Managerial career development in a developing host-country context: a study of American multinationals in Pakistan

This paper analyses the uptake of distinctly Anglo-Saxon protean and boundaryless careers in the specific organizational context of foreign multinationals operating in a culturally and institutionally distant developing economy. A qualitative case study approach is applied to two American subsidiaries operating in Pakistan. Findings reveal that these ‘new’ career concepts often coexist with, rather than replace, features of traditional, organizational careers both reflecting, and responding to, changing and dualistic individual, organizational and institutional values. Therefore, this paper suggests that all these three levels of analysis need to be considered in conjunction when analysing managerial career development in developing host countries.     

How supervisory support for career development relates to subordinate work engagement and career outcomes: The moderating role of task proficiency

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this research investigates how and when supervisory support for career development relates to subordinate career outcomes. Using data collected from 228 supervisor–subordinate dyads across 3 phases, we proposed and examined a mediated moderation model in which the interaction between supervisory support for career development and task proficiency was mediated by work engagement in predicting career outcomes in terms of career satisfaction and promotability. Results showed that supervisory support for career development was positively related to career satisfaction and promotability. Results also supported the mediated moderation model. We outlined the theoretical contributions for future research and discussed the practical implications.     

A discussion on international assignments performance and the constructing mechanism of career success development

With the trend of globalization, international human resource management has become more important than ever. In the globalization process, enterprises apply the approach of international assignment to firmly command the operating development of multinational enterprises and to improve operating performance. Therefore, how to select the core employees to carry out the international assignments for them is crucial. In addition, whether the international assignments succeed or not depends on the existence of a well-developed mechanism of career development in the organization, which is able to provide commitment to the employees before implementing international assignments; support the employees during international assignments; and have an arrangement for the employees after completing international assignments. This article adopts the resource-based viewpoint, systematic development viewpoint, and qualitative research method to discuss the dynamic cause-effect relationship between career development and international assignment performance. A career development mechanism is constructed for the international assignment personnel who can be used as a reference to draft and plan related practical operations for enterprises or conduct related research. This research aims to explore the cause-and-effect relation between career development and the performance of international assignments through resource-based view, system dynamics and case study. After a literature review, we construct three hypotheses and the successful mechanism of career development of international assigners. The mechanism can function as a reference for the business community to assist in the selection process and for further related academic study.     

Lost in time and space: temporal and spatial challenges facing older workers in a global economy from a career capital perspective

This paper develops a conceptual framework to enhance our understanding of the career challenges facing older workers in a global economy. A distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ career capital of older workers is made. This distinction is then used to highlight potential temporal and spatial challenges for older workers in their later life careers. We draw on empirical evidence from existing studies of older workers and their careers. The contribution of this paper to human resource management debates is threefold. Firstly, we contribute to debates in the HRM(Human Resource Management) literature about intelligent careers and career capital by distinguishing between high and low career capital to explain the polarisation of older workers’ careers. Secondly, we synthesise career capital issues with spatial and temporal aspects of international labour markets to conceptualise the key issues and challenges which create potential boundaries for older workers when navigating later life careers thereby contributing to ‘boundary-focused scholarship’ (Inkson, K., Gunz, H., Ganesh, S., & Roper, J. (2012). Boundaryless careers; Bringing back boundaries, Organization Studies, 33, 323–340). Finally, we develop a series of propositions to provide a basis for further research into the issues of space and time relevant to older ‘high’ and ‘low’ career capital workers, their careers and HRM.     

Social capital and career outcomes: a study of Chinese employees

This study examines the impacts of social capital on employees’ career outcomes in the Chinese context. Access to information and access to resources are hypothesized as the mediators in the relationships. A new measure of individual social capital is developed and used as the key predictor of the outcome variables. Data were collected from a survey administered to 184 employees in a state-owned enterprise. The results of regression analysis showed that individual social capital enhanced both career satisfaction and career achievement among Chinese employees. Further, access to information and access to resources were found to mediate the above relationships. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Teamwork: a case study on development and performance

The most popular model of team development in Dutch socio-technical literature is a linear approach, which states that teams develop in four successive phases. A method for defining the particular phase a team is in was developed a number of years ago and was recently used in a large-scale survey at Volvo's cab manufacturing plant in Umeå (northern Sweden). Thirty-seven semi-autonomous teams were studied at this plant during a seven-month period. This paper examines the development of the teams and addresses the effects of team development on overall team performance. The aspect of team development was correlated to both performance in terms of quality of working life (QWL) and business performance (BP), which is an empirically unexplored field within team literature. The linear phase approach of team development could not be proved. Nevertheless, teams were found to develop in four important areas, with each aspect significantly affecting team performance.     

