Business Commons^™

The Importance Of Leadership Motivational Activities In Encouraging International Students To Return To Their Tier 1 Universities, Eric Hall

Dissertations

Abstract

The problem is international students are not returning to their undergraduate Tier 1 institutions during a period when quality student enrollment is essential, and there is scant research on academic advising strategies that can be used to combat international student attrition at these universities (O’Keefe, 2013). Studies have often lumped all international students together and made efforts to attract more international students, but the reasons why international students chose research universities, and returned, were not being investigated in this manner (Hegarty, 2014).

The purpose of this proposed study was to gain an understanding of the decision-making and reasoning processes …

Better Together: Engaging Stakeholders In Learning And Leadership To Guide Foundation Resources Toward Adaptive Systems Change, Nadine Long, Kimber P. Richter, Jennifer Elise Avers, Rick Cagan

The Foundation Review

In 2014, the Kansas Health Foundation brought together a group of knowledgeable stakeholders from a multitude of specialties to focus on reducing tobacco use specifically among Kansans with mental illness. Over 15 months, the group and the foundation worked to learn deeply about the issue and inform action that could be taken on individual, organizational, and systemic levels.

The wealth of knowledge and experience brought by each participant to the discussion and learning about this complex issue, together from a range of perspectives, resulted in a more productive dialogue. The model proved very effective, as evidenced by the group’s success …

Leader Behavior In Successfully Completing An Erp Implementation At An Army Installation, Roy T. Ray Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has emerged as one of the breakthrough information technologies that can reshape business practices. The Army ERP systems are the central component of the Army’s business mission process. However, these ERP systems have yet to provide Army-wide, enterprise-level integration and resource visibility, which is needed to increase efficiency and effectiveness of Army operations and justify the cost of future ERP investment. Few companies complete their ERP implementation on time and within budget, and the incidences of underperformance and failure are incredibly high. Current research notes that the primary determinant of a successful ERP implementation is leadership. …

Leadership’S Influence On Environmental Sustainability, Stallar Lufrano-Jardine

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

A phenomenological study within the gaming industry is currently being conducted to determine influential indicators within business operations. Based on interviews of executive leadership at global companies, participants disclosed the environmental developments at their organization based on industry norms and the ability to develop/execute environmental initiatives. Four themes emerged: the leader’s ideology and the political climate; the company’s founding principles; support from the industry and/or within the company; and the ability to change industry dynamics. Each leader touched on these four points. Regardless of department type, level of leadership, and the desire to be globally conscious, all participants remarked on …

Sex Sells: How Advertising Agencies' Commodification Of Image Affects Older Women In Advertising, Diane Fittipaldi

Diane Fittipaldi

The purpose of this study was to understand how advertising agency culture affects the long-term careers of women account executives as they age. The primary research questions were: 1) How do self-image and cultural stereotypes affect the decision to enter the advertising business; 2) How do women navigate the male-dominated culture of the ad agency; 3) What strategies do women use to get ahead in advertising; 4) How do women survive long term in a culture that favors youth? Qualitative data was collected via unstructured, one-on-one, in-depth interviews with a nationally sourced sample 15 female advertising account executives aged 40 …

Blame And Credit In Organizations: Theory And Evidence Explaining The Responses Of Leaders After Failure And Success, Jasmine M. Huang

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The blame and credit literature has operated largely on the assumption that actors want to reduce the blame assigned to them and increase assigned credit (Gioia & Sims, 1985; Greenwald, 1980; Shaver, 1985). As a result, much of the literature has focused on the shifting of blame away from the self and of credit towards the self (e.g., Crant & Bateman, 1993), rather than other behaviors that are less self-serving (e.g., blame-taking, Gunia, 2011). This dissertation explores a variety of blame and credit behaviors and explains why leaders may enact different types of blame and credit behaviors. In Chapter 2, …

Doing From Being: Creating Organizational Integrity Through Mindful Self-Leadership, Adam Stonebraker

Mindfulness Studies Theses

Mindfulness in the workplace is a subject that has seen significant growth in recent years. Mindfulness, which is rooted in ancient contemplative practice, has gained much traction among Western audiences over the last few decades. The application of Mindfulness practices is prevalent now in workplaces, where its efficacy has been well-documented, and impact has included the reduction of employee stress, increased productivity, and enhancement of one’s well-being.

The principles of mindfulness can be applied across disparate workplace settings and in nearly any situation to help bolster employees’ presence and focus in the day-to-day and retain them in the place of …

Psychopathic Personality Traits In Students Entering Helping Professions, Sarah E. Gallup

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Psychopathy is often misrepresented as a sign of criminality and deviance. However, current literature suggests that psychopaths make up approximately one-fifth of the general population. Some people use these characterological traits to their benefit in positions of leadership. In this study, students from a Christian university in the Pacific Northwest were selected to participate in a survey, based upon their chosen major (Business, Psychology, and Religion). It was hypothesized that Business students would have the highest total levels of psychopathy and religion majors would show the lowest levels of psychopathy. Since religion often serves as a protective factor, it is …

Leaders Of Today

Business Exchange

Four student leasers, Rebeca Mitrea, Kevin Felisme, Olena Cruz and Bevon Joseph are profiled about how they intend to use their business acumen to lead and empower others.

