Ethical HRM: A Role Play on Addressing Disenfranchisement and Balancing Organizational Objectives in the Workplace Situation: ABC Inc. is a prestigious organization and an industry leader in the field of investment banking. Employees in this company make well over the industry standard in salary, and there are many opportunities for career development and growth. Given this, getting into ABC Inc. is a rigorous and difficult process. Most employees come from elite business schools, and the majority of employees in the highest paid positions used personal connections and networking to secure a role. Applicants wanting to get into ABC Inc. initially network with existing employees either through personal means or by attending company networking events, followed by submitting an online application consisting of a cover letter and resume. Applicants with current employee referrals are put into a different pool than applicants without referrals. If selected; candidates are first interviewed using an Al interview method such as HireVue, and final candidates will be selected after an in-person interview with the hiring manager and the technical manager. This applicant process is seen as necessary to sort through the thousands of applicants, and to select the best and brightest of potential employees who are necessary for ABC Inc. to continue to thrive in the cutthroat investment banking industry. Recently, ABC Inc., and the investment banking field in general, has received some backlash from gender equality organizations and the media for their perceived lack of gender diversity in their workforce. Over 75% of the most lucrative roles in ABC Inc. (quantitative analysts, associates, vice presidents, managing directors etc) are filled by males, and only 10% of the senior roles are filled by female employees. Women in ABC Inc. are primarily in traditionally female roles in clerical and administrative positions such as secretaries, administrative assistants etc, where they constitute 60% of this class of workers, and make much less than male employees in the more lucrative roles. Thus, ABC Inc. has been accused of being an example of an "old boys club" where female employees lack opportunity to successfully be hired, and also grow in the company to a senior level. Many critics also allege that ABC Inc. is a hostile environment for women, while in contrast, some commenters say that women lack the technical skills and educational background necessary for the higher paid positions. There are also concerns about the biases of HireVue as it consistently seems to eliminate female candidates. Activity (Role Play): Please prepare a summary to present to the class: Applicant: What are your concerns, and what do you do to address your disenfranchisement as an employee? What do you desire from the HR manager? HR Manager: How do you justify your current hiring practices to the applicant and what can you do to address disenfranchisement without sacrificing applicant quality? Observer: observe both the applicant and HR manager. What are your opinions on both of their arguments and perspectives