Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences: Home

Abstract:
This paper looks into the career aspirations of a sample of business students from Pakistan. The purpose of this paper thus is to identify where students are headed once they complete their business degrees and to document where they are obtaining their ideas from. The significance of this research lies in its use of qualitative methodology that enables students to define their career aspirations and the quarters they think are influencing their thoughts in their own words. It is seen that most business students use multinational corporations as their main reference point when discussing their career ambitions. Further inquiry into the topic reveals that family, associates and business schools all encourage students to think about their career choices from an MNC perspective. To the author, such patterned predetermined ways of thinking appear like discourse that is making it difficult for these students to identify alternative career paths. This raises questions as to the ultimate purpose and hence potential socio-economic impact of business education in the country. It is hoped that this research will be useful for business program developers and teachers who can guide students and their families towards more diverse career paths that can contribute more strongly to the socio-economic development of the country.

Keywords: business students,qualitative, discourse, MNCs careers, family, Pakistan.

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