Impact of the Law and Social Justice Arguments for Equality on the Business Case

An Assessment of the Impact of the Law and Social Justice Arguments for Equality on the Business Case
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An Assessment of the Impact of the Law and Social Justice Arguments for Equality on the Business Case
           Equality, diversity, and inclusion play an important role in organizational success. According to Ali and Konrad (2017), effective management of equality and diversity is a source of competitive advantage for organizations, and it contributes to superior firm performance. Yet, the road to equality and diversity in the workplace is long and challenging, even in the most developed economies. For instance, Wilton (2019, p. 351) indicates that the UK’s labor market is highly diverse, with over 33.8 million people either working or actively looking for employment. Of these, 15.9 million are women, 4.1 million are ethnic minorities, and 4.1 million are people with disabilities. Yet, the UK labor market is characterized by high inequality. To address inequality in the labor markets, laws and social justice initiatives have been designed over the years, both in the UK and other parts of the world. For instance, the Equality Act 2010 protects people from workplace discrimination in the UK. These laws and social justice initiatives have been supported by arguments that show the need for equality and diversity in the workplace. This essay aims to analyze the rationales for equality and diversity in the workplace from a general and specific perspective. This essay will evaluate the rationales for sex equality and diversity in the workplace from a specific perspective. 
Rationales for Equality and Diversity: A General Overview
           Equality and diversity in the workplace have supporters and critics. However, it is becoming increasingly important for organizations to promote equality and diversity by respecting individual differences in terms of sex, race, disability, age, and sexual orientation, among others as indicated in the Equality Act 2010. One of the rationales for equality and diversity in the workplace is that having a diverse workforce allows the organization to successfully pursue its strategy (Ali & Konrad, 2017). An example provided to support this rationale is that for a firm pursuing a growth strategy, a racially diverse workforce can enhance its growth because it will attract a more racially diverse market and increase its market shares. Groschi (2016, p. 31) refers to this as the access and legitimacy rationale, stating that equality and diversity in the workplace are necessary because organizations serve a diverse market. As such, they need their workforce to reflect this diversity if they want to gain access to these highly diverse markets. In this respect, a diverse workforce will also ensure that the organization understands its customers and what they need. In addition, the workforce will ensure that the company’s products/ services are designed to meet the needs of a diverse market. 
           There is also another rationale that emphasizes integration and learning benefits of workplace ...