Business employability for late millennials: exploring the perceptions of generation Z students and generation X faculty

Purpose The paper aims to explore employability in business as perceived by Generation Z (late millennials) business students and faculty. It focuses on perceptions regarding necessary employability skills from the diverse standpoints of two different groups of stakeholders within one Higher Education Institution. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a Mixed Qualitative Design approach including a core and a supplementary component; Generation Z student perceptions are initially identified through a thematic analysis of students’ research reports on employability. These perceptions are then further contextualized through findings from a series of personal interviews conducted with Generation X academics in the same institution. Findings The findings support the two basic dimensions of perceived employability, work readiness and employability skills, for which students and educators hold similar notions. Both stakeholders distinguish between “hard” and “soft” skills, but filter their relative importance through a generational lens. An emerging finding was the link between personality traits and perceived employability skills. Originality/value The paper examines the much-debated issue of perceived employability through the eyes of Generation Z students; research on employability perceptions of Generation Z is, to date, limited. The topic is timely, as Generation Z is the newest generation entering the business job market. In addition, the paper adds to the emerging contemporary stream of literature exploring employability in the field of business education.

Wine market segmentation by age generations in the Western US: expectations after the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate if differences exist between the four wine-consuming generations in wine purchasing behavior, the desirability of wine attributes when making a purchase decision and information sources used. It examines if generational market segmentation is an actionable and valuable strategy for the wine industry. Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby-Boomers are the four generations examined. This research also investigates if the generations behaved differently concerning wine consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, expectations concerning future wine purchasing behavior are examined. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted between April 29, 2020 and May 7, 2020, with a sample size of 944 consumers from Western US States (California, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Nevada). One-way analysis of variance technique and Chi-square tests were used to examine differences. Findings Segmentation by generation is appropriate when creating products, pricing, determining channels of distribution and creating messaging for a specific wine brand. The COVID-19 pandemic caused channel shifting that is expected to continue after the pandemic. Originality/value This is the second academic paper that examines differences in wine purchasing behavior between generations including Generation Z and the only study that examines the purchasing behavior changes and expectations for the future by generation concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. Research limitations/implications A national survey should be conducted to confirm that the results from the sample that was mostly from California and neighboring states reflect the national wine consumer in the USA. Practical implications The research identifies the products, prices, channels of distribution and messaging that are appropriate to target each generation.

Varying importance of the work-life balance dimension of career success for Korean accountants: The effects of gender and generation

In this study, we examine the effects of gender, generation, and the interaction between gender and generation on Korean accountants’ perception of career success. With the large survey data collected from 1,000 accountants working in South Korea, we found that Korean female accountants have higher perceived importance of work-life balance dimension of career success than male accountants; and younger generations (Millennials or younger) have higher perceived importance for this dimension than older generations (Generation X or older). No interaction effects between gender and generation were found in relation to the perceived importance of work-life balance dimension of career success. Specifically, female accountants had higher perceived importance of work-life balance than their male counterparts regardless of generation; and while the mean was higher for younger generations the gap between the female accountants’ means and the male accountants’ means of work-life balance dimension has not been reduced. The insignificant interaction effects between gender and generation regarding the perceived level of the work-life balance dimension of career success suggest that, despite the national and organizational efforts in changing the gender discriminating practices, Korean accounting field may still be making a very slow progress in breaking its glass ceiling.

Status of Use of the Skin Care Room According to the Perception of Social Risks Caused by Covid-19

This study sought to understand the actual status of skin care offices due to the recognition of social risks caused by Corona 19. The survey was conducted on X, M, and Z generation women using the SPSS WIN 25.0 program. Analysis techniques performed frequency and percentage, χ2 (Chi-square) verification and frequency analysis, One-way ANOVA, T-test, Correlation, and Regression. The results of the study are as follows. First, generation Z was the most common among 386 people, followed by generation M and generation X. Second, Generation X showed the most interest in skin care. Third, women perceive the social risk of coronavirus as high. Fourth, it was found that the skin care center was used a lot before Corona 19, and after Corona 19, the skin care center was not used due to the anxiety of the coronavirus infection. Fifth, if the situation stabilizes after the end of the corona 19, it is highly willing to use the skin care office. Therefore, we hope that this study will be used as a basic data for preparing alternatives to revitalizing the skin care center.

