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The purpose of this paper is to challenge the dominance of the mainstream discourse and practice of diversity management (DM) by identifying and problematizing three distinct but related issues that it encompasses: first, its tendency to displace all alternative approaches; second, its general neglect of the social-historical context and third, its almost exclusive focus on the business case rationale for supporting diversity.

Employing ethnographic research methods, the empirical material was collected in an international manufacturing corporation based in Sweden. It consists of three different, but interconnected approaches: archival research, interviews and observations.

The paper shows that in neglecting power, identity, intersectionality and the changing socio-historical context of diversity, a well-meaning corporate diversity programme tended to obscure ethnic and age-related disadvantages at work.

The limitations of this research relate largely to its dependence on a single case study and the limited focus on diversity as it affected able-bodied, white male immigrant workers. A broader study of the multiplicity of types of discrimination and ways in which diversity is managed in a range of countries and organizations could facilitate a more in-depth exploration of these issues and arguments.

Although not entirely new, the three arguments that have been drawn upon to discuss, analyse and illustrate DM through our data have rarely been brought together in one theoretical and empirical study.

This study examined the psychological contract held by minority employees as it relates to diversity, and the implications of violating the contract on minority employee job satisfaction, commitment to the organization and organizational cynicism. Data were collected from 88 minority employees at four university campuses. Results support unique elements of the psychological contract for minority employees and negative outcomes associated with contract violation. Trust and justice were found to moderate employee interpretations of the violation, though not as was predicted by previous theoretical models. Implications for managers of a diverse work force and future research are discussed.

Australian construction sites are culturally diverse workplaces. This paper aims to compare operative and manager attitudes towards cultural diversity on Australian construction sites, and to examine the strategies that are used to manage it.

A face‐to‐face questionnaire survey was undertaken of 1,155 construction operatives and 180 supervisors on Australian construction sites.

The vast majority of operatives and managers are comfortable with cultural diversity. However, there is some anxiety about cultural diversity, especially around safety risks, and there is evidence of racism. Those concerns are more keenly perceived by operatives than by managers. Both operatives and managers see some of the negative issues (discrimination, racist joke telling) as inevitable daily outcomes of cultural diversity on sites. The normalisation of these negative forms of cross‐cultural interaction reveals a pessimistic disposition towards cultural diversity. Cultural diversity policy, and programs, are not seen as a priority by managers, and some see such strategies (e.g. affirmative action plans) as discriminatory, and unfair, since they may favour some groups over others.

No research has compared operative and management attitudes towards cultural diversity in the Australian construction sector. This paper provides a first glimpse into the value attributed to cultural diversity programs by managers within construction sites. These insights will be of value to managers and supervisors who have to manage multicultural workforces in the construction industry. Conceptually, the paper reveals how the “politics of sameness” are hegemonic within the construction industry, presenting as an a priori anxiety towards difference, the normalising of poor cross‐cultural relations, the non‐prioritising of policies to better manage cultural diversity or their ad hoc adoption.

Academic interest in managing diversity is now developing from conceptual analyses to practical examples. However, the conceptual relationship between managing diversity and equal opportunities remains rather blurred. Perhaps investigation of managing diversity in practice may help bring greater focus to the relationship. This article seeks to bring further insight into the debate on managing diversity in terms of its link with equal opportunities and key dimensions in practice. On the basis of consideration of theoretical perspectives and dimensions of managing diversity, a practical development of managing diversity is discussed in a longitudinal case study of a proactive diversity initiative in BBC Scotland.

Today, human resource management is being renewed in organizations and is gradually affirming its strategic role. The need for highly qualified managers will increase as more organizations globalize their operations. The research presented in this paper highlights the need for management who are sensitive to the concerns of multicultural employees. The effects of cultural diversity on organizational behavior are complex and powerful. Within this perspective, the definition of diversity in the USA and the goals in achieving a more diverse workplace will be discussed. This paper will also examine the different facets involved in managing and developing a diverse human resource base. Organizations take into account their human resource base before hiring employees. One factor they look at is the possible advantages and disadvantages of a multicultural and diverse organization. This paper will examine ways by which managers and employees can learn about diversity, understand it, and respect it on a day‐to‐day basis when dealing with people from other diverse backgrounds.