An integrative model for competency development in organizations: the Flemish case

The prominent role of competency development in enhancing the success of employees and organizations has drawn the attention of practitioners leading them to introduce competency development as a central part of their human resource practices. Unfortunately, this strong managerial interest has not been fully translated into the academic world, creating a gap between theory and practice. The main purpose of this study is to fill this gap by exploring the nature of competency development in 22 Flemish organizations through a longitudinal multiple case study design. By using a grounded theory approach, a framework has emerged mapping out the different steps of competency development in the participating organizations. As such, this study can be an important first step toward closing the gap between practice and theory concerning competency development in organizations.     

Exploring career advantages of highly skilled migrants: a study of Indian academics in the UK

We draw on Bourdieu's theory of practice to examine a group of Indian academics' accounts of their careers in a research-intensive university. Using the concepts of habitus and capital, we argue that international staff are very well placed to craft a career in the increasingly market driven UK academic context, challenging the discourse of disadvantage associated with the careers of international academics as well as other highly skilled migrants. Central in our analysis is the transferability of capitals between different fields and the importance of understanding capital as part of the multiple fields that agents belong to. However, drawing attention to the changing rules of the research-intensive university system, we also suggest that these academics' career trajectory may not continue to yield positive results.     

The managerial prerogative and the employee's duty to work: a comparative study of functional flexibility in working life

This paper presents a discussion of the general reasons for conducting comparative research, the need for a socio-legal functional approach and the motives for subjecting Swedish, English and German labour law to study. Anna Christensen's theory of the normative field of law is discussed and applied to the field of comparative labour law research. The focus of the research is the legal regulation of the managerial prerogative (especially the employer's right to direct and allocate work) in the light of the increasing trend towards greater flexibility in employment.     

Career capital development of self-initiated expatriates in Qatar: cosmopolitan globetrotters,experts and outsiders

This paper explores career capital development of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) in the Middle East, reporting on data gathered in Qatar from 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews. The findings challenge the notion that self-initiated expatriation always leads to career capital accumulation, arguing instead that contextual features impact individuals' agentic efforts towards career capital accumulation and lead them to experience ‘career capital stagnation’. Qatarisation is the overarching influence on the status of SIEs in the country and places structural constraints that translate into limited organisational opportunities and support for SIEs. Individually, SIEs reside rhetorically within complex dualities characterised by feelings of cosmopolitanism and isolation. Whilst individuals narrate the context in utilitarian terms as a means to a broader aim of global experience, everyday practicalities of their work and life are problematised. Narratives of career capital development are organised in three themes: SIEs as cosmopolitan globetrotters (micro-individual level), SIEs as experts (meso-organisational level) and SIEs as outsiders (macro-country level). The paper contributes to broadening the discussion on the relationship between self-initiated expatriation and context, and its implications on careers. Empirically, it adds to our understanding of SIEs, in particular their experiences of career capital development in the highly regulated context of the Middle East.     

Determinants of work organization in the modern firm: change and continuity in the Spanish labour relations

The host of statistical data on labour organization from the 2004 Encuesta de Calidad de Vida en el Trabajo (2005) will be used as a basis for using factorial analysis to identify the factors that determine how ‘modern’ companies organize their work according to business management literature. Workers' identification with their company seems to be the essence of a good part of business managers' objectives. The results of the research point to a continuity in a worker profile that largely corresponds to the Fordist model, with a few significant changes: the domain of some non-conflictive industrial relations which is settled on the value that is given to the good relationships with mates and managers and the flexible work-class positive assessment that allows to harmonize other life aspects.     

Interaction styles of street-level workers and motivation of clients: a new instrument to assess discretion-as-used in the case of activation of jobseekers

This paper proposes a re-conceptualization and a measurement instrument for street-level workers’ interaction styles. Interaction styles are a relevant lens giving insight into how discretion is used and how street-level behaviour affects clients’ motivation and engagement. The re-conceptualization builds on a revision of May and Winter's interaction style concept from the perspective of the psychological self-determination theory. Data from 349 caseworkers of the Flemish employment service were collected via an online survey and analysed with factor and latent class analysis. Findings support a four-dimensional interaction style concept and reveal seven types of caseworkers along these dimensions.     

