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Article
Publication date: 16 August 2021

Wee Chan Au, Mina Beigi and Melika Shirmohammadi

Considerable research has been conducted to highlight women's career decisions to opt-out of corporate positions, but little is said about those who leave to become entrepreneurs…

Abstract

Purpose

Considerable research has been conducted to highlight women's career decisions to opt-out of corporate positions, but little is said about those who leave to become entrepreneurs. The purpose of this paper is to theorize kaleidoscope career parameters in relation to entrepreneurship stages and demonstrate the role of macro-national context (i.e. government initiatives and cultural practices) in women entrepreneurs' career choices.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors interviewed 34 Malaysian women entrepreneurs (MWEs) who were established in their careers and explored the following two research questions: (1) what career parameters are prioritized at different entrepreneurship stages? and (2) how does macro-national context influence women entrepreneurs' careers?

Findings

Adopting a kaleidoscope career lens, the authors show that authenticity was prioritized during the initial entrepreneurship stage, while balance and challenge were prioritized during the establishment and business advancement stages, respectively. The authors demonstrate that government support was conducive to women's decision to opt-in and stay in the entrepreneurship path. The findings also denote that cultural practices facilitated women's pursuit of entrepreneurship by encouraging family members to support women entrepreneurs in their career choices and actions.

Originality/value

The qualitative approach enabled us to specify the context-specific meaning women entrepreneurs in our study associated with authenticity, balance, and challenge. In doing so, this research extends the kaleidoscope career model to better understand women's career patterns at different entrepreneurship stages.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 26 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 June 2021

Jihye Oh, Melika Shirmohammadi, Shinhee Jeong and Jia Wang

Military officials who become accustomed to the distinct culture of the military face a variety of challenges when attempting to transition into the civilian workforce as…

Abstract

Purpose

Military officials who become accustomed to the distinct culture of the military face a variety of challenges when attempting to transition into the civilian workforce as veterans. These hardships even pertain to short- and mid-term veterans (SMVs) who leave the military at early career stages to pursue alternative career options. In this study, the authors explored the career construction decisions made by South Korean SMVs who left their military careers and successfully transitioned into the civilian workforce.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a phenomenology approach and conducted a semi-structured interview with 19 SMVs to unpack their career transition experiences.

Findings

The authors identified the motivational factors that encourage SMVs to develop their four career adaptabilities and illustrated the necessity for such qualities pre- and post-transition. Furthermore, the authors characterized each individual experience by the theoretical constructs of career adaptability and highlighted the contextual characteristics that prompted the emergence of career adaptability.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the understanding of career mobility at early career stages and how career adaptability is developed and manifested in the context of transitioning from the military to civilian society.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 April 2010

Mina Beigi and Melika Shirmohammadi

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility of developing emotional intelligence (EI) as conceptualized in Boyatzis et al.'s competency model.

1967

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility of developing emotional intelligence (EI) as conceptualized in Boyatzis et al.'s competency model.

Design/methodology/approach

Designing a context‐based EI training program, the study utilized a sample of 68 fully‐employed members of five branches of a public bank in Iran; each branch underwent an eight‐week (each session 120 minutes) EI training program. Pre‐ and post‐tests were conducted to assess EI development using emotional competence inventory (ECI‐2), a 360‐degree measurement tool.

Findings

Only one EI cluster out of four improved significantly and only some of the specific dimensions showed this significant improvement, while others did not have a clear change and even some self assessments deteriorated.

Research limitations/implications

Lack of a control group, small sample size, and short training program are the main limitations of this study.

Practical implications

Detailed explanation of the method could be a guide for service organizations that wish to improve EI.

Originality/value

Because of the lack of empirical studies in this field of research, the paper reports the results of a pre‐/post study on EI training and development and sets out to add to this narrow literature.

Details

Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 34 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0590

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 September 2011

Mina Beigi and Melika Shirmohammadi

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of an emotional intelligence (EI) training program on: the EI of service providers; and the service quality provided by…

4453

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of an emotional intelligence (EI) training program on: the EI of service providers; and the service quality provided by employees who have received such training.

