Bethany Grayczyk

BMGT 2700, Spring 2015

January 29, 2015
Assignment One
Chapter One:
Part One:
Positive Internal Characteristics:
1. Strong-Will
2. Determination
3. Persistence
4. Empathy
5. Compassion
6. Sympathy
7. Faithful
8. Optimistic
9. Positive
10. Persuasive

Positive External Characteristics:

1. Long Hair
2. Healthy Skin
3. Toned Legs
4. Cute Nose
5. Blue Eyes
6. Petite
7. Slender
8. Tiny Feet
9. Graceful Hands
10. Rosy Cheeks

Part Two:
A. Explain how an individuals attitude can be a barrier to change. How can this barrier
that you identified be eliminated?
An individuals attitude can be a barrier to change because it is the first
impression of a persons character that others notice. Attitude is also important
because it shows others a decent representation of how you value yourself, as
well as them. Barriers revolved around an individuals attitude can begin to be
eliminated by self-affirmation and active positive thinking about ones self as
well as others.
B. The quote utilized in the text, Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens
the future and renders the present inaccessible means what as it relates to cultural
knowledge.
This quite, by Maya Angelou, related to cultural knowledge because cultural
knowledge is being familiar with other cultures characteristics, history, values,
belief systems, and behaviors, meaning that if someone is prejudice they are not
familiar and do not understand these five aspects of cultures which leads to
confusion and misinterpretation which can lead to futile arguments, fights,
and/or wars.

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Part Three:
Negative Thoughts/Memories/Emotions:
1. Parents Divorce
2. Multiple Hospital Stays
3. Death of Loved Ones
4. Sports Injuries
5. Rape

Positive Thought on Topic:

1. The fighting finally stopped
2. I am still standing and walking
3. They are finally out of pain
4. I learned to be independent
5. I learned how to respect myself

How hard or easy was it to come up with the five negative thoughts? Why?
The thoughts did not come to me as quickly as I initially thought they would;
however, they were easier than the positive thoughts on the topic. In my opinion,
this is because people tend to dwell on the negative aspects of life, because they
are usually unexpected and irreversible.
How hard or easy was it to come up with the five positive thoughts to cancel out the
negative ones?
It took a little longer to come up with the positive thoughts than it took to come
up with the negative thoughts; however, they still came to me fairly quickly.
Do you think it is practical to cancel out negative thoughts with positive ones, why or
why not?
Yes, I absolutely think it is practical to cancel out negative thoughts with positive
ones because if we as humans, constantly think about all of the negative
occurrences in life we will be a sorry and depressed universe.
1. Thanksgiving is a celebration that everyone enjoys. Native-Americans especially enjoy
this holiday because of the peace it represented to their community.
False
2. Gay and lesbian people are a threat to the workplace and have few leaders who have
contributed to our society.
False
3. African-Americans even though they started as slaves in this country now have equal
opportunity.
False
4. Disabled employees can be a liability to a company due to missed work time.
False
5. Caucasian men are accepted in Corporate America because being white and male are
the only requirements needed to belong in the old boys network.
False
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6. For every job that a man can do, there is a woman able to do the same job.
True
7. Most people on welfare (a government transfer system where tax payer dollars are
given to the poor for housing etc.) are Black and Hispanic women who live off the
system forever.
False
8. Arabs come to this country and are given government subsidies (free money that is not
to be paid back) this is why they are able to buy their own companies.
False
9. Asian-Americans have always been privileged minorities because of their higher
intelligence and because they do not suffer from discrimination or illiteracy in any
capacity.
False
10. Hispanics are the poorest minority because they are lazy immigrants.
False
11. Cultural Knowledge of various groups is not necessary to preventing discrimination
in the workplace.
False
12. I believe that most people are treated fairly in the workplace and history plays no
factor in how people treat each other.
False
13. It is not necessary to have diversity training in the workplace as most people
understand diversity and its implications.
False
14. I belong to the following group:
Female
15. I belong to the following group:
C. Caucasian/White
16. I belong to the following group:
B. Age 18-25
17. The following is a true statement:
D. I have had diversity training and sexual harassment training.

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Spring 2015
Assignment One

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Chapter Two:
Part One:
1. If making a pitch to business leaders regarding the merits of valuing diversity in the
workplace, give four facts from the chapter that you would utilize in your presentation.
Please state why you chose these facts.
1. There is a marketplace of diverse customers with significant purchasing
power and unmet needs I chose this fact because it shows that there is a
whole demographic of people looking for diversity and the best way to know
what people of different ethnicities want/need is to have a diverse group of
employees.
2. Companies are tapping into international markets where delayed or failed
business transactions can result from ignorance of cultural variations I
chose this fact because it would show that if there is a diverse of employees
working on an international business project, it would allow the possibility of
having a natives thought process on the planning committee in order to
smooth out minor, unforeseen problems due to cultural differences.
3. Diversity enhances customer relations I chose this fact because studies
have shown that a person is more at ease around others who share similar
external attributes.
4. Diversity in employment promotes cost-effective employment relations I
chose this fact because when working internationally businesses must
account for foreign cultural traditions as well as languages. If a person that is
not accustomed to these traditions or the native language there would be
barriers that would need to be overcame through the proper training, which
could become costly.
2. Undue hardship as it relates to disability and reasonable accommodations means what?
Undue hardship, as it relates to disability, means it would require a significant
increase in expense or difficulty in order to accommodate a person with a certain
disabilityhowever, this only applies to specific factors such as business size,
financial resources, and the nature and structure of its operation (Griswold 48).
Reasonable accommodations, as it relates to disability, means making a variety
of changes (some minor and some major) to assure that a person with a
disability is able to work in peace. An example of this would be widening a
hallway (between adjustable cubicle walls) in order to fit a wheelchair through.
4. Could the following examples (a-d) be considered discrimination according to the EEO
laws and why.
a. Women is fired after her supervisor finds out she is pregnant.
Yes, because according to Title VII, pregnancy is supposed to be treated as a
temporary illness and is therefore not a fireable offense.

