1. What do you think of the way in which Ali was approached by Dr. Shields about her violation of the dress code? Does this seem advisable to you?

2. How much of a role do you think different cultural values played in this situation? Explain.

3. What can the employer do to avoid even the appearance of unfair enforcement of its dress policy in the future?

Issue: Whether an employee can receive a judgment in a race discrimination case without offering evidence of racial discrimination.

Facts: A black female employee sued the employer for racial discrimination in violation of Title VII, for discriminatory enforcement of the employer’s dress code. Employee alleged she was disciplined for violation of the code while whites were not. In support of her claim, employee gave evidence that other employees had violated the dress code, but she gave no evidence that they had not been disciplined as she was for similar offenses. Despite the fact that employer had made statements to employee which employee perceived as derogatory, there was no evidence of racial discrimination.

Decision: The court found that the employee offered no evidence of discriminatory enforcement, therefore it had no choice but to hold the verdict in favor of the employer.