個案總覽

Affirmative action is based on a set of premises that badly need revising. White males are no longer dominant at every level of the corporation, while decades of attack have noticeably weakened racial and gender prejudices. Our traditional image of assimilating differences--the melting pot--is no longer valid. It's a seller's market for skills, and potential employees are refusing to be melted down. Companies must manage unassimilated diversity and get from it the same commitment, quality, and profit they once got from a homogeneous work force. We need to work not merely toward culture- and color-blindness but also toward an openly multicultural workplace that taps the full potential of every employee.

The manufacturing manager of Webster's largest division is told to cut his managerial payroll by 15%. Provides company background data and a description of the manufacturing manager's reactions to the proposed reduction. Provides the students with an opportunity to design a strategy for making the reduction decisions and also to discuss some of the difficulties inherent in a large reduction of force. Also contains a detailed description of Webster's performance appraisal system and may be used to stimulate discussion of measurement systems.

Supplements the (A) case.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 476-110.