took by mentioning how you would essentially give the company another chance if it seemed like they were sincere about changing the way they do things, especially if they admit it was discriminatory. I would not follow a company that chose to be okay with discrimination in any way shape or form.

    Reply
  3. Ashley He Avatar
    Ashley He

    Hi Tess,

    I mentioned in my blog that seeing how the organization handles the issue at hand would be crucial, and reading that you felt the same way was interesting, as we both wanted to wait and see the solution offered to us before we decide to take action. I believe that transparency and authenticity in a company would be crucial to me when identifying their values and missions. This would ultimately be my deciding factor when engaging in the decision to support the organization in the future or not. Similar to you, I would also desire to see actions being executed to support the group that we discriminated towards. I mentioned how I wanted to see education for employees in the company to be completed, and funds being donated to an organization that supports the discriminated subgroup. This would prove to me that the company did have a change of heart and enable me to purchase from them again.

    Reply

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