An important step before proceeding with the primary analysis is specifying
how the study design provides appropriate conditions for the assessment of
causal relationships. Data must satisfy three well-known conditions to establish
causal relationships among two or more variables: (1) the variables must
covary, as indicated in non-experimental studies by a non-zero correlation, (2)
another variable or set of variables must not produce the covariation(s)
between the variables (i.e., non-spurious), and (3) the causal variable must
precede the effect variable in time, as indicated by the change in the cause
occurring no later than the associated change in the effect (Finkel, 1995;
Menard, 1991). The two-wave panel design implemented in this study can
satisfy these conditions of causality more thoroughly than previous research on
satisfaction, commitment, and turnover, which typically involves analysis of
cross-sectional data.