Executive Views of Home Economists in Home Equipment and Related Industries

This exploratory study focused on determining the views held by executives in the home equipment and related product industries in regard to home economists and their career advancement potential. Questionnaires were mailed to the executive supervisors of senior home economists in these industries. Usable responses represented 37 percent of the original population of executives surveyed and 49 percent of the identified companies in this group of industries. Paired t-tests were used in data analysis. Statistically significant (p ≤.05) differences were found between the five qualities that executives said were necessary for advancement to upper company levels and the qualities used to describe business home economists: human relations, need for advancement, tolerance of uncertainty, creativity, and decision making. Other results showed that the majority of executives describe home economists as not likely to: take calculated risks, have knowledge of or use company politics, use informal company social networks, or have a mentor or sponsor. It was concluded that many executives within this industry have a generally positive image of home economists and believe that many home economists have more advancement potential than they are now realizing. Limited opportunities do exist for their advancement to upper company levels. In this paper, specific suggestions for improving advancement potential and implications for the profession are given.