There has been a world-wide shift from an expectation of long-term, organisation led employment to one where knowledge workers are comfortable with driving their own careers and accruing career capital independent of the organisation. Little empirical research exists in the field of career capital. This research aims to determine the relevant components of career capital and the methods used by high - value knowledge workers to acquire their career capital. Differences in these areas, between sub-groupings, are examined, as are the reasons for future career changes. The research was conducted in a large financial institution using two phases. The first qualitative phase set out to determine valid constructs for phase two. The quantitative second phase used a structured questionnaire administered through both focus groups and electronically, with 113 high - value knowledge workers providing the data. The research findings show that high - value knowledge workers are self - monitors. They rely heavily on their emotional intelligence, social networking and a yearning for knowledge. A new model, the “symbiosis model”, has been created to facilitate a successful and symbiotic relationship between organisations and high - value knowledge workers. A set of recommendations has been provided for both. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Yes / This study explores the impact of city-specific factors on skilled migrants’ career capital within the intelligent career framework. It compares global and secondary cities as distinct career landscapes and examines how differently they shape development and utilisation of three ways of knowing (knowing-how, knowing-whom and knowingwhy). Findings from 82 qualitative interviews with skilled migrants in global (London) and secondary (Newcastle) UK cities explain the importance of cities at an analytical level, as skilled migrants’ careers were differently constrained and enabled by three groups of city-specific factors: labour market, community and lifestyle. By exploring the two types of cities in career context, this article contributes to developing an interdisciplinary dialogue and problematises careers as a relational and contextually embedded phenomenon. Limitations and recommendations are discussed.

There have been several debates about the value of an MBA. Proponents of the MBA believe that the MBA contributes greatly to the development of general managers, while critics argue that the MBA course is disconnected from reality and does not equip graduates with the skills required to navigate managerial roles. Against this backdrop, the research aimed to establish which career capital components are accumulated through the MBA and what aspect of the MBA contribute to the accumulation of career capital.The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase of the research was qualitative and comprised ten semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders. The first phase aimed to establish the career capital components that are accumulated through the MBA and the aspects of the MBA that contribute to the accumulation of career capital. The constructs identified in phase one, together with those identified in the literature, were then used as inputs in the design of a self-administered questionnaire distributed in phase two. The questionnaire was sent to a total of 1 129 MBA graduates out of whom 205 completed the questionnaire.The career capital components that are developed through the MBA were identified, as well as the aspects of the MBA that contribute the most to accumulating career capital. The top career capital component identified was the ability to work under pressure. The aspect of the MBA that contributes the most to career capital accumulation was the case study method. Furthermore, the career capital components for which there were significant differences between males and females, as well as between those who completed their studies recently and those who completed them some time ago were also identified. The study found that there were no significant differences in perceived career capital between those who had different types of roles prior to embarking on the MBA. A model that encapsulates the key findings was also developed. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

China is growing as an economic power leading to more and more foreign organizations taking the opportunity of its future potential and hence opening up their subsidies there. Companies nowadays, have several options when it comes to what type of workforce they should recruit. Self-Initiated Expatriates (SIEs) are a growing group in the international workforce who goes to work in another country on their own initiative as compared to the traditional expatriates that are sent by companies. Our literature research indicated that SIEs are perceived as a group of people who lack organizational commitment and tend to switch jobs often, which makes organizations reluctant to employ and invest in them.Inspired by this, we have a performed a study, which investigated SIEs’ experiences in China. The purpose of the study was to develop recommendations for organizations on how to better leverage SIEs as human resource. To fulfill the purpose of our thesis, we conducted a qualitative study, where we interviewed ten Westerners who currently had a job or previously had been employed in China. Our empirical findings revealed that SIEs perceive themselves as developing better cross-cultural skills and improving their language proficiency more than traditional expatriates as well as being much cheaper to employ. They do however need challenges, freedom and career development possibilities in order to stay satisfied. The failure to provide these from the company side results in them quitting their job or if the costs of quitting are too high, they stay on but performing only what they absolutely have to. As for the existing definitions, we found that a definition that only includes individuals with clear plans of return is not suitable since some SIEs have a “for now” mindset and only considering SIEs who intend to leave in the near future might lead to an overrepresentation of “failed” SIEs in the population. A more suitable definition should allow for less definite plans for staying in the host country.