ABSTRACT
Background The idea for writing this book arose from one author’s experiences of planning and teaching a final year undergraduate module entitled ‘Managing Diversity’. Unusually perhaps, this module is core, and therefore compulsory, for students taking the University of North London’s ‘Human resource studies’ pathway. As a core module ‘Managing Diversity’ is of central importance within the pathway and it is intended that the module will situate current and emerging equality and diversity debates and issues within the context of the UK labour market. It is also intended that it will provide the theoretical and conceptual underpinning necessary to understand the policies and practices of organizations, line managers and human resource practitioners. Thus the module has a broad agenda, pointing away from a narrow focus on equality practice or on the functional activities of human resource practitioners, towards an examination of the social and economic contexts within which labour market activity takes place. Difficulties were found in selecting a suitable textbook to support the programme of teaching and
learning, this despite an abundance of research-based literature contained in texts and journals. A prescriptive or management textbook would not provide the theoretical and conceptual substance, whilst a US-based textbook (of which there are many) would not provide the appropriate contextual backdrop for a discussion of the UK situation. Following indepth student evaluation of the module, involving questionnaires and focus groups, the conclusion arrived at was that it was timely to consider writing a textbook that would map the diversity and equality territories, and provide a solid basis for the study thereof.
