Diversity and Job Performance

MGMT 591: Leadership and Organizational Behavior Course Project Outline

April 20, 2014

Kceleste687@gmail.com

Kelli Young

Overview of the Organization

The organization that I will be discussing in my course project is the Environmental, Health, and Safety (EH&S) department within Ashland Specialty Chemicals. Ashland is a publicly traded company, international specialty chemical company that is best known for its Valvoline Instant Oil Change franchises. Ashland has manufacturing plants and office buildings around the world; their global headquarters is located in Covington, Kentucky (Worldwide Headquarters, n.d.). We manufacture specialty polymers that are used as adhesives, coatings; some are cellulosic based as well. Ashland also manufactures water treatment chemicals as well as biocides and chemicals that end up in the pharmaceutical industry as well.

In the midst of the economic crisis Ashland seemed to come out unscathed and in fact acquired Hercules Inc. in 2008. After Hercules was acquired Ashland now had three specialty chemical units; Ashland Performance Materials (APM), Ashland Hercules Water Technology (AWT), and Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients. Ashland also included a distribution business, which it sold in 2011, and they also had Ashland Consumer Markets (Valvoline), which does not fall under the specialty chemicals umbrella. Shortly after the divesture of Ashland Distribution, it was announced that Ashland would purchase International Specialty Products (ISP). Since the acquisition of ISP, Ashland has sold it’s AWT business unit and now has three business units; Ashland Performance Materials (APM), Ashland Specialty Ingredients (ASI) formerly Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients along with ISP and Valvoline; formerly Ashland Consumer Markets.

Since 2011 with Ashland’s final acquisition to date the vision of the company has changed and is now “To be the best specialty chemical company in the world”. And in trying to become...