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Becoming a business student : Negotiating identity and social contacts during the first three months of an elite business education

Tyllström, Anna ; Gustafsson, Nils LU orcid and Farkas, Gergei (2022) In Institute for Futures Studies Working Paper 2022(13). p.1-23
Abstract
We know that informal networks explain differences in career success.
Historical differences in business careers of men and women have frequently
been explained with differences in informal networks. We also know that
corporations tend to recruit future leaders and professionals from highly
ranked business schools, and that important social networks form among the
students there. However, it is not fully known how these networks form
initially, and how they develop over time. In this first report from an ongoing
longitudinal study of networking among students of four business schools in
Sweden and Finland, we explore networking and socializing during the first
term of education. The data that is... (More)
We know that informal networks explain differences in career success.
Historical differences in business careers of men and women have frequently
been explained with differences in informal networks. We also know that
corporations tend to recruit future leaders and professionals from highly
ranked business schools, and that important social networks form among the
students there. However, it is not fully known how these networks form
initially, and how they develop over time. In this first report from an ongoing
longitudinal study of networking among students of four business schools in
Sweden and Finland, we explore networking and socializing during the first
term of education. The data that is reported here were collected in 2019, i.e.
before the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that the first few weeks of education
are crucial for networking: they present an “open window” for making new
friends. This process is aided by structured efforts by the schools and the
student unions which facilitate networking. We also find that expectations of
networking can be felt as stressful by some students, as well as there being
strong tendencies of homophily regarding gender and ethnicity among
students. From the students’ point of view, however, the friends they make seem to be the result of random encounters. Being socialized into becoming a
business student also means relating to and often challenging a perceived
stereotype of the (male) business student. The report ends with pointing
toward the need for establishing an intersectional and longitudinal approach
to the study of networking. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Working paper/Preprint
publication status
published
subject
keywords
social network analysis, gender studies, career paths, higher education
in
Institute for Futures Studies Working Paper
volume
2022
issue
13
pages
23 pages
publisher
Institute for Futures Studies
project
Nätvärde. En longitudinell studie av kvinnors och mäns sociala nätverk i svensk civilekonomutbildning
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
49481a76-7fa1-4816-9d92-838500c55a87
date added to LUP
2022-06-30 10:03:04
date last changed
2023-02-06 11:58:00
@misc{49481a76-7fa1-4816-9d92-838500c55a87,
  abstract     = {{We know that informal networks explain differences in career success. <br/>Historical differences in business careers of men and women have frequently <br/>been explained with differences in informal networks. We also know that <br/>corporations tend to recruit future leaders and professionals from highly <br/>ranked business schools, and that important social networks form among the <br/>students there. However, it is not fully known how these networks form <br/>initially, and how they develop over time. In this first report from an ongoing <br/>longitudinal study of networking among students of four business schools in <br/>Sweden and Finland, we explore networking and socializing during the first <br/>term of education. The data that is reported here were collected in 2019, i.e. <br/>before the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that the first few weeks of education <br/>are crucial for networking: they present an “open window” for making new <br/>friends. This process is aided by structured efforts by the schools and the <br/>student unions which facilitate networking. We also find that expectations of <br/>networking can be felt as stressful by some students, as well as there being <br/>strong tendencies of homophily regarding gender and ethnicity among <br/>students. From the students’ point of view, however, the friends they make seem to be the result of random encounters. Being socialized into becoming a <br/>business student also means relating to and often challenging a perceived <br/>stereotype of the (male) business student. The report ends with pointing <br/>toward the need for establishing an intersectional and longitudinal approach <br/>to the study of networking.}},
  author       = {{Tyllström, Anna and Gustafsson, Nils and Farkas, Gergei}},
  keywords     = {{social network analysis; gender studies; career paths; higher education}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  note         = {{Working Paper}},
  number       = {{13}},
  pages        = {{1--23}},
  publisher    = {{Institute for Futures Studies}},
  series       = {{Institute for Futures Studies Working Paper}},
  title        = {{Becoming a business student : Negotiating identity and social contacts during the first three months of an elite business education}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/120862420/wp_2022_13.pdf}},
  volume       = {{2022}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}