Employers' preference and assessment of the qualities of fresh business graduates: empirical evidence from Malaysia

Mazuki Jusoh, Abdul Razak Mohd Rizal and Siong Choy Chong

International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 2007, vol. 4, issue 3, 316-336

Abstract: This paper examines the qualities of fresh graduates in business from the perspectives of employers. Three main research questions are addressed: 1) What are the qualities preferred among fresh business graduates? 2) What ratings do employers give to the qualities of fresh business graduates? 3) Are the employers satisfied with the qualities of fresh business graduates? Data was collected from a questionnaire-based survey done on a sample of 127 human resource managers in Malaysia. The qualities of the fresh graduates include knowledge, skills, abilities, and others (experience, behaviour and attitudes), or KSAOs. Analyses on the mean scores indicate various aspects of KSAOs that employers seek in fresh business graduates. Even though the employers are generally satisfied with the graduates' qualities, the preference-assessment comparison reveals significant gaps in the graduates' skills and abilities. The findings are discussed and interpreted to provide important implications to employers, graduates and educational institutions.

Keywords: employer preference; Malaysia; graduate quality; business graduates; skills; abilities. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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