African Americans in business: contrasting the attitudes of African American and white college business students

Abstract

Rounds up the literature on the continuing discrimination of African Americans in US businesses, particularly with regard to salary and promotion into senior management levels, and suggests that years of anti‐discrimination legislation have led to a change from overt exclusion to “covert subrogation”; considers the changing demographics of the US labour force which should allow ample opportunities for African Americans to fulfil career aspirations and seeks to identify the artificial barriers which could prevent this, through a study of attitudes to African Americans as managers undertaken among graduating business majors at two US business schools (one historically attended by African Americans, the other predominantly white). Presents the results in brief, which suggest that, although attitudes to African Americans in management held by whites have improved, they still are not as favourable as those held by African Americans themselves; touches on the business case for organizations becoming more accepting of minority managers.

Citation

Tomkiewcz, J., Adeyemi‐Bello, T. and Johnson, M. (1999), "African Americans in business: contrasting the attitudes of African American and white college business students", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 19-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610159910785619