An evaluation of motivations for studying pharmacy, career commitment and future career plans

It has been predicted that there will be a full time pharmacist workforce shortage of over 15,000 by 2013. It is therefore necessary to recruit more students of a suitable calibre to undergraduate pharmacy degree courses. This study was designed to investigate the motivations of pre-university and MPharm students for studying pharmacy. A series of focus groups was conducted with Year 12 students and a national survey of Year 13, 1st year MPharm and 4th year MPharm students was undertaken. The study found that amongst Year 12 students, pharmacy is perceived as a background profession and was also perceived as being of a lower status than medicine and dentistry. It was concluded that there was a need for greater promotion of pharmacy as a career amongst pre-university students, including the provision of structured work experience placements. Analysis of UCAS applicant data for pharmacy shows that the applicant pool is buoyant and that the majority of applicants are female. Female respondents to the surveys were significantly more likely than males to wish to work part time if they had a family. This could lead to further shortages in the full time workforce. The largest ethnic group of applicants to pharmacy degree courses were Asian. Business ownership and self-employment were motivations for entering the procession of pharmacy and career aims for significantly more Asian than White respondents. Ownership of independent pharmacies is declining and this could be a barrier to future recruitment to pharmacy degree courses. A high degree of interest in locum working may present a problem for continuity in commissioned services within community pharmacy practice. Further work is needed to examine the motivations for working as a locum pharmacist.

Exploring the relationship between professional and organizational commitment : the attitudes of Ontario chartered accountancy students

This study was undertaken to investigate the attitudes of chartered accountancy (CA) students toward professional commitment and organizational commitment. The focus of the study was to discover if a relationship between these two constructs existed and determine which situational and individual characteristics facilitate or impede commitment. The sample included those CA students who wrote the 1995 UFE (n=423). Four instruments were used for data collection: Job Diagnostic Survey, Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, Career Commitment Questionnaire, Career Facilitation Survey, and individual demographic inquiry. The study found a significant relationship between professional commitment and organizational commitment. Situational characteristics tended to influence organizational commitment, while individual characteristics more often governed professional commitment. Specific satisfactions, general satisfaction, growth satisfaction, and satisfaction with compensation, co-workers, and supervision were found to facilitate organizational commitment. Organizational commitment was also influenced by supplemental job characteristics, internal work motivation, career facilitation, and autonomy. Implications for practice involved the cooperation and collaboration of the governing body for the CA profession and the CA firms in activities addressing pertinent issues that influence commitment. Implications for future research were also discussed.

Applying Career Concepts to Strengthen the Work-Attitudes of Service Professionals

Given the nature of employment relationships today, service organizations can strengthen the organization commitment levels and reduce the turnover intentions of its professionals through providing job features important to their careers. These features include opportunities to perform challenging work, experience trusting relationships with customers/clients, and obtain extrinsic rewards. Using a sample of alumni from a hospitality business program, hypotheses that these features impact organizational commitment and turnover intentions, partially through strengthening professionals' career commitment, are developed and tested. Findings suggest that challenging work opportunities impact these attitudes both directly and indirectly. So too trusting relationships with customers and clients indirectly impact organization commitment and intent to turnover (ITO). Results also suggest that, as a whole, satisfaction with extrinsic rewards has no effect. However, an analysis of multigroup mediation results revealed that for professionals working in professional service firms, satisfaction with pay reduces both attitudes. Implications for research in organization commitment and ITO, specifically the role and impact of career-based antecedents, are discussed.

O Contrato Psicológico e a Influência do Tipo de Vínculo: empenhamento na carreira e commitment organizacional

