Scientists With And Without Managerial Responsibilities: How Managerial Training Affects The Perception Of Job Satisfaction, Jamie Humphries

Business Administration Dissertations

Frequently scientists are promoted into positions that require them to assume management responsibilities without preparative training for a successful transition into management or other leadership roles. The movement into non-scientific roles may adversely affect the satisfaction of scientifically trained members of the organization, especially if they lack prior managerial training. Undergraduate science curricula do not introduce the basics of leadership skills, and therefore, scientists are first introduced to the concepts of management when delegated management responsibilities. Few scientifically focused organizations provide management training before the individual's transition to their first management role. Those organizations providing training seldom introduce appropriate levels …

Cultural Analysis Of Organizational Development Units: A Comprehensive Approach Based On The Competing Values Framework, Richard Erhardt

Business Administration Dissertations

In analysis of organizational culture much is accomplished at the parent organization level. While there is agreement that culture plays a significant role there is little on analysis and comparison of internal units. Against that backdrop, this research asks how US Air Force units can analyze variations in organizational culture as a basis for considering unit mergers. Specifically, I investigate culture across two organizational development units based on the Competing Values Framework (CVF) to inform understanding of internal cultural variation. Although there are well-established approaches available for CVF analysis based on surveys and documents, there are no approaches that complement …

Effectiveness Of Interorganizational (B2b) Selling: The Influence Of Collaboration, Initiator, Market Segmentation, Product, George Talbert

Business Administration Dissertations

Most B2B sales involve personal selling, which is expensive and collaborative. Problem solving and value creation, i.e., collaboration, are contemporary trends in sales and marketing. Little is known about how purchase decisions are made in large-dollar accounts, about what factors make B2B sales processes effective for both buyers and sellers, and about the roles senior managers play in the buying process. The motivation for this exploratory study is rooted in these questions. In addition, few studies have explored senior executive buyers’ perceptions of suppliers. In this dissertation, I use a robust secondary data set based on assessments of 23 suppliers …

The Impact Of Blockchain Technology On Financial Transactions, Al Tilooby

Business Administration Dissertations

Blockchain technology could emerge as a disruptive innovation that streamlines financial transactions and attenuates their cost. Therefore, the financial industry must assess the opportunities and challenges presented by the technology. As a grand breakthrough, it could transform financial transactions and introduce new possibilities for established financial institutions as well as for new entrants. At the same time, incumbents and startups need to overcome technological, regulatory, and adoption challenges before blockchain technology can become a mainstream reality. Despite its potential, the literature on its impact on financial transactions is still fragmented, with weak empirical insights and limited theoretical explanations. Therefore, financial …

Embracing The Unexpected: A Quasi-Experiment To Explore The Effects Of Power And Gender On The Decision To Reciprocate A Hug-Or Not-In The Workplace, Paula R. Gable

Business Administration Dissertations

In business, the ability to develop rapport with a potential exchange partner can significantly impact the outcome of a negotiation. Although non-verbal communication is a key factor in relationship-building, there is little research on use of touch in business, and even less about hugging, even though hugging is becoming more common in the US. To explore hugging as a nonverbal form of communication in the workplace, the researcher adopted a quasi-experimental design informed by Social Exchange Theory (SET). During the experiment, power and dyadic gender composition were manipulated to study their effects on a “hugee’s” decision to reciprocate a hug, …

The Value Of Business Incubators And Accelerators From The Entrepreneurs Perspective, Ginger S. Lange

Business Administration Dissertations

For several decades, the business creation rate has declined in the United States. Scholars and practitioners debate the reasons for the descent, but most agree that it is undesirable. Entrepreneurial sponsors (e.g., government, investors) seek ways to foster strong business startup ecosystems to attract and sustain new companies. Entrepreneurs gravitate toward these concentrated ecosystems to efficiently access resources to improve their odds of startup and survival. Business incubators and accelerators (BIAs) have become prominent in entrepreneurial ecosystems. By consolidating startup-related services, the BIAs offer programs that help entrepreneurs access scarce resources and build capabilities to enable new business growth.

