CASE STUDY 1 (Part II)

In these case studies, you will be practicing professional business communication in hypothetical situations. Here are the facts for the first case study:

Part I: You are one of the assistant fashion designers for a well-known fashion house (321 Fashion). You have been working at the company for four years. Jason, one of the assistant fashion designers who work with you and got hired last year just got promoted to associate fashion designer. You were happy for him, but youre also starting to ask questions. This isnt the first time this has happened. You have seen several talented women in the company quit or be overlooked for promotions and their male colleagues promoted instead. You notice that Greg, a person who was hired a year and a half after you were hired, got promoted to associate fashion designer in his first year at the company and then became a manager within three years at the company. You have concerns that there may be gender discrimination in how people are selected for promotions and management positions. You want to raise these issues with your direct supervisor Frank Smith but arent quite sure how to do it.

Part II: Good news! Your supervisor Frank Smith was initially surprised by your concern, but in talking with some of his colleagues ultimately decided that the issues of hiring and promotion practices are worth looking into further, especially since other companies have come under public scrutiny for similar issues given the social media movement of #MeToo. He asks you to be part of a team that will draft a memo to the CEO of the company, John Doe, where you give recommendations about how the company could foster more gender equality within the workplace, especially as it relates to pay, hiring, and promotions.

Question 1: On average in the U.S., women make 81-82% of what their male colleagues make. Youve also noticed at the company you work for (321 Fashion House) that while many of the lower-paying and mid-level jobs are held by women, most of the executive and management positions are held by men. How might the company improve this situation in general? (i.e., go public with this information? Keep the information within the company? Have an internal or independent evaluation? Hire professionals to help? etc.)

Question 2: What specific suggestions do you have for how your company might attract, retain, and cultivate talented women and help promote them to leadership roles? (Keep in mind that youre just brainstorming at this pointyou might have some ideas that are better or more feasible than others, but try to list at least three specific ideas)