research project report the effect of personal traits on university undergraduate and graduate students social network size for their employability

BUSINESS RESEARCH MODULE b&a RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT THE EFFECT OF PERSONAL TRAITS ON UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS’ SOCIAL NETWORK SIZE FOR THEIR EMPLOYABILITY Clas

BUSINESS RESEARCH MODULE

b&a

RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT

THE EFFECT OF PERSONAL TRAITS ON UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS’ SOCIAL NETWORK SIZE FOR THEIR EMPLOYABILITY

Class : ESOM 63 Group : 6

Member evaluation

Hanoi, November 20

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviation Explanation

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Rationale

During the era of technology, networks and platforms by internet-based that they can post or share anything about themselves and be responded by others (Carr & Hayes, 2015) his creates a social network for individuals to connect and interact with other people Some research indicates that personal characteristics are a crucial factor for networking intensity (Le & Dang, 2022) and job search network size is mediator between personality traits and networking behavior (Le, 2023) However, those research focuses more on network as an umbrella term In this present study,

it is believed that a specific networking which is social network is an ideal network

to do more research on this, especially during the era that people nowadays interact dynamically on Internet based platforms and network The present study aims to quantitatively research on the impact of personal traits on employability through social network size Therefore, this study helps to be detailed in a specific kind of network, social network

CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESIS DEVELOPMENT 2.1.2.1

Definition and dimension of HEXACO, Social network size, Employability

Personal traits

Personal traits, or personal characteristics, are relatively stable psychological characteristics, expressing the way an individual thinks, feels and behaves They influence how a person interacts with the world around them and can predict their behavior in different situations

There are many ways to define personal traits:

According to Eysenck (1953) (Eysenck, 2013): Personal traits are

"relatively stable psychological structures that influence individual behavior in many different situations."

According to McAdams (1992) (McAdams, 2008): Personal traits are

"relatively stable behavioral, thinking and emotional tendencies that distinguish an individual from others."

Before going into detail, in our research, we want to use the HEXACO model as a tool for analyzing personality traits This is because in the research of Le (2023) (Le, 2023) indicate that HEXACO model is an alternative framework for Big Five model with

a new characteristic, Honesty-Humidity Honesty-humidity is defined by Ashton et al (2014) by five aspects honesty, sincerity, fairness, lack of greed, and modesty

The HEXACO model, formulated by Ashton et al (2004), presents

an alternative framework to the Big Five model by consistently interpreting personality traits Drawing from lexical research across various languages, Ashton et al (2004) identified six key personality dimensions: honesty-humility (H), emotionality (E), extraversion (X), agreeableness (A), conscientiousness (C), and openness to experience (O) (Ashton, Lee, and Visser, 2019) Honesty-humility, as defined by Ashton et al (2014), encompasses aspects such as honesty, sincerity, fairness, lack of greed, and modesty The emotionality dimension is characterized by fearfulness, anxiety, dependence, and sentimentality, aligning closely with the neuroticism trait of the Big Five model, which includes features like anxiety, depression, and anger (Costa & McCrae, 1992)

In the previous research, Le (2022) indicated that honesty-humility and conscientiousness have weak or no correlation with networking Therefore, in our research, we will detail the effect of the four other factors, which are Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience

Employability is a multidimensional concept that refers to an individual's ability to gain and maintain employment, as well as to navigate and adapt to changes in the job market It encompasses a range of skills, knowledge, attitudes, and personal attributes that make a person not only eligible for employment but also adaptable and valuable in the workplace

Employability is not just a reflection via educational level but is also related through many different aspects According to the scale applied from the work of Abbas and Sagsan, job opportunities are evaluated according to four characteristics: knowledge, skills, abilities and career attitudes (Al-Tahitah et al., 2023)

Social network size

Networking refers to the process of building and maintaining professional or social relationships to foster the exchange of information and resources These connections can be established with individuals or groups, aiming for mutual benefit and the creation of a network of contacts

Social networking refers to the practice of creating logically isolated networks on top of a physical network infrastructure using software-defined techniques These social networks behave like traditional physical networks but offer greater flexibility, scalability, and security

Social networks are known as a relationship, which is direct and indirect communication between people and people, developed between individuals of the same gender, level, and age (Chen, 2017) (Chen, 2017) The larger the social network size, the higher the likelihood that students will graduate, because it will be

a place and a bridge to help students have useful resources The size of graduates' social networks is important for job searches(Chen, 2017) Social media tools such

as Facebook, LinkedIn, etc will provide graduate students to effectively access extensive information about organizations they may be interested in (Murire et al., 2023).(Murire, Cilliers and Chinyamurindi, 2023) Social network size will bring great benefits to recent graduates, as a solution to get a job and increase communication At a UK university, a social media initiative was used to increase engagement between employers and learners about work (Murire et ahil., 2023) (Murire, Cilliers and Chinyamurindi, 2023)

