What Is The ‘Business Case Approach’?
The business case approach is a theory of how to manage diversity within businesses. The ‘business case approach’ is backed up by the CIPD report. The CIPD report is a document which puts across a number of points, which are used to put across the point that diversity can be key and provides a number of different benefits for businesses being more diverse. The CIPD report was written by Human Resource managers. The business case approach is seen to be a “opportunity to identify equality as a strategic goal, thus facilitating the ‘mainstreaming’ of the goal” (Dickens, 1994). Overall, the ‘business case approach’ is an important part of managing diversity, but it can be criticised.
Criticisms of the ‘business case approach’ report
* A report written by HR manager for HR managers, not business managers.
* Only recognises benefits towards managing diversity
* Despite the wide availability and use of human resources information, it was found that basic HR data about individuals or groups could not be linked to business-level performance data (Kochan et al)
* Assumes that businesses are operating within a free market, whereas in reality they need to be flexible and responsive to the market. (Hollinghead & Leat, 1995).
* Collings & Dickens 1998 point to the fact that emphasises the areas of equality that are tackled most easily, such as external image but does not concentrate on key areas such as power, low pay and part time rights. (Collings & Dickens, 1998)
* Only recognises benefits to do with implementing diversity.
Other options to the CIPD/ business case approach
The Business Case for Equality and Diversity
This report sets out the findings from a systematic review of the literature on the business case for equality and diversity, commissioned by the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) and the government Equalities Office (GEO).