Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Jean Gordon

Abstract

A number of publications on the well-being of Native Hawaiians report high unemployment levels, high poverty levels, and minimal educational achievement in the population with theoretical origins attributed to the advent of a Western market economy. However, there are no studies that analyze the relationship between work ethic and retention, or satisfaction and retention in the Native Hawaiians working in this economy. Understanding the aforementioned relationships could help state and federal agencies focus spending on interventions that lead to productive employment solutions for Native Hawaiians. This quantitative study tested Weber's protestant work ethic theory to compare the work ethic of an individual to his or her retention at work, and Herzberg et al.'s motivation-hygiene theory to compare the job satisfaction levels of an individual to his or her retention at work. Data were collected from individuals 18 years and older who self-identified as Native Hawaiian. Six hundred survey responses were successfully collected from various members of the Native Hawaiian Civic Clubs, of which 419 were complete. Correlation analyses were conducted between the independent variable of work ethic and the dependent variable of worker retention, the independent variable of work ethic and the dependent variable of job satisfaction, and the independent variable of job satisfaction and the dependent variable of worker retention. While no significant relationships were found, this study successfully eliminated variables previously theorized as contributors to the population's low employment rate, thus encouraging future exploration of applicable theories that can lead to more relevant and appropriate employment interventions for Native Hawaiians.

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