Consider the following circumstances: decide whether there has been a violation of Title VII. Consider the ethical implications of the conduct along with the legal.

1. An employee must be dismissed. Two women, one white and the other black, have been with the company for the same amount of time and have the same rate of absenteeism. Their performance evaluations are about the same.

Discuss:  Can the black employee be dismissed without violating Title VII? What are the ethical implications?

2. Company B has had a significant problem with absenteeism, tardiness, and failure to follow through on job assignments among the employees who are of a certain race. The personnel director is concerned about company productivity, the costs of training, and the costs of constant turnover. The personnel director is also aware of the constraints of Title VII. The director instructs those staffing the front office to tell members of that particular race who apply for a job that the company is not accepting applications. The director's theory is that his applicant pool will be prescreened and he will not have to make discriminatory hiring decisions.

Discuss:  Is the director correct? Has Title VII been violated? What are the ethical implications?