| Course | BUS 225 Legal Environment of Business |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Employment law analysis |
| Length | About 1,050 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 225 Module 7
A Lifting Test, a Diploma and a Saturday Shift: Fair Employment Law at Pinecrest's Warehouse
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
BUS 225: Legal Environment of Business
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
A Lifting Test, a Diploma and a Saturday Shift: Fair Employment Law at Pinecrest's Warehouse
Pinecrest is opening a larger warehouse and hiring a warehouse lead and six associates. Three issues have come up. The lead job posting requires a high school diploma and the ability to lift 75 pounds. An applicant with a back condition who has run a warehouse for eight years says he cannot lift 75 pounds but can operate the pallet jack and forklift that move heavy items. And a current associate, a Seventh-day Adventist, has asked not to be scheduled on Saturdays, the warehouse's busiest shipping day. With 38 employees, Pinecrest is covered by the major federal employment discrimination laws. This paper analyzes each issue.
The Legal Framework
Title VII, part of the landmark 1964 civil rights law, prohibits employers with fifteen or more employees from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin; the Americans with Disabilities Act covers disability for employers of the same size, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects workers 40 and older at employers with twenty or more employees. Discrimination can be proved in two main ways. Disparate treatment is intentional: the employer treated someone worse because of a protected characteristic. Disparate impact arises when a neutral practice falls more heavily on a protected group and is not justified by business need.
Proving Disparate Treatment
Most treatment claims rely on circumstantial evidence, analyzed through a burden-shifting framework. The applicant first shows that he belongs to a protected class, applied and was qualified for an open job, was rejected, and the job stayed open or went to someone else; the employer must then state a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason; and the applicant may then show that reason is a pretext (McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 1973). For Pinecrest, the practical lesson is to decide on job-related criteria in advance, apply them consistently and record the reasons for each hiring decision.
The Diploma Requirement
The Supreme Court's first disparate impact case involved a power company that required a high school diploma and passing scores on general aptitude tests for jobs that had not required them before. The requirements screened out Black applicants at far higher rates, and the company could not show they were related to job performance; the Court held that practices neutral on their face violate Title VII if they operate to exclude a protected group and are not shown to be a business necessity (Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 1971). Pinecrest's lead position involves scheduling, inventory counts and training associates, but several of its best current leads lack diplomas. Unless Pinecrest can show the diploma predicts success in the job, it should replace the requirement with job-related criteria such as warehouse experience and a practical inventory exercise.
The Lifting Requirement and Disability
The ADA protects qualified individuals with disabilities, meaning those who can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. Employers must provide reasonable accommodation unless it would impose an undue hardship, and they should engage in an interactive process with the applicant to identify one (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2002). The key question is whether lifting 75 pounds by hand is an essential function. In Pinecrest's warehouse, loads over 50 pounds are moved by pallet jack or forklift under its own safety policy, and the lead's job is mainly supervisory. Lifting 75 pounds manually looks like a marginal function at most. Pinecrest should revise the posting to describe the actual physical demands and consider the applicant on his qualifications, with equipment use as the accommodation if one is needed.
The Saturday Request
Title VII requires employers to accommodate an employee's religious practice unless doing so would cause undue hardship. For decades, lower courts read that standard as allowing refusal whenever accommodation cost more than a trivial amount. In 2023 the Supreme Court rejected that reading and held that an employer must show a substantial burden given the whole of its operations, considering the particular accommodation and the employer's size and operating costs (Groff v. DeJoy, 2023). Pinecrest's warehouse has fourteen associates, several of whom have asked for more weekend hours. Letting the associate work Sundays and a weekday in place of Saturday, with voluntary shift swaps, would impose little cost. Refusing the request would be hard to defend.
Three Situations Compared
The table summarizes each issue.
| Situation | Governing law | Likely result | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diploma requirement | Title VII disparate impact | Risky unless job-related | Replace with job-related criteria |
| 75-pound lifting requirement | ADA essential functions | Probably not essential | Revise posting; consider applicant |
| No Saturday shifts | Title VII religious accommodation | Accommodation required | Adjust schedule; allow swaps |
A Revised Hiring Process
Pinecrest should write job descriptions from an analysis of what each role actually requires, separating essential from marginal functions. Postings should state physical demands accurately and invite accommodation requests. Interviewers should use the same structured questions for every candidate and record scores against stated criteria. A manager should be trained to handle accommodation requests through a documented interactive process, and requests should be answered in writing. The company should also review its applicant data yearly to spot practices that screen out groups at different rates.
