Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Business - Essay Example In simple terms, diversity can be viewed as difference. In the workplace, diversity is defined by Bell (2007) as attracting, recruiting and retaining persons from a wide talent base regardless of their religious affiliation, race, class, gender, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status and any other groupings. This ensures the organizations recruits individuals with a wide range of skills and from different economic, social and cultural backgrounds. There are often group conflicts in organizations that hinder a good working relationship and attainment of company objectives yet diversity is highly valued in organizations. The big question is, â€Å"how can diversity work for organizations?† To answer this question, this paper will compare and contrast various views from different authors regarding diversity in the workplace. The trends that have necessitated diversity will also be discussed. It will also evaluate the diversity in practice i n two organizations: HSBC and Wells Fargo. It will discuss the importance of diversity in the two companies. Some companies develop a diverse workforce to comply with laws but for other organizations, diversity is much more than just a policy as it is the key to success. Besides compliance, companies that have an inclusive workplace environment enjoy a lot of benefits which will be discussed later. The challenges facing implementation are also worth noting. Global Trends Various global demographic, economic and legislative trends have over the years necessitated the development of diversity in workplaces. According to Mor Barak (2011) there has been a workforce decline in various countries thus the need to engage immigrant workers to fill the employment gap. Italy workforce for example, is expected to decline from 60 million to 56 million by 2050 while that of Germany is expected to decline from 82 million to 69 million (P. 4). These are countries which have been known not to entert ain immigrant workers but the demographic trend forces them to. On the other hand, developing countries are faced with the problem of the youth who comprise more than half of the population (Kirton & Green, 2004). Since these economies are growing at a slow pace they cannot accommodate all those youths hence they look for jobs outside borders. Another trend is the growing number of women in the workforce and individualized migration to look for better opportunities without relying on their husbands or family (Bibard, 2011). This has changed the workforce dynamics to a great extent prompting the need to embrace diversity. Various legislations have also been emerging that press the companies to become diverse workplaces. These range from the universal declaration of human rights to the legislations on equal employment opportunity. Inclusive workplace programs have therefore, been instituted in many organizations to tap the benefits of a diverse workforce (Findler, Wind & Mor Barak, 20 07). Companies which do not know how to manage diversity in the workplace risk losing business due to high turnover, absenteeism, and low earnings. Managing diversity is not a simple task. On one hand companies need to appreciate the importance of diversity for organization success and on the other hand, diversity brings about group conflicts which can lead to disharmony and even violence in the workplace (Powell, 2004). Service companies rely so much on diverse customers thus needs to

HOW DOES OUR FAITH IN RELIGION AND SCIENCE AFFECT OUR GAINING NEW Essay

HOW DOES OUR FAITH IN RELIGION AND SCIENCE AFFECT OUR GAINING NEW KNOWLEDGE - Essay Example As a result, there have been conflicts as to the reliability of science or religion as sources of knowledge, which in turn affects people’s acquisition of new knowledge. In view of this, the aim of this paper is to show how faith in science and religion affect people’s acquisition of new knowledge. Knowledge can be pursued through religion or science, though they both use different methodologies. As stated earlier, research has revealed that conflicts exist between science and religion. Moreover, owing to controversial scientific discoveries, religion and science have been increasingly drifting apart. Science and religion differ because; while scientific knowledge is gained through empiricism and reason, religious knowledge is based on faith and divine revelation. In view of this, people with strong religious beliefs may not easily accept new knowledge that is not based on faith or divine revelation. On the other hand, people with strong scientific beliefs may reject ne w knowledge that is not based on reason or empiricism. The differences in perspectives between science and religion have further been facilitated by the fact that while science is constantly changing, religion tends to be static most of the times. Religious doctrines rarely change, thus people who have faith in religion may have this mentality when it comes to the acquisition of new knowledge. Such people are usually hesitant to embrace new changes or developments in the society. Moreover, any teachings that deviate from their religious beliefs are rejected, regardless of how helpful they might be. This absence of tolerance could hinder such people from acquiring new knowledge, since they are severely restricted by religion. Science on the other hand is more flexible, thus individuals with faith in science are open to new ideas. They also tend to be tolerant about other people’s opinions, since their perceptions are not restricted by any religious doctrine. As a result, it is easier for people who have faith in science to gain new knowledge, since such knowledge is considered a stepping stone to future discoveries. The inflexibility of religion has been demonstrated in various ways, showing that it indeed hinders people from acquiring new knowledge. The religious stand on the issue of HIV/AIDS is a good illustration that faith in religion affects how people respond to new knowledge. Owing to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, scientists have recommended the use of condoms as one method of minimizing spread of the disease, which has no cure. However, the church, which is a religious institution, has strongly opposed use of condoms. The Catholic Church strongly opposes the use of condoms, yet scientists have proved that condoms are effective in curbing the spread of the disease. Faith in religion that condoms are not acceptable by the Roman Catholic Church has affected efforts by health professionals to teach people that using condoms reduces the chances of cont racting the disease. Roman Catholics cannot accept the use of condoms under any circumstances, while at the same time they do not have a better solution to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Although this new knowledge could actually save their lives, it is rejected on the basis of faith in religion. In this case, it is apparent that while scientific claims are backed up by proven facts, the refusal of condom use by the church is only based on faith rather