NAVIGATING CORPORATE CULTURE: PERSPECTIVES FROM GENERATION Z BUSINESS STUDENTS

This research is a qualitative study based on the focus group technique and examines the opinion of business students, as a niche of Generation Z, in relation to organizational culture and its role in choosing and keeping a job. For this purpose, 3 focus groups were conducted with students from the Faculty of Business and Tourism of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. The first focus group had only 3 participants and served more to test the discussion guide. The next two focus groups had 10 and 12 participants respectively, boys and girls, with the difference that the second group consisted of undergraduate students and the third of students in a master's program. A surprising finding was that none of the 25 student participants in the 3 focus groups were familiar with the concept of organizational culture. However, after some brief explanations, they understood what the concept referred to and were able to participate in in-depth discussions. The key findings made it clear that Gen Z students are looking for companies with a positive culture and a workplace that allows them to have a good work- life balance. These aspects become even more important than a higher salary if it is to be achieved in a company with a toxic culture.