Summary of Panel Discussion
Quality Research on Diversity Issues

Diversity panel members Cheryl Allen (Moorehouse College), Kelly Richmond (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Ida Robinson-Backman (University of Baltimore), and Cynthia Jackson (Northeastern University) led a number of activities designed to inform participants of opportunities for behavior-based diversity research and to spark new ideas for future research. They described a variety of streams of research related to the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, students and professional accountants.

More research is needed in a wide variety of areas including perceptions, recruitment, retention, advancement, and turnover related to women and minorities. In particular, research that looks at experiences of subset groups rather than just women or minorities, research examining minorities and women in the private sector, and research examining organizational culture issues as they relate to diversity are suggested. Similarly, research using path analysis techniques to examine variable relationships may be particularly fruitful.

Robinson-Backman provided a handout summarizing the publication outlets for past diversity research. This summary suggested that many major journals have demonstrated their interest and willingness to publish diversity-related work. This, coupled with the potential benefit of this research to the profession as it examines minority issues and seeks to increase diversity, makes the future bright for diversity-related research. The panel ended with a brainstorming session aimed at developing diversity-related research topics to complete within the next year.