This article compared the relative validity of traditional predictors of turnover intentions using samples from the USA and Mexico. Matched samples of retail grocery store employees (USA: N = 187; Mexico: N = 150) completed questionnaires that reported perceptions of inter-role conflict, positive affect, job satisfaction, perceived ease of movement and turnover intentions. Results indicate that job satisfaction and perceived ease of movement predicted turnover intentions in both the USA and Mexico. However, job satisfaction and perceived ease of movement were stronger predictors of turnover intentions in the USA. Unexpectedly, work-family and work-personal conflict did not predict turnover intentions in either sample.
Abelson, M.A. (1987) ‘Examination of Avoidable and Unavoidable Turnover’ , Journal of Applied Psychology72: 382-386 .
2.
Abelson, M.A. and Baysinger, B.D. (1984) ‘Optimal and Dysfunctional Turnover: Toward an Organizational Level Model’ , Academy of Management Review9: 331-341 .
3.
Bjorkman, I. and Lu, Y. (1999) ‘The Management of Human Resources in Chinese-Western Joint Ventures’ , Journal of World Business34: 306-325 .
4.
Boudreau, J.W. and Berger, C.J. (1985) ‘Toward a Model of Employee Movement Utility’, in K.M. Rowland and G.R. Ferris (eds) Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management, vol. 3, pp. 31-54. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press .
5.
Boyacigiller, N.A. and Adler, N.J. (1991) ‘The Parochial Dinosaur: Organizational Science in a Global Context’ , Academy of Management Review16: 262-291 .
6.
Brislin, R.W. , Lonner, W. and Thorndike, R.M. (1973) Cross-cultural Research Methods. New York: Wiley .
7.
Burke, R.J. (1988) ‘Some Antecedents and Consequences of Work-Family Conflict’ , Journal of Social Behavior and Personality3: 287-302 .
8.
Campion, M.A. (1991) ‘Meaning and Measurement of Turnover: Comparison of Alternative Measures and Recommendation for Research’ , Journal of Applied Psychology76: 199-212 .
9.
Casio, W. (1991) Costing Human Resources: The Financial Impact of Behavior in Organizations, 3rd edn.Boston, MA: PWS-Kent .
10.
Castillo, M.N. (2004) ‘The Discovery of Inducements in Attracting and Retaining Lower-level Maquiladora Workers’ , paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, New Orleans, LA.
11.
Chandrakumara, A. and Sparrow, P. (2004) ‘Work Orientation as an Element of National Culture and its Impact on HRM Policy-practice Design Choices: Lessons from Sri Lanka’ , International Journal of Manpower25: 564-589 .
12.
Cheng, Y. and Stockdale, M.S. (2003) ‘The Validity of the Three-component Model of Organizational Commitment in a Chinese Context’ , Journal of Vocational Behavior62: 465-489 .
13.
Cohen, J. (1988) Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edn.Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum .
14.
Cook, T.D. and Campbell, D.T. (1979) Quasi-experimentation: Design and Analysis Issues for Field Settings. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin .
15.
Dalton, D.R. , Tudor, W.D. and Krackhardt, D.M. (1982) ‘Turnover Overstated: The Functional Taxonomy’ , Academy of Management Review7: 117-123 .
16.
deForest, M.E. (1994) ‘Thinking of a Plant in Mexico’ , Academy of Management Executive8: 33-40 .
17.
DeLey, W.W. (1984) ‘American and Danish Police “Dropout” Rates: Denmark’s Force as a Case Study in High Job Satisfaction, Low Stress, and Low Turnover’ , Journal of Vocational Behavior25: 58-69 .
18.
Diaz-Guerrero, R. (1967) Psychology of the Mexican: Culture and Personality. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press .
19.
Dorfman, P.W. , Howell, J.P. , Hibino, S. , Lee, J.K. , Tate, U. and Bautista, A. (1997) ‘Leadership in Western and Asian Countries: Commonalities and Differences in Effective Leadership Processes across Cultures’ , Leadership Quarterly8: 233-274 .
