Journal of Business Diversity

The Economic History & Urban Geography of Race Relations in Detroit: Movement of Capital, White Resistance and Immobility of Black Labor

Qasim Abbas — 2024-09-24

Detroit's intertwined history of deindustrialization and racial segregation is often explored separately. In The Origins of the Urban Crises (1996), Thomas Sugrue examines post-WWII job losses and housing discrimination without elucidating why and how the city came to experience the abrupt flight of capital in that period. Conversely, Murray and Schwartz's Wrecked (2019) details the catalysts for Detroit's deindustrialization but neglects its impact on the African-American community. This paper aims to bridge these perspectives by utilizing various secondary sources and archival evidence to analyze how concurrent discrimination and economic decline have maintained the persistent segregation between Detroit and its suburbs.

A Generational Preference for Preferred Work Arrangement and the Relationship With Employee Engagement and Turnover Intention

Christopher J. Muniz — 2024-09-24

The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of generational preferred work arrangements and the impact on employee engagement and turnover intent. Through analysis of 252 participant responses, this study examined differences between generational cohorts currently in the workforce with regard to engagement, preferred work arrangement and turnover intention. Results indicated a difference in employee engagement among Baby Boomers, Millennials, and Generation Z workers, but no differences in preferred work arrangement and intent to stay with the organization. However, there was a difference in Generation X employees’ preferred work arrangement and intent to stay.

Business Sustainability Among Women Entrepreneurs in Ghana

Gabriel Yaw Asante — 2024-11-03

There is a problem among women entrepreneurs in Ghana caused by the lack of training among women’s entrepreneurs that includes social, cultural, economic, political, demographic, institutional, and technological support. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to explore business strategies that women entrepreneurs in Ghana need to learn to make their business sustainable beyond 5 years. Ten successful women entrepreneurs from 5 industries in Ghana, who had the training, experience, and information to understand the causes of business failure and had applied that information to gain business sustainability beyond 5 years were recruited. Data analysis involved triangulation, member checking, and Yin’s 5 steps. Key findings were change management and adaptation, agility and flexibility in operations, analysis of stakeholders, creation of business policies and objectives, designing and executing digital implementation plan, developing and supporting corporate culture, developing and measuring performance standards, and enhancing internal control and processes. Findings could reduce poverty and increase women’s employment, sustainability in women-owned businesses, community development, and the standard of living.

Examining the Influence of Employee Activation on Gender Differences in Employee Engagement

Jonathan H. Westover — 2024-11-03

This study analyzes survey data from over 500 U.S. employees to investigate how key workplace determinants uniquely relate to engagement for men and women, to address gaps in research examining potential gender variations in the drivers of discretionary effort at work. Traditional predictors like fulfillment of basic needs, individual contributions, teamwork, and growth were examined alongside the emerging construct of “worker activation,” reflecting empowering organizational cultures that motivate extra effort, which is hypothesized to significantly predict engagement across genders when incorporated into engagement models. Analyses include descriptive tests, regression models evaluated separately by gender, and assessments of activation variable impacts between genders, with findings revealing modest yet significant male-female disparities in average engagement levels, the multi-dimensional nature of engagement determinants across genders, and activation’ s cross-cutting importance in predicting engagement, validating refined conceptualization and offering implications for optimally designing inclusive strategies to inspire discretionary commitment and employee engagement.

The Equality Agenda: A Clear Case of Smoke and Mirrors

Una P. Canning — 2024-11-03

In his book “The madness of crowds: gender, race and identity,” the author Douglas Murray (2020) suggests that much of contemporary society is obsessed with a particular idea of diversity and equality that is all-encompassing and all-consuming. Embedded in current social policy, it is a view, he argues, that propagates the belief that ‘everybody is the same above the neck’ and that: ‘everybody is equal and […] given the right encouragement and opportunity, everybody can be whatever they want; that life is entirely about environment, opportunity, and privilege.’ In this work I trace the broad outline of the emerging equality agenda as it occurred in America and the UK with a particular emphasis on Northern Ireland and argue Murray (2020) is wrong in his assessment. The work highlights the differences between the two countries. It claims equality of opportunity, understood here as improved education, healthcare, childcare etc. and equality of outcome, are more rhetoric than reality.

To Conceal or to Reveal? Antecedents of Ethnic Minority Family Businesses’ Use of Ethnic Branding

Monique L. Bell — 2024-11-03

The family business branding literature identifies numerous benefits to communicating family ownership. However, existing studies have omitted ethnic minority family businesses (EMFB), which present unique identity and cultural considerations. We examine potential antecedents to EMFB use of ethnic branding, which features their ethnicity within marketing communications. The study establishes a significant positive relationship between EMFB owners’ ethnic identification and socioemotional wealth (SEW), and between EMFB owners’ SEW and ethnic branding usage. Product ethnicity moderates the latter relationship such that a match between product ethnicity and EMFB ethnicity increases the likelihood of ethnic branding. Managerial and theoretical implications are further discussed.

Female Founding: An Institutional Theory Perspective on the Effect of Gender-Specific Prejudices in Germany

Andreas Walkenhorst — 2024-12-19

This research is focused on whether female entrepreneurs face institutional discrimination based on prejudices. Therefore, in consideration of the institutional theory, this paper aims to clarify how informal institutions, such as norms, values and attitudes of society impact female entrepreneurship. To visualize these informal norms, values and attitudes of society towards women, common prejudices against women were utilized.

In-depth interviews with female entrepreneurs (n = 19) were conducted and an inductive qualitative analysis was performed to examine the extent to which societal perceptions and attitudes, expressed through prejudices, regarding the education and entrepreneurial skills of women, influence the motivation and self-perception of female entrepreneurs.

The results revealed that the analyzed prejudices represent obsolete social perceptions against women without validity and justification. However, the results demonstrate the negative influence – directly or indirectly – of prejudices on the behavior, career choices, motivation, and self-perception of female entrepreneurs. The results provide possible explanations for the differences between women and men in entrepreneurship and thus advance the discussion on the underrepresentation of women in entrepreneurial settings.

An Examination of Supplemental Instruction (SI) Within the Context of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB): The Principles of Financial Accounting Course

Katheryn Zielinski — 2024-12-19

This research presents empirical findings associated with the delivery of peer-supported supplemental instruction in the undergraduate principles of financial accounting course. Attention is directed at the differential effects for treatments between and within diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) groupings through empirical assessments for all students and specific subsets that represent targets of a statewide initiative. Demographic groups were formed and assessed by students of color, international students, underrepresented status, and first-generation students. Results reveal positive impacts for students as a whole as well as DEIB groups. This investigation provides evidence and a solid framework for ongoing efforts to eliminate educational gaps.