Diversity in business: no excuse not to

An excerpt from an interview with John Rogers, of the Ariel Funds

Smartmoney: You have talked about the lack of diversity in corporate America. Do you look at a company's diversity policy when investing?

John Rogers: It is part of the mosaic in determining if the management team is smart or not, do they get it or not. We ask questions and have been able to move the needle somewhat and push companies to have their Jackie Robinson moments. If they are really stubborn, have no excuses and no good reasons about the lack of diversity, it affects our view on how smart, thoughtful and talented management is.