PREFERENCES OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN CONSUMERS IN CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Research background: Consumers’ interest in environmental responsibility, sustainable consumption, and the circular economy is significantly increasing in all aspects of their lives. Clothing and fashion are clearly among these aspects. The fashion industry is one of the most resource-intensive and environmentally polluting industries. Circularity has been offered as a solution to this issue; however, the change must be in the attitudes of all concerned (Musova et al., 2021b). Businesses must react to this requirement for sustainable fashion, which is the reason that new circular concepts have been raised. Different generations prefer different models of circularity. Purpose of the article: The purpose of the current study is to detect the existence of dependency between generation and the fashion industry’s circular models, and to identify consumers’ specific preferences. Methods: The original consumer survey was undertaken by the authors in 2021, and involved 513 Slovak and 974 Czech consumers, who responded on their preferences in the circular economy. Pearson’s chi-square test of independence was used to confirm the dependence between consumers’ generation and the circular concept. The significant medium dependence of the nominal variables was confirmed by Pearson’s contingency coefficient, C, and Cramer's V. The relationships between the generation categories of Central European consumers and the categories of the new circular models in the fashion industry were established through correspondence analysis. Findings & Value added: The findings of the study suggest that Baby boomers single out capsule wardrobes, Generation X prefers patchwork and slow fashion, while Millennials prioritise GOTS and SWAP. Finally, Generation Z favours leasing jeans, upcycling, and renting clothes.

IT Security Training and Awareness in the Multigenerational Workplace

For many organizations, increased cybersecurity training and employee aware-ness building have already played an increasingly significant role in their cyber-security strategies as a means of ensuring their policies are being followed, yet such organizations tend to offer generic, “one size fits all” training and awareness packages that do not sufficiently recognize important differences among employees. Among these are differences in attitude and outlook associated with generational cohorts. Through an examination of how these cohorts view various fac-tors that influence cybersecurity awareness, as well as the cohorts’ receptivity to different training methodologies, organizations can exploit generational characteristics to maximize the effectiveness of cybersecurity training for Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and imminently, Generation Z. A clear understanding of the intrinsic relationship between end-users and cybersecurity technology can help cybersecurity professionals act effectively to protect organizations’ critical IT infrastructure. Such effectiveness is more important than ever now, as sudden, massive increase in teleworking brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the security challenges associated with this shift, will undoubtedly outlast it.

GENERATION DISPARITIES ON THE PERCEPTION OF SMEs BUSINESS RISKS

This article aims to identify common features, disparities, and consequences in the perception of business risks between generation X, Y, and Z entrepreneurs in the segment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The empirical part of this research included the dataset of 1585 questionnaires fulfilled by the entrepreneurs from the SME segment from four Central European countries across 2019-2020. The disparities of the perception of business risks were analyzed using Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The research results prove the existence of the significant disparities in the perception of the market, financial, personnel, legal, and operational risks sources by the entrepreneurs from X, Y, and Z generations. Generally, essential disparities are in the perception of business risks between generation X and Z. 61.7% of SMEs from generation X believe that the number of possible requests for the specific products/services has a downward trend. In comparison, only 49.0% of SMEs from generation Z and 45.3% of SMEs from generation Y present the same opinion. The presented research results have the following implications: i. top management of SMEs should improve interpersonal relationships in the workplace; ii. fine-tuning of supporting programs by organizations supporting the business environment in the region of the Visegrad Group; iii. preparation of strategic documents dealing with the quality of the business environment or the training of top SME managers in the case of national policymakers.