Case Study Hy Dairies

Case Study Assignment #1 Hy Dairies, Ltd.

1. Apply your knowledge of stereotyping and social identity theory to explain what went wrong here.

I would have to say that in my opinion there was a whole lot of miscommunication for both parties involved. I’m assuming here that Rochelle Beauport felt that she was being stereotyped in the sense that she is a female visible minority.

She is being offered a new position within the company, but she assuming that her employer Sid Gilman is offering her this job because it is a quote; a technical support position, “backroom job” in her words. She is assuming that Sid Gilman is putting her into a part of the company where she will not be physically seen as a female visible minority in one of the top management positions within the company.

Rochelle is feeling an attachment or sense of belonging to being visible minority which stems to social identity theory which states: people define themselves by the groups to which they belong or have an emotional attachment. This social identity theory that she is feeling is making her assume that she is being stereotyped by her employer. Being a visible minority, this is where she feels she belongs. Her own assumptions of Sid Gilman not wanting her to move forward in the company and sidelining her and putting her into a part of the company that she feels is “backroom job” gives her the feeling of either wanting to confront him which she should do or leave her job. The latter would be a failure on her part since the only reason Gilman is offering her this job is because he knows that this will help with her career which he also does not state.

Meanwhile Sid Gilman is offering Rochelle Beauport this job because he feels she is an asset to the company and would love to see her advance in her career at HY Dairies. What she doesn’t know is this Sid Gilman himself was once in market research for HY Dairies. He feels that this would give Beauport broader experience in some high...