Somaiya Institute Of Management Studies - Free Essay Example

With globalisation with an increasingly inter-dependent world, countries are vigorously pursuing policies to optimise positive factor endowments. The rapid technological changes will reinforce the process of global integration. It is believed that the battles of this century will be fought and won with the power of ideas. Societies will become fully knowledge dependent and promote knowledge based industries. India has an added comparative factor advantage because of a vast reservoir of skilled manpower. The demographic differences reveal that over the next 20 years, India will have distinct advantages in a population profile concentrated in the younger age group, where many opportunities can be optimised. What are the policies that can enable India to optimise these opportunities and what should be done as a nation to turn out to be winners? The All India Management Association (AIMA) had set up a High Level Strategic Group comprising leaders from industry, academia, and the government. The results of the deliberations of the group, involving in-depth interaction with wide segments of society and decision makers, are contained in this report. A task force comprising AIMA and the Confederation of Indian Industry has been constituted to implement the Action Program that has emerged. They had lot of suggestions which have been included in the report. This will enable India to enhan ce its growth, secure additional employment, and maximise the emerging opportunities. Global Scenario: Indian Scenario: Stats Figures Population of India 1.2 billion approx Literacy rate 66% Male literacy rate 76.90% Female literacy rate 54.50% No of schools Primary 8.4 lac approx Secondary 1.1 lac approx No of colleges General 7782 Professional 2124 Funds allotted to education $438 bn Alarming Facts 35% of the population in India is still illiterate. Only 15% of all the students enrolled in primary school reach high school. In spite of new colleges emerging every day, India could offer enough seats only to 7% of the countrys total college-age population. 25% of the teaching positions in India are vacant. 57% of college professors lack either a Masters or a PhD degree. In India it takes 14 different licenses from four mutually independent government authorities to start an average level private school. The Govt. of India has decided in Jan 2010 to withdraw the Deemed University status from 44 well known universities in the country In February 2009, a raid in Bihar found 100,000 fake certificates from 19 fake institutions. Governing Bodies AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) UGC( University Grants Commission) are the two main organizations that oversee the education sector in India. The AICTE was formed in 1945 whereas the UGC was formed in 1953 The main difference between the two is that UGC monitors the funds allotted to the institutes whereas AICTE looks specifically after the technical studies in India. Engineering, MBA and Pharmacy comes under the umbrella of technical education. The UGC conducts the NET exam for appointing teachers in colleges. Role of AICTE v/s UGC AICTE UGC Formed in 1945. Technical institutes are overseen by AICTE Primary function: To undertake surveys in various fields of technical education. Has to answer to the HRD ministry Formed in 1953 All other colleges are overseen by UGC. Primary function: To look after the financial needs of Universities Free to do whatever it likes Right to Education Government of India launched the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)in 2001 which is the most recent initiatives of the Government of India, which presents its guidelines, planning methodology, data on elementary education created under District Information System for Education (DISE). The next step in this journey was taken by the Right to Education Act. By this act, every child between the ages of 6 to 14 years has the right to free and compulsory education. The government schools shall provide free education to all the children and the schools will be managed by school management committees (SMC). Private schools shall admit at least 25% of the children in their schools without any fee. The funding for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has to come from 65:35 between the centre and states. State governments and the local bodies should come up with primary schools within every one kilometre of area. For children of higher secondary the school has to be within every three kilometres of area. If the above facilities are absent, the onus lies on state government to make arrangement for free transportation or residential facilities to the students. C:UsersVishalDesktopeducation2.jpg Challenges to RTE: * Shortage of funds. * India needs at least 500,000 more teachers to make it success. * There are still many states who are not cooperative in implementing the Act. * Thousands of schools still dont have an adequate infrastructure. * A proper monitoring system to see its execution. The following methodologies have given a new face to the playing field of the education sector. These are elucidated as follows: E learning: E Learning as a trend is set in the West and India is taking up the same. There are certain advantages of this system like, it is self-paced i.e. Learning can be done at ones own pace. E learning can be interactive and the timing and duration of classes is your own decision. This reason makes it suitable for working professionals. There is enough scope of business in developing online learning. In future, there will be high demand for those technologies and people who can develop a multi-lingual courseware. High quality e-learning solutions are being developed and industries like steel, IT, automobiles, cement and telecom are using them. Estimate says that India in coming years is bound to grow in its stature as a hub for e-learning