Читать книгу Supplier Diversity For Dummies - Kathey K. Porter - Страница 38

Supplier diversity got its start with the federal government, but by 1968, several leading companies, such as General Motors and IBM (who were also federal contractors), were compelled to launch their own supplier diversity programs. Large corporations and the government have always had a close relationship. In the early days of the United States, it was nothing for the government to borrow money from private bankers when it ran a little short.

To this day, many corporations are vendors that provide the government with a variety of goods and services. With the establishment of the executive orders I cover earlier in the chapter, these vendors were under regulatory pressure to provide contracts to minority-owned businesses. Although some were inspired to create their own programs, many were motivated to simply remain compliant in order to continue to win contracts. This period came to a close because of legal challenges and backlash against laws designed to promote minority business development.