case study 0

Read the CASE Below: EMC CONFRONTS HARASSMENT CHARGES, Answer the three questions at the end of the case in a 2 page paper APA format in Third Party!. 1st Page Title Page 2nd Page 1st paragraph Introduction 2nd Page 2nd paragraph Review/Analysis of the case (Answer to Question 1) 2nd Page 3rd paragraph Answer to Question 2 3rd Page 4th paragraph Answer to Question 3 3rd Page Summary/Conclusion 4th Page Refrence page CASE : EMC CONFRONTS HARASSMENT CHARGES Since 2003, at least half a dozen lawsuits have been filed against EMC Corporation, based in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, claiming the company discriminated against female employees. Recently, two former EMC saleswomen asked that their suit be given class-action status. EMC, which provides software for information management, denies that the company tolerates discrimination or sexual harassment. According to the complaints in the lawsuits, EMC subjected saleswomen to demeaning sexual comments, company-paid trips to strip clubs, and retaliation against women who complained. Three women said managers took away accounts they had built up and gave them to male colleagues. One woman said her boss wouldn’t give her a big account because she refused to “smoke, drink, swear, hunt, fish, and tolerate strip clubs.” The law firm requesting the class action gathered 30 sworn affidavits from saleswomen supporting allegations that the workplace was hostile and discriminatory. Pay data show that saleswomen at EMC have earned less than salesmen with the same length of experience. During one year, for salespeople with two to three years of service, the women’s median pay was $266,063, compared with $305,417 for men. EMC responds that the pay gap reflects differences in performance. The lawsuits include claims that employment decisions were based in part on consideration of individuals’ sex, pregnancy, and marital and parental status. One problem may be that women are poorly represented at EMC. While 40 percent of the sales force is female at IBM, another big software company, just 13.5 percent of EMC’s salespeople are women. Gillian Thomas, a lawyer for a women’s legal-rights association called Legal Momentum, says, “Hostile environments for women tend to occur where they’re dramatically in the minority.” At EMC, salespeople traditionally have been recruited from among former college athletes, and the culture is aggressive. Salespeople call clients daily and are expected to spend evenings taking them out to dinner and weekends playing golf with them. EMC’s Web site says the company values diversity, and the company has a formal policy defining and banning sexual harassment. The company sponsors a Women’s Leadership Forum. Frank Hauck, who has been in charge of marketing at EMC for several years, insists that sexual harassment is not tolerated. He recalls a situation that arose shortly after he took the top marketing job: a salesman’s expense account included a visit to a strip club with a client, and Hauck told the company’s controller that, in accordance with company policy, EMC should not pay the bill. EMC points out that its saleswomen hold important accounts, including Chrysler and Citigroup. Emily Stampiglia, who has been selling for EMC for seven years, describes the sales force as “the most aggressive,” adding, “I’m comfortable in that competitive world.” Questions 1. Compare the behavior described in this case with this chapter’s description of sex discrimination and sexual harassment. Does EMC seem to have violated any laws? If so, which ones, and how? 2. Can EMC continue to sell as aggressively yet avoid charges of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination? If so, how? If not, why not, and how should it resolve this conflict? 3. Imagine that you are an HR manager at EMC. Recommend two actions the company can take to avoid sex discrimination lawsuits in the future. Explain how your recommendations will help EMC’s business performance.