Career path opportunities for young Bulgarian graduates - small private companies versus multinational corporations

Abstract

The present research paper attempts to study motivational and cultural factors and their influence on the career path of young Bulgarian graduates. The dissertation has a clear focus on the first steps of the professional development in terms of the set of decisions the young person has to make in order to end up following the right career direction. To depict the processes upon which these decisions are based this study uses fundamental motivation theories and several of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (2010; 1991): individualism, power distance and masculinity. They have a cardinal impact over the mental and behavioural characteristics of every person, yet this paper studies mainly the attitude towards career development and related aspects like the transition of young Bulgarians along the cultural dimensions. To identify the underlying motivational concepts a brief review over classic motivational theories is provided with a clear focus on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943; 1954) and the concepts deriving from it and building on its foundations. The analysis conducted for the purposes of this paper investigates two principal dilemmas confronting every young Bulgarian today – whether to pursue a career in a multinational corporation or in a small private company and whether to do this in the homeland or to relocate abroad, for the career opportunities on the different poles of these two dimensions are various and it is best if the individual conforms their choice with their own cultural peculiarities and hence increase the chances for success.