The present article focuses on crises that arise from provocative advertisement images and products and introduces the shooting star crisis. Moreover, it aims to shed some light on the interconnection between the boomerang effect, crisis, crisis management and workforce diversity.

By examining the cases of two leading organizations of the fashion industry that found themselves involved in crises and how they confronted them, it seeks to explore whether investments in workforce diversity is a solution for these problems.

Sometimes provocative products and images that intend to spark customers' imagination can backfire and initiate a crisis. Based on the findings, organizations that admit their wrongdoing and react promptly to their stakeholders' demands tend to overcome a crisis relatively faster than organizations with passive behavior. By understanding the need for a proactive approach, fashion organizations can evade future crises and avoid creating products or images that can be perceived as racist and invoke public outrage. Additionally, the study revealed that workforce diversity initiatives can mitigate a crisis and its aftermath.

Its novelty is that it deals with the interrelationship between boomerang effect, crisis, crisis management and workforce diversity. Moreover, it introduces a new type of crisis, the shooting star crisis, in order to capture new crises that emerge in modern era, as a result of the extensive power of modern social media.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the dangers of Orientalist framing. Orientalism (Said, 1979/2003) shows how “the West” actually creates “the Orient” as an inferior opposite to affirm itself, for instance by using imaginative geographical frames such as “East” and “West” (Said, 1993).

Qualitative interviews were conducted with the members of a German-Tunisian project team in research engineering. The interview purpose was to let individuals reflect upon their experiences of difference and to find out whether these experiences are preframed by imaginative geographical categories.

Tunisian researchers were subjected to the dominant imaginative geographical frame “the Arab world.” This frame involves ascribed religiousness, gender stereotyping and ascriptions of backwardness.

Research needs to investigate Orientalist thought and imaginative geographies in specific organizational and interpersonal interactions lest they overshadow managerial theory and practice.

Practitioners need to challenge dominant frames and Orientalist thought in their own practice and organizational surroundings to devise a truly inclusive managerial practice, for instance, regarding Muslim minorities.

In times of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in “the West,” this paper highlights the frames from which such sentiments might originate, and the need to reflect upon them.

The theoretical value lies in introducing a critical framing approach and the concept of imaginative geographies to perceived differences at work. For practice, it highlights how certain individuals are constructed as “Muslim others” and subjected to ascriptions of negative difference. By this mechanism, their inclusion is obstructed.

This paper, examines why CEOs often misunderstand and therefore mismanage the reputations of their companies. The paper describes the way corporate reputations are built, maintained and enhanced and suggests that a good reputation needs several elements: (1) that it be part of the corporate strategy, not just a public relations or advertising slogan; and (2) that it be built from differentiating, sustaining activities of the company. The author couples his own experience with the literature on corporate strategy, noting that reputation is part of the corporate positioning process, which has long been considered the core element in strategy. Fortune magazine’s “Most admired companies” and research conducted by the author are used to highlight the variables of corporate reputation and how perceptions of reputation differ internationally. Using these variables, companies can maintain consistency in their reputation globally, while at the same time allowing regions and countries to customise to meet local needs. The paper argues that companies often fail to achieve their desired reputations because of two primary factors: (1) the failure to identify a clear core competency, relying instead on claims of superiority that have little value to the intended audience; and/or (2) “active inertia”, or continuing to do the same things that made the company successful, despite the fact that these things are no longer relevant to the current situation. Examples of companies that have done a good job at building their corporate reputation and examples of some who have had problems are provided, along with a check list of “warning signs” that a company’s reputation is in trouble, along with some suggested actions.