Equality and Diversity Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Equality and Diversity Policies - Essay Example Although there are varied perceptions of diversity in concept and practice, one compact and comprehensive definition is provided by Esty, et al. (1995), where the authors state that:â€Å"Diversity is acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status.†Diversity management, Foster and Harris (2005) opine, â€Å"Encourages innovative practices in human resource management that values employment relationship by addressing individual needs.† Potentially, employers see immense advantage in deploying demographically diverse workforce.Diversity, as opposed to equal opportunity, extends beyond legislation and focuses more on differences amongst individuals and groups. The liberal perspective has moved the diversity discourse from providing equal opportunities addressing social discriminati on to promoting and managing diversity for societal progress and advantages. Equal opportunities policies often promotes sameness in treatment of individuals; whereas, diversity focuses on managing individual differences for gaining competitive edge. Diversity connotes, gender, age, ethnic background, as well as, non-visible characteristics, like work experience and disability factors (Kersten, 2000). In this context, diverse workgroup is beginning to be recognized for its contributory value to meet organizational objectives, than merely to meet legal. and regulatory aspects. Laflà ¨che (2005) chooses a metaphor â€Å"head and heart† to emphasize the effect of diversity on the inner-workings of an organization. It is another way of saying that the entire enterprise must commit to the cause of diversity in order to make a convincing and lasting change in human resource and team management practices that is seen as consistent and

The Permitted Age Of Alcohol Consumption In The United States Essay

The Permitted Age Of Alcohol Consumption In The United States - Essay Example So, the law barely served its purpose of barring underage (below 21-year-old) drinking. Moreover, students like me, arriving from countries with lower drinking age are affected by this law. I want to propose that the age should be lowered, and this paper will apply three core principles in that course. It will use ethos to appeal to ethics, by my credibility as a Chinese who began drinking at age 18 according to the Chinese Law. It will also apply pathos to appeal to the emotion of the audience. In this approach, the paper will convince the audience why the alcohol age should be lowered down to 18 years-old, and not any further below that age. Moreover, the use of logos will ensure the proposal appeals to the audience through logic, persuading them by reason in a situation experienced by former US President Bushs daughter. The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18-year-old, but augmented with stricter policies.  Dwight B. Heath, a professor at the Brown University was asked ab out the what the minimum legal age of drinking should be in the US – â€Å"8, or maybe even 6,† was his response (Griggs). According to Heath, a professor of anthropology, he was not advocating for children to get drunk. Conversely, his response was favoring a cultural model upheld by common countries such as Italy or France, where after family meals, children were served with small wine amounts. By so doing, children are educated about alcohol, eliminating the numerous taboo about alcohol that makes teenagers sneak out to drink away from the supervision of an adult (Griggs). Though I do not support the drinking age he proposes – because alcohol could put children at risk of depression, memory loss, or brain damage (Martin), I endorse the lowering the age of drinking from 21 years-old to 18-year-old. Alcohol for kids would also put them at risk of accidents, impaired judgment, distorted vision, coordination, and hearing.