Search Results (43)

Women’s advancement into leadership roles remains uneven in many post-socialist labor markets despite high levels of female education and workforce participation. While prior research has emphasized structural barriers and national institutional conditions, less is known about how firm-level organizational environments shape women’s evaluations of leadership as a viable career pathway. This study aims to examine how firm type shapes women’s managerial aspirations across career stages in post-socialist Mongolia. Using cross-sectional survey data from 191 employed women in Ulaanbaatar, aspiration patterns were compared across three organizational contexts: foreign-owned firms, domestic private firms, and public-sector organizations. Career aspirations were operationalized as three states—high aspiration, constrained aspiration, and low aspiration—to capture differences between leadership motivation and perceived feasibility. Pearson’s chi-square tests and Cramér’s V were used to assess associations between firm type, career stage, and aspiration categories. The results show that women in foreign-owned firms are more likely to sustain leadership aspirations, whereas constrained and low aspirations are more prevalent in domestic private firms and the public sector, particularly at mid-career stages. These findings suggest that leadership aspirations reflect organizationally shaped feasibility assessments rather than individual motivation alone, and that firm type operates as a critical meso-level opportunity structure within shared post-socialist institutional conditions. Full article

Employee loyalty in hospitality settings is influenced by a combination of economic, relational, and developmental factors, including remuneration, recognition, interpersonal relationships, and opportunities for career advancement. This study explores managerial perceptions of the key organizational drivers that enhance employee satisfaction and foster employee loyalty in luxury hospitality settings. Focusing on five-star hotels located in the Heraklion Prefecture of Crete, Greece, the research addresses a context characterized by high service expectations, strong cultural traditions of hospitality, and pronounced seasonal labor dynamics. While previous studies have predominantly examined employee attitudes and outcomes, limited attention has been given to how decision-makers perceive and prioritize the factors influencing employee loyalty in luxury hospitality environments. To address this gap, the study adopts a mixed-method approach, combining structured Likert-scale questionnaires and qualitative insights collected from senior managers and owners representing 28 luxury hotels. The quantitative component provides descriptive insights into managerial consensus regarding organizational practices, while the qualitative analysis offers deeper interpretation of perceived challenges and priorities. Findings indicate that managers consider leadership style, working conditions, professional development, and employee welfare as central drivers of satisfaction and loyalty, although variation exists regarding the role of benefits and technology. The study contributes to hospitality management literature by highlighting the managerial perspective as a distinct analytical lens and offers practical implications for strategic human resource practices in high-end tourism contexts. Full article

Active athletes represent a specific target for learning and development. Their schedules, including training sessions and competitions, leave little time for education. However, athletes still need skills beyond sports to ensure they are prepared for future employment. Our study approaches this issue by identifying appropriate settings for athletes’ learning and development. (1) Based on the background of current athletes’ education, it addresses the gap of not enough attention being paid to transferable practices from corporate attitudes to learning and development. (2) The study’s methodology primarily uses the case study concept because this conveys the video content we created for the athletes’ learning and development. This is combined with the method of content analysis of selected examples from corporate learning and development and the design thinking workshop, with the engagement of important stakeholder groups: athletes (2 participants), lecturers (2 participants), and representatives of sports organizations (1 participant). The other 9 workshop participants were master’s students in a managerial study programme because of their age similarities with the current athletes and the applicability of the courses they were studying to athletes’ education. (3) The designed process was created as a digital twin using haptic artefacts and the S2M technology (version 1.0) within the OMiLAB platform (version 1.6). Our results show that video content tailored to the athletes’ constraints is a viable solution that improves their career prospects. (4) The study’s practical implications are supported by the expert validation of the model provided by the inside of the large sports organizations’ management. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI), a transformative force, has revolutionised various aspects of human life and business operations. This has led to a drastic mutation of the career landscape, embedded with vast opportunities as well as challenges, particularly concerning career sustainability (CS). Despite myriad studies on CS, the paradoxical interplay of AI and CS remains underexplored, particularly for expatriates (expats). To address the aforementioned gap, our study incorporates an affordance perspective (AFP), positioning AI as an object and CS as a user context. Specifically, this study investigates whether AI facilitates the orchestration of an enhanced sustainable career within the boundary conditions of knowledge sharing (KS), encompassing both tacit and explicit knowledge pertinent to AI, cultivated through managerial initiatives and employee-driven activities. The study conducted a quantitative survey among 490 expats working in AI-integrated environments in China. The results reveal a curvilinear (U-shaped) relationship between AI and CS, where AI affordance at a moderate level enhances career adaptability and skill development. However, digital affordances become complex beyond a certain threshold, creating several career concerns, such as job insecurity and role ambiguity. Furthermore, the moderating effect of tacit and explicit KS mitigates numerous career disruptions while fostering long-term career growth. The study framed AI as both a tool and a collaborator that illuminates the importance of AI–human intelligence (AI–HI) synergy and knowledge augmentation in navigating digital transitions. Moreover, implications for international career development and human-oriented digital transformation are also discussed. Full article

