Are Ethical Codes of Conduct Toothless Tigers for Dealing with Employment Discrimination?

Abstract

personnel selection, employment discrimination, codes of conduct, code enforcement,

Smoking as a Job Killer: Reactions to Smokers in Personnel Selection

“…Numerous studies in personnel selection have highlighted stigmatization, biases, and employment discrimination based on a multitude of factors including: race, ethnicity, and immigrant or minority status (Brief et al 2000;Derous and Ryan 2012;Petersen and Krings 2009), gender (Cohen and Bunker 1975;Glick et al 1988;Ng and Wiesner 2007), age (Finkelstein et al 1995;Krings et al 2011), sexual preference (Hebl et al 2002), attractiveness (Tews et al 2009), or obesity (King et al 2014;Roehling 2002). Non-discrimination has been described as a moral obligation for organizations (Demuijnck 2009).…”

Constructing a Code of Ethics: An Experiential Case of a National Professional Organization

“…As far back as Cressey and Moore's (1983) classic analysis, many early codes focused on preventing behavior that went ''against the firm'' rather than on behavior supporting the public interest. History has repeatedly proven that the mere presence of a code does not prevent unethical, or even, illegal behavior -there are many examples of what Petersen and Krings (2009) call ''toothless tigers'' (p. 510). Whether in for profit or not forprofit enterprises, the stated goal of a code of ethics is to influence behavior; however, understanding why codes vary in effectiveness may become clearer through an examination of how proactive the management team was in the development process.…”

“…Petersen and Krings (2009) recommend that research on the influence of codes on behavior should ''…pay attention to the extent that ethical codes are integrated into organizational every-day practice as well as to the extent that an organization promotes a climate for ethical behavior'' (p. 511). These questions will guide the next phase of our research as we explore further the conditions under which an ethically valid code can be sustained over time, as new members join, old members leave, and the organization evolves.…”

Complete and Partial Organizing for Corporate Social Responsibility

“…Monitoring is often believed to be a necessary organizational element to ensure code effectiveness (Petersen and Krings 2009). Because legislation in some countries requires firms to monitor the effectiveness of codes (e.g., the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the U.S.; Kaptein and Schwartz 2008), there has been an increased emphasis on compliance mechanisms in recent years.…”