In this study a confirmatory methodology was implemented to analyze a model that uses the Rizzo, House, and Lirtzman (1970) scales of role conflict (RC) and role ambiguity (RA; i.e., the Bedeian and Armenakis, 1981, model). The validity of the RC and RA scales were examined through structural equations analysis, and a nested models approach was used to compare the Bedeian and Armenakis model with a model suggesting a more parsimonious representation of the data. Furthermore, path estimates from models incorporating random measurement error were compared with estimates from a model not incorporating the effects of random measurement error. Results indicate that the RC and RA measures meet some established thresholds of convergent and discriminant validity. However, the causal results suggest a more parsimonious representation of the effects of RC and RA than that posited by Bedeian and Armenakis.The effects of role conflict and role ambiguity on a number of job-related attitudes and behaviors have been studied extensively. The meta-analyses of Fisher and Gitelson (1983) and Jackson and Schuler (1985) suggested that the impact of role conflict (RC) and role ambiguity (RA) on job-related attitudes and behaviors is pervasive. These constructs have been associated with lower levels of job satisfaction, commitment, and job involvement as well as higher levels of tension and propensity to leave an organization (Jackson & Schuler, 1985).Although research on RC and RA is abundant, only a few studies have developed and tested causal models of the outcomes of role conflict and role ambiguity (e.g., Bedeian & Armenakis, 1981;Jackson, 1983;Kemery, Bedeian, Mossholder, & Touliatos, 1985). Although these studies have provided insight regarding the causal flow of RC and RA on job-related attitudes and behaviors, models estimating measurement error and causal paths simultaneously have rarely been examined. Researchers have recently suggested that the operationalization of many constructs, including RC and RA (Tracy & Johnson, 1981), may contain sufficient measurement error to bias estimates of the relationships among latent variables (Goldberger, 1971;James, Mulaik, & Brett, 1982;Kenny, 1979). As a result, there is a need to examine RC and RA within models that assess causal relationships among constructs and measurement error simultaneously.The issue of measurement error is especially relevant to research on role conflict and ambiguity because of the dependence on two scales to measure these constructs. As noted by Van Sell, Brief, and Schuler (1981), the vast majority of research We would like to thank Art Bedeian, Rodger Griffeth, Ed Kemery, Subhash Sharma, and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article.

Emotional exhaustion is a potentially important construct in examining sales force behavior and attitude relationships. A conceptual model and hypotheses are developed to study the antecedents and consequences of the emotional exhaustion construct. The hypotheses are tested using LISREL 7 to analyze data from a sample of field salespeople from a large international services organization. The empirical results offer strong support for relationships involving role ambiguity and conflict antecedents and organizational commitment, job satisfaction, performance, and intention-to-leave consequences of emotional exhaustion.

To examine the antecedents and consequences of the development of salespeople's organizational commitment during early employment, the authors conducted a longitudinal study. The study focused on how changes in three key antecedents (leadership behavior, role stress, and job satisfaction) influence the development of commitment and how changes in commitment, in turn, affect turnover intentions and behavior. Results suggest that role ambiguity and job satisfaction (but not leadership behavior) are significant contributors to the development of organizational commitment during early employment. The results also show that organizational commitment influences turnover through its significant impact on propensity to leave.

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older consumers, demographic groups, generational groups, ethical ideologies, unethical sales tactics,