This study explores how digital and traditional marketing tools influence higher education students’ career decision-making, satisfaction, and career commitment during students’ educational trajectories in Iraq’s rapidly expanding university sector. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, a survey of 622 students was analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), followed by 24 semi-structured interviews with marketing and recruitment professionals. The quantitative findings show that students’ first-choice preferences, demographic factors, and engagement with LinkedIn, WeChat, blogs, and university webpages significantly shaped their career choices and satisfaction levels. Qualitative insights reveal that authenticity, transparent communication, and alignment between institutional messaging and lived experiences were key to sustaining trust. Traditional channels such as brochures and fairs remained important for credibility, supporting a hybrid marketing approach. The study contributes to management theory and practice in universities by linking digital communication strategies to student engagement and institutional performance. It also highlights the need for inclusive, transparent, and culturally adaptive marketing that reflects local and global contexts. These findings provide actionable guidance for higher education administrators seeking to build sustainable student trust, enhance recruitment effectiveness, and strengthen institutional reputation in competitive and resource-constrained systems. Full article

Using survey data from five countries in the Southeast Europe (SEE) region, we examine the factors that contribute to the green career intention. As expected, the prior pro-environmental orientation, as measured by the New Ecological Paradigm scale, is associated with green career intention. In addition, there is also a significant association between prior volunteering and the observed career plans. Other factors, including gender, age, study level, social background, and work-related experiences, did not prove to be empirically significant predictors in this context. There is an interesting, but insignificant, tendency among SEE business students at higher study levels to choose green careers; however, seemingly important career determinants, such as work experience, managerial experience, and entrepreneurial experience, do not appear to matter at all. The examined model explains only a small portion of the variation in career intentions, indicating that a wealth of factors remain to be accounted for in future research. We conclude the study with a discussion of implications for business education in the SEE region and offer recommendations for fostering ESG talent in emerging economies. Full article

Soft skills are increasingly recognised as decisive factors for employability and career advancement in the global labour market. This study examines their role in the professional trajectories of university graduates in Ecuador, analysing both the competencies supplied by higher education and the structural demand of the labour market. Based on institutional surveys applied to 3358 graduates from the Salesian Polytechnic University (Cuenca campus), the results show that more than $90\%$ of graduates remain in operational positions, while only $5\%$ reach tactical or managerial levels. To address this phenomenon, five key soft skills—leadership, effective communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability—were evaluated through a structured questionnaire using Likert-type items. The findings reveal a persistent concentration of professionals in lower organisational levels and heterogeneous perceptions of the applicability of academic training. These outcomes highlight both individual skill gaps and structural limitations of the Ecuadorian labour market, such as the scarcity of managerial positions and the prevalence of family-based business structures. In response, the study proposes a sector-based curricular improvement strategy that systematically incorporates soft skills into university programmes, differentiated by economic sectors such as education, health, commerce, public administration, industry, and primary activities. Grounded in empirical evidence, this approach provides a practical framework to enhance graduates’ career progression, foster more equitable professional mobility, and strengthen the relevance of higher education. The model can be replicated across other Latin American universities facing similar challenges, while also aligning with international standards for competency-based education. Full article

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) health projects have attracted significant investment, driven by a 50% annual increase in stored data. This growth has led to the development of AI tools that assist health professionals and managers in decision-making within clinical practice and healthcare management. This research seeks to identify key factors influencing the adoption of AI systems by health professionals and managerial staff, drawing on a sample of 100 respondents, of whom 61 are healthcare practitioners and 39 occupy management positions within the health sector. An extensive literature review and a statistical analysis using SmartPLS 3 were conducted. The findings suggest that the level of knowledge and perceived benefits positively impact the intention to implement AI tools. Interestingly, challenges during AI adoption do not hinder professionals. The study highlights the importance of integrating AI into healthcare professionals’ careers and emphasises the need for measures to enhance their understanding of AI algorithms. Increased knowledge fosters greater willingness to adopt AI systems, promoting improved decision-making in healthcare. Full article

