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The purpose of this research study was to obtain healthcare executives’ perspectives on diversity in executive healthcare leadership. The study focused on identifying perspectives about diversity and its potential impact on the access of healthcare services by people of color. The study also identified perspectives about factors that influence the attainment of executive healthcare roles by people of color.

A convenience sample of healthcare executives was obtained. The executives identified themselves as belonging to one of two subgroups, White healthcare executives or executives of color. Participants were interviewed telephonically in a semi-structured format. The interviews were transcribed and entered into a qualitative software application. The data were codified and important themes were identified.

The majority of the study participants perceive that diversity of the executive healthcare leadership team is important. There were differences in perspective among the subgroups as it relates to solutions to improve access to healthcare by people of color. There were also differences in perspective among the subgroups, as it relates to explaining the underrepresentation of people of color in executive healthcare leadership roles.

This research effort benefited from the subject matter expertise of 24 healthcare executives from two states. Expansion of the number of survey participants and broadening the geographical spread of where participants were located may have yielded more convergence and/or more divergence in perspectives about key topics.

The findings from this research study serve to add to the existing body of literature on diversity in executive healthcare leadership. The findings expand on the importance of key elements in contemporary literature such as diversity, cultural competency and perspectives about the need for representation of people of color in leadership roles that guide healthcare policy and access. This study connects contemporary literature to perspectives of executives in the field and offers practical solutions to improving the representation of people of color in executive healthcare leadership roles.

The recommendations offered as a result of this research effort serve to create awareness of the challenges that people of color face in career attainment. Although the process of increasing the representation of people of color in executive healthcare leadership will be a complex task that will involve a number of players over the course of several years, this study serves to provide a practical roadmap with actionable tactics that can be deployed.

This paper is an extension of the work that was done by the author during the course of completing the program requirements for the author’s doctoral program. The findings were previously discussed in the author’s dissertation. The value of these findings is significant because they validate some of the topics in contemporary literature with the perspectives of practicing healthcare executives. This study is also unique from other studies in that it offers a long-term plan to increase the representation of people of color in executive roles by creating an early disposition toward executive level roles and identifies a number of practical steps toward that end.

Workplace bullying is an emerging topic for researchers considering the impact of abusive behavior on employees (Björkqvist, Österman, & Hjelt-Bäck, 1994; Branch, Ramsay, & Barker, 2007; Cowan, 2012; Duffy & Sperry, 2007; Fritz, 2014; Harvey, Heames, Richey, & Leonard, 2006; Liefooghe & Mackenzie, 2010; Matthiesen & Einarsen, 2007; Yamada, 2000; Zabrodska & Kveton, 2013). European trends, corporate cultures, and the target’s wellness have also been the focus of other studies on workplace bullying (Constanti & Gibbs, 2004; Djurkovic, McCormack, & Casimir, 2008; Query & Hanely, 2010; Thomas, 2005); yet as was stated in the initial chapter, few studies considered the impact of workplace bullying on American higher education. More specifically, no empirical studies considered the impact of workplace bullying in America’s community colleges or the people of color who work at community colleges. Consequently, Hollis has replicated her study of four-year colleges and universities (2015) and applied the procedures to the community college sector. This analysis specifically reflecting on people of color at community colleges utilizes the data set, which was the subject of analysis in Chapter 1. Within the community college sample, 26% were people of color. Further, 73% of the respondents of color reported being affected by workplace bullying. Therefore, this study may be of interest to diversity officers or any personnel interested in creating and maintaining a healthy work environment for all community college staff, regardless of color.

The monograph argues that American racism has two colours (white and black), not one; and that each racism dresses itself not in one clothing, but in four: (1) “Minimal” negative, when one race considers another race inferior to itself in degree, but not in nature; (2) “Maximal” negative, when one race regards another as inherently inferior; (3) “Minimal” positive, when one race elevates another race to a superior status in degree, but not in nature; and (4) “Maximal” positive, when one race believes that the other race is genetically superior. The monograph maintains that the needs of capitalism created black slavery; that black slavery produced white racism as a justification for black slavery; and that black racism is a backlash of white racism. The monograph concludes that the abolition of black slavery and the civil rights movement destroyed the social and political ground for white and black racism, while the modern development of capitalism is demolishing their economic and intellectual ground.

The purpose of this study is to test the theoretical framework of lettering case, color temperature, perceived trustworthiness and investment intentions. First, it aims to test whether the effect of lettering case on investment intentions is mediated by trustworthiness. Second, the study will examine if this process is moderated by color temperature.

Following the behavioral research method, this study employed a 2 (the fully-lowercase slogan vs the initial-uppercase slogan) by 2 (warm-color design vs cool-color design) full factorial between-subject design. Two hundred participants were recruited for the experiment to test the hypotheses.

For the lowercase slogans (vs uppercase slogans), we found that people tended to have a high level of perceived trustworthiness, which led to a high level of investment intentions. In addition, the indirect effect of the lettering case on investment intentions through the perceived trustworthiness was moderated by color temperature. Specifically, the visually warm advertisement (vs visually cool design) would strengthen the effect of lowercase slogans on customers' investment intentions.

When people make a financial decision with limited, incomplete or overly complex information, simplified visual heuristics, rather than rational algorithmic processing, play a significant role in their decision-making process. However, only a limited amount of research has addressed the effect of the lettering case on customers' perceptions and the consequent decision-making process from a financial advertising perspective. This study tries to supplement and extend the visual heuristics theory, highlighting the role of simplified heuristics, rather than rational algorithmic processing, in financial customers' decision-making process.

