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Article
Publication date: 16 April 2024

Behnam Soltani and William E. Donald

Drawing on a theoretical framework of sustainable career ecosystem theory, our paper aims to consider how domestic and international postgraduates can enhance their employability…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on a theoretical framework of sustainable career ecosystem theory, our paper aims to consider how domestic and international postgraduates can enhance their employability through participation in a landscape of practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed an exploratory, longitudinal case study design to capture students' lived experiences on an 18-month Master of Professional Practice course at a higher education institution in New Zealand. The data collection procedure involved field note observations (months 1–4), a focus group (month 13) and narrative frames (months 16–18). The sample was domestic students from New Zealand (n = 2) and international students from Asia (n = 5).

Findings

One’s participation in multiple communities of practice represents their landscape of practice and a commitment to lifewide learning. Through participation in various communities of practice, domestic and international students can enhance their employability in three ways: (1) boundary encounters to develop social capital, (2) transcending contexts to enhance cultural capital, and (3) acknowledging the development of psychological capital and career agency.

Originality/value

Our work offers one of the earliest empirical validations of sustainable career ecosystem theory. Expressly, communities of practice represent various contexts whereby employability capital is developed over time. Additionally, the postgraduate students themselves are portrayed as interconnected and interdependent actors, presenting a novel framing of such dependencies at the micro-level of the ecosystem. The practical implications come from informing universities of the value of a landscape of practice to enhance the employability of domestic and international students in preparation for sustainable careers and to promote the sustainability of the career ecosystem.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2024

Yin Ma, P.M. Nimmi, Maria Mouratidou and William E. Donald

This study aims to explore the impact of engaging in serious leisure (SL) on the well-being (WB) and self-perceived employability (PE) of university students while also…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the impact of engaging in serious leisure (SL) on the well-being (WB) and self-perceived employability (PE) of university students while also considering the role of career adaptability (CA) as a mediator.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 905 domestic undergraduate students from China completed an online survey.

Findings

The findings reveal that participation in SL positively influences WB and PE. Additionally, the results indicate that CA mediates the SL-WB relationship but not the SL-PE relationship.

Originality/value

The theoretical contribution of this research comes from advancing our understanding of sustainable career theory through empirical testing of SL, PE, and CA on WB outcomes within a higher education setting. The practical implications of this study involve providing universities with strategies to support domestic Chinese undergraduate students in enhancing their WB and PE through active engagement in SL pursuits and the development of CA. Moreover, our findings serve as a foundation for future research investigating whether insights gained from domestic Chinese undergraduate students can provide solutions on a global scale to address the persistent challenges of improving student WB and PE.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2006

Donald W. Jackson, Thomas Hollmann and Andrew S. Gallan

The purpose of this article is to explore career development programs for the sales force including benefits, implementation and managerial implications.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explore career development programs for the sales force including benefits, implementation and managerial implications.

Design/methodology/approach

Career development programs are viewed through a conceptual model consisting of assessment, direction and development.

Findings

This paper provides a comprehensive list of the benefits of a career development program for sales forces.

Practical implications

The conceptual model can serve as a checklist for sales managers to evaluate, add to or modify their programs. The conceptual model also provides a framework for tying together many disparate areas of career development that have been handled separately or ignored in the sales management literature.

Originality/value

This paper provides a comprehensive conceptual model of career development that has not been present in the sales management literature. This should be useful to sales managers in evaluating their own career development efforts. The framework should also be useful to sales management scholars who teach and do research in this area.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 21 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 March 2015

James M Loveland, John W Lounsbury, Soo-Hee Park and Donald W Jackson

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between personality traits and both job and career satisfaction among salespeople. The authors also wished to examine…

2702

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between personality traits and both job and career satisfaction among salespeople. The authors also wished to examine the extent to which biologically based personality traits provided insights into job and career satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used latent profile analysis (LPA) to assess a sample of 299 salespeople along the dimensions of emotional stability, extraversion, work drive, teamwork orientation, customer service orientation, optimism and both job and career satisfaction.

Findings

The findings revealed two distinct groups, and these groups were markedly different along the biologically based traits of optimism, extraversion, emotional stability and along both job and career satisfaction. The differences across these groups were especially pronounced for career satisfaction.

Practical implications

Our findings suggest that firms might wish to devote limited resources to improving the skill sets of salespeople with the “right” disposition, rather than attempting to train candidates to cope with the emotional and visceral aspects of sales.

