"I don't think that minorities feel that they don't deserve it," Lin says.

But Crimson and Brown does not concern itself much with the "why" behind its programs, according to Abegglen. "We are a means to an end once the decision to hire minorities has been made [by companies]."

"Some may be filling quotes, some may be hiring because of affirmative action, but I think most are because it makes business sense," she says.

A Moral Imperative

Indeed, company representatives say a combination of business sense and a moral imperative are compelling these current diversifying drives.

"It's happening," says Littlejohn, "and the reason it's happening is because the customers of this business are demanding it."

Recruiters agree that an employee base which represents a diversity of thought offers huge benefits. "Six people who think differently are better than 60 who think the same," Littlejohn says.

And the consensus holds that the best way to guarantee creative approaches is to hire people with a spectrum of backgrounds--particularly in terms of race and gender.

Increasing minority hiring can also help business. First Chicago Bank's Barr says she believes customers tend to choose banks where they find the comfort of employees who "look like" them. She cites a sense of security when people see others of their ethnicity who have been successful.

A company's location influences its diversity as well, according to a staffing manager at a New Jersey consulting firm who spoke on condition of anonymity. This means that New York companies, for example, will hire significantly more minorities than Midwestern ones by virtue of the population which is producing their applicant pool.

One factor which doesn't seem to be a major influence is affirmative action regulation.

Companies seem to believe that the government's role is at best that of a guide. Although companies complete federally-mandated Equal Opportunity Employment reports each year, only the large ones are submitted to regular audits, according to one manager.

"The government does not have the bite behind it," Barr says.

But while small companies may not feel governmental pressure, for many large companies, the government's standards serve only as a minimum which they aim to surpass.

"Price Waterhouse wants to be ahead of the curve," Littlejohn says. He also notes the subtler influence by example of government bodies which are themselves extremely diverse.