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Inquiry Proposal 4
Inquiry Proposal 4
Mr. Padgett
English 102
1-31-2017
Inquiry Proposal
When we first learned of the research paper assignment I had multiple topics that I was
interested in researching. I have come to the conclusion that I would like to look into issues
facing the current business environment in the United States. More specifically, I would like to
do research on the racial problems in the American workplace. I have been interested in not just
business, but how to make business fairer while still being able to keep it efficient. While in high
school I wrote a research paper on what holds business productivity back, and since then I have
been interested in continuing this research in forms of undergraduate research or other class
assignments. Businesses in the United States are more productive as ever, but even as society
evolves into a more accepting age, discrimination and segregation still excites in the workplace.
This may not occur in an obvious way, but it occurs in the form of reduced wages, fewer
promotions, and increased difficulty in getting jobs. Segregation, discrimination and other
various racial issues are regularly talked about on a social level, but I would like to look into
Below are three articles that I read that pertain to my topic of interest.
1) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/10/workplace-racism-racial-
bullying-discrimination
This article is about workplace racism. The article discusses how racial bullying in the
workplace is on the rise and we need action, not lip service. The article uses data
collected by outside parties to show that ethnic minorities are underrepresented in every
profession in every location. The author also uses a survey of over 24,000 minority
workers in various fields and the results of the survey state that nearly all of them feel
that racial bullying in the workplace is on the rise. The use of the statistics and data add
to the authors credibility to show that he has information to back up his claim that
ignored. The main values at stake in the article are the overall fairness of the workplace.
This could come from prior experience that the author has had with workplace
discrimination. Since the author may have first-hand experience with workplace
discrimination, there is an added bias to the article because the author I trying to persuade
readers to feel the same way she does. Despite the fact that there may be bias, I do not
think that it is bad thing. The authors bias can add to a readers ability to connect to the
article, and it can also add to the overall ethos of the article along with the authors claim.
I think this is a good article and I would like to use it in my research. This article was
2) http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/being-black-work/409990/
The second article I read discusses being black in a predominately white workforce. The
article talks about the traditional forms of discrimination and payment disparities, but it
consequences often go unmentioned, and this can only lead to more problems. The author
sites research that shows that black workers face an increasing level of stress, more
specifically, that were extremely stressed and worried about controlling their emotions
and forcing themselves to appear neutral on a number of social issues. The survey also
talks about how minority workers feel alone and left out because they are more likely
than not one of only a few minority workers in their workplace. This articles main claim
is that being a person of color in a predominately white workplace creates its own kind of
stress. Being a black women, this articles author would have a natural bias about this
topic, but I do not think that this takes away from the article. I think that a natural bias in
this situation can add to the overall message of the work. This article was taken from a
credible source, The Atlantic, so I know that it contains trustworthy and reliable
information.
3) http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/25/news/economy/racial-discrimination-work/
The third article I read was published through CNN Money, so I knew from the start that
it was credible. This article discusses what discrimination looks like now, and since it is
different than what people assume it to be, it is often overlooked and ignored in the
workplace. The article sites a statistic published by the EEOC stating that in 2014 they
received 31,073 charges alleging race-based discrimination, but dismissed 71.4% of them
due to a lack of reasonable cause. The use of data from credible sources adds to the
credibility of the authors overall claim. This article was also written by a women of
color, so there is inherent bias involved, but once again I do not think that this takes
research:
How much is discrimination holding back the productivity levels of American business?
How can we work together with leaders in government, society, and business to better
identify the more subtle forms of discrimination in order to prevent it in the future?
All three of my articles take similar viewpoints towards discrimination in the workplace,
but none of them discuss possible solutions. To strengthen my paper I will need to not
only discuss problems facing minority workers, but how these problems can be identified
so that they can be addressed down the road. To increase my authority as a writer I need
to recognize that some people may not be as informed on this topic as I am, or that others
may have a different view than myself. I must address combating points of view to limit