Design/methodology/approach

Employees of five branches of a large public‐sector bank in Iran are randomly selected as the “treatment group” to undertake a tailored eight‐session EI training program, while employees of another homogenous sample of five branches are selected as the “control group” (involving no EI training). EI is measured by the ECI‐2 instrument before and after training. Two samples of customers (150 customers of the “treatment branches” and 150 customers of the “control branches”) are utilised to evaluate the perceived service quality of both groups of branches before the training and two months after the training.

Findings

One of four dimensions of EI (“relationship management”) is found to be enhanced by EI training. Moreover, the EI training program is shown to result in improved service quality in terms of both overall service quality and its four dimensions (“reliability”, “responsiveness”, “assurance”, and “empathy”).

Research limitations/implications

Operational constraints prevented a second assessment of the EI of employees in the control group. The post‐training evaluations had to be conducted shortly after the training finished, thus preventing an assessment of longer‐term effects.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to have undertaken empirical investigation of the effectiveness of EI training in a service setting.

Details

Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, vol. 21 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-4529

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2012

Mina Beigi and Melika Shirmohammadi

The purpose of this research is to determine whether Iranian student attitudes toward teamwork are relatively favorable or unfavorable. The authors also examine the influence of…

2060

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to determine whether Iranian student attitudes toward teamwork are relatively favorable or unfavorable. The authors also examine the influence of variables that affect student attitudes toward teamwork, including concerns about teamwork evaluation and perceptions of the environment for teamwork, gender, age, GPA, education level, major, and teamwork training.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire developed to measure the study variables was administered to 1,811 students across different majors in three large Iranian universities.

Findings

The results indicate that Iranian students have moderately positive attitudes toward teamwork, contrary to the prevalent belief that Iranians are not much interested in teamwork. The results indicate that Iranian students are concerned about how teamwork is evaluated. They believe that the environmental facilities at their universities for teamwork are weak and not supportive. Structural equation modeling showed that student concerns about teamwork evaluation and their perceptions of environmental facilities influence their attitudes toward teamwork. Positive teamwork attitudes are moderately reinforced when students are less concerned about evaluation and when the physical facilities support teamwork activities. Further analysis showed that male students have a slightly better attitude toward teamwork than women.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are valuable to practitioners who may employ current students in the future, and to instructors who plan to include teamwork in their course assignments.

Originality/value

This study was designed to fill the void in the knowledge about Iranian student attitudes toward teamwork and variables that influence this attitude.

Details

Team Performance Management: An International Journal, vol. 18 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-7592

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 September 2012

Mina Beigi, Shiva Mirkhalilzadeh Ershadi and Melika Shirmohammadi

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between work‐family conflict and its antecedent variables. The research's dependent variables include work…

862

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between work‐family conflict and its antecedent variables. The research's dependent variables include work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). Independent variables consist of work‐related (hours spent at work, role conflict, role ambiguity, supervisor support, and work shifts), family‐related (hours spent with family, marital status, spousal employment, number of children, and age of the youngest child), and demographic (gender, age, tenure, and education) variables.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 333 operating room personnel in ten Iranian hospitals completed a survey questionnaire, which consisted of 38 questions administered to participants in the workplace.

Findings

Analysis of data revealed that among work‐related variables, the role conflict was positively associated with WIF. Supervisor support and working shifts were also weakly related to WIF. No significant relationships were found between family‐related variables and FIW. Among the demographic variables, only gender influenced FIW in a manner that men experienced more FIW than women.

Originality/value

The research findings contribute to understanding work‐family conflict in a new cultural setting. The empirical evidence of work‐family conflict in Iran, among operating room personnel, shows that experiences and antecedents of work‐family conflict vary among diverse cultures and industries. Models of work‐family conflict may need to be modified to reflect the experiences and antecedents that explain work‐family conflict in cultures similar to that of Iran.

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