2.2 Proposed hypothesis and research model

Relationship between personality traits and social

network size

The hypothesis that individual differences in personality traits can predict the size

of social networks has been supported by research (Dunbar & Spoors, 1995) For instance, the structure of key brain regions—deemed important for social life—has been found to correlate similarly with the number of online social connections (Kanai et al.) However, the direct relationship between personal traits and social network size remains unclear

Social networks are characterized by layers corresponding to varying levels of intimacy (Hill & Dunbar, 2003) Closest are support groups—individuals with whom one feels closest and can turn to for advice or support Next are sympathy groups, consisting of friends and relatives, sometimes defined as those whose death would cause personal grief (Buys & Larson, 1979) Finally, there's the outer layer of

a person's social network: acquaintances from work or neighbors (Hill & Dunbar, 2003) The average number of individuals in a person's overall social network is about 125, closely corresponding to an estimated maximum network size of around

150 (Roberts et al., 2009) The sizes of each layer have been reported to range from

3 to 5 for support groups, 12 to 20 for sympathy groups, and 30 to 50 for the outer network layer (Zhou et al., 2005) It's argued that the linear relationship between intimacy and the number of relationships in each layer is a result of the higher maintenance costs of closer relationships (Sutcliffe et al., 2012) However, there's considerable variation in reported network sizes, partly due to methodological differences between studies, as well as individual and population differences (Dunbar & Spoors, 1995), (Hill & Dunbar, 2003)

Based on the hypothesis of individual differences, there's evidence showing that personality aspects can predict network size In a study on freshmen, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness predicted the number of social relationships over repeated observations (Asendorpf & Wilpers, 1998) Extraversion and agreeableness are positively associated with social network size, encompassing both friends and family (Rollings et al., 2023) Therefore, there's a preliminary case that personal traits can influence the size of social networks

For example, more outgoing or conscientious individuals might actively build a larger network on platforms like Facebook

Personality factors affect the properties of ‘offline’ social networks, but how they are associated with the structural properties of online networks is still unclear We investigated how the personality traits - which is performed by 6 factors of HEXACO (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience) relate to social network size and objectively measured network characteristics Research has explored the association between personality and online sociality, with a particular focus on the Extraversion-Introversion continuum (see Bowden-Green et al., 2020 for a review)

To date, there has been very limited research systematically examining how the full range of personality characteristics are associated with the size and structure of online social networks (Lénnqvist et al., 2014; Noé et al., 2016) In this research,

we examined how objectively measured social network size and structure were associated with four out of stx HEXACO factors of personality (Ashton & Lee,

2007, 2020) - Emotionality (E), Extraversion (X), Agreeableness (A) and Openness

Social Network Theory (SNT) investigates the link between personality traits, social network size, and employability in university undergraduate and graduates which underscores the influence of social networks on employment prospects, highlighting their role in shaping individual behavior and outcomes

Research in Social Network Theory suggests that the size and composition of one's social network can significantly impact employability In an increasingly interconnected world, online platforms such as LinkedIn, professional forums, and social media serve as crucial avenues for expanding one's professional network Larger social network size provides access to a broader pool of job opportunities, as individuals are exposed to a diverse range of connections from various industries and geographic locations Social networks size can create a capacity to supply information and resources related to employment This can have a promotion on their employability (Chen, 2017) Therefore, we proposed the fifth hypothesis: H5: Social network size has positive effect on employability

Relationship between personality traits and

employability

Individual differences theory suggests that enduring psychological characteristics significantly influence social skills, job performance, job satisfaction, and career success Research focusing on social competence, cognition, emotion, and behavior indicates that individual abilities impact the relationship between career planning, job search networks, and percetved employability For example, individuals with high honesty-humility, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness tend to exhibit positive organizational behavior and stronger employability attributes (Costa

& McCrae, 1992; Le, 2022; Lin & Le, 2019)

