Professional Documents
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International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic and Management Engineering Vol:6, No:12, 2012
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Variables
IV. METHODOLOGY
A. Research Instrument
A questionnaire which included questions on (1)
respondents demographic details, (2) job satisfaction, (3)
organizational commitment, and (4) turnover intention was
developed for the study. Demographic details such as (1) age,
(2) gender, (3) education level, (4) employment years, (5)
position held in the organization, and (6) income were asked
to provide an understanding of the background information of
the respondents participating in the study.
Job satisfaction is referred as a multi-dimensional construct
that consists of interrelated attributes or dimensions, typically
called job satisfaction facets [16]. This highlights the need to
look at job satisfaction from a more detailed perspective rather
than an overall perspective [49]. This study thus adopted the
Job Descriptive Index or JDI [50], which measure satisfaction
with five aspects of the job namely salary, promotion, coworkers, the work itself, and supervision. The JDI is one of
the most popular measures of job satisfaction and has been
found to produce highly reliable results [51]. The
methodological rigor employed during its construction and
validation, its normative data, its relatively low required
reading level, and the fact that it assesses satisfaction with five
of the most basic aspects of a persons work role most likely
account for the JDIs attractiveness to many researchers [52].
Organizational commitment was measured using the
Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) by [53].
The measurement consists of statements describing
employees attitudes towards their organizations. Finally,
turnover intention was measured using three items developed
by [54]. The respondents were asked to complete the
questionnaire using a five-point scale ranging from strongly
disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).
The questionnaire was first translated into the national
language of Malaysia which is Bahasa Melayu by the
researchers. The translated draft was then checked by a local
school teacher who is fluent in both Bahasa Melayu and
English. The revised version was later given to two employees
at the company to test the viability of the instructions given,
words used, and the length of the questionnaire. The feedback
Cronbachs Alpha
Job Satisfaction
Salary
Promotion
Co-workers
Work itself
Supervision
0.79
0.69
0.75
0.65
0.88
Organizational commitment
0.84
Turnover intention
0.70
B. Research Setting
The study is set in one of the largest supermarket chain in
the East Coast region of Peninsular Malaysia. The company
has a total of 21 outlets throughout the East Coast that offer
customers a one-stop household shopping facility ranging
from fresh food to groceries. The companys vision is to be
the top supermarket chain in the East Coast Corridor of
Peninsular Malaysia, serving quality consumer products at fair
price to meet customer needs and satisfaction. As a leading
supermarket operator, the company has received several
accreditations such as Fair Price Award, Enterprise 50 Award,
and Pahang Chief Minister Quality Award from relevant
authorities.
Being a family-owned organization, expanding the business
was the main focus at the start during the 1980s and so for a
long time thereafter. For the past few years, the company has
been encountering an increasing employee turnover rate (18%
to 24% annually) which has affected its operations and
productivity. This situation has increased the demand for
administrative time and resources for planning and
rescheduling. Consequently, it has also increased overtime and
fatigue among other employees from all levels and
departments. With all these problems in hand, it is crucial for
the management to identify and understand the antecedents
that contribute to the increasing employee turnover rate.
C. Data Collection
The study was coordinated through the Human Resource
Department of the company. The questionnaires were
randomly distributed to 100 employees from the executive and
non-executive categories, to ensure that all functional areas
within the organization are fully represented. Confidentially of
the responses was assured to encourage the respondents to
answer all the questions truthfully and without fear.
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Variables
Job Satisfaction
Salary
Promotion
Co-workers
Work itself
Supervision
Organizational commitment
Turnover Intention
Age
Gender
Education level
Employment
years
Job category
Income (RM)
Below 25
26-35
36-45
46 and above
Male
Female
Secondary school certification
Diploma
Degree
Masters
Others
Below 3
3-5
6-8
Executive
Non-executive
Below 1500
1500 - 2499
2500 and above
%
37.1
46.7
9.7
6.4
29.0
71.0
50.0
29.0
6.5
1.6
12.9
54.8
33.9
11.3
50.0
50.0
54.8
33.8
11.3
Mean
SD
2.52
3.33
3.13
3.24
3.02
3.19
3.35
0.72
0.52
0.70
0.55
0.85
0.50
0.61
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Turnover Intention
Job Satisfaction
Salary
Promotion
Co-workers
Work itself
Supervision
Organizational commitment
-0.40**
-0.32*
-0.23ns
-0.56**
-0.38**
-0.78*
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VIII. CONCLUSION
This study examined the level of job satisfaction,
organizational commitment, and turnover intention among
employees in the retail setting. Also investigated were the
effects of job satisfaction and organizational commitment on
turnover intention. The intention was to investigate whether
job satisfaction and organizational commitment are significant
variables in influencing intention to quit among employees in
the retail setting.
Overall, the findings provided empirical support that
satisfaction with salary, promotion, superior, and the work
itself has a significant influence on turnover intention.
Interestingly though, satisfaction with the co-workers was
found not to be associated with turnover intention. In addition,
along with many other studies, organizational commitment has
been found to be associated with turnover intention. The
findings thus have contributed to addressing retail employees
retention challenges by identifying factors influencing their
turnover intention.
Several recommendations related to human resource
practices have been proposed. This study is subject to
limitation in terms of sample size and unit of analysis (only
one company), thus the findings may not be generalized to
other retail employees. Studies of similar nature using bigger
number of respondents in various retail companies may
provide further insight into how to manage and perhaps reduce
this growing concern of voluntary turnover in the retail
context.
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