MGT 101 Introduction to Management

First Semester SY 2015 – 2016

Finals Paper Proposal

Name: Rachel Ruth B. Montilla Tuesday/Friday (9:00-10:30) – Section A

Group No. 2
Type: [_] Case study
[√] Position Paper
[_] Proposal (Empirical Research)

A. Title of the Study:

Appearance-Based Discrimination: A False Means on Hiring Applicants

B. Objectives of the Study:

1. To acquire knowledge on the history and impact of appearance-based discrimination on
employee selection
2. To identify the implications of an organization’s performance if employee selection is based on
an applicant’s appearance
3. To determine the sources and potential resolutions of appearance-based employment decisions
4. To promote the eradication of this type of practice in the decision making process of an
organization
5. To avert the notion of lookism and lookphobia as a basis of hiring employees in offices and firms

C. Rationale (Significance of the paper):

The deliberation of appearance in employment decision making has become prevalent and
commonly accepted for a wide variety of jobs. Employers often depend on appearance as an indication
of an employee's qualifications, and even to the point where hiring decisions are made, employers
persist to regulate the appearance of their employees through grooming and dressing policies. The
paper argues that appearance in hiring decisions is unjustifiable, irrational and not beneficial to the
society unless reasonable organization purposes exist such as when airline companies impose height
requirements for flight attendants. Those who benefit from this study are the victims of this type of hiring
process, especially women, and the employers as well. In accordance to the study Injustice of
Appearance by Deborah Rhode, women face greater pressures to be attractive, and overweight women
are judged more harshly than men.
This work seeks to determine not only on how appearance-based discrimination affects employment
but also on how this knowledge affects the mindset of working individuals. The stakeholders should read
this paper so that they would be mindful of and address these social issues, and be able to prevent the
occurrences of discriminatory practices and generate the conditions for equality of treatment in
employment. This paper would empower the victims or people who feel substandard of their looks,
promote diversity during applicant selection and increase awareness for the stakeholders-readers. This
could serve as a reference and provide substantial information for future studies that would assist in
repairing the inequities that result from the legitimization of appearance discrimination in employment, as
well as in society as a whole. Lastly, this could direct organizations in establishing a generic set of
standards and rules in hiring without any discrimination.
D. References:
Mahajan, R. (2007). The Naked Truth: Appearance Discrimination, Employment, and the Law. Asian
American Law Journal, 14(1), 165-203.
Rhode, D. (2009). The Injustice of Appearance. Stanford Law Review, 61(5), 1033-1101.
Shannon, M., & Stark, P. (2003). The Influence of Physical Appearance on Personnel
Selection. International Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 31(6), 613-624.
McEvoy, S. (1994). Employment Discrimination Based on Appearance. Labor Law Journal, 45(9), 592-
97.