Procter & Gamble Case Study1

Procter & Gamble Case Study

Introduction

I will begin this essay with a short non-fiction story about a Black woman who I once knew who was working with Procter & Gamble, or P&G as it is now called. Her name is Julia (not her real name). Julia had a safe, secure and permanent job with P&G. She was working in a customer-focused job, the exact nature of which I cannot recall, which means I do not know what her exact job title with the company was. She enjoyed her work with Procter & Gamble and always said that the working atmosphere with the company was excellent. She lived in Toronto, Canada for a while and then moved to Maryland in the United States. Due to the international focus of the company of P&G, Julia was able to relocate her employment with the company from Toronto to the state of Maryland. I have since lost touch with Julia, however in her early days in the United States, she did continue to say that she enjoyed her work with P&G and there actually were more Black people working for the company in Maryland than when she was in Toronto, Canada.

This story is one small example of the diversity at P&G. This essay will be a case study research paper on Procter & Gamble and whether or not they are managing diversity well with their organization. I will also discuss the types of diversity programs and diversity initiatives that corporation is involved in. I will also give a history of the organization in terms of its diversity initiatives and what lays ahead for the future of diversity initiatives for P&G. First, I will discuss the history of the organization in terms of its diversity initiatives.

History of Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble is an international consumer goods company that is headquartered in Ohio in the United States. It has revenue of almost $77 billion and a net income of $7.03 billion with assets of almost $130 billion (PG.com, 2016). Here is some information on the history of the company:

Candle maker William Procter and soap maker James Gamble, both born in theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, emigrated from England and Ireland respectively. They settled in Cincinnati initially and met when they married sisters, Olivia and Elizabeth Norris.[6]Alexander Norris, their father-in-law, called a meeting in which he persuaded his new sons-in-law to become business partners. On October 31, 1837, as a result of the suggestion, Procter & Gamble was created.

In 1858–1859, sales reached $1million. By that point, approximately 80 employees worked for Procter & Gamble. During theAmerican Civil War, the company won contracts to supply theUnion Armywith soap andcandles. In addition to the increased profits experienced during the war, the military contracts introduced soldiers from all over the country to Procter & Gamble's products.

In the 1880s, Procter & Gamble began to market a new product, an inexpensive soap that floats in water. The company called the soapIvory. William Arnett Procter, William Procter's grandson, began aprofit-sharingprogram for the company'sworkforcein 1887. By giving the workers a stake in the company, he correctly assumed that they would be less likely to go on strike.

The company began to build factories in other locations in the United States because the demand for products had outgrown the capacity of the Cincinnati facilities. The company's leaders began to diversify its products as well and, in 1911, began producingCrisco, ashorteningmade ofvegetable oilsrather thananimal fats. As radio became more popular in the 1920s and 1930s, the company sponsored a number of radio programs. As a result, these shows often became commonly known as "soap operas" (Anon, 2016).

One of the greatest diversity initiatives that Procter & Gamble has been involved in is their productions of soap operas. Reality television today has much to owe to the tradition of soap operas in the past and here is a listing of some of the soap operas that Procter & Gamble produced:

  • Another World
  • As the World Turns
  • The Brighter Day
  • The Catlins
  • The Edge of Night
  • The First Hundred Years
  • From These Roots
  • Guiding Light
  • Lovers and Friends/For Richer, for Poorer
  • Our Private World
  • Search for Tomorrow
  • Somerset
  • Texas
  • Young Doctor Malone

The actors of color that appeared in these soap operas gave rise to the start of many acting careers. Next, I will discuss the diversity initiatives of Procter & Gamble as they relate to the workers of the company.

Workers of the Company

The P&G website proudly displays their policy on diversity and inclusion. Here it is below verbatim:

Fulfilling our potential

Diversity and Inclusion is deeply rooted in our Purpose, Values and Principles. It is who we are and who we aspire to be.

Every P&G employee is equally talented in unique ways. Beyond the visible differences, we come from diverse traditions, personal experiences and points of view. That’s why, in our increasingly interconnected world, it is only appropriate that we celebrate everyone’s uniqueness, every day.

Our mission of Diversity and Inclusion is: “Everyone valued. Everyone included. Everyone performing at their peakTM.”

The practice of diversity

We’re committed to creating a winning culture where colleagues and managers sincerely care for one another. Everyone’s full engagement is expected to ensure we deliver on our mission in every facet of our business. Diversity & Inclusion is implicit in P&G’s Purpose, Values and Principles and explicit in P&G’s business strategies.

  • It enables P&G to be the “employer of choice” that hires, engages and retains the best talent from around the world.
  • It’s at the core of being “in touch” so we create brands and products to improve the lives of the world’s consumers now and in the future.
  • Through our focus on understanding each individual’s skills and passions, as well as our fundamental commonalities, we enable behaviors that lead to a culture of innovation.

We know that fostering a supportive and encouraging environment can inspire every employee to bring his and her personal best. To win, we must value, respect and include the people who make P&G possible.

Non-Discrimination Policy

P&G is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment. This means we must treat our fellow P&Gers and P&G applicants fairly and never engage in any form of unlawful discrimination. We follow all related laws and in our employment decisions (such as recruiting, hiring, training, salary and promotion) we do not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, HIV/AIDS status, or any other legally protected factor.

This policy above shows the commitment that Procter & Gamble has to diversity. As what was also mentioned at the beginning of this essay with the example of the Black woman Julia, she always spoke well about her experience working with Procter & Gamble.

Conclusion

I began this essay with a short non-fiction story about a Black woman who I once knew who was working with Procter & Gamble, or P&G as it is now called. Her name is Julia (not her real name). Julia had a safe, secure and permanent job with P&G. She was working in a customer-focused job, the exact nature of which I cannot recall, which means I do not know what her exact job title with the company was. She enjoyed her work with Procter & Gamble and always said that the working atmosphere with the company was excellent. She lived in Toronto, Canada for a while and then moved to Maryland in the United States. Due to the international focus of the company of P&G, Julia was able to relocate her employment with the company from Toronto to the state of Maryland. I have since lost touch with Julia, however in her early days in the United States, she did continue to say that she enjoyed her work with P&G and there actually were more Black people working for the company in Maryland than when she was in Toronto, Canada.

This story is one small example of the diversity at P&G. This essay was a case study research paper on Procter & Gamble and whether or not they are managing diversity well with their organization. I discussed the types of diversity programs and diversity initiatives that corporation is involved in. I also gave a history of the organization in terms of its diversity initiatives and what lays ahead for the future of diversity initiatives for P&G. First, I discussed the history of the organization in terms of its diversity initiatives.

References

Anon. (2016). "history_of_innovation".us.pg.com. Retrieved from:

PG.com. (2016). Procter & Gamble. Cincinnati, Ohio: Procter & Gamble. Retrieved from: