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Satisfied employees are closely related with organizational success and performance, leading job satisfaction to become a key employee attitude. Employees feel greater satisfaction when they have freedom and independence to make work-related decisions. However, employees become dissatisfied with their job when they cannot balance their work and family lives due to competing demands. This study aims to investigate the mediating effect of work family conflict on the relationship between job autonomy and job satisfaction. The study was conducted with 270 participants. The study data was collected using Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, Job Autonomy Scale and Work Family Conflict Scale. The study results demonstrated that job autonomy had a positive effect on job satisfaction, whereas work-family conflict had a negative mediating effect on this relationship between job autonomy and job satisfaction.

Particular personality traits motivate individuals to act entrepreneurially and to exercise entrepreneurial activities, which include but not limited to high need for achievement, innovativeness, propensity to risk-taking, tolerance to ambiguity and internal locus of control (Thomas & Mueller, 2000; Utsch & Rauch, 2000). Therefore, the present study aimed to compare personality traits based on the attitudes of university students toward entrepreneurship. This study was conducted in a foundation university in Turkey. The study data was collected using questionnaires. According to the study results, students with entrepreneurial intention are more innovative, have higher need for achievement and greater internal locus of control than those who do not have such intention.

The concept of transformational leadership was introduced by the political scientist J. MacGregor Burns (1978). Within this conceptual framework, a transformational leader motivates his/her followers by promoting their high ideals and goals, and makes them achieve more than expected through inspiration. A transformational leader delegates tasks and allows followers to improve themselves in task-related decision-making through gaining personal experience. In this sense, job autonomy refers to employees’ freedom and independence in decision-making. It is indispensable for an inspiring, supportive and motivating leader to increase work engagement of his/her subordinates (Avery, McKay and Wilson, 2007). Work engagement is a “positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind” that is characterized by dedication, absorption and vigor (Macey et al., 2009). This concept involves some intrinsic motivations such as job satisfaction, pride, inspiration, working with high energy and focusing on work (Turgut, 2011). In their studies, Zhu, Avolio and Walumbwa (2009) identified the positive effect of transformational leadership – considering the personal traits of subordinates such as initiatives, analytical thinking and moral values – on work engagement. The studies by Tims, Bakker and Xanthopoulou (2011) also demonstrated that a transformational leader increases the work engagement of subordinates. This study examines the effect of transformational leadership on work engagement of academicians through job autonomy. Structural equation modeling as a quantitative research method was used and the data was collected using questionnaires. For data collection, Bass and Avolio's (1990) ‘Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire’, which examines transformational leader through the dimensions of idealized influence (charisma), intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and individualized consideration, was used. Work engagement was measured using Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) developed by Schaufeli and Bakker (2003)which has three dimensions of vigor, dedication and absorption. The scale by Ilardi et al. (1993)was used to measure job autonomy. The data obtained by this study, which includes the academicians working in a private non-profit university, was analyzed using LİSREL. Results showed that job autonomy fully mediated the effect of transformational leadership on work engagement.