The role of internal and external factors on management students’ subject choices
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences
| Field | Value | |
| Title | The role of internal and external factors on management students’ subject choices | |
| Creator | Coldwell, David AL Callaghan, Chris W | |
| Description | The aim of the study is to investigate undergraduates’ perceptions of the comparative worth/utility of studying Business Science disciplines at a prominent South African University in terms of: (i) internal factors comprising aptitudes, values and interests; and (ii) external factors comprising job attractiveness (job prospects, earning potential, non-salary benefits and work-life balance), and (iii) university and discipline academic reputations. The study utilises a specifically designed instrument to measure internal and external factors impinging on career choice. A purposive non-random sample, consisting of 130 second and third year students in Human Resource Management (HRM) and Management, is used. Findings suggest that, while perceptions of aspects of careers, such as job and career prospects generally dominate the choice of major subjects, students studying HRM majors hold community orientated values that distinguish them from their peers. Many students are found to make choices primarily on the basis of their perceptions of ‘external factors’, rather than their interests. The findings are discussed in terms of extant theory and potential practical outcomes. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS Publishing | |
| Date | 2013-09-02 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajems.v16i3.325 | |
| Source | South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences; Vol 16, No 3 (2013); 244-257 2222-3436 1015-8812 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajems.org/index.php/sajems/article/view/325/257
https://sajems.org/index.php/sajems/article/downloadSuppFile/325/64
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