Longitudinal Investigation of the Process by Which Air Force Enlisted Personnel Monitor and Evaluate the Civilian Labor Markets Prior to Reenlistment/Separation Decisions

摘要

There is a void in the empirical turnover literature regarding how the perceptions of alternatives affect the turnover process. In fact, only nine studies to date could be found that tested this relationship. Even though there is a lack of empirical literature on the subject, leading authors feel that the probability of finding an acceptable alternative is one of the key intermediate linkages between affective variables, such as job satisfaction, and turnover behavior. This thesis continues a longitudinal study comparing the survey responses of 452 Air Force enlisted personnel, surveyed initially by Flores (1984), to reenlistment/separation data collected during May 1986. Reenlistment data were provided by the Military Personnel Center (MPC/DPMATE). A model was developed that proposed a multivariate view of relations between perceptions of alternative forms of employment and individual's intention to udertake a search for alternative jobs his/her intention to quit, and his/her actual reenlistment/separation decision. Six hypotheses were devevloped to test implications of the model. Each hypothesis was supported and several variables entered as significant predictors of reenlistment plans and behavior.