programmes because of IT support and computer education penetrating to the bottom of pyramid. It is imperative that e-learning will dominate as a way of acquiring knowledge in coming years as low cost PC would be available and broadband will be able to penetrate deeper especially in rural areas. Last five years, the Human Resource Development (HRD) has been trying to bring radical change and attain the goal of making primary education accessible to every child in India. The government is trying to bring in as many colleges as possible under the University Grants Commission (UGC). The UGC and AICTE can then push measures to bring Quality. Through the National Mission on Education and Information Communication Technology an amount of Rs 4612 cr is decided to be spent for the 11thFive Year Plan for the scheme with a budget of more than Rs 502 cr for the financial year 2008-09. One significant project aimed at providing all web based training is the National Programme for Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL). It was first conceived in 1999, to set the path for introducing the multimedia and web technologies to enhance learning of basic science engineering concepts. Finally it was launched in September 2006. Major Players : There is a big list of companies who have developed competencies to develop e-learning packages. Tata Interactive Services, Genpact and Binary Semantics are few prominent names. CDAC and IGNOU are two of Indias most esteemed organizations in their respective fields, which have held conferences in the field of e-learning every year. Many private institutes have entered into online distance education. The famous NIIT Varsity is known for offering training to 500,000 students annually across 33 countries. One of the worlds leading management schools, the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, like many others, entered into strategic alliance with NIIT, to offer an executive development programme through virtual classrooms. Challenges However, there is not enough of e-learning courseware that addresses various topics. With the current rate of investment and government support, it will take long to cover significant areas of course material in form of e-learning. The other chal lenge is the classical resistance against the change. Many instructors believe that the changes underway are strictly about putting content online, and they fear that will remove them from the learning equation. This can be compared with libraries being the only resource needed for effective learning in last centuries. VIDEO CONFERENCING Video Conferencing is a fairly new technique which is consistent with the latest technology. Today it is used in classrooms and many educators use this medium to impart knowledge. Video Conferencing is an interactive communication strategy which lets students and teachers have a visual connection with each other, whether they are 5 miles away or across the globe from each other. With the introduction of low cost conferencing systems, carried out easily with inexpensive cameras and low cost or free software, video Conferencing will become more prevalent in the education industry and span across more and more educational institutions, with increase in the spread of Internet. There are many ways in which Video Conferencing might be used in a classroom. Below are some of the ways in which it has already been successfully used for knowledge transfer: Collaborations: VC is used for project work or research collaborations among classes allowing students in different locations to vir tually work together without actual physical presence. Groups Reporting news: VC is used to show current/live events as they happen. Eclipses, cyber events and celebrations such as those which take place during National Science Foundations Science and Technology Week, and NASA space flights have been broadcast so that the knowledge can be shared with everybody. Planning: Workshops can be planned for teachers or a business partner or university students via this medium. A teaching team can be formed with remote teachers and lessons can be planned. Guest Experts: Students have the privilege to listen to guest lectures by scientists, politicians or those with special expertise, by sitting in their classrooms. Distance is no longer a factor in being able to hold a meeting, conduct a discussion or receive feedback on a science project from an expert. Training: Students and teachers have been able to learn to use new software or techniques during videoconferences. Even learnin g to navigate the Internet or create a web page can be done during a videoconferencing training session. Businesses have been able to offer job orientations and training to future employees as part of career preparation activities. Virtual Field Trips: Specific Programs and tours of aquariums, zoos, museums, libraries, hospitals and other facilities have been offered for students. Distance, cost and time factors are main deterrents to students taking a field trip to a location which could enhance their study, virtual field trips using video conferencing can often be arranged. Team Learning and Teaching: Students and teachers can make teaching teams to provide experiences for those on the team. A lot of knowledge transfer can happen from those living in different areas and/or possessing functional expertise. Presentations from various locations made by the teams can be enhanced with the newer features available in some of the videoconferencing packages. Job Interviews: There are some interviews in the initial stages of the recruitment process, for which the candidate need not be present in person because of the availability of Video Conferencing. Using this facility saves the candidate from spending the cost and time to travel to a distant location for the interview. Also, this speeds up the process for the recruiters who wish to interview talent from various different locations but are held back because of time spent in travelling to each destination. Case Study: Everonn Systems India Ltd.