Job scope,job satisfaction,and the Protestant Ethic: A study of enlisted men in the U.S. Navy

Questionnaire data were obtained from 149 enlisted men in the U.S. Navy. The job scope (JS)-satisfaction with the work itself (SWI) relationship was examined for the study's total sample and for subsamples created by grouping individuals on the basis of their degree of belief in the Protestant Ethic (PE). It was hypothesized and found that the JS-SWI relationship was positive and significantly different from zero for the study's total sample and each of the three PE subsamples. Contrary to one of the study's hypotheses, PE did not moderate the JS-SWI relationship. The study's results were discussed in terms of their implications for theory and practice in the area job design.