Women in Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women in Business - Research Paper Example The trend is significant since it continues to exhibit an increasing trend that indicates that the role of women in the workforce would continue to pervade various responsibilities in diverse and more professionalized endeavors. As disclosed, â€Å"women are projected to make up 46.8 percent of the labor force by the year 2014† (Williamson: Women, 2012, par. 1). The trend could therefore be attributed to an interplay of factors that include: social factors (lower birthrates; delay in marrying age; greater and equal access to equal levels of education for both men and women); economic factors (the need for more income to support the family); and political factors (legislations approving equal rights and opportunities), among others. Question 2. Propose three ways that a business can capitalize on this trend to earn competitive advantage. Three ways where business can capitalize on the increasing trend of more women in the workforce to earn competitive advantage are as follows: (1) focus on promoting women to their full potentials since, according to the study published by Barsh & Yee (2011), organizations who have reportedly included women as members of the organizations’ board of directors have exhibited â€Å"a 26% difference in return on invested capital (ROIC) between the top-quartile companies (with 19-44% women board representation) and bottom quartile companies (with zero woman directors)† (p. 5); (2) â€Å"companies with three or more women in top positions (executive committee or boards) scored higher than their peers† (Barsh & Yee, 2011, p. 5); and (3) hiring more women in the workforce would be consistent to the ideals of diversity in the worksetting, which, according to the American Society of Women Accountants (2012), â€Å"contribute to a diversity of thought that enables your business to grow beyond the limitations imposed by a homogeneous staff†¦ A wider variety of viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds enables a business to become more innovative, and ultimately more profitable† (American Society of Women Accountants, 2012, p. 1). Question 3. Speculate about why businesses should pay attention to the development of women’s leadership. Businesses should pay attention to the development of women’s leadership because there have already been studies and researches which disclose that women leaders are indeed more effective as leaders, when compared to their male counterparts (Zenger & Folkman, 2012). As revealed, â€Å"at every level, more women were rated by their peers, their bosses, their direct reports, and their other associates as better overall leaders than their male counterparts — and the higher the level, the wider that gap grows† (Zenger & Folkman, 2012, par. 6). Further, one strong believes that if more opportunities for advancement are accorded for women in leadership positions which would be openly encouraged in all contemporary organizations, these would provide greater motivations, higher productivity and higher chances to improve the organization’s bottom line. Question 4. What would you say to an organization that has little or no interest in women’s leadership? An organization that has little or no interest in women’s leadership, would first and foremost be violating the Equal Employment Opportunities Law in terms of according equal opportunities for training and development, regardless of gender, race, and other demographic factors. Likewise, the organization would be foregoing the opportunity to maximize the potentials of women and realize that their instrumental