As transformações nas relações contratuais e na ligação psicológica do indivíduo à organização motivaram a realização do presente estudo. Os seus objectivos centrais consistiram em, por um lado, analisar a influência do tipo de vínculo na formação do Contrato Psicológico dos indivíduos com a organização e, por outro lado, compreender a relação do Contrato Psicológico com o Empenhamento na Carreira e com o Commitment Organizacional, e o que poderá distinguir estas relações. A metodologia apoiou-se num questionário, aplicado a uma amostra de 102 profissionais com vínculos de trabalho estáveis e instáveis, de diferentes organizações, ramos profissionais e sectores de actividade. A amostra é proporcional e representativa. (a) Os resultados demonstram que os profissionais prestadores de serviço são o único caso em que o tipo de vínculo tem influência significativa sobre a formação do Contrato Psicológico, percepcionando uma ligação transaccional com a organização. (b) Em contrapartida, provam que uma maior ou menor estabilidade contratual não tem influência significativa sobre os Contratos Psicológicos relacional ou equilibrado. (c) Os resultados sugerem ainda que o Contrato Psicológico está mais directamente relacionado com o Empenhamento na Carreira do que com o Commitment Organizacional. O Contrato Psicológico apresenta correlações fortes com o Empenhamento na Carreira e a consequente utilização de comportamentos individuais de Gestão de Carreira, sendo esta mais significativa nas ligações psicológicas de tipo equilibrado e relacional. No que respeita ao Commitment Organizacional, este não apresenta relação significativa com o Contrato Psicológico mas verificamos a existência de focus de Commitment Organizacional. Os resultados comprovam que o Contrato Psicológico se correlaciona com a sua dimensão normativa. As conclusões evidenciam o incremento das relações transaccionais, motivadas pela menor durabilidade dos vínculos e o desenvolvimento de reduzidas expectativas na relação com a organização e para o carácter individual e circunstancial das ligações psicológicas, que já não obedecem a um padrão tipo. Perante cenários de grande instabilidade, independentemente do Contrato Psicológico estabelecido, a preocupação com a Carreira ganha relevância. Os profissionais actuais tendem a transferir a preocupação com o vínculo e a segurança no emprego para questões de carreira, segurança de empregabilidade e sucesso psicológico. Observa-se que a lealdade à organização é na maior parte dos casos transferida para a lealdade à carreira. / Transformations in contractual relationships and in the psychological connection of an individual to an organization have motivated the execution of the present study. The main objectives of this study were, on the one hand, to analyze the influence of the type of contractual bond in the shaping of the psychological contract of individuals with an organization, and, on the other hand, to understand the relationship between the psychological contract, the career commitment and the organizational commitment, to understand subsequently what may distinguish these relationships. The methodology was supported by a questionnaire, which was applied to a sample of 105 professionals with both stable and unstable contractual bonds in different organizations, professional lines of business and activity sectors. The sample is proportional and representative. (a) The results demonstrate that service providing professionals are the only case in which the type of contractual bond has a significant influence on the shaping of a psychological contract, perceived as a transactional connection with the organization. (b) On the other hand a higher or lower contractual stability has no significant influence or relationship with the psychological contract, relational or balanced. (c) The results also suggest that the psychological contract is more directly related to career commitment than to organizational commitment. The psychological contract shows a strong correlation with the career commitment and the consequent use of the individual behaviour of Career Management, with the latter being more significant to a balanced and relational type of psychological connection. In regard to Organizational Commitment, this presents no significant relationship with the psychological contract but the focus on the organizational commitment is verified. The results also show that the psychological contract is correlated with its normative dimension. The increase in transactional relationships are evident. This is driven by reduction of the durability of contractual bonds and the development of reduced expectations in relation to the organization and the individual character and circumstance of the psychological connections, which no longer conform to a standard type. Scenarios of great instability, regardless of the psychological contract established, cause the concern with career to gain relevance. Current professionals tend to transfer their concerns about contractual bonds and job security to career issues, job security and psychological success. It can also be seen that loyalty to the organization is, in most cases, transferred to loyalty to the career.

Gestão contemporânea de carreira: um estudo de caso com peritos criminais do Instituto Nacional de Criminalística da Polícia Federal

Nas últimas três décadas, intensificou-se na academia o debate sobre o tema gestão de carreiras. As transformações sociais, econômicas, tecnológicas e sua influência sobre o mercado de trabalho aguçaram o interesse dos pesquisadores organizacionais em entender como os indivíduos conduzem suas carreiras nesse novo cenário. A noção da responsabilidade pessoal na administração da própria carreira torna-se relevante, diminuindo o papel da organização nesse processo. Flexibilidade, autoconhecimento e abertura à mobilidade no trabalho são novos requisitos. Surgem na literatura dois modelos que bem expressam essa realidade: a carreira proteana e sem fronteiras. Este estudo teve como objetivo explorar de que forma servidores públicos federais da área de segurança pública – os peritos criminais do Instituto Nacional de Criminalística da Polícia Federal – gerenciam suas carreiras à luz de tais fenômenos, considerando o ambiente organizacional tradicional no qual estão imersos. Aspectos de comprometimento e entrincheiramento na carreira também foram considerados. Optou-se pela estratégia qualitativa com uso de estudo de caso e pesquisa documental. Foram realizadas onze (11) entrevistas em profundidade, cujo conteúdo foi analisado de acordo com uma grade temática pré-estabelecida. Os resultados revelam que atitudes de carreira proteana e sem fronteiras são identificadas mesmo com a rigidez do modelo administrativo de carreira do serviço público federal. Além disso, há indícios de entrincheiramento voluntário na carreira, sem, no entanto, afetar o comprometimento com a carreira. A pesquisa pretende abrir novas possibilidades de entendimento sobre o tema no setor público, em especial na área de segurança pública, considerando as peculiaridades de suas carreiras.

