CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

In the era of globalization, and the emergence of new technologies, organizations are striving to survive and succeed in an environment where dramatic changes are taking place. Rightsizing, downsizing and resizing of organizations is occurring all around the world, including Africa. Organizations are restructuring themselves in order to keep abreast with the new business and economic developments. Employees and managers alike are being replaced and displaced in vast amount. Mergers and reengineering of business has seen the management layers being reduced to a few levels. The security of lifelong employment has also been challenged. Traditional approach to career path where seniority would ensure upward mobility along the career ladder is no longer assured. Lateral moves have become the most common way to reenergize the employees, as companies reduce the levels of management, decrease the number of workers employed, and increased the demand on those who remained (Mondy&Noe 1996). All these changes have put in place the much- celebrated concept of career development.

Job satisfaction has been one of the most extensively discussed and studied concepts in organizational and personnel management, accounting for more than 5000 published works. The information generated by research into this area has practical implications for individuals and organizations alike, as employees strive for the best quality of life possible and managers are faced with the ever- increasing challenge of operating efficient, effective organizations using the human and technological resources available to them. Understanding job satisfaction and what it means is not only a desirable but also a critical aspect of life for both organizations and individuals.

The rapid increase of global competition, day by day renewed technology, growing demand towards better customer service have made constant and fast change an important issue in organizations. Businesses in the present world are operating in a highly competitive and borderless environment. Survival has become a key focus for many of these businesses, and they are constantly seeking for ingredients that can help to establish their competitive advantage (Jayasingam & Yong 2013). Nowadays, managers and employers understand that they cannot obtain a good performance from their employees in a platform where both personal career management and organizational career management practices are absent. They realized that developing new methods is necessary, and they have to make a fundamental change in this matter. Otherwise, it is likely that their competitors will discover the secret power of workers and take action already. One of the roles of the human resource department is to help employees consider potential career routes (Agba, et al., 2010, p. 106). Together with efficiently using human resources that have a strategic importance for organizations, the effects of career development programs -that might provide a competitive advantage- and organizational commitment on the employee’s job satisfaction are chosen as the subject of this study. Companies that still embrace their old ways of operation, in other words, a centralized hierarchical level in a changing business world will eventually lose their workers and clients to the firms that embrace and internalize the new management style. Now, employees will desire to leave the companies that embrace the old management style and be on the side of employers who are willing to show more respect, give more autonomy and authority. One of the assumptions of the employees hold about their careers is the match between their aspirations and organization’s career system. Organizations sometimes do not seek the match; therefore, dissatisfaction and withdrawal may result (Cartwright, 2005, p. 40). In the modern businessworld nowadays, employers must find a way to notonly recompense for their employees’ labor and effort, but also to draw their souls into the workplace.

1.2 Statement of Problem

Restructuring has brought many changes in employment patterns. Whereas employees looked at job security and broad skills as the main source of job satisfaction restructuring has made organizations now less able to guarantee lifetime job security (Kerka. 1991). With mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and reengineering, Organizations find it difficult to invest in the long-term development oftheir employees. Furthermore the increasing tendency to adopt flatter structures caused by many waves of delayering has affected the ability of many organizations to guarantee promotional opportunities for their employees. This has greatly affected employee career development programs in these organizations .As a result many employees tend to have less satisfaction or lower satisfaction with their jobs (Cranny, et.al. 1992). Thus there appears to be a direct link between career development and job satisfaction yet no studies seem not have been done to address this linkage. This creates a gap in knowledge that the proposed study intends to fill. Job security and advancement are no longer guaranteed in the organizations yet no one has taken interest in the problem.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study is to determine the effect of career development on employee job satisfaction. However, there are some specific objectives which include:

1.       To examine the relationship between self-assessment and employee job satisfaction.

2.       To examine the relationship between goal setting and employee job satisfaction.

3.       To examine the relationship between action planning and employee job satisfaction.

1.4 Research Questions

1.       To what extent does self-assessment associate with employee job satisfaction?

2.       To what extent does goal setting associate with employee job satisfaction?

3.       To what extent does action planning associate with employee job satisfaction?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

1.       There is no significant relationship between self-assessment and employee job satisfaction.

2.       There is no significant relationship between goal setting and employee job satisfaction.

3.       There is no significant relationship between action planning and employee job satisfaction.

1.6 Significance of the Study

Results of the study are expected to be useful to the following:

Management of manufacturing firms in Rivers State will for the first time understands and know the links between career advancement and employee job satisfaction.

Researchers who may be interested in this topic and may find the results opening up new avenues for further research.

The findings of this study will help managers in the selected manufacturing firms  in appreciating the linkage between career development and employee job satisfaction, and the need to foster same using the potentials of their employees. Managers and practitioners in other organization will also benefit from the work with researchers interested in the area of career development and employee job satisfaction and the general public.

1.7 Scope and Limitations of the Study

The scope of this study covers how career development affects employee job satisfaction in selected manufacturing firms in Rivers State. The selected manufacturing firms include Berger Paints  = 50, Oasis Preforms Synergy Limited = 40 and Wesly Paints = 30 all in Port Harcourt in Port Harcourt. The unit of analysis is based on individual levels which mean the interviews and the questionnaire would be administered to the individual staff of the manufacturing firms  in Rivers State.

Every research work has some limitations that can affect the overall research activities and research report. The researcher had limited time to complete the research. Combining lectures hours with the research work is indeed time demanding. The researcher also had limited resources that in some cases affected the overall completion of the research work. Limited finance and unwillingness of some of the respondents to provide useful information also affect the success of the research.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Career: A person’s structured occupation and involves a steady of progressive advancements which includes how an individual’s work life develops overtime and how it is perceived by that person.

Development: The gradual growth of something so that it becomes more advance, stronger, etc; the process of producing or creating something new or more advanced; a new or advanced product.

Job Satisfaction: The good feeling, happiness or enjoyment that an employee have with his job.