27 research outputs found
The dynamics of employability capitals for the transition to work: career identity, cultural capital, job interview self-efficacy and self-perceived employability
Purpose
This study aims to understand how employability capitals’ dynamics foster self-perceived employability (SPE) among students and graduates, which is still being empirically explored. Building upon the Employability Capital Growth Model and the Social Cognitive Career Theory’s career self-management model, we aimed to understand how different capitals associate by testing a serial mediation model connecting career identity (reflecting career identity capital) and SPE through the serial mediation of cultural capital and job interview self-efficacy (ISE) (an element of psychological capital).
Design/methodology/approach
We adopted a two-wave design involving 227 Italian University students and graduates. We recruited participants through multi-channel communication. The hypothesised relationships were analysed employing the structural equation modelling approach with the SPSS AMOS statistical package.
Findings
The results indicated that career identity, cultural capital, ISE and SPE are meaningfully related. In particular, in line with our expectations, we observed that career identity predicts cultural capital, which is positively associated with ISE which, ultimately, impacts SPE.
Originality/value
Our work adds to existing research by advancing the understanding of employability capitals, explaining how they interact and influence SPE, which is crucial for a sustainable transition into the workforce. At a practical level, our findings call upon, and guide, efforts from various stakeholders in the graduate career ecosystem (i.e. universities and their partners) to offer students and graduates meaningful experiences to form and use their employability capitals
Is it all about perception? A sustainability viewpoint on psychological capital and life well-being of management graduates
Purpose: Well-being and employability are considered important indicators of a sustainable career that must be incorporated into the system at the beginning of a job. Hence, it is essential to explore the role of positive personal resources to improve young managers' well-being. The unending ambivalence in the academic environment and the job market is detrimental to management graduates' well-being. The study aims to look into the possible intervening methods to enhance the well-being of management students during difficult times. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 212 management students from Kerala, India. Multi-stage random sampling was used to collect data. Structural equation modelling using IBM-AMOS was done to gain insights into the proposed relationships. Findings: The results indicated that psychological capital had a significant impact on the well-being of management students. Both perceived employability and psychological capital are positively related to life well-being. And, perceived employability mediated the relationship between psychological capital and life well-being. Research limitations/implications: The theoretical contribution comes from the application of the broaden-and-build theory and resource caravans from the conservation of resource theory as a theoretical framework to understand the positive impact of developing psychological capital among university students. The practical contribution comes from identifying a need for universities to make their campus climate more supportive of the non-academic needs of students by supporting them to become more self-reliant and enhance their positive psychological resources. Developing psychological resources of perceived employability and psychological capital is quintessential to enhance life well-being and career sustainability of early careers talent. Originality/value: This study is one of the first attempts to discern how psychological capital leads to an accumulation of psychological resources and life well-being in university students and graduates offering opportunities for career sustainability.</p
Future of work – apprehensions and excitement of management graduates
The study explores the perceptions of graduates on their employability and future of work, in light of the challenges thrown upon by new vicissitudes in the work environment. The study intends to assess the preparedness of management graduates in facing the challenges and uncertainties of the actual job market. Semi - structured and informal interviews with 65 management graduates from UK, Canada, Italy and India. The thematic analysis uncovered the concerns and areas to develop for management graduates regarding their future employability perceptions. We benefited from a unique opportunity to capture the views and experience of graduates who are undergoing management education during this ambiguous period. Three major themes were developed on how to develop oneself for an ambiguous future of work which includes, Psychological strengths, Skill enhancement and Future mindset. The study also unearthed the major focus areas for better employability from a graduate perspective. Practical contribution comes from strategies to prepare university graduates for sustainable careers. From a global approach this is one among the first studies to look into the graduate perspective of their preparedness for future work
Clidar Mountain Boundary Layer Case Studies
A CCD Camera Lidar system called the CLidar system images a vertically pointing laser from the side with a spatially separated CCD camera and wide angle optics. The system has been used to investigate case studies of aerosols in mountain boundary layers in in the times following sunset. The aerosols detected by the system demonstrate the wide variation of near ground aerosol structure and capabilities of the CLidar system
Measuring Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and Aerosol Profiles Simultaneously with a Camera Lidar
CLidar or camera lidar is a simple, inexpensive technique to measure nighttime tropospheric aerosol profiles. Stars in the raw data images used in the CLidar analysis can also be used to calculate aerosol optical depth simultaneously. A single star can be used with the Langley method or multiple star pairs can be used to reduce the error. The estimated error from data taken under clear sky conditions at Mauna Loa Observatory is approximately +/- 0.01