“Because I am worth it and employable”: A cross-cultural study on self-esteem and employability orientation as personal resources for psychological well-being at work

In Search of the Social in Psychological Capital: Integrating Psychological Capital into a Broader Capital Framework

During the past decade, a rich literature emerged focusing on “psychological capital,” a multidimensional concept encompassing self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience. So far psychological capital has been predominantly studied in the areas of work and organizational psychology, management, and organizational behavior. This paper argues that (1) the relevance of psychological capital is much broader than assumed so far and (2) that not only the outcomes but also the (social) origins and sources of psychological capital need to be studied. More specifically, the key questions that we address in this paper concern (1) how the notion of psychological capital can be integrated into a broader capital framework that allows studying (the reproduction of) social inequalities, (2) what such integration adds to disciplines such as psychology and sociology, (3) and which avenues for further research can be derived from such framework? Informed by the work of Pierre Bourdieu, we argue that psychological capital is the missing link to develop a comprehensive framework for studying (the reproduction of) social inequalities. Based on our theory building, we develop an interdisciplinary research agenda.

The Influence of Physical Activities on Job Satisfaction: Mediating Role of Self-efficacy, Self-esteem and Moderating Role of Stress Management

Objectives: Job satisfaction has been an essential element for the success of any organization, which has drawn the attention of several recent studies and policymakers. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of physical activities, self-efficacy and self-esteem on job satisfaction in manufacturing companies in Vietnam. The mediating impact of self-efficacy and self-esteem among physical activities and job satisfaction was also investigated. As a novel element, the study also examined the moderating impact of stress management among physical activities and job satisfaction in manufacturing companies in Vietnam. Methods: The study used survey questionnaires to gather the primary data from the selected employees of leading manufacturing companies of Vietnam. Using the PLS-SEM and Smart-PLS packages, the study analyzed the linkages among all variables. Results: The results revealed that physical activities, self-efficacy and self-esteem have a positive linkage with job satisfaction in manufacturing companies in Vietnam. The findings also exposed that self-efficacy and self-esteem significantly mediate among physical activities and job satisfaction. Conclusion: The findings also expressed that stress management significantly moderated between physical activities and job satisfaction. These findings will provide useful guidance and assistance to the strategists and policy makers to design policies related to job satisfaction using self-efficacy, stress management and self-esteem.

General Self-Efficacy and Employability Among Financially Underprivileged Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Achievement Motivation and Career Aspirations

Although previous research shows that general self-efficacy is related to employability, the mechanism of them is unclear. Thus, this study aims to explore the relationship between general self-efficacy and employability, examines the mediating role of achievement motivation and career aspirations among financially underprivileged college students in China. The analysis of 651 participants (59% female, 41% male) from six provinces indicates that general self-efficacy positively predicts employability through the mediating chain of achievement motivation and career aspirations. Based on these findings, the researchers propose feasible suggestions for related issues of financially underprivileged college students and future research.

Cross-Cultural Differences in Adopting Social Cognitive Career Theory at Student Employability in PLS-SEM: The Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Deep Approach to Learning

Unable to keep pace with the expectations of employers and societies that are constantly changing around the world, higher education policy and talent training have given rise to a gap between university education and employment. However, the higher education and industrial needs derived from technological progress have changed the development in country. This study aims to verify the learning method of Taiwanese vs. Malaysian university students and examines the relationship between teacher knowledge transfer and student employability from the perspective of a social cognitive career theory. In this study, 619 copies of questionnaires from the Taiwanese sample group and 443 copies of questionnaires from the Malaysian sample group were collected in total to compare the two sample groups in the development of student employability. The results indicate that teacher knowledge transfer has significant positive correlations with self-efficacy and a deep approach to learning and student employability, and the self-efficacy and a deep approach to learning have significant positive correlations with student employability in the Taiwanese sample. In Malaysia, except for the path between teacher knowledge transfer and student employability, all paths were significant and positively related. Finally, according to our results and findings, this study proposes several insights with practical and theoretical implications for future study.

Employable as We Age? A Systematic Review of Relationships Between Age Conceptualizations and Employability

This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of earlier research on the relationships between age conceptualizations (i.e., calendar age, organizational age, lifespan age, psychosocial age, and functional age) and indicators of employability. We have conducted a systematic literature search using PsycINFO, Academic Search Premier, Business Source Complete, CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, and Science Direct. Two raters evaluated the articles and subsequently distinguished k = 41 studies that met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Our review revealed that many researchers adopted different operationalizations to measure employability (15 studies were based on an input- or competence-based measure of employability, 23 studies included an output- or labor market-based measure of employability, and three studies included a combination of both measures). Moreover, most studies included calendar age (40 studies, 97.6%) as indicator of aging at work, and were based on a cross-sectional design (34 studies, 82.9%; 17.1% a longitudinal design). Based on the Standardized Index of Convergence (SIC) method, different types of evidence were found for the relationships between age and the employability measures. For relationships between psychosocial age and lifespan age, on the one hand, and employability measures, on the other hand, too few studies were found to draw conclusions. Yet, for relationships between calendar age and labor market-based measures strong consistent negative relationships were found across the studies, and moderately strong positive relationships were found for functional age and labor market- based measures. For organizational age and both competence-based as well as labor market-based measures moderately strong negative relationships were found. We discuss the implications of these results and propose a research agenda for future studies.

The Impact of Career Insight in the Relation with Social Networks and Career Self-Management: Preliminary Evidences from the Italian Contamination Lab

Universities are developing more education initiatives to increase the entrepreneurial mindset of students to enhance the social sustainability and self-employment. Young people should work to increase their managerial and soft skills in order to face the process of innovation and change. This exploratory study identifies some features of the participants in the first edition of the contamination laboratory (CLab) of the University of Salento (Lecce, Italy) whose mission is to develop creativity, soft skills and entrepreneurial mindset. In particular, it aims to investigate the relationship between career insight, social network and career self-management in a sample of University’s students during a training course organized according to the basic principles of Entrepreneurship Education. Data collection is carried out before and after the project. Results highlighted that there are significant differences before and after the course attendance in terms of personal and professional growth. These preliminary results present innovative aspects. From a theoretical point of view, the study laid the groundwork for future research in employability and entrepreneurial skills topics. About the practical implications, the study can provide some suggestions to promote and plan sustainable interventions in order to encourage young entrepreneurship and employability.