An exploratory study of reverse causality relationships among sales force turnover variables

This paper explores the directions of causality between selected work-related variables and quitting intentions. Based on the premise that quitting intentions may stem from predispositions that affect work-related variables, longitudinal data collected from a direct sales population were analyzed. When compared with previous literature, the results show the existence of reverse causality, indicating that quitting intentions are more likely to effect the perceptions of such variables as organizational climate, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Hie received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. His current research interests involve sales force turnover and organizational stress. His research has appeared in theJournal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and others. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is the former editor of theJournal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. He serves on the editorial boards of theJournal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, andJournal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, and has authored numerous books and articles in professional journals.