Final answer:
External pressures such as market demands, employee satisfaction, and organizational culture can all influence businesses to change their practices, with market demands often being the most influential. Particularly, market pressures can incentivize discriminatory businesses to adopt fairer practices to retain employees and satisfy diverse customer bases. The correct option is a) Market demands
Step-by-step explanation:
The external pressures that can be strong enough to force change in business practices include market demands, employee satisfaction, organizational culture, and personal preferences. However, among these, market demands often have the most powerful impact on business practices. For example, a discriminatory business that is underpaying its employees could face a situation where these workers seek better pay from other employers. This sort of market pressure could incentivize the business to offer fairer wages in an effort to retain their workforce and remain competitive in the market. Additionally, in scenarios where customer demographics do not align with a business owner's personal biases, or where a labor shortage necessitates the hiring of traditionally underrepresented groups, market forces can drive businesses to adopt less discriminatory practices for economic survival and growth.
The correct option is a) Market demands