The goal of this study is to discover whether the concepts perceived diversity climate, the perception of inclusion and diversity recruitment have a positive effect on the retention rates of...Show moreThe goal of this study is to discover whether the concepts perceived diversity climate, the perception of inclusion and diversity recruitment have a positive effect on the retention rates of minority trainees at ProRail. This research is a single-case analysis with a qualitative approach. Thirteen in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted, eight with minority trainees and five with recruiters. The results demonstrate that all of the before-mentioned concepts have a positive effect on the retention rates of minority trainees. However, the ideology of meritocracy and the opposition towards bureaucracy threaten the positive influence that diversity recruitment has on retention rates of minorities. These outcomes are both of scientific and societal relevance. Furthermore, the study includes recommendations for future research and policy recommendations for ProRail.Show less
When the ruling Alliance-coalition of Malaysia suffered a painful defeat in the 1969 general elections, ethnic riots erupted in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city. These riots...Show moreWhen the ruling Alliance-coalition of Malaysia suffered a painful defeat in the 1969 general elections, ethnic riots erupted in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city. These riots proved a watershed moment in the history of Malaysia, since they convinced the country’s political leaders that more should be done for Malay Malaysians in order to prevent similar events from occurring in the future. For this reason, an affirmative action programme called the New Economic Policy (NEP) was adopted in 1971. As a consequence of the NEP, Malay entrepreneurs obtained a considerable stake in the domestic economy. The thesis analyses whether the favourable competitive position that accrued to Malay entrepreneurs under the NEP was historically unique. It addresses the following research question: to what extent did changes in the conditions for the development of entrepreneurship of varying ethnic origin during the period 1920-1970 anticipate the New Economic Policy? I argue that, although the favourable conditions facing Malay Malaysian entrepreneurs under the NEP were historically unprecedented, positive discrimination of Malays in government policies has deep historical roots. Initially such policies were fairly narrow in scope, gradually broadening as time went by. By the second half of the 1960s the policy climate already portrayed many of the features that would come to characterize the NEP.Show less