20.
Dow, S. , Bishop, J.W. and Chen, X. (2003) ‘An Examination of the Relationship of Employee Involvement with Job Satisfaction, Employee Cooperation, and Intention to Quit in a U.S. Invested Enterprise in China’ , International Journal of Organizational Analysis11: 3-19 .
21.
Edwards, J.R. and Rothbard, N.P. (2000) ‘Mechanisms Linking Work and Family: Clarifying the Relationship between Work and Family Constructs’ , Academy of Management Review25: 178-199 .
22.
Fishbein, M. and Azjen, I. (1975) Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley .
23.
Gerhart, B. (1990) ‘Voluntary Turnover and Alternative Job Opportunities’ , Journal of Applied Psychology75: 467-476 .
24.
Greenhaus, J.H. and Beutell, N.J. (1985) ‘Sources and Conflict between Work and Family Roles’ , Academy of Management Review10: 76-88 .
25.
Griffeth, R.W. , Hom, P.W. and Gaertner, S. (2000) ‘A Meta-analysis of Antecedents and Correlates of Employee Turnover: Update, Moderator Tests, and Research Implications for the Millennium’ , Journal of Management26: 463-488 .
26.
Hofstede, G.H. (1984) Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work Related Values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage .
27.
Hom, P.W. and Kinicki, A.J. (2001) ‘Toward a Greater Understanding of How Dissatisfaction Drives Employee Turnover’ , Academy of Management Journal44: 975-988 .
28.
Inglehart, R. , Basanez, M. and Moreno, A. (1998) Human Values and Beliefs: A Cross-cultural Sourcebook. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press .
29.
Jamal, M. (1999) ‘Job Stress, Type-A Behavior, Well-being: A Cross-cultural Examination’ , International Journal of Stress Management6: 57-67 .
30.
Jöreskog, K.G. and Sörbom, D. (1993) LISREL VIII: Analysis of Linear Structural Relationships by Maximum Likelihood, Instrument Variables, and Least Squares Methods, 8th edn.Morresville, IN: Scientific Software .
31.
Judge, T.A. (1993) ‘Does Affective Disposition Moderate the Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Voluntary Turnover’ , Journal of Applied Psychology78: 395-401 .
32.
Landau, J. and Hammer, T.H. (1986) ‘Clerical Employees’ Perceptions of Intraorganizational Career Opportunities’ , Academy of Management Journal29: 385-404 .
33.
Lee, K. , Allen, N.J. , Meyer, J.P. and Rhee, K. (2001) ‘The Three-component Model of Organizational Commitment: An Application to South Korea’ , Applied Psychology: An International Review50: 596-614 .
34.
Lee, T.W. and Mitchell, T.R. (1994) ‘An Alternative Approach: An Unfolding Model of Voluntary Employee Turnover’ , Academy of Management Review19: 51-89 .
35.
Linnehan, F. and Blau, G. (2003) ‘Testing the Impact of Job Search and Recruitment Source on New Hire Turnover in a Maquiladora’ , Applied Psychology: An International Review52: 253-271 .
36.
Locke, E.A. (1976) ‘The Nature and Causes of Job Satisfaction’, in M. Gruneberg and T. Wall (eds) Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, pp. 1297-1394. Chicago, IL: Rand-McNally .
37.
McSweeney, B. (2002) ‘Hofstede’s Model of National Cultural Differences and their Consequences: A Triumph of Faith - a Failure of Analysis’ , Human Relations55: 89-118 .
38.
Maertz, C.P. (2003) ‘5 Antecedents Neglected in Employee Turnover Models: Identifying Theoretical Linkages to Turnover for Personality, Culture, Organizational Performance, Occupational Attachment, and Location Attachment’, in R.W. Griffeth (ed.) Innovative Theory and Empirical Research on Employee Turnover, pp. 105-151. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing .
39.
