AT & T Diversity Case Study

Managing diversity has been a tricky problem for management for a long time; especially, in the recent years, it has raised many controversial questions. How much diversity is enough and how companies benefit from the act of promoting diversity in their workforce? More importantly, how can companies effectively manage diversity to achieve their targets? In this paper, I will focus on two companies that are known for their recognizably successful diversity management systems: AT&T Inc. and Pepsi Co. First case, AT&T. For the year of 2015, AT&T is listed as one of the top 50 companies for a diverse workforce by DiversityInc. This remark does not come naturally. It is the result of the company’s long term planning, effort, and improvement. Even
The lawsuit EEOC v. AT&T Inc., AT&T Corp., AT&T Services, Inc. concerns the discrimination employment policy applied toward a group of retired AT&T workers by denying their opportunity to get reemployed because they took some early retirement programs between the years of 1998 and 2001. According to EEOC, this violates the equal opportunity for everyone to get employed. After the case is settled, AT&T changed its policy. The second lawsuit is an ongoing one that occurs in 2014 concerns racial discrimination toward supplier. In this $10 billion lawsuit between National Association of African American Owned Media (NAAAOM) and AT&T, the organization represents an unnamed 100% African American owned company against AT&T, claiming the giant tech company for refusing to contract with the company although it “owns and distribute over 32 television series, several of which have been nominated for and won Emmy awards” – according to reporter Jason Hughes. NAAAOM also accuses AT&T for promoting white-owned media companies and using black actors and celebrities in front of the screen as