Factors effecting Black natural resources professionals' decisions to relocate

Abstract

This research focuses on Black Natural Resources Professionals (BNRPs) career advancement opportunities and factors effecting their decisions to relocate when moving to rural or remote communities. The purpose of this study is to determine how these relocation decisions of BNRPs affect their careers. The objective of this dissertation is to test the effect of four significant factors that influence BNRP decisions to relocate for career advancement. They are social support, racial discrimination/fairness, living in a remote or rural area and gender. The methodology includes preliminary interviews, analysis of public records and an on-line quantitative survey of BNRPs. The data for this dissertation were drawn from the United States Department of Interior, (USDI), National Park Service (NPS). NPS have a total number of 15,925 permanent employees. The raw data file included 1378 Black employees in all occupations and 179 Black employees in the natural resources area. Of the 179 employees, (101 Black males and 78 black female), 164 confidential e-mails were confirmed as delivered and 83 responded to the survey. Fifty-one percent of the participants responded (see Appendix H). Their employment classifications in the General Schedule (GS) range from GS level 9 to GS level 15.