Executive Career Paths in the Railroad Industry

Data from Who's Who in Railroading were analyzed to determine the backgrounds and career paths of railroad executives. Thirteen US Class I railroads and 3 Canadian lines were included in the survey. The 307 executives studied were grouped into 3 categories: 1. those who spent their entire caree...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transportation journal 1987-12, Vol.27 (2), p.35-40
Main Author: MENTZER, MARC S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Business structures
Career advancement
Data processing
Datasets
Diversification
Employee promotions
Employment
Exact sciences and technology
Executives
Ground, air and sea transportation, marine construction
Industry
Manycompanies
Profitable firms
Rail industry
Railroad transportation
Railroads
Railway systems
Railway transportation and traffic
Relative profitability
Sales operations
Transportation industry
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Summary:Data from Who's Who in Railroading were analyzed to determine the backgrounds and career paths of railroad executives. Thirteen US Class I railroads and 3 Canadian lines were included in the survey. The 307 executives studied were grouped into 3 categories: 1. those who spent their entire careers with one employer, 2. those who had more than one railroad employer, and 3. those who had more than one employer, with at least one nonrailroad employer. Twenty-seven percent of the group held law degrees, and 20% held masters degrees; both figures were above the averages in a recent study of Fortune 500 executives. Although it was not surprising that executives in line functions were more likely to have followed the classical one-employer career path than those in staff functions, it was surprising that the more profitable railroads tended to promote from within. In addition, railroads which have diversified are less likely to have executives who followed the one-employer career path.
ISSN:0041-1612
2157-328X