Final answer:
Customers should be treated equally regardless of disposition, and market forces often incent businesses to do so. Equity ensures that people have equal access to opportunities through appropriate accommodations. This approach, along with hiring a diverse workforce, can lead to better business performance.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, regardless of the customer's disposition, businesses aim to treat customers equally for both ethical and economic reasons. Treating all customers with respect can not only help foster a positive company reputation, but it is also beneficial from a financial perspective, as it widens the potential customer base, maximizes sales opportunities, and promotes customer loyalty. It's important to distinguish between equality and equity, however.
While equality involves treating everyone the same, equity refers to providing resources according to people's needs so that they have equal access to opportunities. In an ideal scenario, all individuals would be treated equally without the need for additional accommodations, which is indicative of a just society.
However, in practice, businesses often provide accommodations to ensure equitable access to their products and services. For instance, a firm with a diverse customer base is likely to be more successful if it recognizes and accommodates the differing needs of its customers, rather than treating them identically. This approach also aligns with hiring practices that add diversity to the workforce, expanding the pool of talent and potentially leading to better business outcomes.
Market forces also encourage firms to be less discriminatory. For example:
- A local flower delivery business run by a white owner might notice that many of its customers are black, providing a financial incentive to treat all customers well regardless of race.
- An assembly line that previously only hired men may need to start hiring women when it struggles to find qualified workers, emphasizing the importance of gender diversity in the workplace.
- A biased owner of a home health care service who wants to pay Hispanic workers less would be economically disincentivized from doing so if it means losing potential employees.