Employee turnover is not a new phenomenon. The retail industry has always suffered from high employee turnover rates. High employee turnover is costly to retailers not only because it increases administrative costs in recruiting and training employees but it also reduces the operational capability of the retailer. While most studies had focused their attention on the financial costs of employee turnover, in retailing, the non-financial costs of employee turnover can also be substantial. These non-financial costs include lower morale among remaining employees and losses in expertise and experience. / While there are already many studies on employee turnover, there is a lack of studies of the phenomenon in the retail industry. This study will attempt to close the gap in the literature by studying employee turnover in the retail industry more closely. More importantly, the study will adopt a social constructivist approach to the study of the phenomenon. This approach is not commonly used in employee turnover studies and is likely to add a different perspective to the phenomenon. The aim of the study is to establish the causes of employee turnover in the retail industry and to suggest ways in which retailers can attempt to retain their employees. / The study was conducted with 29 respondents with a major bookstore chain operating in Singapore. The findings suggests that factors that affect employees' decision to quit can be categorised into push and pull factors. Push factors include the level of relationship the employee has with the supervisor and colleagues, the presence of career advancement opportunities and the presence of work-family conflict. Pull factors is the presence of other job opportunities. In addition, a consistent finding in the research show that strong and positive relationships with colleagues can reduce turnover intentions of employees in the retail industry. However, these factors are moderated by personal factors like demographics and personality of the employee. / The study concluded with a discussion of the implications of the research findings and suggests how retailers can adopt policies that can reduce the employee turnover rate. In addition, the study also suggests areas for further research. / Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2005
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/284310 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Leng, Ho Keat |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | copyright under review |
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