Month: September 2016

Supplier Inclusion: The Shift Is On

Several events in recent months around the idea of an inclusive supplier and workforce base driving revenue should resonate with diversity practitioners. We have seen C-level executives at Wal-Mart, Hewlett Packard and General Mills take strong positions on inclusion with their suppliers. In all cases, these major brands demanded inclusion within the workforce from their major suppliers as a requirement of doing business with them. Note, this isn’t about the ownership attributes of their supplier partners, but more about an inclusive workforce that will perform services and produce products. The President of Sam’s Club, Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) of...

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Gender Inequality Is Killing the American Dream

“He’s the best man for the job.” It is hard to imagine a more chauvinistic and arrogant statement than that! Yet variations on this phrase have been uttered by men about men forever, in spite of changes to cultural norms. In his press conference announcing the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination, President George H.W. Bush used the phrase “best man” several times, even though the Clarence Thomas nomination hearings were filled with scandal and acrimony, and he was confirmed by the narrowest vote margin in history. In the corporate workplace of today, it is most assuredly not the workplace...

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Airbnb Finds New Approach

The new ‘Sharing Economy’ has had some trouble dealing with discrimination, with people of color feeling especially excluded from the more convenient services brought to fruition through the power of technology. This has been felt intensely with Airbnb, an online marketplace providing short-term rental lodging. The problem grew to such prominence that it spawned a hashtag – #AirbnbWhileBlack – where African-Americans shared their stories of difficulties ‘booking an Airbnb’ due to the color of their skin. And two startups were born to specifically cater to those discriminated against by Airbnb hosts. Startups Rise from #AirbnbWhileBlack Click Airbnb, based in...

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National CIO Symposium

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