Affirmative Action Plan Goals as Evidence of Discrimination

The following post has three assignments namely;

1.Affirmative Action Plan Goals as Evidence of Discrimination

Xerox Corporation's Balanced Workforce Initiative (BWF) involved the publication of specific affirmative action goals for each job and each salary grade level within the company. This plan was started in the 1990s in an effort to ensure proportional representation of all racial and gender groups throughout the company. The BWFs were based on government labor force data and established annually. Part of the annual performance evaluation for managers was how well they met the desired racial and gender compositions for their locations. In one instance, reports compiled for the Houston office indicated that black employees were overrepresented and white employees were underrepresented. To correct this imbalance, over a period of five years, steps were taken to reduce the percentage of black employees in the office. Six black employees filed suit against Xerox, stating that they were denied promotion opportunities even though they were qualified for the jobs into which they wanted to be promoted. They also indicated that they felt the BWF adversely affected their opportunity for advancement. Answer the following questions by applying the concepts learned in Chapter 3. Please post the case study in as one MS Word document. Note: See template provided for case study paper. Also, conduct literature reviews on the subject of discussion and use to support your case study answers: 1. Based on the evidence presented, has discrimination occurred? If so, which type of discrimination (i.e., disparate treatment, disparate impact, both)? If you aren't sure, what questions would you want to have answered to make your determination? 2. Which party (plaintiffs or defendant) has the burden of proof in this case? What defense could Xerox offer if the plaintiffs make a case of discrimination? Discuss how successful you think the company will be at defending its actions. 3. Could Xerox have achieved the same goals in a less discriminatory manner? If so, how? If not, why not?

2.Nike, Inc Cost of Capital

What is the WACC and why is it important to estimate a firm’s cost of capital? Do you agree with Joanna Cohen’s WACC calculation? Why or why not? If you do not agree with Cohen’s analysis, calculate your own WACC for Nike and be prepared to justify your assumptions. Calculate the costs of equity using the CAPM, the dividend discount model, and the earnings capitalization ratio. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? What is Nike worth? What should Kimi Ford recommend regarding an investment in Nike?

3.The Second Shift By Arlie Hochschild

1)What is the second shift? Relatedly, What does Hochschild mean when she says career women say “ what I really need is a wife” (page xii) 2)What does she mean when she says that the “the career system inhibits women, not so much by malevolent disobedience to good rules as by making up rules to suit the male half of the population in the first place” (page xiii) Relatedly, Why is the division of labor at home so important to gender equity in society overall? 3)According to Hochschild, what are traditional, transitional, and egalitarian ideologies? 4)How do couples differ in their ability to face the challenges posed by the second shift?