Career Satisfaction of Migrants Professionals of Indian Origin in the Accounting Industry within Australia - Literature review Example

Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Literature Review on Career Satisfaction of Migrants Professionals of Indian Origin in the Accounting Industry within Australia Theoretical Frameworks Numerous conceptual theories have been undertaken by researchers in a vast array of field. However, in analysing the phenomenon of immigration and how it contributes to career satisfaction few conceptual frameworks have however been developed. Lack of enough of these concepts and frameworks thus limit the scope of our studies, and thus may result to incomplete results. Such frameworks are integral as they provide the necessary rationale to analyse the relationships that exist between distinct variables or offer predictions (Cooke, Zhang & Wang p.2643; Kyoo, Kathryn and Ready p.269). Nevertheless, existing conceptual frameworks will thus aim to offer a concrete foundation and organization for my thesis, in addition to enabling me contextualize on a wide range of factors to compare variables in a wider spectrum. In analysing these frameworks from different researchers, the following literature review will also aim not to exceed 3700 words. 2.4.1 Gender Krifle and Desta (p 319) established that in Australia, women were found out to be happier than men in their jobs. According to quantitative data obtained from Lee and Kim (p.3), the number of Indian and Asian migrants moving into Australia has increased drastically over the past few years. A follow up study by Kathryn and Ready (p 259) reveals that the number of female migrants outnumber their male counterparts in most of the distinct dimensions like individual and family migrations. In analysing to what degree gender affects career satisfaction, the complex challenge of Australian immigration policies come into play (Lee & Kim; Krifle & Desta; Kyoo, Kathryn and Ready p.259). Lee and Kim (p. 5) in particular have identified that from time immemorial, the most dominant challenge contained in these policies is capitalizing on skilled labour over the unskilled. This policy thus creates an influx in the number of skilled labourers over the unskilled groups, and therefore most of these results reflect only on the skilled immigrants. In a contrasting research conducted by Gunasekara, Rajedran and Grant (p.63), the study found out that for Chinese women, however, those in the informal sector were more career satisfied than those in the formal sectors. In expounding more on the subject, a study by Lee and Kim (p. 16) identified that most women in the accountancy field had to leave their spouses and family members for them to work in Australia because they had failed to qualify. Previous researchers have thus failed to acknowledge these groups, henceforth providing an explanation for the inconsistent and divergent results. The following thesis will thus aim to close on that gap by providing special attention to these groups of people, to ensure consistent results. These researches conducted by both Gunasekara et al. and Lee et al. nevertheless fail to prove how other external factors like employment status, salary, financial status and level of experience affect gender and consequently career satisfaction. Placing concerted effort on such components will thus enable us to find out how such factors interrelate with gender and job satisfaction. In addition, we will also aim to find out how gender affects job satisfaction amongst our study group, to establish whether any discrepancies arise. By comparing and contrasting our results with Krifle and Desta’s findings that women are happier than men in their careers (p 319), the following thesis will thus find out whether the same trends appear for Indian immigrants in the field of accountancy. More conspicuously also, most of these researches fail to offer specified data about Indian accountants, and have generalised them into the skilled immigrant group, thus making their studies inconclusive. The following thesis will thus aim to fill up those gaps by offering specified data about Indian accountants only, who are working in Australia. Gunasekara, Rajedran and Grant’s study, also present’s consistent results (p.62). In their study, they were able to offer some of the reasons that make women immigrants more satisfied than men in the work place. One of the reasons that they were able to conclusively establish was due to the distinct levels of job expectations from both genders. Almost similar results are replicated by Cooke, Zhang and Wang (p.2639), who found out that women held lower expectation levels in their specific jobs, as most of them were in lower managerial job positions in the labour market, despite holding similar educational qualifications. Burks (n.p) concluded that men, on the contrary, held unrealistic expectations like receiving more allowances and promotions, which explains their lower career satisfaction level. Syed and Gunasekara study’s