The Effects Of Individualism And Collectivism On Antecedents Of Occupational Decisions Of Newly Graduates Majoring In Business Administration, An Empirical Study In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

This research was conducted to investigate the factors affecting Business Administration fresh graduates’ occupational decision in a setting where cultural values consisting of collectivists and individualists are present and to explore the magnitude of impact Individualism and Collectivism have on these antecedents of Occupational decisions. These antecedents are Extrinsic factors, Intrinsic factors, Career exposure, Family influence, and Peer influence. This study was performed in Vietnam with the help of participants, specifically senior university students and those who have work experience from 1 to 3 years majoring in Business Administration. The study’s responses were in both online and offline survey forms. Two questionnaires were used, one for evaluating the participants’ degree of Individualism and Collectivism values and one for the antecedents. A total of 303 responses were collected and analysed through utilizing SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.0. According to the findings of this study, Peer influence and Career exposure have highest positive influence on Occupational decisions of fresh graduates majoring in Business Administration. Intrinsic factors have a relatively moderate influence while Extrinsic factors and Family Influence have negative effect on the dependent variable. The study also points out how Collectivism correlates the most with Peer influence while Individualism correlates the most with Extrinsic factors. Limitations and recommendations are discussed in the final chapters to help Business Administration fresh graduates’ have guidance in their career paths.