From school to work: A comprehensive model of work-related motivation in the transition to working life.

Motivation is a core concept to understand work related outcomes and vocational pursuits. However, existing research mostly focused on specific aspects of motivation, such as goals or self-efficacy beliefs, while falling short of adequately addressing more complex and integrative notions of motivation. Advancing the current state of research, we draw from Motivational Systems Theory and a model of proactive motivation to propose a comprehensive model of work-related motivation. Specifically, we define motivation as a system of mutually related factors consisting of goals, emotions, and personal agency beliefs, comprised by capability beliefs and context evaluations. Adapting this model of motivation to the school-to-work transition, we postulate that this motivational system is affected by different social, personal, and environmental variables, for example social support, the presence of role-models, personality traits, and scholastic achievement. We further expect that students with more autonomous work-related goals, expectations of more positive emotional experiences in their future working life, fewer perceived barriers to their career development, and higher work-related self-efficacy beliefs would be more successful in their transition from school to work. We also propose that goal-directed engagement acts as a partial mediator in the relationship between motivation and a successful transition. Finally, we hypothesize that work-related motivation while in school will have meaningful effects on positive outcomes while in vocational training, as represented by more work engagement, higher career commitment, job satisfaction, and lower intentions to quit training. In sum, we advance the point that the adaptation of a broader concept of work-related motivation in the school-to-work transition would result in more powerful predictions of success in this transition and would enhance scientific research and interventions in career development and counselling practice.

Relation of vocational identity statuses to interest structure among Swiss adolescents

Vocational identity is one core component of identity construction in adolescence. The current study investigated whether vocational interest structure in terms of differentiation, coherence, elevation, and interest-aspiration congruence would differentiate among students in vocational identity achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, and diffusion. Swiss students at the beginning of eighth grade (N = 341) participated in the study. Groups were created using cluster analysis based on the dimensions of career exploration and career commitment, and group differences were explored with discriminant analysis. Controlling for sociodemographic variables, higher interest differentiation and elevation distinguished students in achievement/moratorium from those in diffusion. More interest elevation differentiated moratorium from foreclosure. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

PERCEPÇÃO DE COMPROMETIMENTO COM CARREIRA, RESILIÊNCIA E INTENÇÃO DE MUDANÇA DE PROFISSÃO EM PROFISSIONAIS DE TECNOLOGIA DA INFORMAÇÃO

O advento da Tecnologia da Informação (TI) provocou, em poucos anos de sua evolução, mudanças significativas para a sociedade como um todo. Esta revolução tecnológica acabou por desumanizar e segregar relações familiares, sociais e de trabalho e isto se aplica particularmente ao trabalho dos profissionais da área. Suas conseqüências, entretanto, ainda são pouco conhecidas. As carreiras desses profissionais são circundadas por pressões provocadas por busca constante por novos projetos, adaptação a novos ambientes e culturas organizacionais diversas e remuneração condicionada a prazos, o que exige um gerenciamento constante de suas ações. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo identificar relações entre comprometimento com a carreira, resiliência e intenção de mudança de profissão em profissionais de tecnologia da informação (TI). Intenção de mudança de profissão é a expectativa do profissional de abandonar a profissão atual; comprometimento com a carreira é o vínculo mantido pelo trabalhador com sua carreira ou profissão e resiliência pode ser definida como a capacidade de adaptação positiva diante de situações adversas. Participaram deste estudo 60 profissionais da área de tecnologia da informação. A amostra é predominantemente masculina (75%), com idade entre 25 e 60 anos. Quanto à formação a grande maioria (61,7%) apresenta nível superior completo. O tempo de atuação 66,7% dos respondentes na área de TI encontra-se no intervalo entre um a dez anos de profissão; esses profissionais atuam como autônomos empregados ou cooperados em diversos segmentos de mercado. Os instrumentos de coleta foram a Escala de Avaliação de Resiliência (EAR) e a Escala de Comprometimento com a Carreira. Os dados foram submetidos a análises estatísticas descritivas e de associação. Médias fatoriais e desvios-padrão revelaram que os participantes aceitam positivamente as mudanças, adaptando-se diante de dificuldades da vida e diante de novos projetos e desafios profissionais. Demonstraram ainda que quanto mais resignados são os profissionais de TI, menos eles querem mudar de atividade nesta área de atuação. Os resultados, discutidos à luz da literatura da área, sustentaram em parte as hipóteses testadas neste estudo, ou seja, quanto mais elevados foram os níveis de comprometimento com a carreira, maiores foram os níveis de resiliência relatados e menor foi a intenção de mudar de profissão.

