Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / The contribution of an MBA degree on career mobility in South Africa is of importance and exhibits strong interest from academics, business and public space. Many people believe that an MBA can help for any managerial position especially in cooperate business set up in terms of upward career mobility and skills acquisition. This study wanted to find out if indeed qualifying with an MBA degree helps graduates to move upward, get better salaries and benefits and feel more skilled.This study was conducted using graduates from the Turfloop Graduate School of Leadership, University of Limpopo, who graduated between 2007 and 2011. A total of 44 participants responded. The results mainly indicated that the MBA qualification does help in helping graduates feel better capacitated and ready for managerial positions. The qualification also helps with higher positions and/or salaries. However, for candidates to realise those better positions they mostly need to move to other organisations or even other provinces.The study recommends that another study focused on more universities that offer MBA in South Africa be carried out to compare the career advancement of graduates from all these universities. Another one that focuses on the reasons why career progression is not mostly realised in organisations within which candidates worked prior to getting an MBA degree is also recommended.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-103).

The study is centered on the current ineffectiveness of career development planning within MTN SA.

Little has been written about opportunities for support staff to participate in professional development. Most of the related literature cites professional development for middle and upper management people. This study examined a particular in-service approach to professional development for support staff of the Greater Victoria School District (#61). In this approach, employees were centrally involved in suggesting topics for courses and workshops, facilitating workshops as resident experts, and engaged as participants. The purpose of the study was to: 1) understand voluntary participation; 2) examine the relationship between work-related learning and learning for personal growth and, 3) compare the cost of the in-service approach to two alternative options. The researcher gathered information from three sources: 1) a five-year database which tracked participation activities in a longitudinal quantitative study; 2) results of Boshier's Education Participation Scale (A Form) circulated to provide quantitative data of a cross-sectional study of participation and, 3) a series of interviews with twelve participants, recording their perspectives on the staff development program. A cost-effectiveness analysis was also conducted to determine the most economic approach to professional development. Some important findings of this study were the similar patterns of participation according to national figures of adult education participation in the Statistics Canada 2001 report. Examining variables of gender and frequency, a) this study found 71 percent male and 74 percent female participation in work-related courses compared to national figures of 62 percent male and 62 percent female participation in work-related adult education. And b) nationally 30 percent of adult Canadians participated in adult education compared to 26 percent of the population in this study. Evidence supported the fact that staff development participants preferred professional development topics rather than personal growth subjects. In the school calendar year, 1995/96 participants engaged in 66 percent work related courses, which evolved to 80 percent by 1999/00. The development of competent professional development programming involved more than predicting the needs of employees interested in remaining current in their job skills, or preparing for career advancement. Competent practice of professional development for support staff was positively influenced by a collaborative approach of all stakeholders; management, staff and, program facilitators. This study has implications for human resource personnel and training directors, employees, and others interested in workplace learning. It also shows that employees voluntarily suggest both professional and personal growth topics as important to their individual roles. The collaborative model studied here may be of interest and value in a variety of organizational settings, even those within a hierarchical structure. There are some promising avenues of future research which could also be explored. / Graduate

Thesis advisor: Maureen E. Kenny / Hope theory (Snyder et al., 1991) is a cognitive framework for understanding how individuals plan and stay motivated to achieve their goals. Research suggests that high levels of hope among adolescents are associated with academic achievement and markers of career exploration (Day, Hanson, Maltby, Proctor, & Wood, 2010; Kenny, Walsh-Blair, Blustein, Bempechat, & Seltzer, 2010). However, some scholars have raised criticisms about the conceptual underpinnings of hope and its applicability to the lives of marginalized groups (Tong, Fredrickson, Weining, & Zi, 2010; Riele, 2010). Despite these criticisms, hope theory has been used to study academic achievement among students of color (Chang & Banks, 2007; Roesch, Duangado, Vaughn, Aldridge, and Vilodas, 2010). Existing studies have most often utilized quantitative frameworks that have provided limited insight into how hope is experienced in the daily lives of low income students of color and how it may embody their relational, social, and cultural contexts. A qualitative framework is well suited for addressing these shortcomings. The current study employed a phenomenological methodology to explore how low income students of color defined hope and experienced it in their daily lives. Twenty one students enrolled in a work-based learning program at an urban Catholic high school were interviewed individually and participated in a group written activity on hope in their communities. The results of the study showed that goal pursuit was embedded within a relational context where participants embodied the opportunities and barriers experienced in their families, schools, and communities. The participants defined hope in ways that surpassed existing theory and elucidated the dynamic and sometimes contradictory role of the social context. These findings provide avenues for intervention in the lives of marginalized youth that frame discussions of WBL programs within a larger social context where relational processes are vital for student success. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Career development interventions have been lacking within disadvantaged contexts in South Africa. This is attributed to the country’s political history under the apartheid system. The predominant career interventions have been standardised on the English and Afrikaans populations, which are not necessarily applicable to the black population, a previously disadvantaged population. This study explored learners’ perceptions of career development interventions, career challenges and career needs within their contexts by using a career intervention vehicle, subject-career information guide titled, “A Guide for Schools into Higher Education”. The study was qualitative in nature and it conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 learners from a school within the disadvantaged context. The research interviews were analysed using the thematic content analysis. The findings of the study revealed that these learners had fairly different experiences of career guidance interventions within their contexts. The study indicated that the main career challenges faced by the learners were mainly externally based within their context. Thus, they needed career intervention resources to address the challenges. The findings of the study indicated that learners have benefited from A Guide for Schools into Higher Education as an intervention resource within their context. The study subsequently recommended that frequent career interventions be more available within schools and people perceived as role models within such contexts would need to be mobilized as career influencers. Furthermore it was recommended that learners within disadvantaged contexts would need to be taught skills towards the building of internal factors to facilitate them to own their career development.

