Racism within the Retail Sector in the UK - Literature review Example

Download file to see previous pages Several reviewers see and explain racism just from a perspective of ethnic or racial background. To this effect, they make discrimination against people based on their skin color as the major definition of racism. In this function, Ellis-Christensen (2011) explains racism as the discrimination against people based on their race after explaining that “commonly, but not always, people are categorized into one of five races: White, Black, Latino or Hispanic, Asian, and Indigenous or Native.” Racism, however, goes beyond the discrimination of people based on their race or ethnic background. In fact, limiting racism to discrimination against people based on their race would mean that racism cannot take place among two people belonging to one of the six sects mentioned by Ellis-Christensen (2011). 
With his explanation, it can be established that two people may be of the same skin color or race but by the mere fact that one is from a different national or ethnic origin can result in one of the fellows showing acts of racism against the other. Laws guiding against racial discrimination at the workplace Since racial discrimination is a human rights issue, various countries have laws that guide against it. In the United Kingdom, there are national laws that guide against racial discrimination in the workplace. These laws are very necessary because as noted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2011), “everyone should have a right to equal access to employment and when employed should have equal pay and equal access to training and development.” In this regard, Section 1 of The Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 gives emphatic scenarios that constitute racial discrimination at the workplace and by extension in the retail sector. As a law, the breach of the binding rules comes with daring consequences to offenders (The National Archives, 2003). The researcher is however concerned with the implementation of the laws as the provisions of the law can never be enough if enforcement is not ensured thereof. In 2005, for instance, the Abercrombie & Fitch lawsuits sent “award checks to the over ten thousand class members who submitted valid claim forms in accordance with the process set forth by the Court in the April 2005 settlement order”, most of which had to do with racial discrimination (Alvarez, 2005). This notwithstanding, Barmes and Ashtiany (2003) report of how various retail companies have their own laws and regulations that guide against racial discrimination. Effects of racial discrimination on the UK retail industry. Another setback effect that retail companies are likely to suffer if racial discrimination continues to exist in their jurisdiction has to do with employee conflicts. It was established that racism should not be looked at only from the point of the color of a person’s skin but also from an inter-nation differentiations that exists among people who may be of the same skin color.  ...Download file to see next pagesRead More