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Hiring for Diversity: The Challenges Faced by American and European Companies in Employee Selection

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Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity Management

Part of the book series: CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance ((CSEG))

Abstract

In today’s business climate, corporate social responsibility has a broad definition and includes diversity management. The process of employee selection is a key diversity management practice, as it influences an organization’s external brand and signifies commitment to diversity to current employees. In the USA, the history of racial discrimination resulted in sweeping employment laws designed to reduce bias, especially in the hiring process. Thus, employers have struggled to balance compliance with affirmative action laws and finding a method of selection that is perceived as fair to all job candidates. In Europe, employment laws are more prescriptive to bring about equality, especially gender equality. This chapter outlines the history of employee selection in the USA and Europe, reviews the challenges practitioners face with the many methods they have employed to try and ensure fairness, and presents the implications of common diversity selection practices in both locales.

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Acknowledgment

We wish to thank Daniela Ferrari, Vera Valtancoli, and Gaia Ghirardi for their assistance in preparing the case study of UniCredit’s diversity management programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Loriann Roberson & Shana M. Yearwood

  2. University of Naples Parthenope, Napoli, Italy

    Loriann Roberson & Filomena Buonocore

Authors
  1. Loriann Roberson
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  2. Filomena Buonocore
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  3. Shana M. Yearwood
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Correspondence to Loriann Roberson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Westfälische Hochschule, University of Applied Sciences, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

    Katrin Hansen

  2. School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom

    Cathrine Seierstad

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Roberson, L., Buonocore, F., Yearwood, S.M. (2017). Hiring for Diversity: The Challenges Faced by American and European Companies in Employee Selection. In: Hansen, K., Seierstad, C. (eds) Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity Management. CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43564-0_9

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