(ESIL) 18_1_2009_11_20_9575_logo Everonn System India ltd (ESIL) is giving Education at colleges schools .It was founded in year 2000 by its present CEO Mr P Kishore. ESIL is a training and education company providing a variety of services that include It gives educational and training of global importance; Designs and executes great learning initiatives and Sets up the required infrastructure. With presence in eleven States, over 4,400 Computer Labs and having trained 1.4 mn students, it has built a great brand image of key policy makers for Computer knowledge in Schools and colleges. It has experience of bringing management plans from premier colleges like XLRIs, IIMs, LIBA, IIT, MICA and from working students, professionals all over India. BUISNESS STRUCTURE OF EVERONN Broadly Everonns business can be classified into two Strategic Business Units (SBU): ViTELS Model: Everonn redefined access to education by establishing Virtual and Interactive Learning classroom chain across India to provide quality yet affordable education. This is done by providing training and education through satellite based on Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) . Through these students have interactive sessions with teachers and other students across the country thus truly filling the urban rural gap. Under ViTELS there are 4 different sub units: Virtual Schools (V-Schools). Interactive-Schools (I-Schools). Virtual Colleges (V-Colleges). Retail Outlets. ICT Model: Instructional Computing Technology (ICT) basically operates on a BOOT (Build -Own- Operate- Transfer) basis entering into 3-5 years contract with state government. In typical contract company provides everything from setting up infrastructure to furniture, AC, Faculty education solution to govt. schools. Each school requires 5-15 computers, and the ownership of the hardware infrastructure is typically transferred to the schools management at the end of the contract period. Billing is done to state government typical billing cycle is quarterly half yearly hence makes this business Capital intensive impacts return ratios. MACROECONOMIC FACTORS Ratio of student to teacher is 41 in India which is above theworld average of 27; in such a situation use of technology would be convenient for solving deficit of teachers classroom become more exciting entreating way to learn easily. Everonn is bridging this gap by giving education through virtual learning technique. In India for ICT @ schools scheme63000 are open and out of total 9 lacs Government schools 16300 schools are ICT @ schools so far by organized players, and still ~46697 schools to be included. Private schools are 2 lacs and 80 thousand in India, just 0.80% are covered so far which shows big opportunity everyone would enjoy sufficient shares; question is which company would have fast implementation better content delivery model. ` CHALLENGES FACED AND AHEAD Today one of the major topics of discussion in the education sector is the opening of the sector so that private players can enter in it that can make this field as competitive as any other sector in a free market economy. As we know, healthy competition can help to eliminate incompetent players, while allowing the better participants to succeed by providing top-of-the-line products and excellent services to their customers. We have all seen this process happening in action in other industries, so why is there such a hue and cry when it comes to the education sector? The answer lies in the perception that is there in the mind of the people that education is essentially a not-for-profit arena where the focus should be on social good, not on capital gains. While most private players acknowledge the strong influence of this principle on industry dynamics, the state essentially looks towards government-run educational institutions and not to privately run ones to uphold the social e lement in Indian education and herein lies the rub. It is a fact that India has a proliferation of government-run premium educational institutions like IIT, IIMS, NITS while privately run premium institutes are very few. This is mainly because of a strict licensing policy followed by the government where private players have to meet stringent regulatory measures in order to set up educational institutions that maintain the not-for-profit institutional structure and serves the society. The debate in the industry and, indeed in academic circles, centers around the possibility that this licensing policy might be relaxed to allow private players to invest in education sector. On one side, advocates of the change, such as the noted economist, Kaushik Basu, argue that the quality of education delivered by government institutions is incredibly low and that the entry of more private institutions can help create competition and profitability as well as quality education, thusÂÂ  gua ranteeingÂÂ  an improvement in standards of educational institutes. On the other hand, detractors proclaim that such a move will make the industry a free for all players, with the result that the social need of providing quality education will be ignored in the face of opportunities to make higher profits. This issue of the present standard of educational institutions is a deeper one than it seems to be at first sight. It also involves arguments from both sides that talks about the low salaries received by the majority of academicians which forces them to quit for greener pastures abroad or in private institutions. This in turn has an effect on the quality of their teaching as well as increases the need to set up more technological advanced educational institutions with proper infrastructure and the use of the latest practices in pedagogy. The issue also does not seem to arrive at any conclusion. It is, of course, up to the people of India to decide upon the issue and rememb er that since the ancient university of Nalanda, India found popular recognition from the world in education only after privately run educational colleges were set up in the recent past. The question before us is of prime importance. Does the education industry in India requires more private players?