Impact of high-speed railway construction on spatial patterns of regional economic development along the route: A case study of the Shanghai–Kunming high-speed railway

The Shanghai–Kunming high-speed railway spans the eastern, central, and western regions of China and is an important "horizontal" in the "eight vertical and eight horizontal" railway network of China. This paper estimates the direct impact of opening a high-speed railway on the spatial patterns of regional economic development along the route by integrating GIS technology, spatial panel data models, and the entropy method. The results show that the high-speed railway can significantly increase the economic aggregate and urbanization rates along the route and promote the upgrading of industrial structures, but it has a limited effect on the economic growth rate, showing a weak trend. In terms of spatial patterns, the high-speed railway significantly improves regional accessibility, the strength of economic ties, and economic potential along the route. The regional economy is characterized by weak spatial agglomeration and presents a trend of balanced development. In general, although the economic effect of HSR for the economically lagged regions is smaller in the short term than that in the economically and less economically developed regions, the high-speed railway has the greatest impact on regional economic development and spatial patterns in economically backward areas, thus the economically backward regions have a greater posterior advantage, which is conducive to balancing regional economies and narrowing regional differences.     

From London to Los Angeles: a comparison of local labour market processes in the US and UK film industries

Addressing the issue of the embeddedness of labour markets, this paper compares the processes of finding employment in the film industry within two local labour markets. Drawing on studies of freelance film crews in London (UK) and Los Angeles (US), the paper concludes that the importance of social networks in job mobility in both contexts is a consequence of common production structures. However, common labour market practice varies in each geographical space as industry processes and structures are mediated by local institutional contexts.     

开发区职住分离问题及解决措施——以北京经济技术开发区为例

我国很多开发区目前存在严重的职住分离现象,为开发区未来的进一步发展乃至整个城市的持续健康发展带来了很多负面影响.以北京经济技术开发区为例,在详细剖析开发区严重职住分离现象及其后果的基础上,深入分析了这一问题产生的根源,并提出了具体解决措施.     

Exploring fundraising executives' careers in arts and culture: The role of tenure and career switching

Fundraisers play a crucial role in helping arts and culture organizations obtain the financial resources they need to carry out their missions and support their causes. However, research on fundraisers' careers is still in its infancy. As the profession gains importance, understanding the main motivating factors of fundraisers' career paths is key. This study investigates the effects of three variables that emerged as relevant motivations for fundraiser careers, that is, education, career promotion and sector experience, on fundraising executives' tenure and career switching. In addition, this research identifies profiles of fundraising executives in the arts and culture organizations in the United States. Moreover, this study explores the role of non-profit orientation as a moderator of the relationship between career switching and tenure, and parallel titles as a moderator of the relationship between sector experience and tenure. Managerial implications are outlined.     

Attitude and consciousness of Japanese men and women towards career commitment and continuity: the role of expected change in HRM policies

A survey was conducted on 302 working men and women in Japanese private firms and local government organization anrl 51 non-working Japanese women to examine the attitude and consciousness towards career commitment and continuity if organizations adopt some policy formulations in more relaxed ways to accommodate, particularly, Japanese women in the workplace. Many studies have well documented that women’s passive attitude towards career commitment and continuity, as compared to that of men, is the outcome of discriminatory HRM policies and practices in the internal labour market. The ANOVA results show that the attitude on the policy relating to work–home harmonization differs significantly between men and women. As compared to working women, non-working women would have a more positive attitude to career commitment and continuity if a work-home harmonization policy wcre adopted. The ANOVA results also reveal that men and women have shown an almost similar attitude to pay structure and, thus, the integrated corporate pay structure can help in developing women’s attitude and consciousness towards career commitment and continuity, but women cannot share equally with their male counterparts as regards the policy of career development; rather, they are demanding job security, distributive justice and career counselling in the workplace.     

城市发展中的文化自觉与文化创新——以"新天地"为例

在城市现代化进程中,如何处理好历史文化与城市改造之间的关系是显示城市文明程度和关系到城市文化发展的重要课题.以上海"新天地"区域的改造模式为案例进行文化层面的解读,力图阐明城市发展中文化自觉与文化创新的必要性和实践性,分别从实例分析和理论阐释层面指出,建立在认识自我和借鉴他者基础上的文化自觉精神和文化创新实践是城市文化发展的必由之路.