Charles Supp

Mr. Padgett

English 102

1-31-2017

Inquiry Proposal

When we first learned of the research paper assignment I had multiple topics that I was

interested in researching. I am come to the conclusion that I would like to look into issues facing Commented [PA1]: Proof read a little closer.

the current business environment in the United States. More specifically, I would like to do

research on the racial problems in the American workplace. I have been interested in not just

business, but how to make business fairer while still being able to keep it efficient. While in high

school I wrote a research paper on what holds business productivity back, and since then I have

been interested in continuing this research in forms of undergraduate research or other class

assignments. Businesses in the United States are more productive as ever, but even as society

evolves into a more accepting age, discrimination and segregation still excites in the workplace.

This may not occur in an obvious way, but it occurs in the form of reduced wages, fewer

promotions, and increased difficulty in getting jobs. Segregation, discrimination and other

various racial issues are regularly talked about on a social level, but I would like to look into

them on a business level, somewhere where they are often overlooked.

Below are three articles that I read that pertain to my topic of interest.

1) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/10/workplace-racism-racial-

bullying-discrimination
 This article is about workplace racism. The article discusses how racial bullying in the

workplace is on the rise and we need action, not lip service. The article uses data

collected by outside parties to show that ethnic minorities are underrepresented in every

profession in every location. The author also uses a survey of over 24,000 minority

workers in various fields and the results of the survey state that nearly all of them feel

that racial bullying in the workplace is on the rise. The use of the statistics and data add

to the authors credibility to show that he has information to back up his claim that

companies pay little attention to diversity and subtle, insidious discrimination is

ignored. The main values at stake in the article are the overall fairness of the workplace.

This could come from prior experience that the author has had with workplace

discrimination. Since the author may have first-hand experience with workplace

discrimination, there is an added bias to the article because the author I trying to persuade

readers to feel the same way she does. Despite the fact that there may be bias, I do not

think that it is bad thing. The authors bias can add to a readers ability to connect to the

article, and it can also add to the overall ethos of the article along with the authors claim.

I think this is a good article and I would like to use it in my research. This article was

published through The Guardian so it is reliable and credible.

2) http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/being-black-work/409990/

The second article I read discusses being black in a predominately white workforce. The

article talks about the traditional forms of discrimination and payment disparities, but it

focusses on the more hidden consequences of workplace discrimination. These hidden

consequences often go unmentioned, and this can only lead to more problems. The author

sites research that shows that black workers face an increasing level of stress, more
 specifically, that were extremely stressed and worried about controlling their emotions

and forcing themselves to appear neutral on a number of social issues. The survey also

talks about how minority workers feel alone and left out because they are more likely

than not one of only a few minority workers in their workplace. This articles main claim

is that being a person of color in a predominately white workplace creates its own kind of

stress. Being a black women, this articles author would have a natural bias about this

topic, but I do not think that this takes away from the article. I think that a natural bias in

this situation can add to the overall message of the work. This article was taken from a

credible source, The Atlantic, so I know that it contains trustworthy and reliable

information.

3) http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/25/news/economy/racial-discrimination-work/

The third article I read was published through CNN Money, so I knew from the start that

it was credible. This article discusses what discrimination looks like now, and since it is

different than what people assume it to be, it is often overlooked and ignored in the

workplace. The article sites a statistic published by the EEOC stating that in 2014 they

received 31,073 charges alleging race-based discrimination, but dismissed 71.4% of them

due to a lack of reasonable cause. The use of data from credible sources adds to the

credibility of the authors overall claim. This article was also written by a women of

color, so there is inherent bias involved, but once again I do not think that this takes

anything away from the piece.

I have come up with three preliminary questions that I could use as a basis for my

research:

How prominent is race based discrimination in the American workplace?

How much is race based discrimination holding back the productivity levels of American

business?

What can be done to stop and prevent further race based workplace discrimination?

All three of my articles take similar viewpoints towards discrimination in the workplace,

but none of them discuss possible solutions. To strengthen my paper I will need to not

only discuss problems facing minority workers, but how these problems can be solved. Commented [PA2]: Or at least mitigated. Try not to put
too much of a burden on yourself to solve the problem.
To increase m authority as a writer I need to recognize that some people may not be as Commented [PA3]: Proof read a little closer.

informed on this topic as I am, or that others may have a different view than myself. I

must address combating points of view to limit my bias and show that I have a more

well-rounded paper.

Charles,

I really like this topic here. It seems like youll be touching on issues of institutional

racism, the kind of racism that isnt necessarily super obvious, but is certainly there. I

would like to see some more specific research questions here. Youll probably have to do

some research on topics such as affirmative action and the role of diversity in the
workplace. So maybe instead of asking questions about how prevalent racism is in the

workplace, maybe you could look into how diversity in the workplace affects that

workplace. I know there have been a few notable books published in the last few years on

that topic (popular commercial ones, but helpful ones nonetheless). You certainly have

my approval for this topic, and I look forward to seeing how this one develops.