THE EFFECT OF ETHICAL SIGNALS ON RECRUITMENT ...

deepen the current understanding of the ways in which ethical signals really influence
recruitment outcomes. For example, one participant claimed that her parents influenced
her decision to choose one organization over another by pointing to the ethical behavior
of the organization during her internship. It would be interesting to know how much and
what type of influence others have over applicant decisions as well as if this differs
based on factors such as age or gender.
Finally, future researchers should further explore the relative importance of
ethics (over other factors) in job choice decisions. A small sample size prohibited a deep
exploration into this area, but initial results were very interesting. Participants actually
ranked ethics above performance in importance. If these results can be replicated in a
larger sample with more statistical power, researchers may find that ethics plays a more
vital role than previously thought. Study 2 (Chapter V) attempts to address some of
these issues by including performance in a rigorous laboratory study that examines
ethical signals and individual difference moderators.
Applicant responses to ethical signals are likely influenced by the applicant’s
individual differences and preferences, which few studies have examined (Ryan &
Ployhart, 2000). In an organizational setting, individuals will have a wide range of
ethical beliefs. As a result, they will differentially process the ethical signals sent by the
organization. More ethical individuals will seek and be selected by those organizations
with a strong ethical culture (Brown & Trevino, 2006). Additionally, the more morally
developed the individual, the more likely they are to detect and be influenced by ethical
signals from the organizational and recruitment practices. Therefore, it is important to
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