Evaluation of a Case Scenario: Discrimination in Employment and Perspectives from Hobbes and Machiavelli

QUESTION

Step 1: Case Scenario

Read the following case first; then proceed to the next steps.

A major cosmetics company posted a position on a local jobs board looking for a sales representative. The posting stated “Established fortune 500 company has an immediate opening for sales representative in the New York area. Candidates should have 3 or more years of experience in the cosmetics industry and a proven track record of success in this field.”

Sara and Jim both applied for the position in New York City. Sara is 24 and has 3 years of experience with a rival cosmetics company in their marketing department. Jim has 18 years of experience as a cosmetics representative who has just recently been laid off and is 49 years old. The company decided to hire Sara; and during the interview process, Jim was told that the company thought women were better suited for the cosmetics industry. It was also alluded to during Jim’s interview that the company wanted younger people to promote their product line.

Jim filed a lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and after a year and a half of litigation, Jim was awarded the job. During this time, Sara had been a very successful employee; however, with only one position available, the company had to fire Sara.

Step 2: Reflection Part

Think about the following:

• Was this a proper decision by the EEOC?
• If you worked for the EEOC, how would you have decided on this case? Explain your reasoning.

After you have thought through your position on this scenario, apply your thinking to this week’s philosophers and complete Step 3 – the writing part of this assignment.

Step 3: Writing Part

In 2-3 pages, explain how Machiavelli and Hobbes would explain the role of the government in this case if they were confronted with this situation. How might they apply the use of power to illustrate their philosophy? Support your analysis with quotes or paraphrases from the philosophers. Use APA format and citation when writing your assignment.

ANSWER

Evaluation of a Case Scenario: Discrimination in Employment and Perspectives from Hobbes and Machiavelli

Introduction

The case scenario illustrates a case of the failure of a company to provide equal employment opportunity to candidates applying for jobs. Discrimination of employees occurs in two forms: direct discrimination and indirect discrimination. Direct discrimination occurs where employees or candidates applying for a job are treated unfairly or unfavorably because of their personal traits or conditions. If an organization treats employees or candidates unfairly based on their gender, age, or race, then direct discrimination is present. Indirect discrimination occurs where the policies, systems, or practices of an organization end up disadvantaging some candidates or employees having certain similar traits or conditions that are protected. For instance, an organization may pay a reduced rate to older employees. When indirect discrimination occurs, the organization has to prove that the policy is necessary or show justifiable cause. In the case of reduced rates for older employees, the organization may prove that older employees cost the company more in health insurance and medical checkups, or that their productivity is low.

Case Scenario Evaluation

In the case scenario provided, the cosmetics company was interested in hiring a sales representative in the New York area. The minimum requirements for a candidate to be considered for the available job post were three years of experience in the cosmetics field and a proven track record of success in the same field, as advertised. According to the requirements, Jim (49 years old), who had 18 years of experience, was more qualified for the position than Sarah (24 years old), with just three years of experience. The decision to hire Sarah (24 years of age) was influenced by the company’s policy to hire young employees for the promotion of their products (indirect discrimination) and the bias of the interviewers that women were better suited for the cosmetics industry (direct discrimination). The decision may also have been influenced by the fact that Sarah had been working for a competitor of the company, and might have knowledge that would help the company beat its rival.

On filing a case with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Jim won the case against the company and was hired. Sarah lost the job, even though she had been successful for the time she had been working. The decision made by the EEOC was as a result of the direct discrimination that the company had shown to Jim during the candidate selection. The decision was justified, as he had more experience than Sarah and the company had chosen Sarah out of discrimination against Jim for being male. Suppose the only reason that the company hired Sarah was because of the policy to hire younger employees for product promotion, then the company would have justified the indirect discrimination by explaining that younger employees were better suited for the job because of the nature of work or identification with the target market.

Machiavelli and Hobbes

For philosopher Thomas Hobbes, the role of politics is to ensure peace and avoid war (Bloomfield, 2007). Hobbes insisted that all people need to give their will and power to make decisions to a single point of ultimate authority in order to establish order and democracy. The single point of authority is the government, and Hobbes believed that people (or citizens) should accept the decisions of the unit of power (the government) even in cases when it made decisions that were against their own preferred outcomes or desires (Bloomfield, 2007). According to Hobbes, it would be unacceptable for a citizen to show vehemence or let their personal interests lead them to rebel the decisions of the government. If the people sought to overturn the decisions of the government whenever they please, then the system would not be democratic and peace would not prevail (Hobbes, 1999).

In the case scenario provided, the EEOC serves as the single unit of ultimate power, while the other parties involved (the cosmetics company, Jim, and Sarah) are the people. Thomas Hobbes would argue that the decision by the EEOC should be respected and adhered to, to maintain peace and balance in the system. Even though the company would have wished to hire and work with the younger employee, while Sarah would have wished to continue working with the cosmetics company, both parties should accept the EEOC’s decision, as the decision of the single unit of ultimate power should be accepted even when it does not meet the desires or interests of the people. Hobbes would advise the company and the negatively affected employee to accept the decision made by the EEOC.

Niccolo Machiavelli was not concerned about democracy, even though he defended the political power and the worth of the common citizen. Machiavelli believed that some conflict is necessary in order for the common people to enjoy liberty and status in the political order (Christie & Geis, 2013). However, he clearly stated that the conflict had to be constructive in order to be justified. Constructive conflict does not aim to remove or eradicate the opponent or the opposed party but aims to improve the law and achieve the best possible outcome. According to Machiavelli, most of the political conflict and contestation that is seen in many countries is constructive conflict. He believed that the freedom of the people was only achievable if they contested the influence and power of the ruling parties or nobles (Deutsch, 1990).

In the case scenario provided, the cosmetics company can be viewed as the nobles or the ruling party in the selection of candidates for employment positions. The two candidates who applied for the job position, Jim and Sarah, can be looked at as the common people. Machiavelli would argue that Jim, as the oppressed party, was justified to contest the decision of the cosmetics company, as this form of contestation is constructive conflict. He would argue that by contesting the decision and power of the cosmetics company, through the EEOC, Jim was able to achieve to enjoy status and freedom, which in this case was getting the job that he desired.

References

Bloomfield, P. (2007). Morality and Self-interest. Oxford University Press.

Christie, R., & Geis, F. L. (2013). Studies in Machiavellianism. Academic Press.

Deutsch, M. (1990). Sixty years of conflict. International journal of conflict management, 1(3), 237-263.

Hobbes, T. (1999). The Elements of Law, Natural and Politic: Part I, Human Nature, Part II, De Corpore Politico; with Three Lives. Oxford University Press, USA.