The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of mangergers subjective experiences about the meaning of social capital. The study further aims to identify how managers work at increasing their social capital. The result in this qualitative study is based on interviews with six mangergers. The study's theoretical framework consists of an explanation of social capital from both Pierre Bourdieu and James Coleman. The study is also based on Mark Granovetter's theory about weak ties. The result indicates the managers consider a big social capital as important for their career growth and their performance of work. It also becomes visible that the lack of contacts creates limitations when it comes to access to information and career growth. The results also indicate that social capital can develop in different ways, too both favor their own gain but also ones employees and organization.The conclusion is that the managers who were interviewed in this study believe that social capital has and is important for their career growth and performance of work. Another conclusion is that ones social capital can create limitations. Finally, a conclusion can be drawn that social capital can grow in multiple ways and with different purposes. / Syftet med denna studie är att öka förståelsen för chefers subjektiva erfarenheter av det sociala kapitalets betydelse. Studien syftar vidare till att ta reda på hur chefer går tillväga för att öka sitt sociala kapital. Denna kvalitativa studie baserar sitt resultat på intervjuer med sex stycken chefer. Studiens teoretiska ramverk består av en förklaring av begreppet socialt kapital utifrån både Pierre Bourdieu och James Coleman. Studien baseras också på Mark Granovetters teori om svaga band. Resultatet tyder på att chefer anser att stort socialt kapital är viktigt för deras karriärutveckling och yrkesutövande. Det visar också på att inte känna rätt personer kan begränsa chefer när det kommer till tillgång till information och karriärutveckling. Resultatet visar även att det finns flera sätt att utveckla sitt sociala kapital på, både för att gynna sig själv men också för sina medarbetare och organisationen i stort. Slutsatsen som kan dras är att cheferna som intervjuas i studien anser att socialt kapital har varit och är viktigt för deras karriärutveckling och yrkesutövande. En annan slutsats som kan dras är att socialt kapital kan begränsa cheferna. Till sist kan en slutsats dras att socialt kapital kan utvecklas och vårdas på flera olika sätt och med olika ändamål.

The growing interest in gender issues and female employment has generated a number of studies and the library and information profession has not been excluded from this interest in promoting female equity in employment. This study investigates the career patterns of female librarians in six public university libraries in Ghana in order to establish the enhancers and inhibitors they experience in their career progression. The study adopted the multi-method approach, which entailed the use of two self-administered questionnaires for 128 professional and paraprofessional library staff respectively, which formed one group of the population studied and a semi-structured interview schedule developed for three female University library Heads, who formed the second group of the study population to address research questions in this study. Each of the professional and paraprofessional librarians completed the questionnaire on their own and their responses were then used to form essential components of one research project. Quantitative data gathered was analysed to report on descriptive characteristics of respondents, while qualitative data, from open ended questions, in the questionnaires, and responses from interviews with the female University Library Heads were analysed using the narrative analysis technique to present profile of respondents and their career histories. The findings reveal females in the study were unable to meet requirements for promotion in their various public university libraries, which has resulted in very slow progress in their careers and even in some cases stagnated careers. The few successful female librarians who made it to top positions did so relatively late in their careers. The study established that societal expectations of females, age, family responsibilities-career conflict, failure to publish, not being able to pursue higher academic programmes, inability to participate in professional enhancement and professional activities are some inhibitors to the progress of female librarians. The study concludes by recommending that the pioneer female University Librarians should serve as role models and mentors to colleague female librarians, and that there should be career development support, for females, from the Ghana Library Association and African Library and Information Association to help overcome barriers to advancement in university libraries. / Information Science / D.Litt. et. Phil (Information Science) / 020.82

The growing interest in gender issues and female employment has generated a number of studies and the library and information profession has not been excluded from this interest in promoting female equity in employment. This study investigates the career patterns of female librarians in six public university libraries in Ghana in order to establish the enhancers and inhibitors they experience in their career progression. The study adopted the multi-method approach, which entailed the use of two self-administered questionnaires for 128 professional and paraprofessional library staff respectively, which formed one group of the population studied and a semi-structured interview schedule developed for three female University library Heads, who formed the second group of the study population to address research questions in this study. Each of the professional and paraprofessional librarians completed the questionnaire on their own and their responses were then used to form essential components of one research project. Quantitative data gathered was analysed to report on descriptive characteristics of respondents, while qualitative data, from open ended questions, in the questionnaires, and responses from interviews with the female University Library Heads were analysed using the narrative analysis technique to present profile of respondents and their career histories. The findings reveal females in the study were unable to meet requirements for promotion in their various public university libraries, which has resulted in very slow progress in their careers and even in some cases stagnated careers. The few successful female librarians who made it to top positions did so relatively late in their careers. The study established that societal expectations of females, age, family responsibilities-career conflict, failure to publish, not being able to pursue higher academic programmes, inability to participate in professional enhancement and professional activities are some inhibitors to the progress of female librarians. The study concludes by recommending that the pioneer female University Librarians should serve as role models and mentors to colleague female librarians, and that there should be career development support, for females, from the Ghana Library Association and African Library and Information Association to help overcome barriers to advancement in university libraries. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)