The influence of a career crisis on the effectiveness of career support persuasive messages

Osadchaya, Elena ORCID: 0000-0002-7226-350X (2023). The influence of a career crisis on the effectiveness of career support persuasive messages. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Over the last few years, there has been an unprecedented change in the working lives of people around the globe, which has increased the likelihood of people suffering from career crises. The high prevalence of such crises in populations poses a risk of serious social and economic consequences. Although the understanding of how to effectively promote career support initiatives is imperative, little is known about how people who are in a career crisis perceive career-related persuasive communication. The present thesis aims to address this research gap by drawing upon self-discrepancy, regulatory focus, and message framing theories. The thesis proposes that career crisis severity moderates the relationship between message framing (promotion vs. prevention) and message effectiveness (operationalised as message attitude, initiative attitude, and service use intention). In addition, the thesis suggests a mechanism behind this moderating effect. Specifically, the thesis proposes that: career crisis severity affects self-discrepancy magnitude (i.e., the incongruity between actual and desired self-states); self-discrepancy magnitude, in turn, determines regulatory focus (promotion vs. prevention); and regulatory focus moderates the relationship between message framing and message effectiveness.

This thesis is comprised of three empirical studies. The first study involved 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews, which were used to develop a quantitative instrument. The second study employed an online survey with an element of experimental design (N = 123) to pre-test and pilot the designed quantitative instrument. The third study involved an online survey with an element of experimental design (N = 302) that tested the conceptual model of the thesis and was analysed employing partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). While the results, for the most part, supported the specified model, the moderating effects of crisis severity and regulatory focus on the relationship between message framing and message effectiveness were only partially supported. A simple main effects analysis revealed a more complex picture compared with what was initially hypothesised. The results showed that when people are in a mild career crisis, promotion-framed career support persuasive messages are more effective than those with a prevention frame. The same trend is observed when people are in a severe crisis but only for those who are prevention-oriented. Being in a severe crisis and being promotion-oriented, however, eliminates the effects of message frame on message persuasiveness. The results advance the literature on crisis, self-discrepancy, regulatory focus, and message framing. Implications for marketing practitioners, policymakers, career support and counselling organisations are discussed.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):