Avoiding Retaliation
Federal law also protects employees who raise discrimination concerns, file charges or ask for accommodation. Retaliation claims are now the most common charge the EEOC receives, and they can succeed even when the underlying discrimination claim fails. If the associate who asked for Saturdays off is later given worse assignments or fewer hours, or the applicant who disclosed his back condition is treated differently in a later hiring round, Pinecrest could face a retaliation claim. Managers should be told plainly that requests and complaints must not affect scheduling, pay or evaluations, and any later adverse decision about these individuals should be reviewed and documented against the same criteria applied to everyone else.
Conclusion
Each of Pinecrest's three issues has a clear answer under federal law. The diploma requirement risks disparate impact without evidence that it predicts job performance. The lifting requirement likely overstates an essential function and must yield to reasonable accommodation. The Saturday request must be accommodated because the burden on a fourteen-person crew with willing volunteers is not substantial. Job-related criteria, consistent processes and good-faith accommodation would bring the warehouse's hiring into line.
References
Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 401 U.S. 424 (1971).
Groff v. DeJoy, 600 U.S. 447 (2023).
McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973).
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2002). Enforcement guidance on reasonable accommodation and undue hardship under the ADA. https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/enforcement-guidance-reasonable-accommodation-and-undue-hardship-under-ada
BUS 225 Module 7 instructions, in plain terms
Discrimination is named in Aspen's BUS 225 catalog description, and the seventh module commonly asks students to apply federal law to workplace decisions. Your Module 7 instructions are in the course itself, so this example analyzes three practices at one employer. Confirm which laws cover the employer based on size. Explain disparate treatment and disparate impact and choose the right theory for each practice. For disability issues, decide what the essential functions are before discussing accommodation. For religious accommodation, apply the current undue hardship standard, not the old one. Summarize the results clearly. Recommend a process that would prevent problems, including how to handle accommodation requests and avoid retaliation.
How the BUS 225 Module 7 example is put together
The paper introduces the diploma rule, the lifting requirement, an experienced applicant with a back condition and a Seventh-day Adventist associate. It explains coverage thresholds and the two main theories. The treatment section sets out the burden-shifting framework. The diploma section applies Griggs and suggests replacing the rule with job-related criteria. The lifting section uses EEOC accommodation guidance to find that manual lifting of 75 pounds is not essential when equipment moves heavy loads. The Saturday section explains the 2023 substantial burden standard and finds accommodation required on a fourteen-person crew. A table summarizes results, a retaliation section warns about later treatment, and a revised hiring process closes the paper.
Where the marks sit in the BUS 225 Module 7 rubric
Employment law analyses are assessed on correct coverage, proper choice of theory, accurate current standards and a sound process. This example uses the right theory for each practice and applies the 2023 Groff standard rather than the outdated trivial cost reading. It cites Griggs v. Duke Power, McDonnell Douglas v. Green, Groff v. DeJoy and EEOC enforcement guidance on reasonable accommodation, all in APA style. Reasoning about essential functions from how the warehouse actually works is the analysis instructors want. Adding retaliation and a structured hiring process shows the paper understands prevention as well as liability. Each practice is also given a concrete fix that a small employer could put in place within weeks.
BUS 225 Module 7 help from the desk
Students often cite the wrong standard for religious accommodation; since 2023, the burden must be substantial. Another error is treating a job description as proof that a function is essential; look at how the work is actually done. Choose between disparate treatment and disparate impact for each practice. Check coverage thresholds before applying a law. Don't forget retaliation, which is often easier to prove than discrimination. Recommend processes, not only outcomes. Use neutral, respectful language about protected groups. If the burden-shifting steps feel abstract, work through a sample hiring decision with one of our tutors until the sequence is clear. Seeing each step as a question the court asks, in order, often helps. Write out what the employee must show first, then what the employer answers, then what pretext would look like on your facts.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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BUS 225 Module 7 questions, answered
What does BUS 225 Module 7 usually ask for?
Aspen's BUS 225 covers discrimination law, so a paper applying Title VII and the ADA to hiring or workplace decisions is typical. Follow your classroom prompt.
What is disparate impact?
Discrimination that results when a neutral employment practice screens out a protected group at a higher rate and is not shown to be job-related and a business necessity.
What counts as undue hardship for religious accommodation?
Since the Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Groff v. DeJoy, an employer must show a substantial burden in the context of its business, not merely more than a trivial cost.
Where can I find a free BUS 225 Module 7 sample paper?
Read it in full above: three warehouse practices analyzed under Title VII and the ADA, with a table of likely results and a revised hiring process.
Does Title VII apply to small businesses?
It applies to employers with fifteen or more employees; many states have their own laws that reach smaller employers.