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The buzzwords ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’ are not interchangeable cogs on the multicultural Ferris wheel, asserts Maurice Cox, vice president of corporate development and diversity. The two terms, however related, are more like distant cousins and cannot be transposed when discussing true acceptance of differences.

“There is one thing when you are diverse and are understanding of all those things that make us distinct and different,” Cox says. “But it’s quite another when you practice inclusion. And that is how you include all those differences each and every day into the workplace. And that’s where the game is going to be won or loss.”

Cox broached the subject of diversity and inclusion following the Real Pepsi Challenge panel discussion at Pace University in Lower Manhattan. Cox, who works to usher in inclusion at soft-drink titan Pepsi, was one of the panelists who expressed awe and gratitude for the pioneering black businessmen who overcame nearly insurmountable odds to pave the way for their successors.

“What these gentlemen were able to do was create a foundation, and quite frankly, I think they created a foundation that we continue to build on today. I think they helped us to understand there [were] incredible business opportunities that we were somehow missing. [And I believe] they laid it out as clearly as they could,” Cox says. - terry shropshire

For more information, log onto www.pepsico.com.

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