Ethics: Discrimination and Social Responsibility Essay

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“And each of us can practice rights ourselves, treating each other without discrimination, respecting each other's dignity and rights.” – Carol Bellamy

The Declaration of Independence states "All men (women) are created equal" and that "Every person has the right life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." In Thomas Jefferson's words, the Declaration was written, "In order to place before mankind the common sense of the matter in terms as plain and simple as to command their assent." The Declaration of Independence was drafted and sent to King George III of England requesting independence from English rule. It asserted a philosophy of government that said that any government can only rule with the consent of the governed and that the basic purpose of government is to protect people's rights. It gave many examples of how the government of Great Britain had violated the rights of the colonists and so lost their consent. It then proclaimed that, as a result of this, the colonies were free and independent states.
Still to this day ones freedom and equality can be questioned and pushed to limits that are considered unconstitutional. Employment discrimination can refer to promotion, hiring, termination, job assignment and compensation conditions for employees. It is important to note that work place discrimination equally includes different forms of harassment. Some forms of discrimination prohibited by law include national origin, ethnicity, physical ability, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation and race. Many men and women are subjected to unjust discrimination in the work place because of their personal backgrounds. Discrimination in the workplace negatively affects businesses in that discriminatory policies can hurt a company's reputation. A business self-limits itself when it restricts advancement to certain groups or types of employees. According to a report on discrimination in the workplace by the International Labor Organization “workplace discrimination remains a persistent global problem, with new, more subtle forms emerging every day.” Sadly in today’s growing times, some major corporations are still in fault for discrimination in the workplace (U.S. Small Business Administration, 2012)
AT&T Inc., an American multinational telecommunications corporation is in large measures the history of the telephone in the United States. AT&T's roots stretch back to 1875, with founder Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone. During the 19th century, AT&T became the parent company of the Bell System, the American telephone monopoly. The Bell System provided what was by all accounts the best telephone service in the world. The system broke up into eight companies in 1984 by agreement between AT&T and the U.S. Department of Justice. From 1984 until 1996 AT&T was an integrated telecommunications services and equipment company, succeeding in a newly competitive environment. Today, AT&T is a global networking leader, focused on delivering IP-based solutions to enterprise and government customers and employs 252,330 workers worldwide (AT&T, 2012).
While AT&T has provided ground breaking service and can be known as the giant in the telephone industry, all business within AT&T is not up to par. While their website states “Diversity has a real power. It’s an investment in our present and in our future. That’s why we celebrate and respect the rich culture and differences of our employees, customers, business partners, and communities in which we do business”. It furthermore states “AT&T and its subsidiaries are committed to equal employment opportunity. AT&T Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. All qualified candidates will receive full and fair consideration for employment. All applicants and employees are protected from unlawful discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status,
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