The Problem and Review of Related Literature

Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Prejudice is a rigid and irrational generalization about an entire category of people. Prejudice is irrational insofar as people hold inflexible attitudes supported by little or no direct evidence. Prejudice refers to attitudes; it can be positive by providing special advantages or negative by creating obstacles. It can range from subtle to blatantly obvious.

It is the process of "pre-judging" a particular person, place or thing for the way it acts, looks, or even who or what it is involved with. It implies coming to a judgment on a subject before learning where the preponderance of evidence actually lies, or forming a judgment without direct experience. When applied to social groups, prejudice generally refers to existing biases toward the members of such groups, often based on social stereotypes; and at its most extreme, results in groups being denied benefits and rights unjustly or, conversely, unfairly showing unwarranted favor towards others (Wikipedia Encyclopedia).

Prejudice in the industry is something that needs to be uncovered. Prejudice continues to exist in our everyday life. Even between the graduates of the different universities and women’s colleges it exists. People have different prejudices toward each graduate of such schools. They perceive it to be general to all the graduates of certain schools.

It is important to study and find out the existing prejudice that is continuously going on toward the graduates of the different universities and women’s colleges. This research will study on the prejudices that are perceived by the industry towards each of the different universities and women’s colleges.

Review of Related Literature

Prejudice

Prejudice is a type of attitude (negative). This negative attitude is directed toward people because they are members of a specific social group. A person who is prejudiced toward some group tends to ignore the individual qualities of its members and prejudges them based on this negative evaluation. Prejudice does not actually involve behavior although it is an attitude of aversion (Franzoi, 2000).

As an attitude, prejudice can function as a schema for organizing information about members of a group. Prejudice involves negative feelings when they are in the presence of, or even think about, members of the group. Prejudice often involves stereotypes, suggesting that all members of a group behave in certain ways and have certain characteristics (http://www.usu.edu/psy3510/prejudice.html).

Prejudice in the Workplace

Prejudicial and discriminatory treatments create problems for everyone alike. There is a tendency for people to believe that these problems exist only in others but not themselves. That is not the case. Everyone has a part to play in promoting or perpetuating the problem. It will not be solved by inaction or ignoring it, hoping it will go away.

In the workplace, a person walks in the door and they will automatically be credited with having these negative stereotypes that they are going to have to live with for the rest of their adult work lives.

It's that assumption of less qualified that draws from stereotypical beliefs and expectations that we grow up with. The question of whether or not someone is less qualified is almost always there when the individual is from a group that is not a white male. But with a white male, it's never a question (Hankins, 2000).

Social Prejudice

Social prejudice is accepted by society and few realize its destructive force. It kills motivation and increases overhead cost in business. It forces students to drop out of school with a failure label that prevents them from discovering their natural talent. Self-fulfilling prophecy does the rest. Social prejudice is like any prejudice, "I am better than them, I come from a better neighborhood, I have a better education, and therefore I must make all the decisions." Prejudice in any form, racial or social, carries a heavy price, it lowers efficiency and increases overhead cost. Prejudice kills communications, innovation, motivation just to name a few attributes (http://www.motivation-tools.com/workplace/social_prejudice.htm).

Top Universities

Employment in companies that offer better pay and a room for career advancement is highly competitive. Many times it is the school where the student graduated from that spells the difference. Gone are the days when students who obtain academic or scholarly distinction enjoy an edge. An ordinary