Research suggests that individuals high in certain personal traits may exhibit higher levels of networking behavior, which can positively impact their employability For example, individuals high in extraversion (X) may be more inclined to engage in networking activities, such as contacting others for job information Networking can enhance job search outcomes, increase job interview opportunities, and improve employment prospects Additionally, traits such as conscientiousness (C) and openness to experience (O) may also contribute to employability Conscientious individuals tend to be organized, responsible, and diligent in their work, which can make them more attractive to employers Openness to experience reflects a willingness to explore new ideas and approaches, which can be valuable in adapting

to changing work environments and demonstrating flexibility As a result, the relationship between personality traits and employability 1s complex and can vary depending on specific contexts and individual differences Other factors, such as skills, qualifications, and job market conditions, also play a significant role in determining employability

Combining these perspectives, we can conclude that individual differences in personality traits may influence how people build and utilize their social networks SNT principles suggest that a larger network size can provide access to more resources and opportunities, potentially leading to higher employability Additionally, personality traits might influence how individuals leverage their network for job search purposes

Social network size as a mediator for the relationship between personal traits and employability:

People with high emotionality tend to have fearfulness, anxiety, dependence, and sentimentality (Ashton & Lee, 2009) (Argyle & Lu, 1990) explained that

neuroticism, which has similar symptoms as emotionality might result in social anxiety and have negative influence on social skills Therefore, we predict that high emotionality has a negative influence on employability, which requires social skills Extraversion is the kind of people that tend to have expressiveness, social

boldness, sociability, and liveliness (Ashton & Lee, 2009) With high social skills, it

is likely to have a positive effect on employability Moreover, agreeableness is served as forgiveness, gentleness, flexibility, and patience (Ashton & Lee, 2009) Therefore, they tend to have an attitude that tries to minimize conflicts and have sustainable relationships It can be implied that they tend to have good social skills

to interact with the employees, which can promote employability Openness to experience implies that those with this characteristic are likely to have adaptability and flexibility Especially in a society with consistent innovation, those

characteristics can serve as a competitive advantage, which can promote

employability From those, we introduce the hypothesis that:

H6: Social network size has the mediating effect on the relationship between emotionality and employability

H7: Social network size has the mediating effect on the relationship between extraversion and employability

H8: Social network size has the mediating effect on the relationship between and employability

H9: Social network size has the mediating effect on the relationship between emotionality and employability

2.2.2: Research model

Social networking

Agreeableness Openess to experience

Figure 2.1 The proposed theoretical model

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHOD Sample and data collection

The survey aims to delve into the employment prospects of 245 students It seeks to understand how personal networking within these fields of study impacts their overall career opportunities

Using Microsoft Forms, the online survey will be distributed to gather responses from a broad spectrum of students Questions will be designed to explore their networking experiences, the significance of personal connections in securing internships or job placements, and their perceptions of the job market within their respective fields

Complementing the online survey, in-person interviews will be conducted to delve deeper into individual experiences and perspectives These interviews will provide qualitative insights into the nuances of networking dynamics, including the types of connections students find most valuable, challenges they face, and success stories they've encountered

Table 3.'1 Description of study sample Scales

We adapted scales available in the literature for the study variables These

scales are psychometric measures with items rated on Likert 5-point scale (1= strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) The scales adapted for this present study are included in Appendix 1

For Personal traits with Openness to experience, there are 9 items to measure this factor These items are used in the research of Henry, Thielmann & Madttus (2022) (Henry et al., 2022) Some examples of them or “I would be quite bored by a visit to

an art gallery” or “I'm interested in learning about the history and politics of other countries” Other characteristics, which are Agreeableness, Extraversion and Emotionality also have items applied by the research of Henry, Thielmann & Méttus (2022) (Henry et al., 2022) The Cronbach’s alpha is

Social network size uses these items of network size, and it is customized to be suitable for the “social” one There are 7 items according to Van Hoye & Hooft & Lievens (2009) (Van Hoye et al., 2009) One typical example is “I can rely on many relatives, friends or acquaintances through social networking sites for information about work”

Employability applies to the item from Moy, Van Dyne & Hattrup (2023) (Moy et al., 2023) with one item is “If 1 were to lose or quit my current job, it would be easy for me to find a job of similar salary”

3.1 Data analysis procedure

We analyze the data using SPSS as the tool For the reability of this data, the Cronbach alpha is moderated with about 0.6 The Cronbach alpha of openness to experience, agreeableness, emotionality, extraversion were 0.63, 0.69, 0.69, 0.63 , 0.84, 0.6

Figure 3.2

Figure 3.3

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS 4.1 Descriptive statistics

© Table 4.1 shows the descriptive of statistics and correlation of variables

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Openness to Agreeablen Extraversi Social Employabi

M SD experience : ess } Emotionality on network size lity :