Kwan Ho Kwong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-195). / Abstracts in English and Chinese; questionnaires in Chinese. / TITLE PAGE --- p.I / ABSTRACT --- p.II / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.V / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.VII / LISE OF TABLES AND FIGURES --- p.X / CHAPTERS / Chapter 1. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.10 / Chapter 2.1 --- Extra-role Behavior --- p.10 / Chapter 2.2 --- Different Conceptualizations of Extra-role Behaviors --- p.12 / Chapter 2.3 --- Organizational Citizenship Behavior --- p.16 / Chapter 2.4 --- Social Exchange Theory and OCB --- p.35 / Chapter 2.5 --- Resource Theory --- p.40 / Chapter 2.6 --- Career Growth Opportunities --- p.53 / Chapter 2.7 --- Contingency Theory --- p.60 / Chapter 2.8 --- Peer Competition --- p.65 / Chapter 2.9 --- Task Interdependence --- p.67 / Chapter 3. --- CHAPTER THREE: CONCEPTUAL MODEL AND HYPOTHESES --- p.72 / Chapter 3.1 --- Conceptual Model --- p.72 / Chapter 3.2 --- OCB and Resources --- p.74 / Chapter 3.3 --- OCB and Services --- p.77 / Chapter 3.4 --- OCB and Love --- p.78 / Chapter 3.5 --- OCB and Status --- p.80 / Chapter 3.6 --- OCB and Information --- p.82 / Chapter 3.7 --- Interaction Effects with Peer Competition and Task Interdependence --- p.84 / Chapter 3.8 --- "Exchanged Resources (Services, Love, Status, Information) and Career Growth Opportunities" --- p.94 / Chapter 4. --- RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY --- p.101 / Chapter 4.1 --- Samples and Data Collection --- p.101 / Chapter 4.2 --- Measures --- p.104 / Chapter 5. --- RESULTS --- p.110 / Chapter 5.1 --- Descriptive Statistics --- p.110 / Chapter 5.2 --- Confirmatory Factor Analysis --- p.115 / Chapter 5.3 --- Regression Results --- p.125 / Chapter 6. --- DISCUSSION --- p.153 / Chapter 6.1 --- Effects of OCB on Resources --- p.153 / Chapter 6.2 --- Interaction Effects of Peer Competition and Task Interdependence on the Relationship between OCB and Resources --- p.157 / Chapter 6.3 --- Interaction Effects of Task Interdependence on the Relationship between Conscientiousness and Love Resource --- p.158 / Chapter 6.4 --- Effects of Resources --- p.160 / Chapter 6.5 --- Different Perceptions of Career Growth Opportunities --- p.160 / Chapter 6.6 --- Effects of OCB on Career Growth Opportunities --- p.161 / Chapter 6.7 --- Theoretical Contributions --- p.162 / Chapter 6.8 --- Practical Implications --- p.165 / Chapter 6.9 --- Limitations --- p.166 / Chapter 6.10 --- Conclusion --- p.169 / REFERENCES --- p.170 / APPENDIX A Questionnaire Rated by Self --- p.195 / APPENDIX B Questionnaire Rated by Supervisor --- p.201

The study is centered on the current ineffectiveness of career development planning within MTN SA.

This thesis examines some of the antecedents and consequences of career decision status (i.e., being decided about and comfortable with career decisions). Antecedents investigated included: age, university level, work experience (quality and quantity), and accuracy of self-ratings. Work outcomes (as measured by job satisfaction, organisational commitment and performance) were the consequences of career decision status explored in this thesis. When the antecedents of age, university level and quantity of work experience were reviewed cross-sectionally all contributed to career decision status. It was concluded that age best predicted decidedness suggesting that the development of career decision status is part of a maturation process. Volume measured by the number of hours worked rather than pattern of work (i.e., full-time vs. part-time vs. casual) determined variability in scores on the career measures. Breadth of work experience (measured by number of jobs and employers) did not influence career decision status. When explored longitudinally it was found that decidedness decreased after participating in the work force and work experience programs. Quality rather than quantity of work experience was a more significant predictor of decidedness. Work experience and graduate programs should focus on the quality of experience provided, rather than quantity of time spent, if the purpose is to contribute to career decision making. In comparing the self-ratings of decided and undecided students it was found that decided students were no more perceptive about their capabilities than those who were undecided. This suggests that self-rating measures should be used in conjunction with objective measures if this information is to be used for the purpose of vocational assessments, even when students claim to be decided about their career choice. Some evidence exists to suggest that students rating themselves higher on comfort with career decisions were more capable of matching their career interests with job advertisements rather than on occupational titles alone. Comfort levels in career decision making may have an important role in evaluating available opportunities. In examining the relationship between work outcomes and career decision status in a longitudinal design it was concluded that job satisfaction promotes career comfort, decidedness predicts organisational commitment and this relationship is moderated by met expectations, and that neither being decided or comfortable predicts performance. Some evidence was found to suggest that those employees claiming high self-clarity (i.e., knowledge of their abilities, skills, and personality) were rated as higher performers. It may be beneficial for organisations to direct their efforts towards promoting comfort by providing quality work experience, and helping employees to clarify their strengths in terms of interests, abilities and attributes. It was concluded that career decidedness is still relevant to a contemporary work environment, but that comfort with career decisions has the potential for far greater impact.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A&M University, 2006. / "Major Subject: Career Development Education" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Sep. 15, 2006.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.