Maertz, C.P. and Campion, M.A. (2004) ‘Profiles in Quitting: Integrating Content and Process Turnover Theory’ , Academy of Management Journal47: 566-582 .
40.
Maertz, C.P. , Stevens, M.J. and Campion, M.A. (2003) ‘A Turnover Model for the Mexican Maquiladoras’ , Journal of Vocational Behavior63: 111-135 .
41.
March, J.G. and Simon. H.A. (1958) Organizations. New York: Wiley .
42.
Miller, J.S. , Hom, P.W. and Gomez-Mejia, L.R. (2001) ‘The High Cost of Low Wages: Does Maquiladora Compensation Reduce Turnover?’ , Journal of International Business Studies32: 585-595 .
43.
Mitchell, T.R. , Holtom, B.C. , Lee, T.W. and Erez, M. (2001) ‘Why People Stay: Using Job Embeddedness to Predict Voluntary Turnover’ , Academy of Management Journal44: 1102-1121 .
44.
MOW International Research Team (1987) The Meaning of Working. London: Academic Press .
45.
Netemeyer, R.G. , Boles, J.S. and McMurrian, R. (1996) ‘Development and Validation of Work-Family Conflict and Family-Work Conflict Scales’ , Journal of Applied Psychology81: 400-410 .
46.
Nyambegera, S.M. , Daniels, K. and Sparrow, P. (2001) ‘Why Fit Doesn’t Always Matter: The Impact of HRM and Cultural Fit on Job Involvement of Kenyan Employees’ , Applied Psychology, An International Review50: 109-141 .
47.
Osland, J.S. and Hunter, L. (1998) ‘A Comparative Study of Managerial Styles among Executives in Nicaragua and Costa Rica’ , International Studies of Management and Organization28: 54-74 .
48.
Paik, Y. and Teagarden, M.B. (1995) ‘Strategic International Human Resource Management Approaches in the Maquiladora Industry: A Comparison of Japanese, Korean, and U.S. Firms’ , International Journal of Human Resource Management6: 568-587 .
49.
Pelled, L.H. and Hill, K.D. (1997a) ‘Participative Management in Northern Mexico: A Study of Maquiladoras’ , International Journal of Human Resource Management8: 197-212 .
50.
Pelled, L.H. and Hill, K.D. (1997b) ‘Employee Work Values and Organizational Attachment in North Mexican Maquiladoras’ , International Journal of Human Resource Management8: 495-505 .
51.
Pelled, L.H. and Xin, K.R. (1999) ‘Down and Out: An Investigation of the Relationship between Mood and Employee Withdrawal Behavior’ , Journal of Management25: 875-895 .
52.
Pena, L. (2000) ‘Retaining a Mexican Labor Force’ , Journal of Business Ethics26: 123-131 .
53.
Piotrowski, C.S. (1979) Work and the Family System. New York: Free Press .
54.
Rahim, M.A. , Magner, N.R. , Antonioni, D. and Rahman, S. (2001) ‘Do Justice Relationships with Organization-directed Reactions Differ across U.S. and Bangladesh Employees?’ , International Journal of Conflict Management12: 333-349 .
55.
Rau, B.L. and Hyland, M.M. (2002) ‘Role Conflict and Flexible Work Arrangements: The Effects on Applicant Attraction’ , Personnel Psychology55: 111-137 .
56.
Riordan, C.M. and Vandenburg, R.J. (1994) ‘A Central Question in Cross-cultural Research: Do Employees of Different Cultures Interpret Work-related Measures in an Equivalent Manner?’ , Journal of Management20: 643-671 .
57.
Roe, R.A. , Zinovieva, I.L. , Dienes, E. and Ten Horn, L.A. (2000) ‘A Comparison of Work Motivation in Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Netherlands: Test of a Model’ , Applied Psychology: An International Review49: 658-687 .
58.
Schaubroeck, J. , Lam, S.S.K. and Xie, J.L. (2000) ‘Collective Efficacy versus Self-efficacy in Coping Responses to Stressors and Control: A Cross-cultural Study’ , Journal of Applied Psychology85: 512-525 .
