Final answer:
In each situation, market forces can incentivize businesses to act in a less discriminatory fashion by considering factors such as market potential, availability of qualified workers, and customer preferences.
Step-by-step explanation:
In each of the given situations, market forces can create incentives for businesses to act in a less discriminatory fashion:
- A local flower delivery business run by a bigoted white owner notices that many of its local customers are black: The business may realize that by serving only white customers, it is missing out on a potentially large market. To maximize profit, the owner may decide to expand their customer base and serve customers of all races.
- An assembly line that traditionally only hired men, but is having a hard time hiring sufficiently qualified workers: The assembly line may face difficulty in finding enough qualified male workers, which can affect productivity and growth. To overcome this challenge, the assembly line may decide to open up job opportunities to women, thereby increasing the pool of potential workers.
- A biased owner of a firm that provides home health care services would like to pay lower wages to Hispanic workers than to other employees: Market forces may discourage this bias as customers rely on quality care and may prefer providers who treat their employees fairly. Thus, the firm may face a negative impact on its reputation and customer base if it discriminates based on wages. To maintain customer satisfaction and attract a wider range of clients, the firm may choose to pay equal wages to all employees regardless of their ethnicity.