ÂÂ   If this can be somehow achieved,ÂÂ  will it lead to a better and more efficient educational system? BRAND BUILDING: Creating a Brand Value and Proposition Institutes always look for various means to attract students, the question which arises is whether the known marketing principles apply to educational institutes? Is it similar to the marketing of shampoo or telecom services? Usually, marketing strategies and branding principles are universal. One has define its brand, decide what it stands for, articulate and project its distinctive features, develop a brand plan and then implement it. The tricky part, however, is that the creator or promoter of the brand might want to show his product in a certain light but the audience can perceive it in entirely different way. This is especially applicable for subliminal services such as education. An educational brand is defined by several intangible factors like the quality of the education it provides, its faculty, culture and resources available for students. The several other factors are campus size, quality and diversity of the graduating batch and their track record in getting jobs. F or education institutes, the product i.e. the education to be branded is very different from regular consumer product. The relationship between the consumer (student) and the product (education) is predetermined and time bound, and the consumer cannot enjoy two competing products simultaneously. For an educational institute best way of advertising is by the word of mouth. So it is very essential for the educational institute to provide quality education to students so as gain confidence of the consumer (student). It is very difficult to estimate the return on investment on marketing and advertisement of an educational institute because usually in an educational sector it takes around 10-15 years to establish an educational institute brand. Making the Right Noise Educational institutes in India, spend close to Rs. 150 million annually on promotional and advertising activities. According to TAM Media Research, spending on advertisement by the education sector have been increasing steadily over the last three years, with the education sector accounting for 1.1 percent of TV advertising and 15 percent of overall print advertising in 2008. Considering the case of Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), the pioneer of full page colour ads in national newspapers says it has an annual budget of marketing of Rs. 800 million and concentrates mainly on print ads. According to the Amit Saxena, president, Corporate Communications, IIPM The IIPM brand has been created through smart content-driven advertising. The institute has faced several controversies, the most recent being the nasty blogger controversy in 2005 regarding the authenticity of its claims in its print ads. But according to various experts in case of educational institutes excessive advertisement can also dilute the brand image of the institute. As there is the perception that institute do advertisement only when they are not able to provide quality education and able to attract consumers (students). Whereas excessive advertisement is case of tuition and coaching institutes helps to create awareness and reach out to more number of consumer (students) and provides a platform for coaching institutes to project there past success record. C:UserslenovoDesktop8 Copy.jpg Future of Brand Building in Education Sector Indian education sector is opening up new avenues and opportunities as it is progressing and reshaping itself. Many competitors, multiple opportunities, coming up in this segment. Question arises about building of brand and communicating with students (consumers), attracting talented students to course of their choice. How scenario is going to change of brand building in education sector Medium Existing Way New Way News Paper Advertisement Educational institutes allocates lot of budget to print media based advertisement Target youth of India is moving towards internet, news paper based advertisement is going to get less attention in the future. Seminar, Road Show Institutes conduct seminars in 5 star hotels, seminar halls. Conversion rate is low and student acquisition cost is high in this case. Institutes will start conducting online webinars, online discussions. It will be the way to interact with students Franchise Management Institutes have multiple franchises, training centres to sell application forms. But tracking mechanism, conversion rate of students is missing. Institutes do not get clear picture of pre admission, admission process. Centralized way to track student interaction, student interest, no leakage of revenue in terms of application forms fee. Better student acquisition and huge cost savings. Customer Centric Approach Student as customer approac h is missing in the current context. Delay, misplacement is application form creates confusion among students Institutes would be customer centric. Usage of technology would be high. Prospective students would get better service. Private players in different segments of education sector: Education BUSINESS PROSPECTS There is a good demand for quality education and online tutorial services in India. With good facilities at competitive rates, India can attract more number of students from abroad. Unique teaching methods, educational portals and tools can be effectively used to make the sector useful and profit making. How to educate and train the Indian students and workforce The nature of action required by India Inc. to empower students would involve