The American workplace is composed of workers from different backgrounds and cultures with different expectations of what the employment experience should hold for them. Workers come not only from various parts of the country, but various parts of the world, and today's international markets mean that even small American companies can do business with companies in many different nations. As a result of this increased diversity, companies are struggling with ways to reconcile the different needs of employees with the needs of the organization. Diversity programs are one consequence of this struggle, and diversity programs have met with varying degrees of success depending on how they are developed and implemented. This research explores the diversity program at a biotechnology company and considers how the lessons from that company might be applied to other organizations.
Amgen, Incorporated is based in Thousand Oaks, California and is a global biotechnology company which develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals based on advanced cellular and molecular biology. Two human therapeutic products, NEUPOGENr and EPOGENr form the core of the company's operations, which totaled more than $1.6 billion in revenues in 1994 (Brownlee, 1995, p. 47). NEUPOGENr selectively stimulates the production of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) and is marketed in the United States, the European Union (EU), Canada and Australia for use in decreasing the risk of infection in patients undergoing chemotherapy or bone marrow transplants. EPOGENr stimulates the production of red blood cells and is marketed within the United States for the treatment of anemia associated with dialysis (Amgen Company Report, 1997, p. 1).
Amgen has research facilities within the United States and Canada, and clinical development staff in the United States, Canada, the EU, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. Its personnel are medical professionals who work withi...