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b. White male is harassed at work for being married to an Asian woman.
Yes, because according to Title VII, equal employment cannot be denied due
to the race of a persons spouse.
c. A disabled employee asks for days off for doctor visits and is denied this request,
without any reason given.
Yes, because according to the ADA schedule changes to accommodate doctor
visits is covered under reasonable accommodations.
d. A female flight attendant who is Arab must wear a hijab, religious head covering,
this is not part of the uniform and she is fired.
Yes, because according to Title VII, employers cannot discriminate against an
employees religious beliefs, including in the area of adhering to a restrictive
dress code (Griswold 41).
Part Two:
Comfy diversity programs held for compliance reasons that skirt the real issues waste
time and money. Comfy diversity programs and beliefs that say: we should be colorblind
miss a great opportunity. In two paragraphs explain why it is a missed opportunity.
Comfy diversity programs and beliefs that say we should be colorblind miss a
great opportunity because rather than embracing the cultural differences that
people have, they just pretend that they do not exist. This form of selective
blindness is a missed opportunity because rather than encouraging people from
different cultures to present their own opinions, based on their different
experiences, it masks these differences and pretends that they do not exist. This
then can lead to tunnel-vision in a market place because it only sees one view
point, rather than gathering input from a diverse population.
This self-inflicted tunnel-vision then could potentially lead to accidentally
offending a foreign business associate as well as discrimination lawsuitsfor
which these comfy programs were established to avoid. These programs could
lead to accidentally offending a foreign business associate by underestimating
the value that someone with foreign cultural knowledge would provide, if they
were not told to suppress it. Also, these programs could lead to unwanted
discrimination lawsuits by trying to pretend that everyone is equal in skin color
and cultural traditions, which could unknowingly overlap into religious
discrimination.
Part Three:
1. I am aware of my own biases and how they affect my thinking.
Sometimes

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Spring 2015
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2. I can honestly assess my strengths and weaknesses in the area of diversity and try to
improve myself.
Always
3. I assume good intent and ask for clarification when I dont understand what was said or
implied.
Sometimes
4. I challenge others when they make racial/ethnic/sexually offensive comments or jokes.
Sometimes
5. I speak up if I witness another person being humiliated or discriminated against.
Always
6. I do not participate in jokes that are derogatory to any individual groups.
Sometimes
7. I dont believe that my having a friend of color means that Im culturally competent.
Always
8. I understand why a lack of diversity in my social circle may be perceived as excluding
others.
Always
9. I realize that people of other cultures have a need to support one another and connect
as a group.
Always
10. I do not make assumptions about a person or individual group until I have verified the
facts on my own.
Always
11. I have multiple friends (more than three) from a variety of ethnicities and abilities.
Always
12. I connect easily with people who do not look like me and am able to communicate
easily.
Sometimes
13. Im interested in the ideas and beliefs of people who dont think and believe as I do,
and I respect their opinions even when I disagree.
Always
14. I work to make sure people who are different from me are heard and accepted.
Always
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15. I recognize and avoid language that reinforces stereotypes. (Thats so gay)
Sometimes
16. I know the stereotype(s) of my ethnicity.
Sometimes
17. I encourage culturally diverse people to speak out on their issues and concerns and
validate their issues.
Sometimes
18. I avoid assuming that others will have the same reaction as me when discussing or
viewing an issue.
Sometimes
19. I understand that Im a product of my upbringing and believe there are valid beliefs
other than my own.
Always
20. I do not take physical characteristics into account when interacting with others and
when making decisions about competence or ability.
Always
21. I recognize that others stereotype me and I try to overcome their perceptions.
Always
22. I include culturally diverse people in team decision making processes that impact
them.
Always
23. I actively seek opportunities to connect with people different than me and seek to
build rapport.
Sometimes
24. I believe color blindness is counterproductive and devalues a persons culture or
history.
Sometimes
25. I avoid generalizing behaviors or attitudes of one individual group to another group.
(All men are or All Asians act or Handicapped people usually)
Always
26. I actively convey that nontraditional employees or students are as skilled and
competent as others.
Always

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Assignment One

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27. I do not try to justify acts of discrimination to make the victim feel better. I validate
his/her assessment of what occurred.
Always
28. I try to learn about and appreciate the richness of other cultures and honor their
holidays and events.
Always
29. I believe there are policies and practices in place that negatively impact people
outside the majority culture.
Always
30. I understand the definition of internalized racism and how it impacts people of color.
Always
31. I believe that race is a social construct that is a social mechanism, phenomenon, or
category created and developed by society not a scientific fact.
Sometimes
32. I know and accept that a persons experiences and background impacts how they
interact and trust me.
Always

BMGT 2700
Spring 2015
Assignment One