the following: Investment in faculty and education infrastructure to increase supply of skilled professionals with relevant skills Investment in training institutions to upgrade skill sets of individuals required for remote services Vocational skills Communication (verbal and written) Etiquette Strengthening of the education curriculum to include Practical knowledge Understanding of other countries cultures Foreign language skills Mandatory English language skills Creative mechanisms of funding so that quality education is easily and widely available Standards and bodies to certify skill sets In India, corporates are investing heavily in education sector. This is expected to do benefit to the learning landscape in the country. But there has to be a check that what players are entering the education sector. If there are no regulations in the education sector then a ll kinds of people will try to get into this space. The task for the government is to make sure that India does not have fly by night operators and ensure that the regulatory procedures keep on quality checks from time to time. The government is playing its part by setting up more central universities, more IITs and IIMs. Yet, a lot more work needs to be done to fill the vacuum. And so its a positive sign that the private sector is taking the initiative in this regard. Private players are actively making investment in higher education sector. However, when it comes at the school level, the corporate sector is not much keen to invest mainly because such investments will not yield high profits. Though it is expected that the responsibility to provide quality education in India is largely of the government, we would encourage the corporate sector to look at elementary education as part of their corporate social responsibility plans. The Road Ahead Foreign Institutes coming to India FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES located outside India play a big role in the Indian higher education scenario. These attract many thousands of Indian students to their campuses each year -about 80,500 Indian students enrolled in U.S. institutions alone in 2008-09. Graduates of accredited foreign institutions play important roles in the development of India when they return home. Hence there will be greater opportunities available to Indian students if accredited foreign institutions offered degree programs in India to expand access to higher education to Indian students, by staying in the country itself! The attraction of study abroad for Indian students, as a supplement to the Indian higher education available within India, is bound to continue in the near future also. For most students, the motivation is to attain the best possible education. Competition for admission to Indias best institutions is very intense about two per cent of those taking admission tests for the prestigious IITs and IIMs actually convert their calls into admission. So considering the above conditions, recently Indian Government made an announcement that foreign universities may be allowed to setup their own campuses in India. If this proposed bill is passed in the Parliament then it is going to have many implications on the Indian Education Sector and the students. PROS CONS There would be more choices available for Indian students and they would get a direct access to foreign universities at the local level. Studying in a Foreign Institute would increase the overall cost of education thereby making it more difficult for all to get admission. At this stage, Indians need more quality education at an affordable rate. Because of the increased competition with Foreign Institutes, quality of education offered by Indian Institutes will also be better. There is already a scarcity of qualified teachers for the existing Indian Institutes. The gap of qualified teachers and teache r to student ratio must be addressed and foreign institutes may not address this immediately. Currently only well off students can afford better quality education abroad. This trend can be expected to change if foreign institutes set up base in India. Infrastructure for Foreign Institutes must be addressed in India. If foreign institutes set up base here in India, India may attract more students from Middle East, Far East etc. This could bring in more income for the country. This may also lead to more students coming to India thereby increasing the existing competition for Indian students. According to industry body ASSOCHAM, the education sector (along with the healthcare and FMCG sectors) will grow at healthy rates in 2010. The industry body said that the investments by citizens on education would continue to increase to ensure growth for their dependents and wards. The Centre plans to permit the private sector to establish educational institutions and access the capital market, as a way of addressing the aspect of funding in the education centre. The government has finalized the sharing of funds-for implementing The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (the law making education a fundamental right)-between the Centre and the states, in the ratio of 65 to 35. With the Government showing a clear willingness to engage the private sector in accomplishing the daunting task of educating Indias13.5cr students, there are thus significant opportunities to tap for companies like Educomp Solutions, Everonn Systems India and NIIT Limited, both in the Government schools and Private schools businesses. With increasing demand for skilled human resources also in sectors like Financial Services, there exist great opportunities for growth in the Corporate Training business programs.

Tanglewood Case 5 Disparate Impact Analysis - Free Essay Example

