Pick and mix : how management graduates create their own career path, combining employment modes, HR configuration, career fields and organisational membership as they see fit
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- In this thesis, a potential link between organisational membership, employment mode, HR configuration and career field was examined. A model was created, which consisted of four distinct employee profiles, combining the four theories. The research was based largely on the works of Lepak & Snell (2002), Stamper et al. (2009), Shore & Barksdale (1998) and Mayrhofer et al. (2004). Following theoretical background on the psychological contract, employer and employee obligations, organisational membership, affective commitment, the evolution of the career, the different career fields, human capital, the employment relationship and HR configurations, the model was elaborated and tested quantitatively on 109 management graduates through a questionnaire. The results found that the model was invalid, as only one individual could be classified into a profile. The only link established between these theories was between HR configuration and employment mode, and HR configuration and affective commitment. This led to the conclusion that individuals can determine how they interact with their organisation, and develop an employment structure that fits their needs.