Page 159 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

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BRIEF, BUTZ, DEITCH
was associated with greater occupational inequality between minorities
and non-Hispanic Anglos, whether the minority population was Mexican
American or Black (Frisbie & Neidert, 1977); (c) and, when the local labor
market area contained a high proportion of Blacks, all groups of minority
men lost earnings and White men gained them (Tienda & Lii, 1987).
Considerably less and somewhat more mixed direct attitudinal evidence
is available based upon Taylor's (1998) review (e.g., Giles & Evans, 1985;
Glaser, 1994). Particular findings reported by Taylor (1998) included, for
instance: Pettigrew's (1959) finding that prejudice among White southern­
ers was greater in localities in which the Black population share was large;
Fossett and Kiecolt's (1989) results indicating that perceived threat and op­
position to integration increased among Whites as the proportion of local
Blacks increased; and Quillian's (1996) findings that regional Black popula­
tion share (construed of, along with per capita income, as indicating group
threat) was associated positively with traditional prejudice and opposition
to race targeting among Whites.
Research results reported by Taylor (1998) herself showed that as the
proportion of the Black population increases, prejudice among Whites in­
creases. She found the local percentage of Blacks to influence adversely
traditional prejudice, opposition to race-targeting, and policy-related be­
liefs among Whites. Moreover, Taylor observed that the independent effect
of percent Blacks is stronger than the net effect of Southern location, with
the South generally having a nonsignificant influence on White racial views
when percent Blacks is controlled (also see Lieberson, 1980). However, the
South appeared to moderate the relationship between local percent Blacks
and traditional prejudice (but not opposition to race-targeting or policy
related beliefs), with the impact of percent Black evident only outside the
South. [For more on South/non-South differences in racism, see, for ex­
ample, Emerson (1994); Firebaugh and Davis (1988); and Wilcox and Roof
(1978).]
In summary, the prevailing attitudes of Whites toward Blacks do seem
to vary across communities, and, in part, such variance appears to be at­
tributable to the local Black population share. Later, we will attend to how
attitudes that are brought to work as excess baggage may manifest them­
selves in organizations to influence their race composition.

The Markets for Goods and Services

The race of customers and clients matters for the racial composition of
organizations. Before turning to the sociological literature to address this
claim, we will examine management practice and education by telling a
tale that has been told before by Brief (1998). In late 1992, Shoney's agreed