59.
Schein, E.G. (1978) Career Dynamics: Matching Individual and Organizational Needs. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley .
60.
Scott, D. , Bishop, J. and Xiangming, C. (2003) ‘An Examination of the Relationship of Employee Involvement with Job Satisfaction, Employee Cooperation, and Intention to Quit in a U.S. Invested Enterprise in China’ , International Journal of Organizational Analysis11: 3-20 .
61.
Shaw, J.D. (1999) ‘Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions: The Moderating Role of Positive Affect’ , Journal of Social Psychology139: 242-244 .
62.
Slocum, J.W. , Topichak, P.M. and Kuhn, D.G. (1971) ‘A Cross-cultural Study of Need Satisfaction and Need Importance for Operative Employees’ , Personnel Psychology24: 435-446 .
63.
Sousa-Poza, A. and Henneberger, F. (2004) ‘Analyzing Job Mobility with Job Turnover Intentions: An International Comparative Study’ , Journal of Economic Issues38: 113-138 .
64.
Staines, G.L. (1980) ‘Spillover versus Compensation: A Review of the Literature on the Relationship between Work and Nonwork’ , Human Relations33: 111-129 .
65.
Steel, R.P. and Griffeth, R.W. (1989) ‘The Elusive Relationship between Perceived Employment Opportunity and Turnover Behavior: A Methodological or Conceptual Artifact’ , Journal of Applied Psychology74: 846-854 .
66.
Suutari, V. and Milla, T. (2004) ‘Career Anchors of Managers with Global Careers’ , Journal of Management Development23: 833-847 .
67.
Tenbrunsel, A.E. , Brett, J.M. , Maoz, E. , Stroh, L.K. and Reilly, A.H. (1995) ‘Dynamic and Static Work-Family Relationships’ , Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes63: 233-246 .
68.
Tett, R. and Meyer, J. (1993) ‘Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, Turnover Intention and Turnover: Path Analyses based on Meta-analytic Findings’ , Personnel Psychology46: 259-293 .
69.
Thorensen, C.J. , Kaplan, S.A. , Barsky, A.P. , Warren, C.R. and de Chermont, K. (2003) ‘The Affective Underpinnings of Job Perceptions and Attitudes: A Meta-analytic Review and Integration’ , Psychological Bulletin129: 914-945 .
70.
Triandis, H.C. (1989) ‘The Self and Social Behavior in Differing Cultural Contexts’ , Psychological Review96: 506-520 .
71.
Triandis, H.C. (2004) ‘The Many Dimensions of Culture’ , Academy of Management Executive18: 88-93 .
72.
Watson, D. , Clark, L.A. and Tellegen, A. (1988) ‘Development and Validation of Brief Measures of Positive and Negative Affect: The PANAS Scales’ , Journal of Personality and Social Psychology54: 1063-1070 .
73.
Weldon, E. and Vanhonacker, W. (1999) ‘Operating a Foreign-invested Enterprise in China: Challenges for Managers and Management Researchers’ , Journal of World Business34: 94-108 .
74.
Westwood, R. and Lok, P. (2003) ‘The Meaning of Work in Chinese Contexts: A Comparative Study’ , International Journal of Cross Cultural Management3: 139-165 .
75.
Wong, C. , Wong, Y. , Hul, C. and Law, K.S. (2001) ‘The Significant Role of Chinese Employees’ Organizational Commitment: Implications for Managing Employees in Chinese Societies’ , Journal of World Business36: 326-341 .
76.
Young, G. and Fort, L. (1994) ‘Household Responses to Economic Change: Migration and Maquiladora Work in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico’ , Social Science Quarterly75: 656-678 .
77.
Yu, H. and Miller, P. (2003) ‘The Generation Gap and Cultural Influence - a Taiwan Empirical Investigation’ , Cross Cultural Management10: 23-41 .
