“…For example,`D epends on political orientation, time in business, sex, age and how good you are at playing the game'', and``Some opportunities are given to those with the strongest political links, as opposed to the appropriate skills and qualifications''. (Mainiero, 1994), doing the job well (Marshall, 1984;Reynolds and Associates, 1990), being a team player (Kakabadse and Margerison, 1987), determination to succeed (Still, 1993;Sinclair, 1994), communication skills (Ruderman et al, 1995), integrity, (Kisch and Ryan, 1991), self-confidence (Snyder, 1993), role models (Gold and Pringle, 1988), stereotyping (Bellamy and Ramsay, 1994), parental role, ability to relocate (Davidson and Cooper, 1992), gender (Hede and Dingsdad, 1994), formal organisational policies, and informal organisational policies (Stewart and Gudykunst, 1982). A principal factor analysis with varimax rotation was performed on the items.…”