Tanglewood Case 5: Disparate Impact Analysis Recruitment and Selection HRM 450 Current Needs Assessment Tanglewood prides itself on encouragement of diversity in the workplace. All hiring and promotion decisions should be made on the basis of character and quality of work. The ensuing lawsuit brings about a need to analyze Tanglewood’s selection strategies to ensure these practices are not hindering the promotion of diversity. In order to do this, it is necessary to study the flow and concentration statistics of the organization. Flow statistics are calculated by comparing the number of people hired and promoted in the organization with the total number of people that apply. These statistics are then divided into different groups (i. e. race, gender). The selection rates of the different groups are compared to determine if there is a significant difference in selection between the groups. An example of this would be to look at the number of total white applicants and the percentage of those applicants that were hired. Then, look at the total number of African American applicants and the percentage of those applicants that were hired. These two percentages must then be compared. A useful comparison of these percentages would require that the number of African Americans selected equal 80% or the number of white employees hired. This is known as the four-fifth’s rule. The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP) requires that all organizations keep records that will allow for calculation and comparison of these statistics. The UGESP also requires that the four-fifth’s rule be calculated in all organizations. If is it shown that â€Å"a selection rate for any†¦group is less than four-fifths (4/5) (or eighty percent) of the rate of for the group with the highest rate† then this will usually be considered to be evidence of adverse impact. Adverse (or disparate) impact occurs when staffing practices have potential discriminatory impact on individuals because of sex, race, religion, disability, national origin or age. Although the four-fifths rule is really nly a guideline, any digression from this rule should be thoroughly examined. It is also important to note that although the discrimination is not intentional, it may be occurring all the same and could possibly be deemed illegal. Along with the flow statistics of the selection processes in the organization, it is necessary to examine the concentration statistics among different groups in Tanglewood. Concentration statistics inspect th e total number of individuals employed in a certain position as compared to the number of individuals from different race groups employed in a certain position. For example, it is useful to look at the percentage of white employees employed in the position of Store Manager compared to the total number of Store Managers. Then, look at the percentage of African Americans employed in the Store Manager position compared to the total number of Store Managers. Also, it is useful to examine the percentage of African American employees employed in upper management positions as compared to the percentage of African Americans employed in the lower positions such as Store Associate. Although there are no specific legal guidelines for the analysis of concentration statistics, it is important to explore them as a means of determining any possible unintentional discrimination in selection practices. Current Organizational Statistics After careful examination of the Tanglewood’s flow statistics, there is evidence this organization may be involved in selection practices that have disparate impact on some minority groups. The following selection statistics are provided to show instances of violation of the four-fifths rule. Store AssociatesTotal WhiteTotal Non-WhiteAfrican-American Selection Ratio23. 0%22. 79%24. 00%24. 00% Shift LeaderTotalWhiteTotal Non-WhiteAfrican-America External15. 88%16. 31%13. 88%5. 88% (36%) Internal31. 65%32. 45%28. 03%13. 89% (42%) Dept. ManagerTotal WhiteTotal Non-WhiteAfrican-American External7. 57%7. 64%7. 14%6. 82% Internal21. 05%21. 22%20%14. 29% (67%) Asst. Store ManagerTotalWhiteTotal Non-WhiteAfrican- American External11. 11% 13. 33%0% (0%)0% (0%) Internal25. 00%27. 78%11. 11% (40%)25% Store ManagerTotalWhiteTotal Non-WhiteAfrican- American External10. 42%7. 69%22. 22%0% (0%) Internal16. 05%13. 64%26. 67%0% (0%) The selection rates of each category (white, non-white, etc†¦) are indicated in the column corresponding to whether the employees were hired from outside the organization (external) or promoted from within (internal). In order to calculate the four-fifth’s rule, it is necessary to examine these percentages. The first step is to divide the selection ratio of the minority group by the selection ratio of the majority group. For example, in order examine the four-fifth’s rule in regards to African American employees hired externally in the Shift Leader position, divide that selection ratio (5. 8%) by the selection ratio of white employees hired externally to the same position (16. 31%). .0588 ? .1631 = . 36 This indicates that the number of African Americans hired externally for the Shift Leader position is only 36% of the amount of white individuals hired externally for the same position. The number should be around 80% in order to fulfill the four-fifth’s rule . In performing these calculations across all positions, there is evidence that points to disparate impact throughout several positions. The instances in which disparate impact evidence is present are represented in the preceding chart. The percentage in parentheses beside the selection ratio is the percentage obtained by applying the four-fifth’s rule. The four-fifth’s rule was not satisfied for African Americans hired both externally and internally for the Shift Leader position. It was also not fulfilled for African Americans in the position of Department Managers hired internally. The Assistant Store Manager position showed disparate impact evidence for both African Americans and Non-White employees. The Store Manager position had no African Americans filling these positions. It is important to note that the terms ‘white’ and ‘African-American’ refer to employees that are Non-Hispanic. The computations for concentration statistics also indicate there may be unintentional discrimination occurring in the promotion practices of the Tanglewood organization. There seems to be a much higher concentration of white employees in the upper management positions as compared to African Americans in upper management. The concentration of certain classes is computed by dividing the number of persons in a certain class for any position by the total number of individuals employed in that position. For example, the percentage of Shift Leaders that are African American is 1. 