CHAPTER 9 CLASS ACTIVITY CASE ANALYSIS 1. Is the universitys decision to not hire JJ appropriate? Is it legal?

? Yes, the universitys decision of not hiring JJ is very appropriate. It is legal and it is not an act of discrimination unless it belongs to a protected category such as age, race, religion, etc. As a learning institution, its primary goal is to make an environment more conducive for learning for students. One factor of achieving this goal is to hire professionals who are not just well versed with their duties and responsibilities but also, people who are professional looking. However, hiring someone who has a tattoo is not an appropriate image a university would want to put forward. Tattoos and other body art have certain images or connotations to many people and may not comport with the universitys corporate culture or be acceptable to the students studying in the university. 2. Discuss this question: What does appearance have to do with doing a good job? You always want to dress for the job you're seeking. Your outer appearance is part of your resume. Some people persist in thinking that their appearance has very little to do with their ability to perform in a job, and so give little consideration to how they dress for an interview. The logic in this thinking may be weak, it is a dangerous thing to do because it fails to take into account that interviews are largely about managing perceptions and impressions. Interviewers have certain expectations about appearance such as dress codes. Failing to meet those expectations is dangerous. The last thing an employer wants to do is to hire the wrong person. Reliability, loyalty, consistency, trustworthiness and dependability are qualities that all employers seek in employees, no matter what type of job it is. A company wants someone with a good image, experience & someone who is intelligent. Your task at the interview is to signal to the interviewer that you have all those qualities, and dressing appropriately represents a good start. 3. Expand your discussion to include appearance that is based on someones race. Is it legal to not hire someone based on his or her appearance then? Any business in the service industry feels a certain amount of pressure to hire the most attractive employees to represent their public face. While it might not seem fair to hire or reject people based on their attractiveness, its not generally illegal. What makes appearance standards illegal is when they are based on protected characteristics, such as age, race, and gender. Generally, employers have the right to impose appearance standards, as long as there is a legitimate business need because the company is maintaining its image and it is not based on an immutable characteristic like skin color and etc.