Oh, the places you’ll go! Pre-employment relocation decision making by college graduates in the US
International Journal of Organizational Analysis
ISSN: 1934-8835
Article publication date: 5 September 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore pre-employment college graduates’ relocation tendencies based on a research framework built upon gender and cultural theories.
Design/methodology/approach
Relocation decisions were analyzed based on 208 college graduates enrolled in public universities in Texas, USA.
Findings
The relocation decision-making by college graduates differ from that for corporate employees described in previous research. First, the willingness to relocate increases as the college graduates mature. Second, gender difference in the willingness to relocate is non-significant because of the same expected norms for both genders. Instead, psychological gender affiliation, such as self-perceived masculinity, makes a difference in relocation decisions. Third, family-related variables, such as marital status and parenthood, do not influence college graduates’ relocation decisions. Last, cultural groups do not exhibit any overall significant differences.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide new and complementary knowledge over previous relocation studies.
Practical implications
The findings enhance the understanding of career choices made by college graduates in their early career, offering valuable managerial implications in crafting staffing strategies and improving human resource management for organizations in today’s fast-changing, vibrant multi-cultural environment.
Originality/value
The study is focused on pre-employment relocation decision-making by college graduates from different demographic backgrounds. The study fills a major research void in relocation studies by clarifying the relocation patterns of new employees graduating from college.
Keywords
Citation
Chapa, O. and Wang, Y.J. (2016), "Oh, the places you’ll go! Pre-employment relocation decision making by college graduates in the US", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 591-614. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-03-2015-0853
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited