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Work values, perceived employability and rural employment intention among Chinese college students: the mediating effect of protean career orientation

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This study investigated the influence of psychological capital on the acquisition of employability skills among final-year university students. The study also looked into whether employability skills played a mediating role in the relationship between psychological capital and employability as perceived by undergraduates. With a time-lagged design and a sample of 326 students in their last year in a Business Administration and Management undergraduate program, the results showed that the increase in students’ psychological capital had a positive and direct effect on the increase in the level of competence shown in employability skills. On the other hand, the results revealed that entrepreneurial initiative was the only employability skill that plays a mediating role in the relationship between psychological capital and the employability perceived by students. Therefore, interventions designed to increase the perceived employability of undergraduate students should include components that focus on developingtheirpsychologicalcapitalandentrepreneurialinitiative.
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The protean/boundaryless career concepts refer to people becoming more self-directed and flexible in managing their careers in response to societal shifts in work arrangements. A sizable literature has emerged on protean/boundaryless career orientations/preferences (PBCO). Questions remain, however, about the structure of PBCO and whether they predict important criteria. The PBCO literature is largely disconnected from broader individual-level career research, making it unclear how PBCO intersect with career models based on other characteristics. We address these questions by systematically reviewing/meta-analyzing PBCO research. On the basis of 135 demographically/occupationally diverse samples from 35 countries (45,288 individuals), we find no support for traditional distinctions between protean and boundaryless orientations- protean self-directed, protean values-driven, and boundaryless psychological mobility all load onto a single general factor, labeled proactive career orientation, and are only weakly related to boundaryless physical mobility preferences. We also find that PBCO predict career self-management behaviors and career satisfaction but are less related to non-career-focused attitudes, objective success, or physical mobility behavior. PBCO are strongly related to proactivity-related and self-efficacy personality traits. We use these findings to propose an integrative model for how PBCO and other dispositions mutually influence career behavior. We discuss when PBCO may have advantages over broad traits for understanding careers, implications for counseling practice, and directions for future research.
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Introduction: The literature indicates different factors influencing recruitment of health professional students to work in rural areas. The purpose of this study is to explore the willingness of health profession students in Faculty of Medicine Foca, University of East Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina towork in a rural area following graduation andthe factors influencing incentives to pursue a rural career. Methods: The cross-sectional study included first-year through sixth-year students 18 years of age or older enrolled in one of three study programs at Faculty of Medicine; medicine, dentistry, and nursing. The questionnaire was distributed at the beginning of the winter semester during the first required lecture for each year and study program class. Data was analyzed using Student t-test, Analysis of variance when appropriate, Kruskal-Wallis test andmultivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 519 students participated, an 88.3% response rate. Three hundred and ninety-nine (77%) participants responded positively to the question ““When you complete your studies, would you be inclined to accept job in rural region?” Factors associated with willingness to practice in rural areas included being female (p=0.027) and having rural upbringing (p=0.037). Significant difference between medicine, nursing and dentistry students were found in expressing the opinion that willingness to work in rural practice depends greatly on the possibility to get residency more easily (p=0.001). Compared to their peers, nursing students scored higher opportunities to attend national courses cost-free(p=0.027) and to beinvolved in the education of new generations of health profession students (p=0.001). Getting the post in the urban area after a work period in a rural area was most valued as incentives by dentistry students (p=0.037).The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze predictors of willingness to practice in rural areas. Students who have been raised in the rural community (p=0.042)as well as female students (p=0.016) were more likely to acceptrural practice. Statistical significance at an α (alpha) level of 0.05 was not reached for study program and year of study. Conclusions: The results of the study showed a high willingness of medicine, dentistry and nursing students to work in rural areas following graduation. Female students and students who were raised in a rural community were more likely to choose a rural career. Stakeholders should be committed to strengthening the rural deployment of health professionals by creating a more attractive, rural environment.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation among work values and protean and boundaryless career orientations. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 238 employees aged 16 to 65 years from the French-speaking region of Switzerland completed two different work values scales as well as protean and boundaryless career attitudes scales. To assess the relationships among these constructs, correlations, multiple regression, and exploratory factorial analysis techniques were used. Findings Results suggested that protean and boundaryless career orientations were significantly positively related to intrinsic, social, and status work values. A boundaryless-organizational mobility orientation was significantly negatively associated with extrinsic/material work values. Research limitations/implications Results have important implications for understanding which work values are typically endorsed by people with a protean or a boundaryless career orientation. Originality/value The present study contributes to the understanding of protean and boundaryless careers by clarifying the relationships among these career orientations and work values.