81%. This can be compared to the percentage of Shift Leaders that are white, which is 84. 06%. It is also useful to compare percentages of lower level employees that African American to the number of upper level employees that are African American. In the following charts, these numbers have been calculated: Store AssociatesWhiteNon-WhiteAfrican American 83. 59%16. 41%3. 44% Shift Leader WhiteNon-WhiteAfrican-American 84. 06%15. 94%1. 81% Asst. Store ManagerWhiteNon-WhiteAfrican-American 92. 75%7. 25%2. 9% Store ManagerWhiteNon-WhiteAfrican-American 69. 57%30. 43%0% Total StoreWhiteNon-WhiteAfrican-American 84. 11%15. 89%3. 06% This table indicates that there are serious deficiencies of African-American workers in the upper level management positions at Tanglewood. Again, though there are no specific legal guidelines regarding concentration statistics, it would be in Tanglewood’s own best interest to investigate the cause of these discrepancies. It appears as though the organization should look into not only its initial selection strategies, but also the promotion practices used. Addressing Eaglette-Schubert According to the information presented in the case, Eaglette-Schubert is building a case against Tanglewood based on disparate impact. There are very few details of specific actions or behaviors that would suggest that Tanglewood is intentionally discriminating against minority employees. However, since Eaglette-Schubert is not arguing disparate treatment, but is arguing disparate impact, there is no need to prove that the discrimination was intentional, but simply that a difference exists between employment practices for majority groups and those in protected classes. Eaglette-Schubert is using the argument of homophily to base the disparate impact case on. Homophily is the phenomenon in which people seek to be around those people that are similar to themselves. It is often argued that companies are more prone to homophily in social networks when there is a heavy reliance on internal company networks, such as that of Tanglewood. An internal network is utilized at Tanglewood to find new employees through employee referrals, and to promote individuals within the organization. Promotion within the organization involves managers encouraging certain employees that show promise to apply for available promotions, and those that are recommended by supervisors have a strong advantage over those that do not. The argument is that this internal network process is closed to minority groups because of the concept of homophily in social networks. The statistics point to Tanglewood having disparate impact discrimination for African Americans in the positions of shift leader, department manager, assistant store manager and store manager. In court Tanglewood would have the burden of proof that its practices are job related and consistent with business necessity. Since this will be hard to prove, as other selection methods could be used in the place of the current discriminatory methods. As a result, Tanglewood should try to end the dispute through a consent decree. A consent decree is a voluntary, court-approved agreement between the plaintiff and the defendant. This decree may contain an agreement to alt certain discriminatory practice and an agreement to employ certain remedies. Tanglewood should also establish goals for future hiring and promotion activities to correct the underutilization. By seeking an out of court settlement, Tanglewood will decrease the amount of publicity and attention that this situation will cause. Written Statement for Tanglewood to Make It is important for Tanglewood to carefully consider any statement that is going to be put in writing because it could serve as evidence in court. Tanglewood should state that the company is committed to the openness, inclusiveness, and encouragement of diversity within the organization. It should be mentioned that Tanner Emerson and Thurston Wood tried to build the company on a model of inclusiveness, which judges individuals solely on the basis of work and character. Finally, Tanglewood should state that the company wants to take any possible steps to ensure that the company is not employing any practices that defy the goal of embracing diversity within the organization. Putting the organization’s commitment to diversity into writing may not help with the case of disparate impact, but it will let the employees and the general public know of Tanglewood’s sincere dedication to have a diverse workforce. Achieving EEO Outcomes In order to better achieve EEO outcomes in the future, Tanglewood should make some changes to its recruiting procedures. This can be achieved by implementing a strategy that incorporates all of the following aspects: Study – know the laws and standards, remove barriers to EEO, identify technical assistance prospects. The laws that Tanglewood should follow are: †¢Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; †¢The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination; †¢The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older; †¢Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), hich prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments; †¢Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who