Factors Leading to a Satisfying Career in Airport Management

120 Pages·2014·2.57 MB·English

Factors Leading to a Satisfying Career in Airport Management:
Evidence from Airport Managers in Norway

by
Eirik Holdø

Bachelor of Business Administration
University of Agder
2011

A thesis submitted to the College of Aeronautics at
Florida Institute of Technology
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the degree of

Master of Science
in
Aviation
Airport Development and Management

Melbourne, Florida
May 2014

We the undersigned committee
hereby approve the attached thesis

Factors Leading to a Satisfying Career in Airport Management:
Evidence from Airport Managers in Norway

by
Eirik Holdø

______________________________ ______________________________
William B. Rankin, Ph.D. Michael A. Gallo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Associate Professor
Major Advisor Committee Member
College of Aeronautics College of Aeronautics

______________________________ ______________________________
B. Andrew Cudmore, Ph.D. Stephen K. Cusick, J.D.
Associate Professor Associate Professor
Committee Member Graduate Program Chair
College of Business College of Aeronautics
Abstract
Title: Factors Leading to a Satisfying Career in Airport Management:
Evidence from Airport Managers in Norway
Author: Eirik Holdø
Major Advisor: William B. Rankin, Ph.D.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence a person to choose
airport manager as a professional career and how these factors relate to the level of
satisfaction the person experiences with this career choice. By using a correlational
methodology with an explanatory design, this study examined the influence of
early aviation interests, demographics, health factors, formal education, and other
aviation experiences on Norwegian airport managers’ career choice and its
relationship to their level of career satisfaction. A sample of N = 39 airport
managers at Norwegian commercial service airports were surveyed. To assess the
relationship, a multiple regression analysis was conducted. The result showed that
by knowing a person’s early aviation interests, age, gender, family/friends’
influence, years of schooling, formal education, and airport size, one has 50% of
the information needed to perfectly predict that person’s satisfaction in the airport
manager profession. Moreover, it was found that females had a significantly higher
career satisfaction score than their male counterparts. In addition, managers at large
airports had a mean career satisfaction score that was significantly higher than the
overall grand mean of all 39 airport managers working at the four types of airports.
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Table of Contents
List of Keywords ................................................................................................... vii
List of Figures ....................................................................................................... viii
List of Tables ........................................................................................................... ix
Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................... 1
Problem Statement ......................................................................................... 1
Operational Definitions .................................................................................. 1
Background .................................................................................................... 3
Research Questions and Hypotheses .............................................................. 7
Research questions. ............................................................................ 7
Research hypotheses. ......................................................................... 8
Potential Significance and Generalizability of the Study .............................. 9
Potential significance of the study. .................................................... 9
Generalizability of the study. ............................................................. 9
Limitations and Delimitations ...................................................................... 10
Limitations. ...................................................................................... 10
Delimitations. ................................................................................... 11
Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................... 12
Introduction .................................................................................................. 12
Airport Management .................................................................................... 12
Factors Influencing Career Choice............................................................... 16
Family and friends influence. ........................................................... 16
Interests influence. ........................................................................... 19
Factors Influencing Career Choice in Aviation ........................................... 20
Professional pilots. ........................................................................... 20
Airport managers. ............................................................................. 21
iv
Career Satisfaction ....................................................................................... 27
Age. .................................................................................................. 27
Organization size. ............................................................................. 28
Gender. ............................................................................................. 28
Summary ...................................................................................................... 28
Chapter 3: Methodology ........................................................................................ 30
Population and Sample ................................................................................. 30
Instrumentation ............................................................................................ 31
KAAS part A – early interests in aviation. ...................................... 32
KAAS part B – attributes and attitudes survey. ............................... 32
KAAS part C – general information. ............................................... 33
Validity and reliability. .................................................................... 33
Procedures .................................................................................................... 34
Research methodology. .................................................................... 34
Procedures. ....................................................................................... 34
Threats to internal validity. .............................................................. 37
Data Analysis ............................................................................................... 39
Statistical procedures. ...................................................................... 39
Chapter 4: Results .................................................................................................. 41
Descriptive Statistics .................................................................................... 41
General demographics. ..................................................................... 41
Key attributes and attitudes survey. ................................................. 46
Inferential Statistics ...................................................................................... 52
Preliminary analysis. ........................................................................ 53
Primary analysis. .............................................................................. 57
Hypothesis testing. ........................................................................... 59

v
Chapter 5: Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations ......................... 64
Summary of Findings ................................................................................... 65
Conclusions and Implications ...................................................................... 65
Early aviation interests. .................................................................... 66
Demographic factors. ....................................................................... 66
Health factors. .................................................................................. 68
Formal education. ............................................................................. 68
Other aviation experiences. .............................................................. 70
Airport size. ...................................................................................... 70
Career satisfaction. ........................................................................... 71
Recommendations ........................................................................................ 71
Recommendations for practice. ........................................................ 72
Recommendations for future research. ............................................ 72
References ............................................................................................................... 75
Appendix A: Tables ............................................................................................... 81
Appendix B: Figures .............................................................................................. 88
Appendix C: Research Questionnaire .................................................................. 93
Appendix D: IRB Application ............................................................................... 99
Appendix E: Email Text ...................................................................................... 105
Appendix F: Informed Consent Form ............................................................... 107
Glossary ................................................................................................................. 109

vi
List of Keywords
Airport management
Airport managers in Norway
Career development
Career satisfaction
Factors influencing career choice

vii
List of Figures
Figure 2.1: Byers’ (2004) revised hypothesized model ........................................... 25

viii
List of Tables
Table 3.1: Sample versus Population ....................................................................... 31
Table 4.1: Summary of Descriptive Statistics .......................................................... 41
Table 4.2: Demographics by Gender ....................................................................... 42
Table 4.3: Pilot Certificate Currently Held .............................................................. 43
Table 4.4: Formal Education .................................................................................... 43
Table 4.5: Other Formal Educations ........................................................................ 44
Table 4.6: Former Positions in Airport Management .............................................. 45
Table 4.7: Decision to Become an Airport Manager ............................................... 46
Table 4.8: Other Decisions to Become an Airport Manager .................................... 46
Table 4.9: Aviation-Related Activities .................................................................... 48
Table 4.10: Perception of Influence on Career Development .................................. 50
Table 4.11: Career Satisfaction ................................................................................ 51
Table 4.12: Variables Measured on the Questionnaire ............................................ 53
Table 4.13: Resolution for Missing Data ................................................................. 55
Table 4.14: Variables Omitted from the Regression Analysis ................................. 57
Table 4.15: Variables Included in the Regression Analysis .................................... 58
Table 4.16: Overall Multiple Regression Analysis .................................................. 59
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