The profile of business administration students: a study based on xyz generations

Abstract

The Theory of Generation, popularly known from the work of Straus and Howe (1991), is based on the idea that individuals have similar behaviors depending on the period in which they were born. Such periods are defined by significant events in the history and economy of a country, region or even the world. The literature points to the XYZ Generations as the currently featured groups, formed by born between the mid-60s to the present. In the field of Administration, publications often approach generations in the context of the work environment in an attempt to understand employee behavior. On the other hand, this research paper aims to analyze the profile of Management students of a private university, comparing the results to the XYZ generations. Therefore, a survey was conducted with 152 of the 185 students enrolled regularly. Among results, is highlighted the low to moderate level of influence of the generations in some specific situations - which signals care when dealing with the theme "Generation XYZ". The greatest differences observed are related to Generation X comparing the others, revealing a more committed and engaged profile, regarding the student behavior in the class.