women and minorities and developing proactive affirmative action programs or strategies that will end the exodus of these employees and bring the company into closer alignment with the goals and objectives of affirmative action. Additionally, a goal is to reduce the costs of employee turnover - costs that can reach into the $10s and $100s of thousands of dollars (Automotive Management Systems, 2003).
The issue was selected for examination because of its significance in light of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which stipulates that if an employer is found to have engaged in illegal discrimination the courts may order such affirmative action as may be appropriate to remedy the problem (Meiners, Ringleb, & Edwards, 1994). Affirmative action is understood herein as any and all deliberate efforts by an employer to remedy discriminatory practices in the hiring, training, and promotion of protected class members when a particular class is underrepresented in the employer's workforce. While such programs may be voluntary or involuntary, American companies concerned with social responsibilities should voluntarily implement an affirmative action program to ensure that the company provides more opportunities for women and minorities in certain job categories (Meiners, Ringleb, & Edwards, 1994).
The problem of employment discrimination is linked to deeply entrenched stereotypes that pervade the American workplace. According to a 1992 ABC network television program (True Colors, 1992), racist and sexist stereotyping was in the early 1990s a persistent problem throughout corporate and industrial America. Today, more than a decade later, the problem remains significant. Ivancevich (1998), for example, pointed out that affirmative action demands not that underutilization be corrected but rather that a good faith effort be made by organizations to increase the number of women and minorities in certain job groups. What is needed...