How small traditional businesses can become attractive employers: A means-end analysis

This study provides managerial solutions regarding how small businesses in traditional industries can become attractive employers to millennial first-job applicants similar to emerging technology-based firms. This study uses a means-end analysis to determine the hidden value structures of ethical, self-fulfillment, and experiential value and disentangles the hierarchical relationships among employer attributes, employee benefits, and perceived value. The results show that by understanding the motivational structures underlying employment choices, small traditional businesses can customize their employment offerings and meet the value forms sought by the millennial cohort, opening a new range of possibilities for them to attract new and younger talent and improve their firm competitiveness.