Poorly managed affirmative action programs may, on occasion, result in a corruption of policies. It is explicitly illegal to establish quotas and fill them with regard only to the race or gender of the applicant. Affirmative action undermines an employer's ability to make employment decisions based on merit. Affirmative action was created precisely because decisions were not being made based on merit. In seeking to achieve its goals, an employer is never required to hire a person who lacks the qualifications needed to perform the job successfully, or hire a less qualified person over a more qualified one.
Affirmative action is bad for business.
Many prominent business leaders support affirmative action because it widens the labor pool of qualified candidates, introduces more competition for jobs, and helps create a work force that reflects the diversity of the markets that businesses serve. Affirmative action should be based on social and economic disadvantage, rather than on gender or race. While socioeconomic disadvantage could be used in addition to gender and race, it should not take their place.