Running head: PREPARING TO CONDUCT BUSINESS RESEARCH
Preparing to Conduct Business Research
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PREPARING TO CONDUCT BUSINESS RESEARCH
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Preparing to Conduct Business Research
Today we remain in a constant struggle with discriminatory behavior within the
workplace. Discrimination is an unfortunate, but redundant conduct that references an
individual’s age, gender, religion, and several other personal attributes. This particular issue
introduces a variety of problems that must be addressed in the appropriate manner. First, it is
important to ask the necessary questions to help guide in the research process. Questions that
would be appropriate for discrimination in the workplace include; are there more cases of gender
discrimination than racial discrimination or religious discrimination? Do the acts of
discrimination affect the employee’s performance? Does consequential retaliation affect the
number of occurrences? Does an increase in company outreach affect the number of
occurrences? And, how does the company turnover compare to discriminatory behavior?
The research questions are a key preliminary step in the research process and have
presented the ideas that must be examined in regards to discrimination within the workplace. The
next step is to formulate hypotheses that will assist in the attempt to answer the research
questions. Some of the hypotheses include; Gender discrimination within the workplace is more
prevalent than racial or religious discrimination; Employees who experience discriminatory
behavior are less likely to get their work done on time than those who do not; When an employer
reiterates the consequences of discriminatory behavior there are fewer occurrences within the
workplace; Companies who offer outreach programs for their employees see less discrimination
within the workplace than those who do not; And, Companies with high rates of discrimination
experience higher rates of employee turnover than those who have lower rates.
There are many variables to be considered in discrimination and non-discrimination at a
work place because of who they are and what their beliefs are. There are many factors like
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ethnicity, class, race, religion or belief, sex, age and health status, which are all based on
prejudice and ignorance in the work place. Harassment between employees and or management
with employees that is based on their religion, race, age, color is also considered discrimination.
Furthermore, employment decisions based on stereotypes in regards to the abilities and
performance of an individual is another form of discrimination. Denying employment because of
having an association with a type of religious organization or been marry to someone they know
or heard about.
There are many ethical considerations to avoid discrimination at a place of employment.
A code of conduct should be read and signed by all employees and managers as the first step and
viewed every six months by all personnel to ensure everyone is aware of the expectations and
what to do if faced with discrimination. Also, there should be a class offered by the employer on
discrimination for all the employees on a yearly basis. If anyone suspects the presence of or has
been affected by discrimination, they should talk to one of their superiors; follow chain of
demand.
In regards to workplace discrimination, there is a very high value placed on researching
the problems and finding a solution. With discrimination laws and the chance of legal recourse
by discriminated employees, there is a great deal of incentive to prevent discrimination and to
stop it in its tracks. Discrimination can also lead to an unproductive workforce and unhappy
employees who will further affect the bottom line for the company. If the workplace is
uncomfortable for the workers, there will be less of a chance that they will want to produce
results for the company as well as the constant distraction that discrimination can bring to the
employees.
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The scope of the issue could be the entire company, as discrimination can be at any level
of operations or management. It can start in any part of the business from the way that hiring is
conducted by the company to the way employees treat their peers or are treated by the
company’s management. There could be discrimination in promotions, or special assignments as
well. The potential for damaging behavior exists throughout the business. Because
discrimination can affect a company at many levels this is a very important issue to address
before it severely detracts from the company’s operation.
Properly researching the occurrences, frequency, and consequences of discrimination at
the company will help to understand the magnitude of the problem. Before the problem can be
addressed it must be understood; where it is occurring, how often, who is involved, and what the
basis for discrimination is. A manager of the company may not even know there is
discrimination among the workers if there is no feedback coming from various departments in
the company. Perhaps a simple survey should be distributed to the employees to gain a basic
understanding on which to base further research. If it is determined to be a large enough
problem, more careful research into solutions will help define the best way to approach the
problem. Just determining that there is a problem is not enough, but examining effective
solutions will also require further research. Additionally follow-up research will need to be
conducted to make sure the solutions put in place had been effective. Good research of the
problem, solution, and follow-ups will allow the company to attack the problem and resolve the
issue.
This research is designed to address issues dealing with discrimination and the effects of
such conduct in a company. The role that discrimination plays in a business has a significant
effect on the company’s bottom line, due to the decrease in productivity, which will result in low
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profits. Although discrimination can cause companies lots of money in settlements, it does not
only serve as a financial liability to a company, but also has a serious and negative effect on the
staff’s productivity, company’s staff retention and recruiting, and customer base. This research
identifies several areas of discrimination such as age, gender, religion, class, ethnicity, and health
condition. Discrimination has several consequences; skilled staff members are more likely to quit
their job when experiencing discrimination on a regular basis. Discrimination will also affect a
company’s reputation in the community, not only affecting its staff, but also having an effect on
its customers. This study is aimed to strategize ways in which such discriminations can be
prevented. Having a discrimination free environment in the work place will ensure an efficient
and productive business and would be a more successful business. Staff members can work more
effectively and efficiently when treated fairly. This will only unify and strengthen the team.
Several obstacles still exist in the attempt to finding a solution to this epidemic, since
discrimination wide spread problem that exists in many variations, even today.
PREPARING TO CONDUCT BUSINESS RESEARCH
References
Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. (2011). Business Research Methods (11th ed.). New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
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