Diversity Rearch Audit - Admission/Application Essay Example

? Diversity Research Audit With regards to the research proposal that this has chosen to present, the firm to be measured, understood, and extrapolated on is Sodexo. This particular firm currently retains the top ranking in Diversity Inc’s listing of most diverse firms within the United States. As a direct function of this superlative, the core function of the research will be concentric upon seeking to understand how the organizational culture of Sodexo continues to maximize the levels of diversity that are evidenced therein. Sodexo not only ranks as the most diverse company within the current model, it also represents a firm that has experienced a high level of success within other areas of business metrics. Ultimately, it is the belief of this student, as well as the tacit belief of many of the authors that will be presented within this short analysis, that Sodexo has placed diversity on equal footing with the metrics of business performance such as profitability, competitive edge; understanding that diversity in and of itself is able to have a direct and indirect level of impact upon these metrics for success. As a direct function of this primary question, the following research will e concentric upon raising and providing answers to the following ten questions: 1. What defines the culture of Sodexo? 2. What role does the president/CEO have in regards to fostering and demanding diversity? 3. What role does the individual/non manager have with regards to fostering diversity within Sodexo? 4. Does Sodexo consider itself unique and having arrived at the pinnacle of success with regards to the other firms in the list? 5. How and why does Sodexo continue to strive to engage further levels of diversity? 6. What defines diversity for Sodexo – region, nation, politics, culture? 7. Has diversity evolved for the firm since its inception? 8. How do secondary stakeholders factor into the diversity that Sodexo seeks to elevate? 9. Has this commitment cost the firm profitability or has it actually benefitted the firm? 10. How does communication affect the way in which the culture is formed and an appreciation of diversity is furthered? However, it must also be noted that Sodexo is not a firm that has escaped the intellectual analysis of many other researchers and a rather extensive body of extent research exists with regards to the firm. In seeking to trace why Sodexo has experienced such a high level of diversity, the first article that will be mentioned within this brief literature review is entitled “Shifting the Diversity Climate” (Ringold & Feinstein, 2011). As such, Ringold and Feinsten point to the ways in which Sodexo made a marked shift towards seeking to promote greater degrees of diversity in the hopes that it could boost their success. Realizing that it is not possible for a firm to be profitable and exist and thrive in a market that is itself increasingly diverse, Sodexo came to realize the means of capturing such a market was at least tangentially dependent upon the level of diversity they could represent. A similar approach is made with respect to Anand and Winters’ (2008) analysis that sought to integrate a further level of appreciation for the way in which Sodexo led the shift towards appreciating diversity and the impacts that it could bring as early as 1964. In allowing the reader to gain a level of oversight with regards t the historical development that the culture took, the article is useful in helping to formulate a historical approach to how and why the diversity came to be evidenced in the way it did within the modern era. Thomas and Creary’s 2011 piece entitled “Shifting the Diversity Climate: The Sodexo Solution”, hinges upon the degree and extent to which Sodexo was not satisfied with the current levels of diversity that they experienced and sought to integrate with new initiatives as a means of boosting them. This focus upon the measurable metrics of what defined diversity and the means through which it would come to be redefined and practiced within the firm is a fundamentally important starting point in helping the reader to come to a more informed conclusion concerning how diversity was redefined and understood by the decision makers of the company. Although a great deal of analysis can be placed with regards to how Sodexo defines diversity, Mills (2010) realizes that it is at least tangentially important to understand the way in which the remainder of the business world has defined diversity of the course of the past several decades as a means of developing a baseline of understanding with regards to how Sodexo sought to differentiate itself from the remainder of the marketplace. This understanding is of course needful for the researcher as it provides the benchmark through which Sodexo may be measured; as well as the bnechmarek that Sodexo utilized to measure itself and see what needed to be done in order to create a more ethical and equitable firm. Timmons (2009) furthers an understanding of diversity planning and how it was carried out; pointing to the fact that the reader is left virtually uninformed with regards to how Sodexo realized its shortcomings and sought to rectify them. In this way, the article entited, “Leveraging Diversity of Thought to Create Business Solutions” was utilized as a means of discussing the thought process that Sodexo engaged as a means of formulating a strategy and increasing the levels of diversity evidenced within their firm. Smith (2013) points to the fact that even though Sodexo is representative of some best practices, there remains a great deal of work to be done with regards to the way in which diversity is understood within the current business model. Ultimately, the author points to the fact that diversity is not a static concept and should never be understood as such. However, rather than chiding the firm for not achieving greater levels of success, Smith discusses the way in which the firm has achieved a level of diversity that is virtually unheard of elsewhere throughout the business world and represents a best practice that other firms should continually strive towards. From each of these sources a more clear and definitive understanding of how Sodexo has built itself into the firm that it represents currently is manifested. Moreover, the sources tell a story of a dynamic series of changes that helps the reader to come to the profound realization that Sodexo has not merely pursued the status quo but has continually sought to redefine its approach as a means of staying at the very cutting edge of diversity and promoting a diverse workplace that allows it be consistently ranked among those firms that prizes diversity at a premium as compared to other firms. Whereas it is true that profits and other vital components of business allow for a firm to continue to exist and thrive, Sodexo has pursued something of a different strategy; choosing instead to promote an understanding of the importance of a streamlined and yet diverse workforce as the key to integrating with the needs of the consumer within the modern era. Such an approach is of course unique to Sodexo and it is not the purpose of this reviewer, or indeed of the authors that have been represented thus far, to promote an understanding of the fact that a “one size fits all” is indeed a best practice for other firms. However, rather than maintaining that diversity counts and should be considered, Sodexo has consistently put diversity and the need to grow and expand their presence within the market on something of an equal footing. References Anand, R., & Winters, M. (2008). A retrospective view of corporate diversity training from 1964 to the present. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 7(3), 356-372. Mills, H. (2010). Diversity at work: Public relations makes a difference for global giants. Public Relations Tactics, 17(10), 10-11. Ringold, L., & Feinstein, J. (2011) Diversity business & leadership summit. Profiles in Diversity Journal, 11(4), 35. Smith, B. (2013). Age of wisdom. Benefits Canada, 37(5), 26-28. Thomas, D. A., & Creary, S. J. (2011). Shifting the diversity climate: The Sodexo solution. Harvard Business School Cases, 1. Timmons, S. (2009). Leveraging diversity of thought to create business solutions. Profiles in Diversity Journal, 11(4), 35. Read More