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University of Curaçao
Bigger than Black or White: The Impact of Cultural Capital on Income Trajectories
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Brandy Edmondson
The Black-White income gap in the United States has been well-documented and persists despite decades of pay equity efforts. Two of the main driving forces for this inequity are structural issues and racial biases. Structural factors lead to differential access to cultural capital developed through life experiences. Such disparities can lead to the formation of biases, which may then lead to differential outcomes in the workplace. This paper investigates differences in labor market outcomes of monoracial Black individuals and monoracial White individuals by introducing another group of comparison: biracial employees (e.g., individuals with one Black parent and one White parent). The rising population of biracial-identifying individuals in the United States presents new opportunities to further our understanding of current and future racial dynamics. Having parents of different races and/or identifying with multiple races could affect job market outcomes due to varying cultural capital. Of particular interest to this study are society’s perceptions of Black, White, and Black-White biracial individuals, the resources afforded to each group, and how these perceptions and resources affect each group’s starting salaries and salaries over time. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997, this paper find that Black and Biracial individuals receive similar, yet lower starting wages than White individuals. However, the rate of growth for Black-White biracial employees’ income increases at a higher rate than either other group, leading them to earn incomes more similar to White employees.
Supplier Diversity in Canada: An Empirical Study
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Paul D. Larson, Jack Kulchitsky
The roots of supplier diversity (SD) can be traced to the American civil rights movement in the 1960s. Legendary leaders of that struggle, like Mr. Medgar Evers, are the true founders of this concept. Today, SD programs are as relevant as ever, due to growing awareness of systemic racism and sexism in North America and elsewhere, along with the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements. SD is linked to important aspects of organizational culture, such as moral and ethical standards. It creates economic opportunities for businesses owned and operated by folks from historically disadvantaged communities. There is also a business case for SD from the buyer’s perspective; encouraging competition and broadening the supply base can yield better quality and lower cost procurement outcomes. This paper presents results of a recent multi-method study of Canadian buying organizations. The study profiles the state of SD programs in Canada; and identifies barriers, facilitators and motivators of supplier diversity. During the fall of 2020, a hyperlink to the survey was sent to a selection of large purchasing organizations (LPOs) across Canada. In addition, a content analysis was conducted of nearly 100 organizations designated as Canada’s “best diversity employers.” Based on analysis of the statistical and qualitative data gathered by these methods, implications are derived for LPOs, suppliers from diversity communities (e.g. women and visible minorities), public policy makers, educators, and academic researchers.
Translating Energy into Action: The Physics of DEI View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Margaret Rowan, Randy Massengale
With an increasing focus on blending employee wellbeing and cultural ethos with business outcomes, it is becoming steadily more important for companies to implement a strategically relevant and impactful DE&I program. But knowing how to create, formulate, and drive a meaningful DE&I focus is challenging, and too many companies fail to implement a strategy that will survive beyond the initial impulse. With this in mind, we re-evaluated the approach to DE&I and discovered that, at its core, the laws that govern the creation of mass in the universe can also be applied to the creation of a successful DE&I program. By approaching the issue from a scientific, rules-driven perspective, we can reshape how we approach DE&I and ensure long term success in any workplace.
