Nationality and Work Attitudes: A Study of Australian and American Business Majors

Abstract

This study examined the work attitudes of American and Australian business majors in order to determine the effect of nationality on managerial attitudes. The subjects were 188 American (average age: 22.6 years) and 184 Australian (average age: 20.8 years) full-time undergraduate business students. Questionnaires were used to measure the job characteristic preferences, job value orientations, and organizational preferences of the two samples. The results showed that although each national group highly valued both intrinsic and extrinsic job factors, Americans placed greater emphasis on self-fulfillment, responsibility, and other intrinsic rewards, whereas Australians stressed extrinsic factors like income and job security. These national differences have implications for the management of multinational corporations.

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