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Objectives There is a shortage of doctors working in rural areas all over the world, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. The choice to practise medicine in a rural area is influenced by many factors. Motivation developed as a medical student is one key determinant of this choice. This study explores influences on medical students' motivation to practise in rural areas of low-income and middle-income countries following graduation. Design A systematic review was conducted to identify influences on medical students' motivation to work in rural areas in low-income and middle-income countries. Papers reporting influences on motivation were included, and content analysis was conducted to select the articles. Articles not published in English were excluded from this review. Results A rural background (ie, being brought up in a rural area), training in rural areas with a community-based curriculum, early exposure to the community during medical training and rural location of medical school motivate medical students to work in rural areas. Perceived lack of infrastructure, high workload, poor hospital management and isolation are among the health facility factors that demotivate medical students for medical practice in rural areas. Conclusions Medical school selection criteria focusing on a rural background factor and medical education curriculum focusing on rural area are more relevant factors in low-income and middle-income countries. The factors identified in this review may assist the planners, medical educators and policymakers in low-income and middle-income countries in designing relevant interventions to positively influence rural choices where the shortage of rural physicians is an ongoing and increasing concern.
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Background Five countries in Asia including Bangladesh, China, India, Thailand and Vietnam formed a network called Asia-Pacific Network for Health Professional Education Reforms (ANHER). This network collectively conducted a survey at the national level and at the institutional level (for medical, nursing and public health education). We also undertook an assessment of final year graduates from these schools on their attitudes, competencies and willingness to work in rural areas. Methods Pretested anonymous questionnaire comprised of four sections including demographic data, attitudes towards working in rural area, where to work after graduation and perception about competency of respondents was used. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used for data analyses. ResultsAbout 60 % of students from Bangladesh and Thailand had positive attitude towards working in rural area, 50 % in both China and India and only 33 % in Vietnam. Students’ positive attitudes towards their school in terms of preparing or inspiring them to work in rural areas were low across all five countries. Upon graduation and in the next five years, majority of students wanted to work in public sectors. Interestingly confidence about overall competency was quite low. DiscussionPositive attitude towards working in rural areas varied significantly across five countries in Asia. Medical schools should improve the preparation and inspiration towards working in rural areas for their students. Conclusion Medical schools should put more effort in improving students’ attitude towards working in rural areas.
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The relationship between perceived employability and turnover intentions seems much more complicated than what the common sense would suggest. Based on the reviewed literature, it was expected that job satisfaction, affective commitment, and perceived job security would moderate this relationship. Using a sample of working individuals from different occupations and sectors (N = 721), it was found that employees who perceived themselves as highly employable were more likely to have turnover intentions when their affective commitment was low and perceived job security was high; and the relationship was negative for employees with shorter tenures. Understanding the conditions under which perceived employability is associated with turnover intentions may help organizations design human resource policies that allow them to retain an educated and competent workforce.
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Purpose - Work values are an important characteristic to understand gender differences in career intentions, but how gender affects the relationship between values and career intentions is not well established. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether gender moderates the effects of work values on level and change of entrepreneurial intentions (El). Design/methodology/approach - In total, 218 German university students were sampled regarding work values and with El assessed three times over the course of 12 months. Data were analysed with latent growth modelling. Findings - Self-enhancement and openness to change values predicted higher levels and conservation values lower levels of EL Gender moderated the effects of enhancement and conservation values on change in El. Research limitations/implications - The authors relied on self-reported measures and the sample was restricted to university students. Future research needs to verify to what extent these results generalize to other samples and different career fields, such as science or nursing. Practical implications - The results imply that men and women are interested in an entrepreneurial career based on the same work values but that values have different effects for men and women regarding individual changes in EL The results suggest that the prototypical work values of a career domain seem important regarding increasing the career intent for the gender that is underrepresented in that domain. Originality/value - The results enhance understanding of how gender affects the relation of work values and a specific career intention, such as entrepreneurship.
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Work values characterise employees’ goals in organisations across situations and influence employees’ work behaviour. Due to demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers in many industrialised countries, the importance of organisational commitment increases. Building on previous research on the value-commitment relation, we develop hypotheses on relationships of intrinsic, extrinsic and especially altruistic work values (which to date have seen little research) with affective, normative and continuance commitment. Based on an analysis of employee data from Germany (N=1,978), we find positive effects of the presence of altruistic work values on all types of commitment. Employees with strong altruistic work values are particularly loyal and organisation-oriented. We argue that the pure consideration of intrinsic and extrinsic work values largely and unjustifiably excludes the social orientation of employees at work, thereby squandering organisational development potential. Taking into account employees’ work values and particularly offering opportunities to live altruistic work values can be seen as a potential for increasing employees’ organisational commitment.
