Business Commons^™

The Impact Of Authentic Leadership Behavior On Employee Engagement And Organizational Ethical Culture In Nigeria, Adayehi B. Peter

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Authenticity in leadership is an old phenomenon that has recently sparked a new research interest in management and the human resource development (HRD) literature (Peus, Wesche, Streicher, Braun, & Frey, 2012). An upswing in highly publicized corporate scandals, management malfeasance, and broader societal challenges facing public and private organizations has contributed to the recent attention placed on authenticity and authentic leadership (Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, & Peterson, 2008). Authentic leadership behavior allows leaders and organizations meet the raised expectations of fairness, morality, and social responsibility held by employees and organizational stakeholders (Kiersch, 2012).

The primary purpose of this study was …

Improving Employee Engagement Through The Development Of An Enterprise Performance Management System, Carlton D. Abner

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

There is ample evidence of our health care delivery system relying heavily on value-based outcomes. The increased focus on outcomes has required health care organizations to adjust how they approach data and how they successfully implement performance management systems. These performance management systems help the organization identify, measure, and report the organization’s performance at an enterprise level using key performance indicators clearly linked to the organization’s overall strategy. As one organization began implementing an enterprise performance management system, the goal of this project was to show how participating in projects with that level of strategic impact can lead to improved …

A Five-Year Integration Plan For Syrian Refugees Residing In Italian Refugee Camps, Megan Vander Boon

Honors Theses

The Syrian War is drastically affecting the European Migration Crisis and the number of misplaced people in the world. With nearly five million Syrians seeking asylum outside the country’s borders, neighboring countries are being pressured to find new ways to absorb the refugees. In the last two years, Italy has been challenged more than other countries because of entrance methods through the Mediterranean Sea. Italy has the ability to absorb the growing number of refugees if it implements integration plans. The purposed method suggests Syrian refugees, specifically children, will apply for Italian citizenship once they arrive to a refugee camp. …

Incorporating Experiential Theory Into Virtual Strategic Planning Processes, Chris Perkins

Capstone Collection

Experiential learning theories, such as David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (2015) contribute to more than just learning environments. In this Training Course Linked Capstone I facilitated a six-week strategic planning workshop for the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group (DIAG) of AFS-USA, an intercultural youth exchange organization. Kolb’s cycle acted as framework for the workshop. The DIAG operates as a virtual team, with members across the United States, therefore I designed the workshop for implementation via the internet and telephone conversation. I consulted research on virtual team structure and participatory practices in strategic planning in order to design a program which …

Three Essays On Friend Recommendation Systems For Online Social Networks, Jiaxi Luo

Theses and Dissertations

Social networking sites (SNSs) first appeared in the mid-90s. In recent years, however, Web 2.0 technologies have made modern SNSs increasingly popular and easier to use, and social networking has expanded explosively across the web. This brought a massive number of new users. Two of the most popular SNSs, Facebook and Twitter, have reached one billion users and exceeded half billion users, respectively.

Too many new users may cause the cold start problem. Users sign up on a SNS and discover they do not have any friends. Normally, SNSs solve this problem by recommending potential friends. The current major methods …

The Transition Experiences Of International Graduate Students In Clark University School Of Professional Studies, Xuesong Huang, Mingyang Lian, Dang Trung, Jay Sheth, Yuwei Yang, Irina Klimenko

School of Professional Studies

In the last decade, the School of Professional Studies at Clark University has witnessed a sharp increase in international students. More and more international students in the millennial generation have entered the School of Professional Studies pursuing one of the two-year graduate programs: Master of Science in Professional Studies, Master of Science in Public Administration, and Master of Science in Information Technology. In the past, working adult student dominant the program. These students already had a career outside the classrooms before them came to study. The millennial international students have generated new adjustment problems. Some of the transition issues of …

The Employability Of Former Criminals, Miranda Donnell

Honors Theses

This thesis presents a view into the way employers view hiring decisions with particular focus on the hiring of former criminals, and what information these hiring professionals require in order to make what they would consider an educated hiring decisions related to the risks associated with hiring individuals with prior criminal histories. While there are thousands of people looking for jobs in the United States, there is a parallel employment gap for former criminals. For numerous reasons, the unemployment rate is much higher for former criminals. Abundant research has found that, in general, employers and the public believe two very …

