Affirmative action does not have a single definition, but is associated with providing opportunities to women and minorities who have suffered discrimination in the past. Through affirmative action programs in the workplace, employers actively seek out women and minorities in their recruiting practices and provide programs through which potential employees who might be less qualified than other applicants are provided employment opportunities in order to redress the imbalance of previous years. Recently, California passed Proposition 209, an initiative which repealed affirmative action in state-funded programs, including at state colleges and universities. This research examines how one company, Circuit City, experienced legal problems because it did not pay attention to maintaining a discrimination-free workplace after minority employees were hired, and offers observations on how our organization can avoid similar problems, particularly given the dynamic nature of affirmative action at this time.
Circuit City is one of the nation's largest consumer electronics retailers with operations in major metropolitan areas which have large concentrations of minorities. The company's success is based on offering low prices on brand name items, but the company suffered a significant public relations problem in the mid 1990s when it was sued for discrimination against minorities. The lawsuits were eventually decided in favor of some of the plaintiffs, and a judge eventually ordered the company to implement a diversity program.
The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs filed suit on behalf of 11 workers in October 1995; other lawsuits were filed individually. Of the 11 original plaintiffs, the jury eventually find in favor of two, while finding for Circuit City in the case of a third. The lawsuit alleged that the company had discriminatory practices and procedures, and the jury agreed. A Circuit City managem...