Sharma’s (2016) article focuses on the relationship between sociocultural issues, performance appraisals, organizational capabilities, and affirmative action in managing equality and diversity in the workplace. These issues are relevant to the management of diversity and equality. They are pillars that make it possible to attain equality while leveraging diversity. As such, its title is appropriate as it covers the main purpose of the article —managing diversity and equality in the workplace.
The abstract offered is specific and does give a representative outlook of the entire article. For instance, the methodology of the paper is not mentioned, nor are the limitations of the study. Nonetheless, the purpose of the article is made clear in the introduction. The first sentence expresses the author’s intention for the rest of the article. After checking a few authors cited, it is clear that the article did not make any errors. The way this author managed to avoid that pitfall is by only citing information where it is necessary and by quoting some authors.
The discussion within the text is only moderately relevant to the central argument. There are times when the article veered out of topic, focusing on issues to do with globalization instead of diversity and equality. This broad scope meant that there were some specific areas that the article completely ignored. For instance, gender representation is a major pillar in managing diversity, yet the article did not touch on it. The author cited pertinent literature in all instances, adding valued insights to each argument. When discussing issues to do with the hotel industry, the author strictly used insights from authors discussing diversity and equality issues in those industries. The only issue with the literature cited in the paper is that some of the articles used are too old. The author used articles from as early as 1994 and 1990. These articles’ information could be obsolete given that diversity and equality is a field that keeps evolving over the years. The following references ought to be removed from the text: Gregersen et al. (1996), Morrison and von Glinow (1990), Powell and Butterfield (1994), as well as Robinson et al. (1992).
Some ideas are quite generalized, making it difficult for the readers to understand the issue discussed from a narrow perspective. For instance, the author looks at the sociocultural approach to managing equality and diversity from the perspective of Hofstede’s model. While this model is effective, it does not give specific answers to diversity and equality issues in certain markets. At the beginning of the article, the author stated that she would consider multiple specific industries such as hotels and sports. However, the specific sociocultural implications per industry have not been assessed. In that sector, I would suggest that the author revises the approach. Cultural issues that lead to a lack of diversity and equality in each of the specific industries would have to be considered and outlined. This is because each industry faces unique cultural challenges.
The background to the literature section should have been condensed or renamed. In that section, the author focused on old references and insights into the topic of diversity and equality. This section is too large and does not build on the current argument of the paper. It should be replaced with current pieces of literature review. Only then can the study remain consistently relevant to the idea of diversity and equality.
Of the many sections contained in the article, the discussion on managing diversity and equality is well phrased. It is not overemphasized or under-emphasized but states that the most important aspects when seeking to manage diversity and equality in professional settings. This article holds that when it comes to managing the workforce, firms must act prudently because globalization has made each market highly competitive. Worker welfare starts with having good structures in place that can manage diversity and equality in the workplace. The best part about this article is that the author has focused on multiple industries, namely sports, the health sector, local councils, the private sector, the public sector, and hotels. With this vast source of information regarding diversity and equality, this article makes a huge literary contribution to the field.
The article did not have any ambiguous texts or sections. Everything in the paper is made to connect with previous sections or information. This is the greatest strength of the paper, as it is written in a direct and assertive way. Further, the author had made a rather ambitious assumption in completing this paper. The assumption is that the same issues faced in the 1990s on diversity and equality are the same ones faced in the 2010s when the paper was published. This assumption is far-fetched and risky, considering how the flow of information and rate of innovation has increased in recent years. To assume that workplace diversity needs and equality have remained the same since the 1990s seems impractical. Yet, the author relied on old literature older than ten years.
Overall, the author has met their objective of discussing why sociocultural issues, performance appraisals, organizational capabilities, and affirmative action affect the management of equality and diversity in professional workplaces. There are times when the discussion was too broad despite the author expressing a desire to narrow down the discussion to just a few industries. Using old references as the foundation of the central argument is impractical, especially when dealing with a topic as dynamic as this one.
References
Gregersen, H. B., Hite, J. M., & Black, J. S. (1996). Expatriate performance appraisal in US multinational firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 27, Web.
Morrison, A. M., & von Glinow, M. A. (1990). Women and minorities in management. American Psychologist, 45, 200–208. Web.
Powell, G. N., & Butterfield, D. A. (1994). Investigating the “glass ceiling” phenomenon: An empirical study of actual promotions to top management. Academy of Management Journal, 37, 68–86. Web.
Robinson, R. K., Allen, B. M., & Abraham, Y. T. (1992). Affirmative action plans in the 1990s: A double-edged sword? Public Personnel Management, 21, 261–272. Web.
Sharma, A. (2016). Managing diversity and equality in the workplace. Cogent Business & Management, 3(1), 392-422.