This paper explores the complex power dynamics of UK social work higher education through an autoethnographic account of a Black woman course leader’s experiences over a period of two years, focusing on issues related to race, internalized oppression, and class. Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT), narrative analysis, and lived experience, it examines how systemic inequities manifest through three interlinked themes: (a) academic contrapower harassment (ACPH), (b) internalized oppression and toxic team dynamics, and (c) the interplay of harassment, institutional failure, managerial inaction, and the marginalization of social work as a discipline. This study illustrates how the intersectionality of multiple identities—namely, race, gender, and professional identity—impacts career progression, well-being, and institutional inclusion. This study examines the tensions between social work’s ethical foundations and performance-driven academic environments, advocating for systemic and policy interventions to stimulate institutional reform and cultivate a more equitable culture that enhances educational outcomes and, ultimately, improves social work practice. Full article

This article examines the role of leadership development interventions in pre-empting leader derailments. The research literature suggests that derailments are not only commonplace but associated with a range of significant costs, from financial, to mental health, to morale, to employee turnover, to missed opportunities. Given these costly consequences, this article seeks to answer the question: “Can leadership development—especially at early managerial-career stages and during transitions—play a significant role in mitigating leader derailments?” Research suggests that the majority of leadership failures occur—or are more visible—at senior organizational levels. This begs the question of whether development interventions earlier in a leader’s career might have pre-empted their later failure. What if the field of leadership development were to adopt a ‘preventative medicine’ model in which pre-empting derailments was the focus rather than ‘fixing’ leaders as they are derailing? Moreover, there appears to be an overreliance on coaching as the intervention of choice. What if the field were to leverage a broader range of development interventions beyond coaching to ensure a greater probability of minimizing derailments? Five interventions will be discussed which have the potential to pre-empt leadership failures, when deployed in unison. Full article

Worldwide, gender equality remains a barrier for women seeking career advancement in corporations. Despite the globalization of corporate social responsibility programs, women have not achieved positional parity with men within the managerial hierarchy. The purpose of this integrative review was to investigate the breadth of the gendered organization literature, summarize the evidence, and inform future research about the career advancement of women in privately owned and publicly traded corporations. Twelve databases were searched between January 1990 and December 2023 for published evidence. Of the 1914 documents screened, 55 articles were included in this review. The gendered organization literature is slowly evolving as a critical area for management research even though fully developed substantive and formal theories are lacking. However, gendered organizations can be conceptualized for theoretical development as a constellation of metaphors embedded in the corporate culture. These metaphors include firewalls, glass ceilings, glass cliffs, glass escalators, labyrinths, queen bees and beehives, and sticky floors. Notably, few intervention studies were reported in the literature. Corporate social responsibility programs had a surprisingly limited impact on eliminating deep-seated structural attributes contributing to gendered organizations. Therefore, management scholars need to engage in theoretical development and research to advance a comprehensive theory of the gendered organization, and studies should investigate why the identified metaphors continue to adversely impact the career advancement of women despite the presence of corporate social responsibility programs. Finally, existing evidence needs to be translated into intervention recommendations for policymakers and corporate leaders. Full article

The impetus for the development of coaching as a professional managerial activity is based on the needs and requirements of a modern sustainable society. This paper aims to explore the awareness of academic students about the coaching approach and to formulate recommendations for its application in the academic environment so that students are prepared for the requirements of practice. This article focuses on the views of experts in the field of the coaching approach as a means of improving communication in the academic environment, characterizes communication skills and the coaching approach, and describes coaching models and their benefits and barriers. This research aims to survey the awareness of the coaching approach among college and university students in Slovakia and the possibilities of its application in the academic environment. The primary research was carried out by the inquiry method with 689 students. An evaluation of the questionnaire and a statistical evaluation of the established hypotheses and assumptions concerning the coaching approach were conducted. According to the survey, 468 students, representing 68% of respondents, had knowledge about coaching. Furthermore, 68% of students had or have doubts about achieving their goals during their studies. According to the results of the survey, only 24% of students had experience with coaching. Cooperation with a coach was regarded as beneficial for 76% of the students who had already experienced coaching lectures who took part in the survey. The proposition of the students was the implementation of the subject “Foundations of coaching”, which could be offered to be taught to all students at the University of Zilina, Slovakia. The students of managerial fields would benefit by enhancing their leadership skills and providing support to their working teams, completing their final thesis, searching for professional job opportunities, and also coping with everyday life and stressful situations. Finally, we suggest the organization of introductory full-day workshops in specific areas of coaching for students of management, who are future managers. This will help to raise the awareness of the coaching approach at the University of Zilina in cooperation with the Counseling and Career Center and its activities. Full article

