Date of Award

1996

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Business Administration

Department

Business

First Advisor

Daniel W. Kemper

Second Advisor

Pat Aikers

Third Advisor

Jan Kniffen

Abstract

This thesis will concentrate on the subject of the determinants of voluntary employee turnover in the workplace. Business owners and corporate executives are interested in the subject of turnover because it bas a financial impact on organizations. For decades, this concern has made employee turnover a popular topic of study for researchers. Several definitions have been used to describe turnover, thereby creating an opportunity for theorists to research many areas, such as functional or dysfunctional turnover, organizational and individual effects of turnover, and causes of turnover.

The purpose of the present study is to focus on the turnover of a particular group of workers, information systems or MIS employees. It is hypothesized that the high rate of turnover for these professionals is a result of many factors that are directly or indirectly related to job satisfaction. The determinants include role stressors, promotion satisfaction, demographic characteristics, outside job opportunities, and ethical behavior within organizations. Job-related factors, such as training, changing technology, managerial behavior, and work load are all determinants of MIS employee turnover.

Several studies by researchers concerned with employee turnover in general, as well as those specifically interested in the turnover of MIS personnel, were reviewed and evaluated. The researchers used different methodologies to perform their studies. An evaluation of the data collected and the research methods of each study was performed.

Evaluation of the studies produced support for the hypothesis. It was concluded that information systems professionals are faced with many factors, related to job satisfaction, that lead them to consider leaving their current employers and seeking new opportunities. Role stressors, such as role conflict and role ambiguity, were found to be major determinants of MIS employee turnover. Salary, outside job opportunities, and perceived promotability were also identified as causes for turnover. Demographic factors, such as age, seniority, geography, and marital status play a key role in helping employees make the decision to move to other companies.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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