Louis Minardi, age fifty-four, was president and chief operating officer of Minardi Bakery, Inc. Minardi Bakers was begun almost

twenty-four years ago by Louis Minardi, who built the enterprise from one to seventy-five employees through hard work and aSample Page dedication to customer satisfaction. Minardi had learned the bakery business when, for financial reasons, he was forced to leave high school and go to work in a local bakery. Even though he would have liked to finish high school, providing financial support for his family was more important to him. With the unexpected death of his father, Louis Minardi was expected to help his mother make ends meet for the two of them and three younger children. Louis often told people that those very hard times brought the family together and that “Close family ties are all that really matter.” Minardi Bakery was one of the finest bakeries in the local area.

It had an excellent reputation for quality baked goods and customer service. Both retail and wholesale customers seemed to be very satisfied, and the organization was profitable. Employees were a happy and cohesive group, and they seemed to derive considerable satisfaction from social interaction both on and off the job. The employees had organized company-sponsored softball and bowling teams, and they often went out together to unwind after work. Much of this cohesiveness was attributable to Minardi’s human resource policy of internal recruiting. As the organization grew, personnel requirements were met primarily from referrals from current employees. Minardi often would say that the company is “just one big happy family.” A problem, however, had recently developed. Louis Minardi had just received notice from the regional office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that the firm was being investigated on charges of employment discrimination. Takia Wilson, a twenty- two-year-old African American female, who had applied for a supervisory position at Minardi Bakery about a month and a half ago,had charged that she was denied the job because of her race and gender. Louis Minardi reflected on the events leading to this problem. Takia Wilson had seen an advertisement in the local newspaper that indicated that Minardi Bakery was seeking to fill a supervisory position(see Figure 2-5). Takia had recently graduated from a local community college with a two-year degree in business management. For the past four years, she had been working in a women’s apparel shop; during the last two years, she was assistant manager. Takia had received good performance reviews. She provided Mr. Minardi with letters of recommendation that indicated she was a highly motivated and productive employee in her current position. During her four years of employment at the apparel shop, Takia received recognition for her ability to deal effectively with customers. In her position as assistant manager, she was praised for her skills in supervising sales associates.

After reading the discrimination charge, Louis commented to Harry Bruns, his production manager: “Yeah, I remember her. I just

didn’t think that she would fit in here.” The position was later filled by Nick Pitino, a nephew of a supervisor at Minardi who had worked in the bakery during the summer months throughout high school and college.

Although Nick Pitino did not have supervisory experience, he did have knowledge of the business, and Minardi had been able to assess Pitino’s abilities during the six summers he was employed at the

bakery. Takia Wilson had called the telephone number in the advertisement and scheduled an interview with Mr. Minardi. When she arrived at the baker, she was given an application form to fill out (see Figure 2-6). Upon completing the application form, she was granted an interview with Minardi. During the interview, he asked Takia about her work experience at the “dress shop.” The interview process was interrupted several times by telephone calls and company personnel who needed Mr. Minardi’s advice. During the interview, Louis Minardi asked Takia if she, or her boyfriend, would mind if she had to work the late shift. Takia responded that the late shift would present no problems; in fact, she often worked nights at the apparel shop. A major concern Mr. Minardi expressed during the interview was Takia’s ability to supervise men. He told her that she would have to supervise

the work of eight men, most of whom were older than Takia and who had worked in the bakery on average seven to ten years. Minardi said that he was concerned that Takia did not have previous experience supervising men. Takia told him that she had supervised the work of six part-time women in the apparel shop. Takia Wilson also mentioned to Mr. Minardi that she had taken a number of supervision courses in her studies at the community college and that these courses had prepared her to deal with any problems she would encounter at the bakery. Takia reiterated that even though she had no direct supervisory experience with men nor experience in the bakery business, she would be willing to work very hard to learn the business and to get along with everyone. Louis Minardi ended the interview by stating that he would “let her know his decision in about a week or so.” After two weeks had passed, Takia Wilson called Mr. Minardi to ask about his decision. He told her that the position had been filled by someone else. When pressed about his decision, Minardi responded that a young man had been hired because of his experience and education. “He will probably fit in here better since he has a four-year degree and has worked here before,” were the words used by Minardi. He thanked Takia for her application and wished her luck in finding a position. As he put the telephone receiver down, he felt that he would never see Takia Wilson again. Louis Minardi recognized that he had to respond to Takia Wilson’s and the EEOC’s charges of employment discrimination.

Case Questions:

A. Where did Louis Minardi go wrong? What specific laws and guidelines discussed in this chapter (if any) did he

violate?

B.Present a short report detailing a system and set of procedures he should use from now on to avoid these

problems in the future.

C. What should he do now with respect to the EEOC charges? What can he expect now in terms of EEOC procedures.

Figure 2-5 Employment Advertisement

***SUPERVISORY***

Minardi Bakery is looking for an energetic and highly motivated person to

assume a front-line supervisory position. Ability to get along with others

essential. Past supervisory experience or technical training required.

Call: Louis Minardi

Minardi Bakery

732-555-3456

Figure 2-6

MINARDI BAKERY

APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT

Name_______________________________________________Date________________

Address_________________________________________________________________

Street

City

State

Zip

Telephone Number____________________________Date of Birth_______________

Social Security Number________________________ Age___________

Education___________________________________________________Grade School

School Name

Dates

____________________________________________________High School

School Name

Dates

____________________________________________________Other School

School Name

Dates

Work Experience

Employer

Position

Dates

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Do you smoke?

_________Yes

______No

Do you owe money?

_________Yes ________No

Have you ever been arrested?

_________Yes ________No

Who do you know that works at Minardi

Bakery?_________________________________________

I hereby affirm that my answers are true and correct to the best of my

knowledge.

Signed_________________________________________Date____________

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