Reference no: EM133331233

Affirmative action, according to Cornell University, is defined as a set of procedures designed to; eliminate unlawful discrimination among applicants, remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and prevent such discrimination in the future.

Affirmative action is backed by many legislative acts, to include the civil rights act. Affirmative action requires, no matter school, work or other area, that selecting committees make decisions without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin. Federal funds become available to employers and schools who demonstrate through metrics their affirmative action processes. This encourages agencies to put priority on affirmative action hires. This allows for strong cultural diversity in the workplace. New ideas and customs can help shape the identity and culture of any institution. However; this comes at the potential expense of merit. For instance, if two applicants are in the running for a position in a company, they will be evaluated to see who has the most experience and potential to serve the company and help achieve success. Affirmative action could cause the most experienced and deserving candidates to be overlooked in order for hole to be filled to check a box for a specific demographic, allowing the company to seek more funding. I truly believe in diversity, inclusivity and equality and what they can offer to any team. It should be part of the calculus to determine who to hire, but I also believe the merit needs to be brought to the forefront.

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