Although …

The Effect Of Dynamic Capabilities And Military Experience On The Performance Of Veteran Women-Owned Businesses, Sequoiya Lawson

Business Administration Dissertations

Women constitute one of the fastest rising segments of military veteran business owners. While the number of veteran women-owned businesses (VWOBs) continues to increase, however, the success of their businesses remains a concern, as only fragmented and extremely limited literature exists to provide insight into the factors that affect these businesses’ performance. Using Dynamic Capability Theory, this research examined the effect of dynamic capabilities and military experience on the performance of VWOBs and the role, if any, of military experience on the relationship between dynamic capabilities and business performance. This study provides actionable knowledge for veteran women business owners, as …

The Impact Of Knowledge Acquisition On Developing A New Launch Strategy Into China, Kristine Sickels

Business Administration Dissertations

Challenged by nominal revenue growth rates in their developed home markets, many MNCs are enticed to drive revenue growth through geographic expansion. Thus, for many firms, launching into emerging markets has become a key growth priority. Because international expansion and the marketing strategy guiding it is always challenging, organizational learning is key. However, researchers have yet to closely examine the relationship between organizational learning and marketing launchstrategy. This research seeks to address that gap. When firms enter new markets, the marketing mix framework represents a subset of decisions they must make. This study analyzes an MNC’s 4Ps (product, price, place, …

A Case Study: Evaluating The Implementation Of Eligibility Screening And Sliding Scale Payments In A Community Clinic, Carol Passley

Business Administration Dissertations

Nineteen percent of the Cherokee County, Georgia, population is uninsured, and the ratio of population size to the number of physicians is 2,950:1. It is evident from the data that there is a need for more health care practitioners in Cherokee County who can deliver adequate care to the residents of the county. Recognizing the need to help uninsured individuals in the county, a community clinic opened its doors in 2011 to address the gaps in care. However, over the years, the increase in the number of patients being seen without the financial ability to pay has resulted in the …

The Impact Of Airport Servicescape On Passengers Satisfaction, Kamau Kofi Smith

Business Administration Dissertations

There have not been many researchers who have examined passenger satisfaction in the air transportation industry. Research that evaluates the physical environments of airports are equally deficient (Moon, Yoon, & Han, 2016). Additionally, there have been fewer studies that examine the physical dimensions of airport facilities in relation to passenger satisfaction and behavioral intentions. This study examines the effects of restroom servicescape on perceived service quality, passenger satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Secondary data from 443 intercepts conducted at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, were used for data analysis. SPSS, SMART PLS, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to test hypotheses. …

The Role Of Reflection In Predicting Stress Coping, Turnover, Absenteeism, And Lateness: A Study Of The Hospitality Industry, Hicham Jaddoud

Business Administration Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The Role of Reflection in Predicting Stress Coping, Turnover, Absenteeism and Lateness: A Study of the Hospitality Industry

by

Hicham Jaddoud

May 2018

Chair: Todd Maurer

Major Academic Unit: Executive Doctorate in Business

Occupational stress has become a serious concern in organizational studies, causing undesirable outcomes such as employee withdrawal behavior, which includes voluntary turnover, absenteeism, and lateness. The negative effects of stress are especially a problem in the hospitality industry. Therefore, stress coping strategies are an important focus in research, and it is worthwhile to understand the differences among hotel employees that may predispose them to cope effectively …

The Comparative Efficiency Of Public And Private Provision Of Postsecondary Education In U.S. National Universities, David Talley

Business Administration Dissertations

The research uses postsecondary education in the United States as a test case for broader claims of superior efficiency of production from private sector producers as compared to public sector producers. Using linear regression and structural equation modeling on secondary data from 230 national universities, I provide evidence that private universities are more efficient in production of postsecondary education than public universities, and that the relationship is not mediated by competition. Using qualitative analysis of semi-structured depth interviews with both private and public university administrators, I provide evidence that personal motivation is also not a mediator of the relationship, but …

Why Do Low R2 Hedge Funds Have Low R2? An Empirical Study Of The Performance And Risk Of Low R2 Funds, Arnab Banerjee

Business Administration Dissertations

In this study, I examine whether low R² funds are exposed to higher equity systematic tail risk that is not accounted for in the existing multi-factor models used to evaluate hedge funds. With a parsimonious set of risk factors that includes systematic tail risk, I show that there is a significant increase (about 12%) in the R² for funds in the lowest quintile of R². In contrast, the increase in R² for funds in the other quintiles of R² is relatively modest (about 2%). Moreover, I show that the spreads between the future performance …

Do Financial Incentives Make A Difference? A Study Of Dual Eligible Medicare Advantage Primary Care Providers And Quality Gaps In Care For The Dual Eligible Population, Estevan Rodriguez

Business Administration Dissertations

The regulatory arm of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) strictly tracks quality compliance via Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) reporting, which captures rich data in order to drive value-based healthcare delivery. Health plans are empowered to drive quality results via performance-based contracting, and have instituted financial incentive agreements to improve care delivery for the Dual Eligible Medicare Advantage (MA) patient population. As a result, there is enhanced focus on Dual Eligible MA quality, which has received pronounced attention lately.

