“…Informed by a resourcebased view (Boxall, 1996) and human capital theory (Becker, 1964), of primary concern is how promotions can be designed most effectively to "identify and control the mobility of individuals through an organization" (Ferris et al, 1992:47), This perspective is generally taken by human resource management (HRM) scholars who see promotions as part of a strategic toolkit that managers use to create firm-specific human capital (Ployhart, Van Iddekinge, & MacKenzie, 2011) and to enable sustained organizational performance (Campbell, Coff, & Kryscynski, 2012). Frequently, the primary objective is to create a fit between organizations and individuals (Kooij & Boon, 2018;Takeuchi, Lepak, & Swart, 2011) by matching individual career aspirations to organizational aims (Inkson & King, 2011). This is based on the assumption that promotion systems reflect an objective and rational reality.…”