Ben, a 44-year-old middle manager at a well-known advertising firm, just lost his job. The company downsized due to a significant loss of clients during the last recession. Although Ben's work was considered exemplary in many ways, and his staff had won awards with their creative work, the company decided to let Ben go instead of another middle manager who was a minority. In a business setting, we call this occurrence ___________________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The situation described in the scenario is an example of reverse discrimination, which is when individuals from majority groups (in this case, non-minority employees) experience discrimination or unfair treatment in favor of individuals from minority groups. This is because the company chose to let go of Ben, despite his exemplary work and awards, in order to retain the other middle manager solely because they were a minority. Forward discrimination and affirmative control are not commonly used terms in this context, and affirmative action refers to proactive measures taken to promote equal opportunity and prevent discrimination, rather than a specific instance of discrimination itself.

Ben, a 44-Year-Old Middle Manager at a Well-Known Advertising Firm