A Different Approach To Project Management: The Use Of Soft Skills, Hannah Adams

Dissertations and Theses

The term soft skills is traditionally used to describe interpersonal and subjective skills such as leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence. This paper addresses a further explanation of soft skills, their relation to project management, project management education, and the highlighted differences between a transactional leader and a transformational leader. Project management has often been defined as the making of schedules/tasks; but more importantly providing the inspiration, motivation, and facilitator of great minds to produce innovative ideas. Because of the sheer necessity for human interaction within the project management profession, soft skills are of crucial concern. Although mastering soft skills is …

A Mixed Integer Linear Programming Approach For Developing Salary Administration Systems, Taner Cokyasar

Masters Theses

Determining salary increases of executive personnel is a challenging decision process for many companies. Salary administration policies that aid in the determination of salary increases and other compensation benefits have a wide variety of advantages for both a company and its employees. This thesis develops a mathematical programming approach to create a salary administration system that recognizes the importance of performance and potential of employees for future promotions as major components of a salary increase policy for executive personnel. A number of companies all over the world use salary administration systems that integrate work performance and potential for advancement to …

Be Our Guest: A Hotel's Guide To Guest Service Hospitality Training, Abigail Ehlert

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Lmx And Procedural Justice On Performance Appraisal Satisfaction Within The Context Of A Distributed Workplace Arrangement, Debra A. Herd

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Trends in the current literature emphasize the role of organizational context in employee performance appraisal processes (e.g., Levy & Williams, 2004; Pichler et al., 2015). Social context is a type of organizational context. Using hierarchical regression techniques and data from 138 U.S.-based employees, the study examined the social context of distributed workplace arrangements and the related implications of media richness and communication frequency in relation to leader–member exchange (LMX), procedural justice, and performance appraisal satisfaction. Research has revealed that manager–employee relationships and procedural justice perspectives positively influence performance appraisal satisfaction. However, researchers have yet to explore the impact distributed workplace …

Evaluating Indicators Of Job Performance: Distributions And Types Of Analyses, Richard J. Chambers Ii

Doctoral Dissertations

Distributions of job performance indicators have historically been assumed to be normally distributed (Aguinis & O'Boyle, 2014; Schmidt & Hunter, 1983; Tiffin, 1947). Generally, any evidence to the contrary has been attributed to errors in the measurement of job performance (Murphy, 2008). A few researchers have been skeptical of this assumption (Micceri, 1989; Murphy, 1999; Saal, Downey, & Lahey, 1980); yet, only recently has research demonstrated that in certain specific situations job performance is exponentially distributed (Aguinis, O'Boyle, Gonzalez-Mulé, & Joo, 2016; O'Boyle & Aguinis, 2012). To date there have been few recommendations in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology literature about how …

A Case Study On Ppl's Journey To Agile Transition, Jayalakshmi Tenali

Dissertations and Theses

PPL Pennsylvania Power and Light Electric Utility Company is one of the largest power and light provider. PPL was found in 1920 and since then PPL has developed and extended its business over Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Great Britain. PPL performs planning and managing of several different Agile and Traditional projects. This paper will contain the information on PPL value services and challenges faced in developing traditional projects and agile projects. Attaining and maintaining competitive advantage of the company in the market.

Challenges faced by the human resources in Agile and waterfall projects and with the implementation of using latest technical …

Improving The Education Of Leaders: An Exploratory Case Study In An Undergraduate Business Leadership Course Focused On Gender, Kanina Blanchard

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This exploratory case study is conducted in an undergraduate leadership course at a business school in Ontario. The research develops an understanding of how former students value and are influenced by leadership education that teaches a breadth of knowledges (instrumental, hermeneutic and emancipatory) and focuses on participants’ perspectives of how gender and inequality continue to impact the practice of leadership in Canada. By using document analysis and semi-structured interviews, findings emerge which provide insights into how changes in curricula and pedagogy may better prepare students of leadership to navigate the ethical and social complexities in today’s workplace.

Examining The Relationship Of Emotional Intelligence, Trust, And Performance In Self- Directed, Professional Teams In A U.S. Private Wealth Services Work Environment, Dorothy O. Elder

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines the relationship of team emotional intelligence, intra-team trust, and team performance in self-directed, professional teams in a Private Wealth Services work environment. Teams represented four of the institution’s geographic divisions, with twenty-nine professional advisors who reported to thirteen supervisors. A conceptual model linking team emotional intelligence-individual resource, intra-team trust, and team emotional intelligence-synergy to team performance is presented. The model depicts a novel way of thinking about the team emotional intelligence relationship to team performance. The findings offer leaders the opportunity to design targeted interventions with a goal of improving team performance.

