http://ijba.sciedupress.com International Journal of Business Administration Vol. 7, No. 5; 2016 Published by Sciedu Press 22 ISSN 1923-4007 E-ISSN 1923-4015 A Comparative Study of Work Values between US and Malaysia Marketing Students Ahmed Rageh Ismail 1 , Carol Johnson 2 , Bahtiar Mohamed 3 , Jafri Zulkepli 4 , Muhammad Awais Bhatti 5 & Linda Hii 1 1 School of Business, Curtin University, Malaysia 2 Daniels College of Business, University of Denver, USA 3 School of Multimedia Technology and Communication, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia 4 School of Quantitative Science, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia 5 School of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia Correspondence: Ahmed Rageh Ismail, Senior Lecturer, School of Business, Curtin University, Malaysia. Email: Ahmed.r@curtin.edu.my Received: August 3, 2016 Accepted: August 17, 2016 Online Published: August 28, 2016 doi:10.5430/ijba.v7n5p22 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/ijba.v7n5p22 Abstract This paper aims to identify the ranking of importance of work values as perceived by marketing students, and to explore the underlying dimensions of work values in the Malaysian context. It also aims to determine whether there are differences of work values between marketing students in Malaysia and US. Previously validated Super’s Work Values Inventory (SWVI) containing 15 dimensions was completed by business students undertaking Marketing and other majors in Malaysia and USA. Factor analysis is employed to examine the underlying structure of work values. The study confirms the two-factor structure (intrinsic and extrinsic) of work values and shows that marketing students value the work that allows them to fulfill their potential in terms of creativity (M = 4.23) and intellectual stimulation (M = 3.99) in Malaysia. Moreover, the results showed that significant differences in work values exist between Malaysia and US students with respect to economic return, way of life, altruism, prestige, management and variety. This article contributes to the worldwide knowledge on work values by highlighting the importance of understanding potential marketing professionals’ work values in the two different countries. Respondents selected from two countries will limit the generalizability of the study. Keywords: marketing students, work values, United States, Malaysia 1. Introduction “Marketers, how can I decide if marketing is the right career for me? I am trying to decide whether to pursue marketing (my degree subject) as a career or try something totally different, and if anyone works in marketing I would find it really helpful to know the following: 1) what are the main things you love and hate about working in marketing? What is the main source of satisfaction for you? 2) How do you cope with the pressure of bottom-line accountability? Maybe I am looking at it the wrong way, but I feel in marketing there are always those who could second-guess you and feel someone else could have achieved better results with the same budget. Does this mean there are high turnovers in marketing positions as senior managers think someone else with "fresh ideas" will do better? “ (Questions post on www.ask.metafilter.com, 2010) Values and beliefs are instilled in us by culture and play a significant role in our lives. These values are eventually used as guiding principles that justify our actions accordingly (Knafo and Schwartz, 2003). Generally, values are of interest to both academics and practitioners because they do not relate to a particular object or situation, are relatively few in numbers, and are stable overtime (Dose, 1997). Because of these characteristics, and in light of increasing trends towards internationalization and globalization, work values are an important medium through which employee behavior can be understood and managed. Traditionally, work values have been studied in the vocational psychology literature. Today’s globalization is unavoidably spreading its influence around the world, especially in the managerial environment (Ghoshal, 2005) and it is essential to have a better understanding of the structure of