The revised turnover model based on the work of Price (1977) received mixed support in the present research. Both positive and negative findings are summarized below and their implications briefly discussed.
Intent to stay, a dimension of commitment, was found to have the largest total impact on turnover. This supports the contention of Porter and his colleages who have argued that commitment is more important than job satisfaction.
Opportunity was the second most important determinant, again in terms of total effects. Four comments about opportunity are pertinent. (1) The two most widely supported determinants in the literature probably are opportunity and pay; yet when both determinants are estimated in a comprehensive causal model, opportunity is almost four times as important
as pay. (The pay variable is further discussed in the conclusions section.) These results demonstrate the value of multivariate analysis with a comprehensive model. (2) The importance of opportunity derives from the fact that it has both direct (.11) and indirect (.04) effects on turnover. The direct effects were expected, but not the indirect effects. The direct effect of opportunity is stressed in the literature; however, only Bluedorn(1976) and Martin (1977) have emphasized and estimated indirect effects for opportunity. (3) Opportunity is an environmental determinant whose importance supports the recent stress on this type of variable by organizational scholars (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978; Aldrich, 1979). Explanation of
turnover must focus on both environmental and organizational determinants. (4) The findings about opportunity provide marginal support for 1981 Price and Muelter 559 March and Simon (1958) who argued that it is the most important determinant of turnover.