Originality/value

The relationship between biologically based traits and job/career satisfaction has not yet been examined. Moreover, the use of LPA provides interesting insights that regression or structural equation modeling-based approaches would not.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1995

Donald W. Jackson and Stephen S. Tax

The concept of culture has been an important subject of managerialinterest over the past decade, yet little has been written about howculture can be managed within the industrial…

2766

Abstract

The concept of culture has been an important subject of managerial interest over the past decade, yet little has been written about how culture can be managed within the industrial salesforce. Describes the key components of a salesforce culture and explains the characteristics of a well‐managed salesforce culture. Finally, develops suggestions for managing the industrial salesforce culture around three strategic factors: planning, implementation and control. Concludes by providing some guidelines for further research in this important area.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 May 2006

Aimao Zhang

Transaction cost economics is an important anchor for analyzing a wide range of economic and organizational issues and is complemented by various theories, resulting in a…

Abstract

Transaction cost economics is an important anchor for analyzing a wide range of economic and organizational issues and is complemented by various theories, resulting in a perception shift of transaction governance structure from a polar classification toward a continuum (John & Reve, 1982; Heide & Miner, 1992; Hennart, 1993). Despite conceptual framework developments, empirical studies based on the continuum are scarce. This research is an initial effort toward TGS dimensionalization and operationalization and reviews theoretical developments since 1930, surveys empirical studies from 1982 to 2004, presents Williamson’s framework (1991), and proposes a set of items for instrument design.

Details

International Journal of Commerce and Management, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1056-9219

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 February 2024

Marie Elaine Gioiosa, Cathryn M. Meegan and Jill M. D'Aquila

Given the implementation of a new Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensure exam and the CPA Evolution Model Curriculum, accounting educators must integrate more advanced skills…

Abstract

Purpose

Given the implementation of a new Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensure exam and the CPA Evolution Model Curriculum, accounting educators must integrate more advanced skills in their coursework. We illustrate how a commonly-used project in accounting classes, which teaches technical accounting content, can address skills and competencies identified by the Pathways Commission and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and, as a result, enhance skills all business school graduates need in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

We incorporate a financial statement analysis research project under a group work format in three levels of financial accounting classes. Using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, we evaluate changes in student perceptions of skills and competencies important for business graduates.

Findings

We find students perceive improvement in critical thinking, problem-solving, the ability to work with other people, their understanding of the course material, and data analysis abilities after completion of the project. We also find statistically significant increases pre-to post-project in student perceptions of their knowledge, confidence, competence, and enthusiasm with respect to accounting material.

Originality/value

We provide an example of how educators can align a commonly-used project with the CPA Evolution Model Curriculum, yet still meet the needs of non-accounting majors and prepare all students for future business careers. Group work has been studied and similar financial statement analysis projects have been implemented in the classroom for years. We contribute by not only extending and updating this research, but also by re-evaluating a project to determine whether it meets the shifting needs of a rapidly changing profession. By doing so, we answer recent researchers’ call for research in higher education that addresses employability and workplace skills.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1989

Martha Rogers and Richard W. Buchanan

Examines the problem of selecting new marketing directors and thehigh failure rate among new marketing personnel. Contends that thefailure of first‐time marketing directors is not…

Abstract

Examines the problem of selecting new marketing directors and the high failure rate among new marketing personnel. Contends that the failure of first‐time marketing directors is not automatic; identifies the problems involved in hiring first‐time directors and offers specific steps that a first‐time marketing director can take and that a firm can support to increase the possibility of success for the new marketing executive, as well as the firm′s overall marketing effort. Concludes that first time marketing executives are not doomed to fail.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1993

Rachid Zeffane

In the past decade or so, workplace organisation and restructuring processes, have been subjected to the most intense scrutiny. Driven by rapidly intensifying competitive…

Abstract

In the past decade or so, workplace organisation and restructuring processes, have been subjected to the most intense scrutiny. Driven by rapidly intensifying competitive pressures, work organisations sought increased flexibility, especially from labour, as they struggled to maintain market shares in an economic environment increasingly characterised by excess in labour supply. Pressures for change were probably most evident in the public sector where economic and ideological forces combined to limit the growth of government services and increase their exposure to competitive forces.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 13 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1990

Martha Rogers and Richard W. Buchanan

Discusses the reasons for the high number of failures of firstmarketing directors within organizations. Analyses the problems involvedin hiring first‐time marketing directors and…

Abstract

Discusses the reasons for the high number of failures of first marketing directors within organizations. Analyses the problems involved in hiring first‐time marketing directors and offers solutions that increase both the chances of survival of the marketing director, and the firm′s marketing effort. Concludes that survival depends on the creation of a marketing‐receptive environment through training, recruitment, management structure, and well‐defined marketing expectations.

Details

Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0736-3761

Keywords

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