Examining The Nature And Consequences Of Interfunctional Bias In A Corporate Setting, William Adam Powell

Doctoral Dissertations

Interfunctional bias is examined in this dissertation as a potential barrier to interfunctional cooperation. Interfunctional cooperation is desirable in modern corporate organizations as a contributor to effective service delivery, operations planning, and sales performance. Interfunctional stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination are hypothesized to relate positively, and together provide the bias-based theoretical basis through which barriers to interfunctional cooperation can be more thoroughly understood. Based on the extant literature in marketing and psychology, competing models of interfunctional bias are developed and hypothesized. In the first of three studies a questionnaire-based survey of supply chain employees’ perceptions of salespeople permitted the examination of …

Three Essays On Work-Nonwork Balance, Min Wan

Theses and Dissertations

Achieving balance between work and nonwork lives is important for individuals and organizations as it may generate various desirable outcomes, such as high role performance, positive role attitudes, and psychological and physiological well-being. However, scholars and practitioners have not reached a common understanding of the content and process of work-nonwork balance. A variety of work-nonwork balance definitions, theories, and measures, as well as numerous correlates, have emerged in this area. In addition, a majority of the studies focused on this topic have theorized work-nonwork balance as a stable construct and measured it in order to explain the between-individual variance. Consequently, …

Manufacturing Site Selection In The Global Context, Mahsa Mardikoraem Mardikoraem

Theses and Dissertations

The decision making regarding global site selection has been always a challenging and strategic problem. Recently, due to the globalization of the problem many new factors such as political, social, regulatory, government, environmental consideration, etc. gained importance in the decision making process. One of the goals in this thesis is to identify the relevant factors in manufacturing site selection and incorporate them into the data analysis. The collection of a wide range of factors that impact the manufacturing site selection problem at a country level, the quantification of these factors, and incorporation of them into the decision making process needs …

Unconscious Bias During Recruitment Of New Hires-A Comparison Of The General Public And Human Resource Professionals, Diane Ellen Russo

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Immediate decisions are required in various situations. Judgements are made based on a variety of influences without even realizing it has occurred. Decisions are made within split seconds, and the outcomes are often a result of biases held.

Biases can be positive or negative; they are attitudes or stereotypes that are taught during an early age in life and reinforced over time. It is important to realize how these biases impact decision making and negative judgements placed on others.

Bias begins around the time one has the ability to understand and speak words -- generally at three years old. At …

Cultural Moderation Of The Relationship Between Anticipated Life Role Salience And Career Decision-Making Difficulties, Emily Anne Schmidtman

Dissertations

The perceived importance of, and commitment to, work and family roles has significant implications for the career decision-making difficulty (CDMD) of undergraduate college students. Additionally, cultural variables have been shown to influence undergraduate students’ anticipated life role salience (LRS) as well as the amount of difficulty experienced in making a career decision. Given this information, the current study assessed the relationship between LRS and CDMD specifically in terms of differences that may occur within this relationship for different cultural groups. Using a sample of college students (total N = 246), an online survey was used to gather information about their …

Human Resource Management Practices And Performance: A General Systems Perspective, Duckjung Shin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis consists of three essays on strategic human resource management (SHRM) based on general systems theory. The first essay introduces a systems perspective on SHRM, the second essay applies the feedback concept, and the third essay considers implementing human resource management (HRM) practices as adaptive systems. The three essays suggest that general systems theory extends the SHRM literature by considering antecedents, processes, and consequences of HRM in modern organizations.

In the first essay, I review the SHRM literature and identify four traditions in SHRM studies (economic, psychological, sociological, and critical perspectives). I propose a systems perspective on SHRM as …

A Comparison Of Managerial And Leadership Effectiveness Of Veteran And Civilian Developed Leaders In A Civilian Context, John C. Dexter

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, there has been an increase in American patriotism that has facilitated a strong commitment of U.S. employers to actively recruit and hire military veterans. These highly publicized employer veteran hiring commitments easily number in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. However, the commitments to employ veterans does not specify how these veterans will be employed. In fact, there is wide-spread difficulty in translating military training and experience to civilian applications, and there is virtually no empirical support as to whether veterans will be more of less successful in civilian employment than …

Reflecting On Performance Feedback: The Effect Of Counterfactual Thinking On Subsequent Leader Performance, Kelly R. Hall

