Social capital, human capital, and career success in public relations in Taiwan

Abstract

This study examined the degree to which demographic, human capital, and social capital variables can predict career success for public relations practitioners in Taiwan. Social capital includes two dimensions: social trust and social network. Human capital includes education, rank, career tenure, and motivation. Public relations practitioners (150) from 16 agencies in Taiwan were interviewed in 2006. Social capital explained the significant variance in subjective career success. As for human capital, motivation negatively predicted job comfort, but positively predicted challenge and task significance. Career tenure and rank in the agency positively predicted autonomy, while only age and professional tenure predicted objective success. This study also revealed that the longer the practitioners stay in the business, the more the sense of autonomy, financial rewards, and support they have. Combined with the results of objective career success, career tenure is the best predictor for career success among all the variables in human capital. Since gender does not predict career success, we may infer that public relations practice in Taiwan does not seem hostile to women.

Keywords:

• career success
• human capital
• public relations practitioners
• social capital

Notes

^1. In our sample, there was no relationship between gender and marital status (X^2 = 1.098; p = 0.295). Therefore, whether the spouse is male, who is assumed less supporting of the family matters, or the spouse is female, who is assumed more supporting, the gender of the spouse does not seem to confound the relationship between marital status and career success.