Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/254168 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Citation: 
[Journal:] European Journal of Management and Business Economics (EJM&BE) [ISSN:] 2444-8451 [Volume:] 28 [Issue:] 1 [Publisher:] Emerald [Place:] Bingley [Year:] 2019 [Pages:] 90-108
Publisher: 
Emerald, Bingley
Abstract: 
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine human resources (HR) professionals' self-perceptions of ethically questionable human resource management (HRM) practices (i.e. disregard for the individual, favoring those in power and discrimination). The research sought specifically to determine how these perceptions are influenced by their organizations' ethical infrastructure and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 134 HR professionals using an anonymous structured questionnaire. Findings: The scope of organizations' ethics programs and the degree of importance given to developing an ethical infrastructure were found to predict the level of acceptance of unethical HRM practices related to discrimination. These practices are also less acceptable to professionals from organizations that are perceived as more socially responsible regarding their employees. Research limitations/implications: Additional studies with larger samples are needed to determine more clearly not only the influence of contextual determinants, but also the practical consequences of high levels of acceptance of unethical practices in HRM. Practical implications: Organizations can decrease their HR professionals' acceptance of ethically questionable HRM practices by developing and emphasizing a strong ethical infrastructure and CSR practices, especially those affecting employees. Originality/value: HR professionals' perceptions of ethical issues have rarely been analyzed using empirically tested methods. By surveying HR professionals, this study contributes to a fuller understanding of their perceptions regarding the ethics of their own practices. The results show that contextual determinants play an important role in predicting the level of acceptance of unethical HRM practices, especially those leading to discrimination.
Subjects: 
Corporate social responsibility
Ethics
Unethical practices
Ethical infrastructure
Human resource management practices
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article

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