Here you will complete the Discussion Board Assignment.  You will need to use your webcam and audio for your initial Discussion Board entry.  You will not use a PowerPoint or other presentation format for this assignment.  You are talking about/discussing your concept - not delivering a presentation.  The presentation about your concept will be delivered in Week 7, and you will need to use a PowerPoint or other presentation format for that assignment. 

Your initial Discussion Board entry will include the key elements of the Concept Paper – First Edition and should be a minimum of three (3) minutes and a maximum of five (5) minutes.  Those key elements are:

• The specific problem/issue/challenge that has caught your attention: What’s the problem?  What have you noticed that requires investigation?  What’s your topic?  Is this an industry-wide problem / issue / challenge?  If so, how do you KNOW that?
• The background/context of the problem: Where is this specific problem taking place/occurring?  What type of business/organization is specifically involved (You can announce the name of the organization, but you can also announce “Company ABC / Company XYZ.”)?  What’s the organization profile (Where is this organization located?  What goods/services does this organization provide?  What is the organizational structure?  How many employees?  How long has the organization been in business?)?
• The benefits and challenges: Who benefits from investigating the problem?  How exactly do they benefit?  What can get in the way of tackling this problem/issue/challenge?

 

Sexual Harassment and Misconduct in the Workplace

The specific issue I perceive to have massive impacts on today's workplaces is sexual harassment and misconduct. It is not unusual for females and males alike to report cases of sexual harassment. Unlike men, however, females have higher rates of sexual harassment in their various workplaces. Sexual harassment and misconduct is an industry-wide issue, and the specific issue related to this is the increased rated of sexual harassment targeted towards women. According to National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) (2018), 81 percent of women have reported having experienced various forms of sexual harassment in the work setting compared to 43 percent of the male victims. Several movements, including the #MeToo movement, have remained vigilant in advocating for women's rights (Chatterjee, 2018). This movement has seen the number of sexual harassment victims rise. Significant numbers of women have come forward to relay their experiences of sexual harassment and misconduct with their employers, colleagues and even clients. 

It ow worrying and concerning that despite the increased cases of sexual harassment among women, particularly in the United States, there is little data and information gathered on the nationwide prevalence of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is a menace that has embedded itself in many work environments (Chatterjee, 2018). Besides developing national policies to address this issue, there is a great need to enhance collaboration efforts in the workplace and ensure that perpetrators of sexual harassment, misconduct and violence are brought to book. All forms of sexual harassment, whether verbal, physical or cyber-related, should be prohibited to assure women of their safety while in their respective workplaces.

Cases of sexual harassment in Google are pretty rife. Despite the senior management and leadership downplaying the issue, workers in the form have ensured that sexual harassment and misconduct issues are brought to the public limelight. Although Google has been praised as one of the most progressive workplaces, its management has been accused of protecting sexual harassment perpetrators and even paying some of the millions to resign. According to Elias (2020), Google's $310 million sexual harassment settlement intended to set new industry standards and establish new HR policies to deal with and stop sexual harassment and misconduct.

Google LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., is an American multinational technology is headquartered in Mountain View, California. The company specializes in Internet-related services and products, including a search engine, online advertising technologies, software, enterprise services, hardware and cloud computing. The firm has over 130 000 employees distributed across its various global offices. Google has maximized its innovative strategies to ensure competitiveness (Smithson, 2019). Google has existed since September 1998, and it has entirely revolutionized the technology industry.

Sexual harassment is like a thorn that has pricked many; therefore, investigating this issue will create greater good for the victims and society. We have seen cases where sexual harassment victims develop mental disorders like depression and anxiety. Then society is left to bear the cost and pain inflicted on sexual harassment victims. Investigating and addressing this issue will benefit the whole society. It will benefit them by eliminating increased rates of unemployment, suicides and mental illness linked to sexual harassment. Barriers to tackling this issue include senior managements that protect their executives accused of sexual harassment. Another obstacle is the inability of the harassed victims to come forward for fear of intimidation, retaliation and losing their jobs.