Professionalisation and ophthalmic optics

This thesis is a sociological study of the ophthalmic optical profession in Britain. It includes a survey of the development of ophthalmic optics as an occupation and three questionnaire, surveys, one each of first and final year ophthalmic optics students, and one of practising opticians. The developmental survey showed that four themes have been important in the occupation's process of professionalisation - the actions of the opticians' leaders, the gradual unification of the bodies, representing segments of the profession, the struggle with medicine and the involvement of ophthalmic opticians in state-organised optical welfare schemes. The student surveys showed that the profession is now recruiting largely from middle class, state educated groups, and increasingly from women, who hold significantly different attitudes to income, independence and career commitment. In general, both first and final year students considered service to be rather more important than furthering knowledge. Practising opticians have been recruited increasingly, from middle class backgrounds, mostly from state selective secondary schools, but with a large minority from non-state schools. The self-recruitment rate of the profession (18.9%) is very similar to that for British medical students. Significant differences in concepts of professionalism were found among ophthalmic opticians of different ages, sexes and types of practice but few among those in different areas of practice. In general, ophthalmic opticians seemed to stress service more·than furthering knowledge. It is suggested that the leaders of the profession have 'negotiated' considerable autonomy for its members and that the possibilities for commercialism within the ophthalmic optician's professional role are intrinsically no greater than those in more 'established' professions.

Do repatriate support practices influence repatriate experience, organisational commitment, turnover intentions and perceptions of career success?

The focus of this paper is the development of a model for the effective management of repatriation in multinational enterprises (MNEs). It reviews the literature associated with the relationships between repatriate support practices in relation to repatriation experiences, organisational commitment, turnover intentions, and perceptions of career success. A model has been developed where it is hypothesized that the perception of the provision of important and higher quality practices will result in positive repatriation experiences A positive experience will be positively related to organisational commitment, and perceptions of career success, and negatively related to turnover intentions. These relationships are based on the concepts of social support, uncertainty reduction theory, and psychological contract theory.

Organisational and professional commitment of early career accountants: do mentoring and organisational ethical climate matter?

This study assesses the effects of mentoring and organisational ethical climate (OEC) on the organisational and professional commitment (PC) of early career accountants (ECAs) (i.e. accounting graduate recruits with three or less years of working experience). The empirical data are based on a questionnaire survey from 86 ECAs in Australian public accounting firms, and hypothesis testing utilises partial least squares analysis. Our results indicate when a career development style of mentoring is adopted there is greater organisational as well as PC. By contrast, a social support mentoring style has no significant impact on organisational commitment (OC) and a negative effect on PC. Further, our data also reveal OEC to be positively associated with OC, and OC in turn having a positive impact on PC. The results imply that fostering a career-focused mentoring environment and an OEC can increase an ECA's OC and PC. These results have various implications for human resource management at both the accounting firm and professional levels.

Organisational and professional commitment of early career accountants: do mentoring and organisational ethical climate matter?

This study assesses the effects of mentoring and organisational ethical climate (OEC) on the organisational and professional commitment (PC) of early career accountants (ECAs) (i.e. accounting graduate recruits with three or less years of working experience). The empirical data are based on a questionnaire survey from 86 ECAs in Australian public accounting firms, and hypothesis testing utilises partial least squares analysis. Our results indicate when a career development style of mentoring is adopted there is greater organisational as well as PC. By contrast, a social support mentoring style has no significant impact on organisational commitment (OC) and a negative effect on PC. Further, our data also reveal OEC to be positively associated with OC, and OC in turn having a positive impact on PC. The results imply that fostering a career-focused mentoring environment and an OEC can increase an ECA's OC and PC. These results have various implications for human resource management at both the accounting firm and professional levels.