Companies depend on the trust and confidence of the general public to thrive. The integrity of financial reporting practices plays a pivotal role in establishing and sustaining stakeholders’ confidence. This trust serves as a foundational cornerstone in managerial decision-making processes and in facilitating the active participation of a diverse spectrum of stakeholders within organizational frameworks. Despite its reputation for ethical and transparent conduct, the field of accounting often grapples with a perception of mundanity, particularly among student populations. This study uses a structural equation modeling approach to assess the impact of students’ perceptions of the accounting profession on their motivation in academic coursework, using a sample of 92 undergraduate students of accounting and taxation subjects. Additionally, it seeks to investigate how this motivation directly influences their perceptions of future career and how it operates indirectly through their active engagement in accounting and taxation courses. The research findings indicate that students’ perceptions of the accounting profession have a direct and positive effect on the perceptions of future career of individuals enrolled in both accounting and taxation courses. This influence is further mediated by the levels of motivation and engagement observed in the academic domain. Moreover, the results highlight the direct and positive influence of students’ motivation and engagement in their coursework on their perceptions of future career. Full article

The career anchors of information technology personnel (ITP) are critical factors influencing their career satisfaction (CS), and these factors are also influenced by national culture. Although a number of scholars have studied the internal CS of employees, these scholars have not explained how to increase the CS of ITP from both individual and organizational perspectives and to further improve the success rate of IS projects. Thus, this study adopts the goal–achievement gap (discrepancy) theory to explore the gap between the “internal career desires (career wants, CW)” and “external career opportunities (career have, CH)” of ITP in two different cultural societies, namely mainland China and the United Arab Emirates, and whether the gap impacts their CS. The data in this study were collected from the Internet. A survey was posted on Internet discussion forums for full-time ITP participants within organizations in China and the United Arab Emirates; thus, the results of this study are possibly only generalizable to these two countries. Finally, the results of this study provide the following contributions: (1) There are 13 career anchors (technical competence, managerial competence, autonomy, organizational stability, challenge, lifestyle, identity, creativity, variety, service, entrepreneurship, geographic security, and learning motivation) of ITP in China, which can be divided into three categories, and these are totally different from the four categories identified by ITP in the United Arab Emirates. (2) The surface analysis approach (RSA) to test the curvilinear relationship between the CW, CH, and CS of ITP indeed can explain more than the linear SEM (structural equation modeling) test between the CW and CS, CH, and CS separately, both tests are in two different cultural societies, China and the United Arab Emirates. Full article

The purpose of the present mixed-methods study was two-fold: (i) to test the validity of a Sports Management knowledge, competencies, and skills framework developed during the New Miracle project to implement a tailored training program for sports managers; and (ii) to explore the managers’ perceived relevance, possess and need for training of knowledge, competencies, and skills. International focus groups with sports managers from four European countries have been organized to test the framework’s validity through a clustering and a sorting stage, including consensus agreement (Likert scale 1–6 pt.) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) assessment. Then, sports managers’ perceived relevance, possession, and need for training of knowledge competencies and skills items was assessed through an online rating (Likert scale 1–6 pt; p ≤ 0.05). Findings showed good validity, internal consistency, and a high consensus agreement in relation to the proposed competency framework and the crucial role of soft skills in the sports management profession. Furthermore, participants highlighted transversal and specific items in relation to Entry, Middle, and Senior managerial positions. A perceived lack of possess of several items emerged, especially belonging to the technical and knowledge spheres, leading to the practical implications regarding the need to design sound educational programs based on attendees’ specific career stages, educational backgrounds, and training needs. Full article