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

Performance feedback is an integral aspect of facilitating employee learning. Despite its importance, research suggests that when that feedback conveys a performance discrepancy, subsequent performance does not improve. Researchers have advanced reflection as a strategy for increasing feedback effectiveness and have established its value for learning and performance improvement. However, these studies have not accounted for the effects of specific types of reflection on performance. To this point, the current research examines the role of one form of reflection, counterfactual thinking, for learning after performance discrepancies. I explored boundary conditions that might influence self-focused upward counterfactual thinking—a form of reflection …

A‌ ‌Study‌ ‌Of‌ ‌The‌ ‌Factors‌ ‌That‌ ‌Lead‌ ‌To‌ Burnout‌ ‌In‌ ‌The‌ ‌Accounting‌ ‌Profession‌, Stephen N. Kervin

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide information on the causes of burnout to employees in the accounting profession. A review of the literature revealed research on many different industries, but a lack on research within the accounting profession. The purpose of this research study was to examine what demographic variables increase the likelihood of an employee suffering from burnout.

In order to identify the causes of burnout for accountants, this study used a descriptive research design. The research utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and a demographic questionnaire.

Quantitative analysis was applied to the interpretation of the descriptive data …

A Human Resource Approach To Improving An Alternative Break Experience, Mikaela Shupp, Luther T. Denton, Katy Kaesebier

Honors College Theses

Alternative breaks are intensive service experiences that allow students to address social issues while impacting the communities they serve. This thesis examines Georgia Southern University’s Alternative Break Program in depth, specifically the participant selection process. Seven alternative break coordinators of programs across the United States were interviewed in order to evaluate the various participant selection processes used and to determine the main characteristics that these programs seek in participants and site leaders. Through this analysis, it was determined that programs look for site leaders who are flexible, passionate, and responsible. The research also revealed that coordinators look for participants who …

Amlo Promotion : Perception And Reality, Nicholas J. Conklin

Theses and Dissertations

Air Mobility Liaison Officers (AMLOs) provide a valuable service to Air Mobility Command as embedded liaisons to Army and Marine Units. This paper looks at the perceptions and realities of AMLO career advancement, and seeks to answer two research questions: 1) Is there a perception in the MAF that an AMLO assignment will negatively affect an officer’s promotion opportunity, and 2) Does having an AMLO assignment in one’s record affect promotion opportunity? All 18th AF Operational and OSS squadron commanders were surveyed to determine if the perception exists. To determine if an AMLO assignment actually affects promotion opportunity, HAF A1 …

Usaf Female Pilot Turnover Influence: A Delphi Study Of Work-Home Conflict, David C. Caswell

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined factors which influence the female pilot’s decision to stay or leave the Air Force. The concepts of turnover and Work-Home Conflict (WHC) were explored as a theoretical foundation. WHC describes the resultant clash as the work and home/family roles individuals attempt to balance compete for resources. This research used data from a Delphi study of 20 female active-duty U.S. Air Force pilots to provide insight into the turnover decision process of female pilots. This study concluded that WHC and family satisfaction variables should be included in future studies of a larger sample population. Additionally, the research provided …

Change Management And Guided Pathways: Creating A Plan For Implementation At A Washington State Community College, Sandra Spadoni, Saovra Ear

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Objective: This article addresses a problem of practice in community college leadership: how to effectively use change management strategies to implement a guided pathways model at a community college. Guided pathways is a recent national movement to create more structured and better coordinated academic pathways within community colleges. Using the case study of one Washington State community college looking to implement this model, we identified change management strategies for community college leaders seeking to implement the guided pathways model. Methods: We conducted interviews with national consultants, state system leaders, and college leaders around the country who have effectively …

A Case Study Of Latino Immigrant Employment In The California Central Valley, Alfredo Saldivar

Dissertations

This purpose of this case study was to examine the employment experiences of Latino immigrants in the California Central Valley. The case study was conducted to determine why Latino immigrants in this location leave or stay in places of employment and whether federal and state immigration and employment laws and policies affected their employment status. The study included the obstacles Latino immigrants encountered during their search for employment. A qualitative case study research design was used gather detailed data from participants about their employment experiences in the California Cantal Valley. Four focus groups were conducted for this research to gain …

Millennials As Consumers: Can Businesses Survive As Is?, Ashley N. Genoese

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Each generation brings new challenges in which businesses must change their operations, marketing strategies, and other key factors of their company. With Millennials being the most unique generation, businesses will not only have to change all of these tactics, but might even run the risk of becoming irrelevant to this next generation. Also known as Generation Y, Millennials are classified as those born between the years 1981 – 2000, and in 2016 the current ages of Millennials are 16-35, but more typically identified as those ages 19-30 in the year 2016. Born and raised in the era of booming technology …