Starbucks wasted little time trying to minimize damage stemming from alleged racism at one of its locations by ordering all its U.S. shops to undergo racial-bias training.

If and when it really goes mainstream, it will mean a sea-change for the way business is conducted in the U.S. (and around the world).

Excessive employee turnover is costly, and retaining top talent has increasingly become a challenge in a harsh and competitive labor market.

Arguably, both the federal government and the business community reflect more diversity in their respective ranks than ever before. Does that mean – as was said in some corners when President Obama was elected in 2008 – that we’ve entered a “post-racial” era? Or, when it comes to ethnic and other types of diversity representation, are we still a work in progress?