In this study, a teacher-researcher examined his students’ conceptions of Whiteness within U.S. history courses at an ethnically and economically diverse urban high school. Using critical race theory as the lens, this mixed method study found most students could explain the role of race in history. Students of color were more likely to express racism is common in the current day, while White students were more likely to express racism as uncommon. Whites were more likely to express racism as on a dramatic decline or the result of a few individuals. This study highlights the positive impact a race-conscious social studies classroom can have on all students. It also shows the many barriers teachers face in helping White students understand their roles in a system privileging them because of their skin color.

Racing to the top of the corporate hierarchy is difficult, no matter how qualified or capable the candidate. Producing more widgets than one's competitors is not enough. Negotiating the political landscape of the institution is also required. More specifically, individual corporate officers have to be appeased, powerful interest groups have to be co-opted and made allies, and competitors have to be undermined or eliminated. The more bureaucratic the organization and the more opaque the promotion process, the more important this institutional game to climbing the corporate ladder. This chapter identifies the kind of racial minorities or racial types who are likely to play this game well and, consequently, race to the top of the corporation. It then explains why these racial types might not have the racial commitment, or feel institutionally empowered, to lift other people of color as they climb the corporate ladder.

The research documented in this paper aims to identify the components and characters of color perception and to establish the basis for color perception description and evaluation.

Ten pairs of antonyms obtained on the basis of investigation were suggested to evaluate the perception of color. About 15 color samples were prepared for subjective evaluation. The factorial analysis method and artificial neural network were applied to analyze the evaluation results given by professionals and to establish the objective basis for color perception evaluation.

The color perceptions could be distinguished by word pairs. These word pairs were grouped according to the perception characteristics. The relation between color parameters and color perception could be established by artificial neural network technique.

The results showed in this paper were obtained on the limited number of samples.

The principle of color perception was investigated on the subjective evaluation of color samples. The relation between color parameters and color perception was established and could be applied for reference of clothing color design.

High school completion is one of the strongest predictors of health and well-being. There is increased public attention on the challenges faced by young people of color and educational achievement. In particular, young men of color must navigate myriad stressors which often undermine their mental health, as well as their academic performance, including likelihood of graduation from high school that fare worse in academic outcomes than their female counterparts. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of Step-Up, a positive youth development and mental health promotion program, created in collaboration with young people of color on their high school achievement as measured by grade point average (GPA).

This exploratory pre-post study employed multivariate analysis of data drawn from a sample of 212 youth of color to examine student’s GPA before their involvement in Step-Up and the number of Step-Up groups they attend in the first year could improve their high school achievement.

Results revealed an association between students participation in Step-Up, specifically having at least ten life skills group contacts, and significant increases in GPA.

High school achievement is measured by GPA, which might not be a clear indication of achievement since grades are not truly comparable across schools. The exploratory pre-post research design of this study, and the lack of control group, limits any references to causality but the descriptive changes in GPA demonstrate a statistical significance of Step-Up group participation and improved high school achievement. A potential next step is to design an experimental study that includes psychosocial and developmental mechanisms while examining the treatment effect of Step-Up vs students receiving standard of care.

Programs that aid young people of color in increasing their GPA should acknowledge the multitude of stressors that youth in urban environments encounter by creating interventions targeting multiple ecological contexts. These preliminary analyses suggest how programmatic supports that are collaboratively designed with youth, such as Step-Up, may yield promising results in improving young people of color high school achievement.

To better serve adolescents experiencing serious academic and behavioral health challenges, there needs to be programs that offer intensive, short-term mental health support in school settings. Given the widespread risk factors that adolescents and particularly young men of color are facing, Step-Up is informed by both the developmental assets framework and the social development model and aims to provide youth with opportunities for prosocial interactions and additional resources to combat multiple stressors. Since successful completion of high school is associated with better outcomes as young people transition to adulthood, programs that are developmentally timed to allow for an optimal protective factor during the high school years is necessary.

This research contributes to the knowledge base of the importance of providing mental health supports in school settings and may contribute to studies examining the academic achievement of young people of color in school settings.

This chapter uses critical race theory (CRT) and postcolonial lenses to critique the postrace concept and organizational power differentials mirroring an ethnically coded society. CRT reminds us that despite antidiscrimination laws around the globe, employers still normatively pursue workplace homogeneity; not necessarily a racist impulse, but in an effort to promote perceived organizational efficiency. Understanding how organizations have become hard-wired to perpetuate White privilege helps to dismantle systemic barriers which continue to stand between people of color and an ability to reach their full human potential at work.

Understanding of power and difference in organizations requires consistent diligence. Using ethnic diversity primarily as a means for advancing profit generation motives rather than as an opportunity to advance social justice, too many multinational corporations offer mere lip service to ethnic diversity. For example, organizations tend to imagine that they are more ethnically diverse than they really are and enable prejudice, racism and microagressions against people who constitute ethnic minorities. Among social researchers, attention to ethnic difference requires careful and consistent attention as well. Because skin color ranks among the most visible of social identity dimensions, diversity and ethnicity/race erroneously are considered synonymous and skin color becomes some default condition for diversity in social research studies. Chapter 5 explores these important subthemes: interrogating Whiteness and navigating diversity at work; exposing the “requisite variety” concept for its homophily thesis roots; examining effects of “othering,” liminal spaces and tokenism; racism and microaggressions have gone underground; and intersectionality of ethnicity with other social identity dimensions.