As a way to improve Dual Eligible MA Primary Care Provider (PCP) quality, financial incentives have …

How Experts Judge Creativity: A Field Study Of The Assessment Of Creative Output, Michael Robert Seyle

Business Administration Dissertations

Creativity is a fundamental component of innovation and critical for long-term business success. Identifying the products and ideas that are most creative, and therefore worthy of further development and investment, is an essential part of the creative process. However, experimental research into creativity over the past 20 years has yielded inconsistent and contradictory results. Moreover, this same research has shown that organizations struggle to identify their most creative products and ideas for further development. Critics suggest organizational creativity research may suffer from measurement misspecification due to a misalignment between existing construct definitions of creativity as a response that is both …

Managing Implicit Bias With Transformational Conversation: A Qualitative Field Study Of Social Identity Theory, Kimberly Stephens

Business Administration Dissertations

IT companies are spending millions of dollars a year on diversity training to try to increase their population of underrepresented minorities and women. Much of the current training centers on historical prejudice, shaming, and divisive diversity rhetoric. The research has shown this is not effective. In addition, a large part of the present training is focused solely on creating awareness of implicit bias, which I found in my research is not enough to evoke change. My findings show that a longer, interactive workshop following a process model was successful. By breaking down the elements of the process model into unfreeze, …

An Empirical Study In The U.S. Hotel Industry: How Quality Assurance, Customer Satisfaction, Brand Signaling, And Guest Loyalty Impact Revenue, Kevin Morgan

Business Administration Dissertations

The hotel industry is a major area of the U.S. economy, contributing nearly $176 billion to Gross Domestic Product in 2014 (AHLA, 2017). For large hospitality brands (franchisors), quality and customer satisfaction are important in driving customer stays or occupancy. In this study, secondary data from a large hospitality company (with more than 3,600 hotels) with a portfolio of brands were used to explain the relationship between revenue, or RevPAR, and market share (Smith Travel Research [STR] Revenue per Available Room Index or known as RPI), customer satisfaction, and quality assurance moderated by brand signaling and loyalty. Looking through the …

Organizational Readiness For The Disruptive Technology Of Autonomous Commercial Vehicles (Acv): What Is The Readiness Of The Trucking Carriers?, Melvin Dukes

Business Administration Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Organizational Readiness for the disruptive technology of autonomous commercial vehicles (ACV): What is the readiness of the trucking carriers?

by

M. Carey Dukes Jr.

May 2018

Chair: Karen Loch

Major Academic Unit: Executive Doctorate in Business

The trucking industry contributes $972 billion to U.S. gross domestic product and is responsible for moving in excess of 10 billion tons per year. The industry has faced significant challenges with driver shortages as well as high turnover. Additionally, over thirty-five thousand people lost their lives on U.S. highways in 2015, and 94% of these deaths were attributed to human error. Technologists are …

Impact Of Organizational Career Management Activities On Organizational Commitment Of Early, Mid, And Late Stage Career Professionals, Melissa J. Furman

Business Administration Dissertations

Organizational commitment continues to be studied by researchers and practitioners due to the presumed relationships with important organizational outcomes such as turnover, performance, and absenteeism. Organizations are challenged with identifying practices such as organizational career management activities that will reduce costs associated with low performance and high turnover while recognizing the diversity of their workforces as it relates to early, mid, and late stage career professionals. Understanding the needs and unique characteristics of early, mid, and late career stage professionals can better inform organizations’ decision to invest in organizational career management activities to enhance organizational commitment across all three career …

Higher Education Pricing: Effects Of Tuition Pricing On Nontraditional Student Persistence Moderated By Demographics., Katherine Crowell Spradley

Business Administration Dissertations

Higher education pricing models have focused heavily on traditional student population analysis, net earnings, financial aid, and enrollment projections or unduplicated headcount. As the population of students shifts to a nontraditional majority, research of the effect of tuition price on nontraditional population segments is needed with a focus on persistence (the likelihood of re-enrollment in the next semester for a given student) rather than overall enrollment levels. It becomes prudent to re-evaluate pricing models and the associated coefficients from tuition pricing changes on persistence to more effectively serve the nontraditional population as nontraditional students rely less on financial aid and …

Microfinance Performance: The Dynamics Between Performance And Funding Sources Across Microfinance Institution Legal Charters And Age Groups, Anthony Annan

Business Administration Dissertations

Because microfinance is an essential financial inclusion tool in helping to reduce poverty, it is vital that we understand the factors that help microfinance institutions (MFIs) achieve both their financial and social performance goals. Using an international sample of 2,955 MFIs across 123 countries from 1999 to 2016, my research contributes to this understanding by providing empirical insights into the dynamic relationship between these dual performance goals and the MFI funding source mix. It further offers an empirical test of the popular Microfinance Life Cycle Theory (MLCT) for explaining MFI development, growth, and performance.

My findings show that donation funding …