The Impact of Anglo and Hispanic Ethnicity, Gender, Position, Personality and Job Satisfaction on Turnover Intentions: A Path Analytic Investigation

Author： Mynatt P.G. Omundson J.S. Schroeder R.G. Stevens M.B.

Publisher： Academic Press

ISSN： 1045-2354

Source： Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Vol.8, Iss.6, 1997-10, pp. : 657-683

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

The intention to recruit entry level accountants by public accounting firms has declined in recent years, and organization structures are changing as are the skills necessary to be a successful accountant. The problem firms are now struggling with is how to attract and retain the best candidates with long-term potential to succeed in more demanding roles. To complicate the problem, the demographics of the American workforce are changing. It is estimated that by the year 2000, 25% of the new entrants into the workforce will be immigrants, and 20% will be non-white, U.S. born. Additionally, approximately half of the entry-level professionals hired by the Big Six firms during the past 5 years have been women and this percentage is expected to increase to over 60% during the next several years. The accounting profession does not have a distinguished record of hiring minorities and women. Consequently, the problem has become: How do modern organizations attract and retain qualified individuals into accounting positions with long-term potential from a population with a heavier representation of minorities and women? The high level of turnover among professional accountants has previously stimulated considerable research and one possible explanation for turnover is personality differences. A survey was conducted to investigate the impact of Anglo and Hispanic ethnicity, gender, personality, hierarchical position and job satisfaction on the turnover intentions of a sample of accountants. The data were analyzed using path analysis. The results of the analysis indicated that no direct relationship exists between ethnicity and either personality, job satisfaction, or turnover intentions. However, while females were found to be more inclined toward a Type A personality than males, the latter were found to be more likely to hold higher positions within the firm. A direct effect, for gender, was not detected on either job satisfaction or turnover intentions. Personality was not found to directly affect turnover intentions, but the expected relationship between Type A personality and high job satisfaction was detected. Finally, individuals experiencing high job satisfaction were found to have lower turnover intentions, and those individuals at higher positions in the firm exhibited higher job satisfaction and lower turnover intentions than individuals at lower positions. The results suggest that other variables not identified in the study are impeding the progress of minorities and women in the accounting profession.