Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Business economics - Personnel and Organisation, grade: Exceptional Distinction, Nottingham Trent University, language: English, abstract: Equal Opportunities (EO) and Diversity Management (DM) are terms that are often used interchangeably but differ both conceptually and legally finds only partial support. In general, both approaches aim to provide fairness and equality and are perceived as effective methods to address workplace discrimination and both rely on anti-discrimination legislation to shape organisational practice. As such, they are appropriately used interchangeably without any fundamental differences, neither conceptually nor legally. Main differences are that EO is determined by the national macro-level, while DM mainly operates on organisational meso-level and includes a broader scope regarding the concept of diversity itself - whilst EO is limited to surface-level diversity, DM encompasses more aspects of diversity such as experience or opinion - and possible uses and hence prevents discrimination and inequalities whilst also enabling business benefits. Research into practice shows that organisations generally use both concepts and that DM initiatives are shaped by existing EO policies but that the emphasise on each differs according to the specific context. So, DM differs from EO in that it goes beyond the limits of traditional EO whilst still being constrained by it to a certain extent. Internationally however, EO and DM are likely to be conceptualised differently because of different legal frameworks, cultural values that impact organisational conceptualisation of EO and DM. How DM is conceptualised as different from EO also depends on how diverse an organisation's workforce is. The more diverse, the more potential for diverging needs and expectations exists and the more difficult it is for EO guidelines to address these needs.