work in the federal government; and †¢The Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages i n cases of intentional employment discrimination. Plan – formulate strategies for successful EEO results. Tanglewood could utilize a plan that is used by GTE, in which it targets activities such as career fairs and open houses where a diverse student population is key factor. Tanglewood could also use a strategy done by PriceWaterhouse, which recruits woman and people of color from approximately 250 colleges and universities throughout the country. PriceWaterhouse also forms partnerships with organizations and programs committed to supporting diversity. Lead – have senior, middle, and lower management champion the cause and provide actual leadership for implementation. Tanglewood needs to make sure that management is committed to supporting diversity so that they know how to get the rest of the company on board. Tanglewood could implement a strategy by Turner Construction, in which it puts forth effort into developing a future recruitment resource pool through its mentor/mentee program. This shows that the company is committed to diversity even in the long run and Tanglewood’s management should implement this strategy in order to make sure that the company is always committed to diversity. Encourage – identify and reward proper actions by managers, supervisors, and employees. After Tanglewood’s management gets the rest of the company on board with being committed to diversity, they can continue to develop this by rewarding employees who show they are committed to supporting diversity. For example, GTE gives bonuses for referrals that result in hire. Notice – take notice of the impact of your practices, monitor and assess progress, ensure that unfairness does not occur. Tanglewood always need to evaluate its methods so that the company is always pursuing diversity. It could implement a plan by GTE in which its’ multifaceted professional recruitment strategy in assessed annually. No matter how often the assessment is performed, it is a necessity to make sure Tanglewood’s recruiting methods are always supporting diversity. Discussion – communicate and reinforce the EEO message. Tanglewood should always be able to effectively communicate its vision in being committed to diversity. For example, GTE gives out monthly reports made of progress and results. As long as Tanglewood employees always know what’s going on in the company, they will feel valued and will be loyal to the company. Inclusion – bring all employees and groups into the process. This again goes along with effectively communicating. Tanglewood should implement a team environment so that everyone is working together toward the common goal of being committed to diversity. Dedication – assign needed resources, do not be afraid of bumps on the road. Tanglewood should be able to look to the future and anticipate problems so that it will know how to fix them in order to stay in accordance with EEO laws. Promotion and Career Development Procedures From the beginning, the Tanglewood culture has emphasized strong employee participation. Tanglewood believes in a workforce of committed, qualified individuals who will help carry the Tanglewood philosophy into the future. All employees are part of the core work force because Tanglewood believes a core work force is essential for the organization’s values and culture that it seeks to develop and maintain. Because of Tanglewood’s desire to maintain a core work force, it has been more inclined to promote and develop internally. Any company that focuses largely on internal promotion and development runs the risk of furthering any disparate impact that may already exist within the company. Therefore, Tanglewood should focus on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s â€Å"Best Practices† list. This list was compiled after looking at many organizations and from them identifying the best practices of promotion and development for equal employment opportunity. Some changes Tanglewood can make to its promotion and development procedures are: †¢Revise its job posting policy—since Tanglewood consistently hires from within, the company needs to clearly state in its job posting policy that diversity is a consideration when filling jobs and will remain an important factor in workforce selection. This will let current employees know that the company is trying to correct and prevent future disparate impact upon minorities and that in order to do that, it may need to hire externally even though it had always hired from within. It is important to let the current employees know the reasoning behind changing he internal promotion method. The employees need to except the change, and in order to accept it, they must understand it. †¢Develop career development programs—these programs could aide the employees in reaching his or her full career potential by seeking out and eliminating any potential barriers to equal employment oppor tunities that may exist. †¢Training and development programs—these would be programs that would educate the employees on computers and information systems, as well as industry training. By educating all employees, this would limit the potential for disparate impact that a protected class might face. Employee development programs—these programs would cover executive training, diversity training, management development courses, team building, and conflict resolution classes. These programs would encourage the development and sensitivity to diversity within the organization by training all employees on the importance of diversity and how to manage it. Disparate impact is a serious problem within organizations that needs to be constantly monitored. If Tanglewood utilizes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s â€Å"best practices† guide, it will be less susceptible to claims of disparate impact throughout the company.