The Business Case for Diversity:
A Corporate Perspective

There are some indisputable facts
that drive the diversity business case
for Corporate America:

• Future business opportunities will require growth from non-traditional markets.
  
  
• Employees and Leaders must reflect the changing marketplace in order to maximize responsiveness to the needs and expectations of Clients.
  
  
• Work environments must fully utilize the talents of all employees by embracing different opinions, backgrounds and styles.
  
  
• Diversity must be reflected in product offerings through languages, images, themes, services, amenities and business practices.

Corporate America has long realized the need to make diversity a key component of its culture. To perform at a high level, corporations must support and encourage every employee, from all backgrounds and walks of life. Embracing diversity makes people feel welcome and comfortable. It lets them be happy and productive. It motivates them to achieve great things. Ultimately, it impacts the business bottom line. Diversity efforts in Corporate America exist not just because they are the right thing to do, but because they make excellent business sense. Great companies strive to appeal to all their consumers with inclusive products, services, amenities, business practices, languages, images and more. The workforce must reflect the marketplace if they are to meet and exceed the expectations of their diverse consumers. The final component in Corporate America’s diversity work has become widely known as Corporate Citizenship. This concept covers a wide range of community outreach efforts and is a crucial part of every company’s diversity strategy. Yet Corporate America understands they cannot achieve their diversity goals in a vacuum.

This corporate panel will examine why it's important for business and education to work TOGETHER! Higher Education's product—the student—is the future workforce. It makes good business sense for students who are culturally competent to join the working ranks. Otherwise, the cost of having to re-train new hires to be culturally sensitive in an increasingly global workplace is astronomical.

H. Rov Kaplan, Ph.D., Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, Africana Studies Department, University of South Florida—Tampa, Florida (Moderator)

Corporate Executive Panelists:

Reggie Butler, Managing Director, PriceWaterhouseCoopers—Orlando, Florida

Tony Jenkins, Vice President, Cultural Competence and Diversity Systems, Market President, Central Florida Region of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida—Orlando, Florida

Robert McAdam, Senior Vice President, Government and Community Affairs, Darden Restaurants Inc.—Orlando, Florida

Mercedes McCall, Regional Executive, for Banco Popular—Orlando, Florida
Ramon Ojeda, President, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando—Orlando, Florida

Ramon Ojeda, CEO, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando—Orlando, Florida

Carmen Smith, Vice President, Global Strategies for Diversity and Inclusion, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts—Orlando, Florida