The Impact of Diversity on Human Resources
             Entering the new millennium, businesses throughout America faced a new challenge. Analysts believed that this new challenge would have a powerful impact on our future as a productive society. However, few American businesses seemed adequately prepared to deal with the new challenge-the increasing cultural diversity of the American workforce (Online.Diversity).
             Today, the challenges and potential opportunities posed by employee diversity in the American workplace are a growing reality. Since 1970, the number of women in the labor force has doubled. In 1990, they constituted 46% of the workforce. In 1985, people of color made up 13% and by 1988 that percentage had risen to 18%. During the next decade, women and people of color are expected to fill 75% of the twenty plus million jobs created in the United States. By the year 2010, white men will account for less than 40% of the total American labor force. In addition, diversity in age, ethnic heritage, physical ability, religious belief, sexual orientation and work and educational background are also increasing in the workplace as American society continues to become more culturally segmented (Loden, Rosner 3).
             In Workforce America, Loden and Rosner describes the reaction of a new hire for upper management (who has been out of the workforce for a few years) at a consumer products company when he enters a boardroom for a planned meeting. The date is April 10, 2000. The meeting has been called by four senior officers and is to include several executives from the marketing department.
             The new hire enters the executive conference room and observes ten people seated at the long table, chatting informally, waiting for the meeting to begin. As he scans the room, he thinks ¡§wait a minute¡KI¡m a the wrong meeting.¡ Turning to leave, he notices a gentleman standing by the doorway, he assumes because of the gentleman¡s de...