SOC 301 Week 3 Discussion

SOC 301 Week 3 Discussion | Ashford University

Week 3 - Discussion

In the United States, federal and state laws protect many individuals in the workplace from discrimination. However, not all identities are protected under the law. In addition, corporations oftentimes have a particular culture and/or brand that they are selling, and not all social identities are able to portray this image in the same way.

In this discussion, you will consider whether accommodations should be made in the workplace for a variety of social identities by considering the case study of a popular clothing company, Abercrombie & Fitch. In recent years, Abercrombie & Fitch has been in the news due to multiple lawsuits filed by employees over discrimination in the workplace. 

First, begin by reviewing the following resources that describe several lawsuits brought against the company:

·         Religion: U.S. Top Court Backs Muslim Woman Denied Job over Head Scarf (Links to an external site.)

·         Disability: Disabled Student Sues Abercrombie & Fitch for Discrimination (Links to an external site.) and Abercrombie Sued by Former Employee (Links to an external site.)

·         Age & Style: Abercrombie & Fitch Pilot Fired – Not Trendy Enough? (Links to an external site.)

Using the resources above as evidence to back up your ideas, address the following:

·         Each corporation has its own identity, culture, and brand that it is selling. What problems occur when someone who does not fit the ideal representation of that corporation seeks employment?  In other words, do you think that a corporation should be able to have a certain style or “look” that it wants to represent their brand, and therefore hire employees who adequately represent this? 

·         Do you agree with the way that the courts ruled in the cases you reviewed? Why/why not?

·         Finally, watch Abercrombie and Fitch Under Fire ‘Exclusionary’ Tactics (Links to an external site.) and discuss whether or not you feel that it is discriminatory for companies to exclude certain groups from their merchandise (i.e., not sell products to certain customers). Be sure to use examples from the resources to back up your argument.

Your initial post should be at least 500 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or scholarly resources, and properly cite any references both in text (Links to an external site.) and in a references list (Links to an external site.) at the end of the post. The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.