Discrimination in Virtual Organizations

The Intertheme Labor Organizations (ILO) Convention 111 (Employ manpowert and Occupation) prohibits any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, color, invoke, religion, political opinion, national extr live up to, or social personal credit line, which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or discourse in work come out(p) or occupation. Title VII of the Civil Rights modus operandi of 1964 was enacted to eliminate dissimilitudes on the following protected classes (1) Race , (2) colourize, (3) Religion, (4) Sex, or (5) National Origin (Henry R. Cheeseman, 2004, p. 802).A substantial desire Riordan Manufacturing, which is a virtual organization with quadruplicate locations in varied countries, has to grapple with issues related to contrast constantly. Henry R. Cheeseman (2004) explains the categories that constitute the several(a) types of practicement discrimination, Race refers to broad categories with common characteri stics such as Black, Caucasian, Asian, and Native Ameri green goddess. Color refers to the color of a persons skin like light-skinned, dark-skinned, etc. National origin refers to the country of a persons ancestors or cultural characteristics like Hispanic, Italian, etc (p.803). In profit to these, discrimination is possible on the basis of gender (sex) and religion. Gender unlikeness Though the prohibition against sex discrimination is applicable to both men and women, a majority of the sex discrimination cases are brought by women (Henry R. Cheeseman, 2004, p. 805). secretion 2 Religious favouritism Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination based on traditional religions, other religions that know a supreme cosmos and religions based on ethical or spiritual tenets (Henry R.Cheeseman, 2004, p. 810). Riordans employee demographics reveal a healthy mixture of race, color, origin, sex and religion. In such a demographic diversity, there is always a p ossibility of biased employee discourse. The different forms of discriminatory treatment are 1. disparate Treatment Discrimination This occurs when a specific individual is subjected to discriminatory treatment based on his race, color, religion, sex or national origin. 2. Disparate match Discrimination This occurs when the employer discriminates against an entire protected class. (Henry R.Cheeseman, 2004, p. 803) For a company operating out of multiple locations with respective(a) work cultures and societal practices, the occurrence of these two forms of discrimination cannot be ruled out. Riordan Manufacturing has prime work locations in the US and China. more racial and ethnic groups in the United States, including blacks, Hispanics, Asians, American Indians, and others, have historically faced severe discrimination- pervasive and open denial of . economic opportunities (Rebecca M. Blank, Constance Forbes Citro Discrimination 3 & Marilyn Dabady, 2004, p.1). In China, there h as been an observation of marked gender discrimination, with women being disadvantaged quite often (Zhu Jingde, 2005, n. p). Discrimination based on national origin, race and color is also rife in China. Discriminatory practices in employment are not limited to a few countries. With multiple operation centers in all parts of the globe, Virtual Organizations need to be prepared to face issues of discrimination that might crop up. The character reference of a manager is critical in ensuring that there is no discrimination occurring inwardly the organization.His legal and ethical duties pertaining to discrimination start with personal abstinence from acts of badgering and biased behavior. The manager needs to follow a moral principle of conduct and act ethically while promoting large number since merit can be offered as a defense to a charge of discrimination (Henry R. Cheeseman, 2004, p. 810). He has to en accredited that there is no occurrence of disparate treatment in the team h e is handling. He might come crosswise instances of members of the staff indulging in verbal slurs against other members of a different race, religion, origin, sex or color.In such instances, he should abide by business line Ethics to safeguard the feelings and interests of a protected class. Over the years, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of lawsuits against discrimination on various grounds. Legal action can be detrimental to the reputation and produce of an organization. It is, therefore, the duty of a manager to prevent discriminatory acts to make sure that the company is not at the wrong end of the law. He has to procure that the staff is aware of the laws against discrimination and instruct them toDiscrimination 4 refrain from curse of fellow workers on the basis of their race, color, sex, religion or origin. Cultural practices exercise a huge role in discriminatory issues. For example, in nigh of the countries in the Middle East, it is not a common practice to employ women. And in a few countries in Asia, religion is a major criterion for the recruitment of a candidate. Unlike a democratic set-up, where people have the right to speak-up against discrimination, these countries do not encourage legal action for discrimination.In such cases, Business Ethics play a crucial role in preventing acts of discrimination. Since a virtual organization does not operate out of a single location, it is but natural that its workforce is a mix of different races, colors, religions and origins. A companys strength is its workforce and when it is diverse like in the case of a Virtual Organization like Riordan Manufacturing, it is all the more important to focus on treating employees equally. This would ensure a healthy work-environment.ReferencesHenry R. Cheeseman, Business Law Legal, E-Commerce, Ethical and InternationalEnvironments, fifth part Edition, 2004, Ch.41Rebecca M. Blank, Constance Forbes Citro & Marilyn Dabady, Measuring RacialDiscrimination , 2004Zhu Jingde (2005), The Discrimination against Women in Employment in contemporaryChina, Retrieved June 7, 2007, fromhttp//www.womenofchina.cn/research/papers/3026.jsp