global marketplace has weakened the American corporate structure. More corporate executives are focusing on bottomline profitability and are cognizant of the need to attract talented employees regardless of race or gender. For this reason, women and minorities are being represented in the corporate workforce in greater numbers than ever before. The presence of significant numbers of women, minority, and immigrant employees has contributed to a more progressive mindset for corporate managers, thus alleviating discrimination. The most pressing problem now concerns the lack of upward mobility for women, minorities, and immigrants after they are hired.
The controversy surrounding affirmative action stems from the negative perception that correcting past injustice necessitates the hiring of unqualified personnel. Hettinger (1995) lists several misconceptions that lead people to think that affirmative action substitutes past injustice with present injustice. First, many people believe that affirmative action contributes to inefficiency. A manager has an obligation to the owner, stockholders, and the public to maximize profitability by hiring the best qualified people, regardless of race. Hettinger (1995) argues that profit maximization is not the sole legitimate goal of business: "Businesses have responsibilities to help heal society's ill's, especially those (like racism and sexism) which they in large part helped to create and perpetuate" (p. 355). Secondly, people assume that the most qualified person has a right to the job. This principle does not always operate in the working world. The employer has the right to hire whomever he or she chooses. Often among people of the same race, the least qualified person is hired over the best qualified person because hiring decisions are based on a variety of factors, not just qualifications. People further assume that the most qualified person both deserves and is entitled to the j...