First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment Process

Purpose – The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of perceived usefulness of AI recruitment processes (PU-AIRP) on candidate perceptions of utility (PUT), fairness (PF), and privacy (PP), and how these factors influence organizational attractiveness (OA). It further examines the mediat...

وصف كامل

محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Al Moghrabi, Abdul Rahman (author)
التنسيق: masterThesis
منشور في: 2025
الوصول للمادة أونلاين:http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16975
https://doi.org/10.26756/th.2023.774
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/thesis.php
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author Al Moghrabi, Abdul Rahman
author_facet Al Moghrabi, Abdul Rahman
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Al Moghrabi, Abdul Rahman
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-06-16T07:05:09Z
2025-06-16T07:05:09Z
2025
2025-05-19
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16975
https://doi.org/10.26756/th.2023.774
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/thesis.php
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Lebanese American University
dc.rights.*.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment Process
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Thesis
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis
description Purpose – The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of perceived usefulness of AI recruitment processes (PU-AIRP) on candidate perceptions of utility (PUT), fairness (PF), and privacy (PP), and how these factors influence organizational attractiveness (OA). It further examines the mediating roles of PF, PP, and PUT, and explores whether candidate experience with AI recruitment (E-AIRP) moderates the relationship between PU-AIRP and PUT. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative methodology was employed using an online survey targeting job seekers and employees with exposure to AI-based recruitment tools such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), chatbots, or automated screening. Data were collected in early 2025, yielding 221 valid responses from participants across Lebanon, the GCC, Europe, and the United States. Structural relationships were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4, assessing both direct and indirect effects, as well as the moderating role of experience. Findings – The results show that PU-AIRP positively influences candidates’ perceptions of fairness and PUT but negatively affects PP. Fairness and utility significantly contribute to OA, while privacy does not. Additionally, candidates with E-AIRP strengthens the positive relationship between PU-AIRP and PUT but has no direct effect. Mediation analysis confirms that fairness and utility serve as key intermediaries in shaping candidate perceptions, while privacy does not. Research limitations/implications – Although the study is limited to a cross-sectional sample and self-reported data, it offers valuable insights into how candidates form ethical and practical evaluations of AI in recruitment. It supports organizations in designing AI hiring systems that balance efficiency with fairness, transparency, and candidate trust. Originality/value – This research contributes to the growing literature on AI ethics in HR by integrating both utilitarian and deontological perspectives into a single candidate-centered framework. It is among the first to model fairness, privacy, and utility as mediators in AI recruiting perceptions while testing the moderating influence of prior experience.
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publisher.none.fl_str_mv Lebanese American University
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spelling First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment ProcessAl Moghrabi, Abdul RahmanPurpose – The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of perceived usefulness of AI recruitment processes (PU-AIRP) on candidate perceptions of utility (PUT), fairness (PF), and privacy (PP), and how these factors influence organizational attractiveness (OA). It further examines the mediating roles of PF, PP, and PUT, and explores whether candidate experience with AI recruitment (E-AIRP) moderates the relationship between PU-AIRP and PUT. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative methodology was employed using an online survey targeting job seekers and employees with exposure to AI-based recruitment tools such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), chatbots, or automated screening. Data were collected in early 2025, yielding 221 valid responses from participants across Lebanon, the GCC, Europe, and the United States. Structural relationships were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4, assessing both direct and indirect effects, as well as the moderating role of experience. Findings – The results show that PU-AIRP positively influences candidates’ perceptions of fairness and PUT but negatively affects PP. Fairness and utility significantly contribute to OA, while privacy does not. Additionally, candidates with E-AIRP strengthens the positive relationship between PU-AIRP and PUT but has no direct effect. Mediation analysis confirms that fairness and utility serve as key intermediaries in shaping candidate perceptions, while privacy does not. Research limitations/implications – Although the study is limited to a cross-sectional sample and self-reported data, it offers valuable insights into how candidates form ethical and practical evaluations of AI in recruitment. It supports organizations in designing AI hiring systems that balance efficiency with fairness, transparency, and candidate trust. Originality/value – This research contributes to the growing literature on AI ethics in HR by integrating both utilitarian and deontological perspectives into a single candidate-centered framework. It is among the first to model fairness, privacy, and utility as mediators in AI recruiting perceptions while testing the moderating influence of prior experience.Lebanese American University2025-06-16T07:05:09Z2025-06-16T07:05:09Z20252025-05-19Thesisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesishttp://hdl.handle.net/10725/16975https://doi.org/10.26756/th.2023.774http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/thesis.phpeninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/169752025-06-16T10:05:40Z
spellingShingle First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment Process
Al Moghrabi, Abdul Rahman
status_str publishedVersion
title First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment Process
title_full First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment Process
title_fullStr First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment Process
title_full_unstemmed First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment Process
title_short First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment Process
title_sort First Impressions by Machine: Candidates’ Perceptions of Ethics and Employer Image in AI Recruitment Process
url http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16975
https://doi.org/10.26756/th.2023.774
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/thesis.php