{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/71705"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/71705","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Exploring Factors Influencing Employer Attitudes and Practices toward Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the New River Valley","abstract":"Although Congress enacted civil rights legislation in the 1960s to address racial inequities in income and employment, the executive branch and the courts have since retreated from efforts to pursue those policies aggressively. Meanwhile, anti-racism advocates, including the Montgomery County, Virginia based Dialogue on Race, have continued to promote strategies aimed at securing employment and income equity for all citizens. This study analyzed the social and economic costs of continued racial inequality in employment and income, and examined the ways in which local employers are addressing this challenge in the Blacksburg, Virginia region by exploring their self-reported rationales for action on the basis of economic efficiency or profit, moral obligation to fairness and justice, adherence to legal requirements, or leader influence. I addressed these concerns through population data analysis, key informant interviews, and a survey of major local employers. I found that New River Valley employers appear to be motivated by economic and moral reasons, as well as legal compliance. I conclude that activists should use this apparent openness to multiple rationales to work to help community leaders and local employers recognize racial equality as a moral imperative rather than as an instrumental claim incidental to its perceived utility.","abstract_html":"Although Congress enacted civil rights legislation in the 1960s to address racial inequities in income and employment, the executive branch and the courts have since retreated from efforts to pursue those policies aggressively. Meanwhile, anti-racism advocates, including the Montgomery County, Virginia based Dialogue on Race, have continued to promote strategies aimed at securing employment and income equity for all citizens. This study analyzed the social and economic costs of continued racial inequality in employment and income, and examined the ways in which local employers are addressing this challenge in the Blacksburg, Virginia region by exploring their self-reported rationales for action on the basis of economic efficiency or profit, moral obligation to fairness and justice, adherence to legal requirements, or leader influence. I addressed these concerns through population data analysis, key informant interviews, and a survey of major local employers. I found that New River Valley employers appear to be motivated by economic and moral reasons, as well as legal compliance. I conclude that activists should use this apparent openness to multiple rationales to work to help community leaders and local employers recognize racial equality as a moral imperative rather than as an instrumental claim incidental to its perceived utility.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Halvorson-Fried, Sarah Marie"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Urban and Regional Planning","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Urban and Regional Planning","degree_department":"Public and International Affairs","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Stephenson, Max O. Jr."],"committee_members":["Reed, Wornie L.","Stern, Marc J."],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-07-01","date_published":"2016-07-01","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:37Z","subjects":["equal employment opportunity","diversity and inclusion","racial inequality","social policy","equitable growth"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:8188"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:8188","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/71705","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Stephenson, Max O. Jr."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Reed, Wornie L.","Stern, Marc J."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Public and International Affairs"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Halvorson-Fried, Sarah Marie"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2016-07-02T08:01:34Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-07-02T08:01:34Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2016-07-01"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Urban and Regional Planning"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Urban and Regional Planning"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["equal employment opportunity","diversity and inclusion","racial inequality","social policy","equitable growth"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:8188"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/71705"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Although Congress enacted civil rights legislation in the 1960s to address racial inequities in income and employment, the executive branch and the courts have since retreated from efforts to pursue those policies aggressively. Meanwhile, anti-racism advocates, including the Montgomery County, Virginia based Dialogue on Race, have continued to promote strategies aimed at securing employment and income equity for all citizens. This study analyzed the social and economic costs of continued racial inequality in employment and income, and examined the ways in which local employers are addressing this challenge in the Blacksburg, Virginia region by exploring their self-reported rationales for action on the basis of economic efficiency or profit, moral obligation to fairness and justice, adherence to legal requirements, or leader influence. I addressed these concerns through population data analysis, key informant interviews, and a survey of major local employers. I found that New River Valley employers appear to be motivated by economic and moral reasons, as well as legal compliance. I conclude that activists should use this apparent openness to multiple rationales to work to help community leaders and local employers recognize racial equality as a moral imperative rather than as an instrumental claim incidental to its perceived utility."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Urban and Regional Planning"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Exploring Factors Influencing Employer Attitudes and Practices toward Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the New River Valley"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Stephenson, Max O. Jr."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Reed, Wornie L.","Stern, Marc J."],"dc:contributor.department":["Public and International Affairs"],"dc:creator":["Halvorson-Fried, Sarah Marie"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2016-07-02T08:01:34Z"],"dc:date.available":["2016-07-02T08:01:34Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2016-07-01"],"dc:description.abstract":["Although Congress enacted civil rights legislation in the 1960s to address racial inequities in income and employment, the executive branch and the courts have since retreated from efforts to pursue those policies aggressively. Meanwhile, anti-racism advocates, including the Montgomery County, Virginia based Dialogue on Race, have continued to promote strategies aimed at securing employment and income equity for all citizens. This study analyzed the social and economic costs of continued racial inequality in employment and income, and examined the ways in which local employers are addressing this challenge in the Blacksburg, Virginia region by exploring their self-reported rationales for action on the basis of economic efficiency or profit, moral obligation to fairness and justice, adherence to legal requirements, or leader influence. I addressed these concerns through population data analysis, key informant interviews, and a survey of major local employers. I found that New River Valley employers appear to be motivated by economic and moral reasons, as well as legal compliance. I conclude that activists should use this apparent openness to multiple rationales to work to help community leaders and local employers recognize racial equality as a moral imperative rather than as an instrumental claim incidental to its perceived utility."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Urban and Regional Planning"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:8188"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/71705"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["equal employment opportunity","diversity and inclusion","racial inequality","social policy","equitable growth"],"dc:title":["Exploring Factors Influencing Employer Attitudes and Practices toward Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the New River Valley"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Urban and Regional Planning"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Urban and Regional Planning"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:37Z"}