however take a different direction from other researches and assess how external variables like age and gender gap affected career satisfaction. Similar to most researchers, Syed (p.41) and Gunasekara, Rajedran and Grant (p.66) found out that for the highly educated and young immigrants, the gender rift disappears when it comes to career satisfaction. However, a contradictory research by Cooke, Zhang and Wang, found out that as for the Chinese immigrants living in the United States, male immigrants were more satisfied with their jobs than women in the same job level (p.2639). Cooke et al. concluded that the reason for this was because Chinese women concentrated more on how their work promoted to the well-being of their families. In retrospect, Chinese men were more focused on their career achievements and were astute to pursue those goals, and were thus happier. As evidence by these contradicting results by Cooke et al. and Gunasekara et al., it is clear that the inter-relationship of gender and career satisfaction is unclear in different parts across the globe. My focus will thus be concentrated on analysing whether these statistics are consistent with Indian accountancy immigrants, and thus table clear and worthwhile results that are free of ambiguity. 2.4.2 Age Cooke, Zhang and Wang (p.2637) acknowledges that age is one of the most instrumental factors in assessing the career satisfaction of immigrants. Analysing research from different studies however reveal great discrepancies in their findings. In separate researches by Gunasekara et al., (p.61) and Levesson et al. to determine to what extent age influences career satisfaction of skilled migrants of Indian and Sri Lanka origin, almost similar results are replicated in these results. They were both able to establish that younger immigrants were more committed and thus possessed a higher level of career satisfaction. The factors that promoted to their higher levels of job satisfaction included having a higher sense of belonging, enjoying association with colleagues. Burks (n.p.) however found completely divergent results to those of Gunasekara et al. and Levesson et al. by concluding that older immigrants were more career satisfied. His major reasons were due to the higher perks that they received, following their longer careers, that included better salary allowances and benefits that they received, which was in contrary to their younger colleagues. Moving forward, it is monumental to ensure that this thesis puts into consideration factors like the amount of allowances and benefits participants receive and their career expectations, before any conclusions can be derived from the results. This ensures that consistent data is collected that offers a true reflection of how age affects career satisfaction among Indian immigrants in the accountancy field. Levesson, Joiner and Bakalis (p.384) have acknowledged that in measuring age as a variable that promotes to career satisfaction of immigrants, certain aspects like social networks, self-esteem levels and cultural diversity must be considered. His research is thus more conclusive and deeper contrasted to Gunasekara et al. and Burks, who fail to put into considerations such external components. Though Levesson et al. has identified that these factors come into play; he however fails to offer empirical data on their interrelationships with age and consequently implications on career satisfaction. In relation to my thesis, it is thus instrumental to ensure that before any conclusion can be derived from these statistics, variables like gender and culture should also be considered. Acknowledging that these variations exist allows us to ensure that we take a constrained approach before we can conclude our findings. To ensure that such factors do not impede our research and consequently affect our final results, this thesis ensures that data is collected from participants who have been exposed to almost similar external factors. 2.4.3 Mentoring Support Kawai and Strange (p. 2457) have reiterated that corporations should ensure that they enact on-sight mentoring programs for immigrants. Some of the most successful mentoring programs that have been proposed include linking the leadership with new immigrant employees to aid them in incorporating them smoothly and engaging them in forums that aid them develop higher self-esteem and language proficiency. A supporting study by Kawai and Strange’s also identifies that such programs aid greatly in providing the motivation required in overcoming certain unique hurdles that immigrants experience. Research has also proven that the organizational cultures practiced in an organization are more fundamentally important in promoting career satisfaction than personality factors (Kyoo, Kathryn and Ready p.267; Marchant p.51; McNamara & Johns p.43; Gunasekara, Rajedran and Grant p.62). To provide concrete support to the importance of mentoring support in career satisfaction and development, Moyes and Redd (p.34) have presented a scenario of a how a