This study examines the response rates for surveys used in organizational research. We analysed 1607 studies published in the years 2000 and 2005 in 17 refereed academic journals, and we identified 490 different studies that utilized surveys. We examined the response rates in these studies, which covered more than 100,000 organizations and 400,000 individual respondents. The average response rate for studies that utilized data collected from individuals was 52.7 percent with a standard deviation of 20.4, while the average response rate for studies that utilized data collected from organizations was 35.7 percent with a standard deviation of 18.8. Key insights from further analysis include relative stability in response rates in the past decade and higher response rates for journals published in the USA. The use of incentives was not found to be related to response rates and, for studies of organizations, the use of reminders was associated with lower response rates. Also, electronic data collection efforts (e.g. email, phone, web) resulted in response rates as high as or higher than traditional mail methodology. We discuss a number of implications and recommendations. K E Y WO R D S empirical studies questionnaire research methods response rate survey The majority of empirical studies conducted within the managerial and behavioural sciences use quantitative methodology. The data collection tool 1 1 3 9 Human Relations

In this review the authors critically examine the nature of contemporary careers and the direction in which careers research has developed over the past decade. Specifically, career concepts that emerged in the 1990s, including the protean and boundaryless career frameworks, as well as the next generation of career concepts, including integrative frameworks, hybrid careers, and the kaleidoscope career model, are discussed. The authors examine conceptualizations and measures of these models as well as related research. This review aims to improve our understanding of careers in today’s dynamic work environment, provide a comprehensive discussion of current discourse, and offer major directions for future research.

A study was conducted to explore what could and should be a reasonable response rate in academic studies. One hundred and forty-one papers which included 175 different studies were examined. They were published in the Academy of Management Journal, Human Relations, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Journal of International Business Studies in the years 1975, 1985, and 1995, covering about 200,000 respondents. The average response rate was 55.6 with a standard deviation of 19.7. Variations among the journals such as the year of publication and other variables were discussed. Most notable is the decline through the years (average 48.4, standard deviation of 20.1, in 1995), the lower level found in studies involving top management or organizational representatives (average 36.1, standard deviation of 13.3), and the predominance of North American studies. It is suggested that the average and standard deviation found in this study should be used as a norm for future studies, bearing in mind the specific reference group. It is also recommended that a distinction is made between surveys directed at individual participants and those targeting organizational representatives.

K eyw or d s Career development, Human resource development A bstr a ct Within the dynamic nature of labour markets, career systems have witnessed major changes in recent decades. T his paper presents several career perspectives, to manifest a trend in career systems and their meaning and implications for individuals,organizationsand society. T his trend may be portrayed as a transition from what may be labelled "linear career system" into a "multidirectional career system". Possible explanations to the phenomenon are presented, with suggested ideas for analysing and learning from the trend. T he last section of the paper presents the academic career model as a prospective role model for future career systems, suggested as an intriguing idea and food for thought. Such a mental exercise of examining alternative career models, different from the traditional concept of careers, may be useful for both theory development and managerial practice.

This study explores how teleworking is perceived by employees and highlights its possible benefits and pitfalls. Interviews with sixty-two teleworkers in five UK organisations provide a comprehensive view on this mode of work. In particular the study examines teleworking impact on effectiveness, quality of working life, and family life.Teleworking, we are told, is part of the new world of work emerging around us. New forms of work consideration, most notably the virtual organisation, depend on an effective use of information technology (IT). IT is the chief but not the only force bringing about transformation to jobs and ways of organising work for greater flexibility, responsiveness, and effectiveness. Traditional modes of control are no longer necessary for effective management of people, and current developments in technology make remote work feasible. However, in commentaries on the phenomenon it is rarely considered what may be the impact on people's attitudes to work, performance, stress, and the home-work interface. This research examines these and related questions, to enable us to have realistic understanding of the opportunities versus the threats and limitations it poses. In contrast to most existing literature on teleworking which have focussed on the employer's point of view, this study targeted individual employees.

No abstract

No abstract

A key ingredient in the knowledge economy is the development of people's careers. Companies approach career development in a variety of ways. To better understand how these approaches fit together and how they are used to address different situations, the authors surveyed 194 United Kingdom companies and identified five groups of practices. These groups were associated with certain organizational characteristics. Drawing on concepts from the careers literature, the authors suggest a two-dimensional model to explore how these groups of practices can be systematically understood and applied.