Founder, Employee, or Academic? : A Third Career Option and an Extension of Theory of Planned Behavior
Journal
Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings
ISSN
2151-6561
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2012-07-06
Author(s)
Abstract
While career choice intentions research has largely focused on intentional founders and employees, one option has received conspicuously little attention: becoming an academic. Given that our profession provides unique conditions that include both entrepreneurial and employment-related elements, such as creative entrepreneurial freedom at substantially less personal risk, considering the academic career intention and comparing it to founder and private employee intentions provides new insights into the finer nuances of all three career choices. In this study we therefore examine and compare these three options through the lens of theory of planned behavior. In addition, we extend this theory by empirically testing the moderating effect of perceived controllability on the personal and social drivers of career choice. Based on survey data of 12,931 later-stage undergraduate university students from 13 European countries, we propose a theoretical framework to better explain these three career choices, demonstrate the moderating effect of perceived controllability, and illustrate the integral role of perceived desirability. Our findings contribute to both career choice and psychological theory, and provide insights into how we can better nurture both more successful entrepreneurs and more entrepreneurial academics.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Book title
The Informal Economy
Publisher
Academy of Management
Publisher place
New York
Volume
Paper 933
Start page
40
Event Title
72nd Academy of Management Annual Meeting (AOM) 2012 "The Informal Economy"
Event Location
Boston, USA
Event Date
03.-07.08.2012
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
210484