Hispanic immigrant accountant stepped down a lucrative position of an accounts manager. This was after she received a deserved promotion in an unnamed Australian firm, after working for a few years. However, she identified that she had not undergone any mentoring program to concrete her self-esteem and confidence. This led to lack management support and respect from subordinate staff, where she finally bowed down to the intense gossiping and self-hatred she was experiencing. Moyes and Redd are thus able to reiterate just how instrumental enacting such mentoring programs can aid employees in their future positions in a firm, and ultimately career satisfaction. McNamara’s research also reveals that such cases are on an exponential rise and drastic measures need to be enacted by all organizations (Moyes & Redd; McNamara & Johns) Moyes and Redd (p.23) further identified that most of the large corporations that they have studied had invested a proportional amount of resources to mentoring. This included forming ties with mentorship organizations to motivate immigrant employees, sensitizing their employees and forming special departments that handled immigrants’ discrimination cases. This was after the realization that numerous racial and gender discrimination cases against the immigrants were on the rise and thus raising the need increase their productivity. Kawai and Strange (p. 2455) in a follow up research found out that immigrants can only become productive under certain conditions. Firstly, is ensuring that the environment that they have been subjected to is receptive and free from prejudices of race and gender. This is because such an environment will enhance their creativity and level of innovation. Another factor that promotes to their productivity levels is acceptance from peers. These recommendations are also seconded by Moyes and Redd (p.25), who concluded that the more those employees were accepted by their colleagues and supervisors, the more their output levels increased. It is evident that a great deal of research exists on the benefits of offering mentoring to immigrants. Most of these studies however fail to present quantitative data that show how offering mentorship programs to immigrants promote their career satisfaction in their respective corporations. This thesis will thus aim to fill on that gap by ensuring that it investigates how mentoring is instrumental in motivating and promoting career satisfaction among Indian immigrants in addition to offering statistical results. It will also aim to collect personal cases from immigrant Indian accountants to try and illustrate how the exposure to or lack of mentoring programs promoted to their career satisfaction. This is contrary to Moyes and Redd’s study, which has unsatisfactorily presented just one scenario, and failing to offer contrasting cases. 2.4.4 Social Networks Syed (p.32) and James et al. (p 473) studies acknowledge that the international labour market insisting on employee ability to possess social skills is one of the most dominant factors that have contributed to the diminishing employment opportunities for skilled migrants. This observation is also replicated by Kawai and Strange (p. 2455) and Medina (p.32) , who found out that most migrants lack the necessary social skills that the host citizens might have in plenty, thus affecting greatly the trajectories of their careers (Syed p.37; James & Otsuka p473; Medina p.32). Gunasekara, Rajedran and Grant (p.63) study however takes effort to encourage accounting academics to develop high levels of social interactions with the society, by forming networks with peers and experienced accountants. Contrary to other researches, this study also encourages them to participate in career building programs which give them a preview of what to expect in a corporate setting (p 63). Accountants being well educated should thus able to view their education as “an empowering force” and they should therefore have the capability to develop their social skills to the fullest (James & Otsuka p477). Complementary research by Johns and McNamara (p73) and Syed (p 34) has also found out that most immigrants end up resorting to informal methods of social networking in their quest of finding occupational acceptance and integration. Johns and McNamara (p.82) found out that in terms of forming social networks, women were more willing to participate in groups that expanded their networks. This was particularly prevalent in university settings where women participated actively in such networking groups. Adoption of programs that encourage social networking and leadership developments among female and young immigrants has been linked to promoting more career satisfaction among the participants. James and Otsuka (p.473) reiterate that the reason for this is because such participants were able to develop higher self-confidence and henceforth capable of forming healthy relationships with experienced workers, and were thus able to form achievable goals their careers, compared to other