Background
The issue of career has been subject to various studies in the recent past. As defined by the oxford dictionary, it is a person’s “course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)“. (AA, 2008) However, different people have defined it in various ways. Hughes (1937) defines it as “the moving perspective in which persons orient themselves with reference to the social order and of the typical sequences and concatenation of office”. (Halpin, 1994)
On the other hand, a more contemporary description of career would be that of a course of growth of an employee down a path of experience and employment in one or more firms. From one point of view, careers may be perceived as the “property” of each individual, but alternatively, for an employed individual, it is designed and administered by the firm they are employed in. Formerly, career was identified as one of the major liabilities of a person. Career was regarded as a developing progression of an individual’s work experience in due course of time. Subsequently, the centre of attention on career advancement transferred from being the individual’s liability to the organization’s responsibility. Nevertheless, by the end of the 20th century, people had to look after their own careers yet again. (Cordesman, 2008)
Pre- planning occupies an extremely significant position in every facet of life. Planning for career, an objective an individual wants to accomplish in times ahead after obtaining a certain level of qualification has become imperative in this current competitive scenario. In line with the Thorndike dictionary “A goal that you desire to achieve in a selected field or occupation with a well-thought out plan, to get you there is called Career Planning.” Career Planning is one of the more panoptic features of erudition. In some sense, it has a remote association with ambition. In that context, it supplies the means to achieve success. (Shahid, 2002)
To respond to the fiercely stiff competition in the markets organizations come up with innovations which give them a cutting edge. One of those strategies relate to the development of the employees’ career. The firms increasingly direct their effort to continue the growth of its employees to ascertain a fruitful workforce. This offers a dual advantage in terms of augmenting the organization’s competence to achieve its objectives by enhancing the capacity of employees and retaining them as well as attracting potential productive employees to achieve worthwhile careers with the firm. Proper training and development plans are developed in order to ensure the success of the organization. (Bozionelos, 2009)
In case of individuals, their own perspective about their career is of vital significance. It is true that careers are being made as an effort by organizations. However, achieving a level of competence can help an employee to choose his own career development path. Further, each employee should be aware of one’s own strong and weak points, desires and requirements, and should be capable of recognizing relevant opportunities and making career-related judgments to ensure his path to triumph. (Cordesman, 2008)
Research aims
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is essentially an oil-based economy with the government maintaining a strong hold over economic activities. However, the recent past witnessed a state effort in the promotion of the private sector. The government increasingly is encouraging private investment to cater to the economy. Estimates suggest that 25% of the population is engaged in industry-oriented employment whereas 63% of the population caters to the services industry with the rest being agriculture-oriented. Thus, gradually more people are becoming aware and conscious of their career goals and are inclined towards gaining information on their career development pathways. (Syedur, 2000)
Career planning is primarily considered the conscientiousness of the employee in the nation. However, state as well as private industries are gradually taking up the role of assisting the employee towards developing a beneficial career path. This study aims to shed light upon issues such as the extant career planning in the private sector of Saudi Arabia. It also focuses on work force management practitioners’ perception and practices of career. Further, it intends to build up an appropriate model meant for Career in the private sector in Saudi Arabia. (Said, 2007)
Research Questions
The level of career planning framework in existence in Saudi Arabia’s private sector is the primary issue, which the research focuses on. In this context, the process of career nurturing in the private sector of Saudi Arabia is of much interest to the study. The survey conducted to collect data intends to gain substantial information on issues such as the amount of information accessible to the employees with regards to their career plans; the efforts of the Human Resources department to coordinate training procedure in light of career development of the employee; the intricacies involved that impede growth in career along with perceptions of various individuals relating to the efforts required to prevail over them; employees contentment; and finally the degree to which HRDF contribute in career growth in the private sector in Saudi Arabia. (Werlin, 2005)
Research Strategy and Methodology
A mixed approach will be adopted in the research design about this study. A mixed approach would be the most feasible option, which would be consistent with the research philosophy in this case. A mixed approach is a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. Each of these methods has its own pros and cons and presents different sets of challenges. On one hand where the quantitative research methodologies deals with numbers and are used to test hypotheses, the qualitative research techniques are useful for portraying complex phenomenon, conducts cross-cases analysis and provides in-depth information on individual cases. (Henderson, 2005)
The research question in this case involves various intricacies, which cannot be elucidated using an independent approach. Thus, the strengths of each approach are used to overcome the weakness of the other. Further, it enhances the reliability and the validity of the research paper in terms of data interpretation and analysis. Career planning and existing frameworks and practices is the topic of focus for this study. An in-depth, holistic case-study approach is adopted in the research with the Private Sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia being the subject of the case study. (Rice, 2006)
A survey is used as the primary data collection instrument for this case and is followed up by an interactive interview session with the respondents. The sample for this research is a mix of fresher and the experienced in the private sector between the age group of 21 to 45. A strategically crafted questionnaire is used as the means to carry out the survey. The questionnaire is divided into sections.
The first section deals with the demographic variables such as age, sex, industry etc. The second part of the questionnaire inquires into the educational background, qualifications and experience in the industry thus far. The third section goes into individual perceptions of career goals and objectives and efforts made by respondent to develop his/her own career path. It also asks about the information accessibility and difficulties experienced by the respondent in view of the context. The final sections takes a look at the organizational aspect of career and asks the respondent to answer questions in relation to the efforts made by the various organizations he/she has been employed in to assist him/her in their career growth. (Calvert, 2003)
References
AA; 2008; Career; Web.
Bozionelos, Nikos; 2009; Expatriation outside the boundaries of the multinational corporation: A study with expatriate nurses in Saudi Arabia; Human Resource Management; 48, 1, 111-134; University of Durham, United Kingdom
Calvert, John R & A. S. Al-Shetaiwi; 2003; Exploring the mismatch between skills and jobs for women in Saudi Arabia in technical and vocational areas: the views of Saudi Arabian private sector business managers; International Journal of Training and Development; 6, 2, 112-124; Blackwell Publishers Ltd; Loughborough University Business School, UK, ; Buraydah College of Technology, Saudi Arabia
Cordesman, Anthony H; 2008; Saudi Arabia Enters the Twenty-first Century; Greenwood Publishing Group Halpin, David & Barry Troyna; 1994; Researching Education Policy: Ethical and Methodological Issues; Routledge; Web.
Henderson, Keith M; 2005; Comparative public administration: The United States view in international perspective; Public Administration and Development; 2, 2, 169-183; State University College at Buffalo, State University of New York, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, N. Y. 14222, U.S.A.
Rice, Gillian & Essam Mahmoud; 2006; Trends in international business thought and literature: The Arabian Gulf countries; The International Executive; 38, 5, 715-730; Wiley Periodicals, Inc, A Wiley Company
Said, S. Al-Gahtani; 2007; Computer technology adoption in Saudi Arabia: Correlates of perceived innovation attributes; Information Technology for Development; 10, 1, 57-69; Administrative Sciences Department, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 1183, Abha, Saudi Arabia
Shahid, N. Bhuian, Eid S. Al-shammari, Omar A. Jefri; 2002; Work-related attitudes and job characteristics of expatriates in Saudi Arabia; Thunderbird International Business Review; 43, 1, 21-32; Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA; King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Syedur, Rahman & Frederick Norling; 2000; Managerial thinking; A study of public managers from developing countries; Public Administration and Development; 11, 2, 111-125; The Pennsylvania State University; Muhlenberg College
Werlin, Herbert; 2005; Linking decentralization and centralization: A critique of the new development administration; Public Administration and Development; 12, 3, 223-235; University of Maryland