Overview and Guidelines From Understanding and Managing Diversity by Harvey and Allard. An important part of our course is researching information on diversity and multiculturalism and its social, cultural, and ethical impact upon individual citizens, groups of people, and society at large. In the twenty-first century, Web sites are an important channel of communication between organizations and their external stakeholders. If an organization is serious about its commitment to diversity, one would expect that this would be reflected in the design, content, and graphics of the Web site. Potential employees, customers, suppliers, etc., often turn first to a Web site before initiating interaction with an organization. If diversity is really integral to the mission and values of an organization, information on diversity should be easily accessible, informative, and well integrated into the Web site. You will select a specific company in an industry such as healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing government, education, sports, etc. Then, prepare a report on the following: 1.Evaluate how accessible diversity-related material is on this Web site. Is there a direct link from the home page? What type of results does entering the term “diversity” in a search box yield? Or, do you have to explore on your own? Sometimes searching under “careers” or “press releases” may produce some diversity-related results. On some Web sites, you will have to explore deeply into Web pages to find material related to diversity. What does this say about the organization’s commitment to diversity? 2.Evaluate the usefulness of the diversity information to potential employees, customers, and suppliers. Is the diversity material related to the organization’s business case for diversity, core values, mission, etc. the way that the organization does business? How current is the diversity-related material? 3.Evaluate the appropriateness of the photographs and graphic material that relates to diversity. Some Web sites will feature photographs of diverse employees and customers, yet not link this material to the verbal content. Some reuse the same pictures on different pages, etc. 4.Assume that you are a) a potential employee, b) a potential customer and c) a potential supplier or subcontractor. What perceptions might you have about this organization’s commitment to diversity based solely on the Web site? Looking at this Web site, do you think that it encourages or discourages diverse employees to apply for jobs in this organization? Why or why not? 5.What internal management issues can affect the prominence that diversity gets or doesn’t get on an organization’s Web site? 6.Are there any diversity awards listed on the Web site? If so, review the criteria and selection process as presented in the Allard article on awards (from the textbook) or if the award is not mentioned in that article. Evaluate the value of the award through the sponsoring organization’s Web site. 7.If you were a (female, over 55, racial minority, person with a physical challenge, gay or lesbian, etc.) job applicant and you have read an ad for job opening for which you are fully qualified. Based on your audit of the company web site what perceptions might you have of this company before you even walk in the door? Would you still apply for the job? Why or why not? Primary Dimensions Include: Age Gender Mental/Physical abilities Race Ethnic Heritage Sexual Orientation Secondary Dimensions Include: Geographic Location Military and Work Experience Family Status Income Religion First Language Education Organizational Role Level Communication Work Styles You will submit the report in three sections throughout the course, with a due date for each section. These due dates are posted on the Course Schedule. The Course Project should be 6-8 pages in length. Your 4 relevant scholarly/peer reviewed sources may include your textbook and books and articles obtained through the DeVry library. Credible articles from news, government (.gov), or academic (.edu) websites can also be used; acceptable examples include NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Business Week. Do not use Wikipedia and similar encyclopedia websites, such as about.com or “cheat” websites like coursehero or chegg. Please review the detailed instructions for each phase of the project, which you can find in the Assignment tab for that week. Your project will be graded as follows. •Week 2: Students will submit the research paper topic proposal. 45 points •Week 4: Students will submit the reference list and outline of their research paper. 100 points •Week 8: Students will submit the final version of their research paper. 200 points APA Style Tutorial Tutorial APA Guidelines for Citing Sources Click on the link above to view the video. This video will give you a quick introduction to APA guidelines for citing sources. Highlights include purposes of citing, guidelines and examples of how to cite sources in text and at the end of a paper, and how to format a reference list or an entire paper. The assignment must be placed ONLY in the Dropbox. E-mailed submissions will not be accepted. Dropbox Submit your assignment to the Dropbox, located at the top of this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these step-by-step instructions. See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information. Grading Rubrics Week 2: Project Proposal Category Points % Description Content 18 40 Discusses which webpage has been chosen and why, and how the topic is important to the study of cultural diversity. Research Goals and Plan 9 20 Describes what the student expects to find and or what the students would be interested in learning; describes how the student plans to go about his or her research. Organization and Editing 9 20 Proposal is well written, well organized, and free from errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Formatting 9 25 Proposal is in correct APA format, with a numbered Title page with a running head. Total 45 100 A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements. Week 4: Reference List and Outline Category Points % Description Outline and Organization 35 35 Outline lists the main topics the project will cover and incorporates project guidelines and primary and secondary dimensions of diversity; outline is clearly written and well organized. Reference List 35 35 Reference list contains at least four relevant scholarly/peer reviewed sources. Formatting 30 30 Submission is in correct APA format, including a numbered Title page with running head and a reference page that is double spaced, alphabetized and uses hanging indents. . Total 100 100 A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements. Week 8: Final Paper Category Points % Description Content 80 40 Addresses project guidelines and primary and secondary dimensions of diversity, integrating concrete examples and strategies, and uses information from sources to support points. Documentation & Formatting 60 30 Submission is in correct APA format, including a numbered Title page with running head, a body of text that uses an introduction, a conclusion, headings and subheadings, and a reference page that is double spaced, alphabetized, uses hanging indents and includes four relevant scholarly/peer reviewed sources Organization & Cohesiveness 40 20 Cohesive and well organized, with a clear introduction and a conclusion that summarizes the paper’s key points. Editing 20 10 Uses proper word choice,grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Total 200 100 A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements. Best Practices The following are best practices in preparing this project. •Include a numbered Title page with running head in APA format. For information on APA formatting, please see the APA reference materials located in your Syllabus. •Include an introductory paragraph that introduces the company web page you are auditing and previews the main topics your paper will cover. •Include a concluding paragraph that summarizes your main points and the benefits of a diversity audit. •Use headers and sub-headers to organize your paper and divide into sections as appropriate. •Include a Reference page in APA format that is double spaced, alphabetized, uses hanging indents and includes at least four relevant scholarly/peer reviewed sources •Check to be sure you’ve covered the project guidelines and all primary and secondary diversity areas.