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The authors discuss observed weaknesses in internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas below .60) within five subtests of the Work Values Inventory when translated into Chinese and used with a sample of 211 university students in Hong Kong. Possible reasons for the weaknesses are explored, and suggestions are made for improvement.
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Purpose – The study aims to explore the role of mentoring and the moderating effects of gender on protean and boundaryless career orientations in the African albeit Nigerian cultural context. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 250 Nigerian nurses through a questionnaire. Findings – Mentoring support predicted protean career dimensions but was non-significant for boundaryless career dimensions. Gender directly accounted for a significant percentage of the variance in physical mobility in favor of women but did not predict self-directed, value-driven and psychological mobility career attitudes. Gender significantly moderated the relationship between mentoring and new career dimensions except physical mobility. Research limitations/implications – The male sample was limited and data from a single professional group/organization in Nigeria may not typify organizations in general. This calls for caution in generalizing findings. Practical implications – Proactive career management and value-driven attitudes can be fostered by ensuring quality mentor support. The peculiar direct and moderating effects of gender on protean and boundaryless careers deserve particular attention. Originality/value – The absence of African perspectives on new career directions in most reference journals limits the global scope of comparative studies. The present study provides information on the under-researched role of mentoring and gender in modern career models from Africa, and makes useful theoretical contributions to new career perspectives, especially in the context of how relationships among study variables may differ across national cultural contexts.
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Graduate employability has been the subject of little empirical research. There are a number of difficulties in defining and measuring graduate employability, which means that there is a paucity of research that looks at its predictors and outcomes. Previous work has proposed that emotional competence improves graduate employability, and this study further investigates this idea by examining the association between emotional self-efficacy and employability. Also investigated is the association between employability and career satisfaction. Working graduates (N = 306) completed measures of emotional self-efficacy, self-perceived employability, and career satisfaction, and the data were analysed using structural equation modelling. We found emotional self-efficacy to be an important predictor of graduate employability. Additionally, we found that graduate employability mediates the relationship between emotional self-efficacy and career satisfaction. Some recommendations, in light of these findings, are discussed.
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Values are viewed as central to the selection of, and subsequent satisfaction with, life roles. Because no conceptual framework has been advanced to guide the work of practitioners and researchers, values are widely ignored by both groups. This article sets forth propositions aimed at remedying this oversight by clarifying the importance of values in both decision making and life satisfaction. (Author/KW)
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Being capable of getting new employment may enable an employee to cope with turbulent situations or deteriorating job conditions. Individuals who have higher perceived employability are likely to appraise a situation at work more favourably, and consequently experience better health and well-being. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between perceived employability and subsequent health, while controlling for baseline health, background factors, and work environment exposures. The study is based on 53 items in the National Working Life Cohort in Sweden from two data collections (2004 and 2005), comprising 1918 individuals. Forced entry hierarchical regression analysis showed that, after controlling for demographics, psychological demands, control, and ergonomic exposures, perceived employability was positively associated with global health and mental well-being, but unrelated to physical complaints. When baseline health status was added, perceived employability was still a significant predictor of two out of three outcome variables. Individuals with higher perceived employability had a tendency to report better health and well-being a year later. It is concluded that how an employee perceives his or her possibilities in regard to acquiring new employment is relevant for well-being at a later stage. Perceived employability, which has been little studied before, is therefore a useful concept in health promotion, both at the individual and at the organizational level.
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This article uses Ajzen's theory of planned behavior to build an entrepreneurial intention questionnaire (EIQ) and analyzes its psychometric properties. The entrepreneurial intention model is then tested on a 519-individual sample from two rather diverse countries: Spain and Taiwan. EIQ and structural equation techniques have been used to try to overcome previous research limitations. The role of culture in explaining motivational perceptions has been specifically considered. Results indicate EIQ properties are satisfactory and strong support for the model is found. Relevant insights are derived about how cultural values modify the way individuals in each society perceive entrepreneurship.
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While the constructs of protean and boundaryless careers have informed career theory for years, rigorous empirical examinations of these career models have lagged behind. This study seeks to redress this situation by constructing and developing four new scales to measure protean and boundaryless career attitudes. The scales related to protean career attitudes measure self-directed career management and values-driven predispositions. The scales related to boundaryless career attitudes measure boundaryless mindset and organizational mobility preference. The initial validation of these scales, consisting of three studies, demonstrates their reliability and validity.
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