immigrants (Medina p.29; Johns & McNamara p.86; James & Otsuka p.473). In a corporate setting Syed (p.35) found out that networking in social settings creates healthy relationships amongst participants, both the people undergoing mentorship and those mentoring. While the benefits of networking are evidently clear, a survey conducted by Johns and McNamara (p.82) found that most immigrants are not aware of such programs, despite having the will to engage themselves in them. Unlike John’s and McNamara’s study, most of these researches, however, fail to identify the steps that both the Indian and Australian government are taking to sensitize immigrant on the importance of taking such programs. In addition to stating those measures, my thesis will also aim to measure up to what extent social networking and career satisfaction are interlinked in the field of accountancy. Institutions of higher learning and corporations willing to hire immigrants from India are thus expected to benefit more from the findings of this report than other previously conducted studies, thus acting as a blue print to enable them create more socially conducive and welcoming environments for immigrants (Moyes & Redd p.27; Medina p.29; Syed p.35). 2.5 Conclusion The literature review has shown that most Indian and other immigrants across the globe are moderately satisfied with their careers in Australia (Syed p.37; James & Otsuka p473; Medina p.32). Accountancy being one of the most sought after careers in Australia by Indians has promoted to an exponential rise in the number of immigrants both pursuing accountancy and those seeking employment in the field. Most immigrants particularly the younger ones move from their countries with the expectation of receiving better job satisfaction and career opportunities. The review however shows that in order for Indian immigrant to experience career satisfaction in the accountancy field, arrays of factors must be in utopia to guarantee both career satisfaction and development. Female immigrants have however been identified to possessing a higher level of career satisfaction as compared to their male counterparts. Analysing age as a factor that promotes career satisfaction however shows great rifts in results. Some researchers argue that most young immigrants come to Australia with higher career expectations than the host countries can provide, and hence become less satisfied. Others however offer contrary results by stipulating that older immigrants have higher perks and sit higher in the career ladder, thus are more satisfied (Burks n.p.). Social networking and mentoring support have also been identified as among the most under-researched areas in assessing career development despite carrying a lot of thrust and magnitude. This thesis will however aim to compound my results with concrete and consistent data, and thus avoid the rifts that exist in previously conducted studies. Works Cited Borjas, George. The Economic Analysis of Immigration. Oxford, 1999. Burks, Frances (n.p.). What Is the Relationship Between Job Satisfaction & Age? Chron, 2013. Cooke, F., Zhang, J. & Wang J. Chinese professional immigrants in Australia: a gendered pattern in (re)building their careers. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2013. Gunasekara, A., Rajedran, D. and Grant, Sharon. Job Satisfaction of Sri Lankan and Indian Skilled Migrants In The Australian Workplace. Australian Journal of Business and Economic Studies. 1(2), 2015. James, Kieran & Otsuka, Setsuo.Racial biases in recruitment by accounting firms: The case of international Chinese applicants in Australia. Elsevier Ltd, 2008. Johns, R. & McNamara, J. Career development in higher education through group mentoring: A case study of desirable attributes and perceptions of a current programme. Australian Journal of Career Development. 23(2) 2014. Kawai, N. and Strange, R. Perceived organizational support and expatriate performance: understanding a mediated model. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2014. Kyoo, B., Kathryn, J. & Ready, J. Career satisfaction: The influences of proactive personality, performance goal orientation, organizational learning culture, and leader-member exchange quality. Career Development International, 17(3), 2012. Lee, H. & Kim, Chulhyo. The Dynamics of Migration Processes: The Gender Dimension in Asian-Australian Migration. Australia:University of Sydney. Marchant, Teresa. The Halcyon Days Are Over. Or Are They? Implications of The Global Financial Crisis For Managers’ Careers. Southern Cross University, 2015. Medina, Elizabeth. Job Satisfaction and Employee Turnover Intention: What does Organizational Culture Have to Do with It?Columbia University, 2012. Moyes, Glen& Redd, Tammi. Empirical Analysis of Factors Influencing The Level of Job Satisfaction Of Caucasian And Hispanic Accounting Professionals.International Business &Economics Research Journal, 2008. Syed, Jawad. Employment prospects for skilled migrants: A relational perspective. Kent Business School, 2008. Read More