Affirmative Action in Business

Introduction

Affirmative action is a legally and policy-based practice in the USA in which various programs target individuals who are members of particular ethnic groups and white women in order to achieve certain aims of broader public policies such as equal opportunity in education and employment. Such policy aims are not always clear. But they range from desired equality of opportunities for the least advantaged in society to desired “diversity” among members of a particular environment to the provision of what certain classes of people deserve in light of historic harmful wrongdoings which they or their ancestors have experienced in the USA as a class of people. There is affirmative action in all ranks of education and affirmative action in business with regard to the hiring and retaining of persons into the workplace. While affirmative action is often confused with reparations of the compensatory variety, the latter are paid to those whose rights have been violated (or to their...