Exploring The Perceptions Of Leaders In Investor-Owned Utilities In California On Managing Organizational Change Initiatives, Maria Liza Legaspi

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study employing in-depth interviews was to identify the strategies and practices executive leaders and midlevel managers of investor-owned utilities (IOUs) perceive are effective in creating employee acceptance and support of organizational change and to identify the supports and barriers executive leaders and midlevel managers perceive as affecting employee acceptance or resistance to organizational change in IOUs.

Methodology: A qualitative research design enabled the capture of deeper thoughts and insights of executive leaders and midlevel managers of 4 IOUs in California. The study delved into the strategies and practices used by IOUs that are perceived …

Raising Leaders: Parental Leadership Modeling And Parental Attachment, M. Shane Stillman

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The objective of this research was to determine to what extent parental leadership modeling and parental attachment relate to leader courage, self-esteem, and emotional intelligence? Participants (29 men and 21 women) were selected from varying backgrounds and experiences to measure the effects of parental modeling and attachment as a matter of a leader’s life-story. Survey instruments included the MLQ-5X, RAAS, PCMS-15, RSES, and WLEIS-16. Results were analyzed using multiple regression and descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that leadership modeling has a statistically significant relationship to self-esteem (p= .01), but not to courage (p= .58), or to …

Leader Efficacy Perceptions And Engagement In Self-Directed Professional Development, Lauren Johnson

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Rapidly changing environments force organizations to adapt quickly to remain relevant. However, a given organization’s ability to adapt depends largely on its leaders’ ability to guide and direct their subordinates in the use of the organization’s resources. Research has identified self-directed professional development (SDPD) as a critical component of leaders’ ability to meet the challenges of adaptation, but notably absent from the literature are explorations of how leaders’ self-perception relates to the degree to which they engage in SDPD. The purpose of this quantitative study was to deepen current understandings of the interplay between self-perception and individual behavior in the …

Incivility And Beyond At The Top Management Team Level, Joanne O. Martinez, Julia Eisenberg

Organization Management Journal

Although incivility has been gaining increasing attention in the literature as well as in the industry, academic studies have not examined the effects on top management team (TMT) members. TMT members are different from employees at other levels because they are officers of their organizations who are held to a much higher level of responsibility than those in lower echelons. They are crucial in setting the norms of an organization and have far-reaching influence. This article seeks to uncover the mechanisms that explain what happens when TMT members are targets of uncivil leadership behavior. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 …

A Guide To Leadership Development At A Company, Bridget Nobiletti

Senior Honors Projects

Leadership development is essential for companies because it drives a company’s effectiveness in reaching its goal and promotes growth among employees, causing them to want to stay with the company. Knowing how to develop employee leadership is complex because it is largely dependent on the individual and their role within the organization. I interviewed leadership professionals and human resource professionals who have experience in leadership development to guide my research. I broke up management into three categories and found that the different segments of management need different skills in order to be effective at their jobs. The first step to …

Leadership And Community In The Arts: A Case Study Of Legend And Culture In Chiusdino, Italy, Amanda Svetlak

Arts Administration Masters Theses

The complexity of culture goes beyond artistic expression, nationality, race, and religion. Culture shapes our communications, interactions, and our perceptions of the world around us (Hall, 1989). Studies show that self-awareness of our own culture through exposure to the unfamiliar leads to intercultural competences (Herlo, 2015; Crossman, 2011; Hermond 2018; Hall 1989). As technology, travel, and community diversity continues to shrink our world and diversify our workplaces, these intercultural competences support modern processes of marketing, community engagement, and organizational leadership. This thesis is a case study of the community culture, organizational culture, and structure of arts institutions in Chiusdino, Italy. …

Virtual International Leadership Within Organizations: Overcoming Cultural, Language, And Physical Barriers, Jaye Goulet

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Advances in technology are allowing members of a team to collaborate while being geographically and spatially apart. These new teams, known as virtual teams, have benefits for both the organizations to which they belong and to the individual members. Organizations are able to utilize highly-skilled experts without the associated relocation costs. Team members are able to contribute to projects in their field of expertise without having to leave their homeland. These teams require a leader whose interactions build trust and loyalty without the benefit of face-to-face contact with other team members. Although virtual teams are rapidly growing, research is lacking …

Flexible Moral Behavior In The Workplace, Kraivin Chintakananda

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In my dissertation, I systematically examine what it means to be morally flexible. I develop a scale to capture an individual’s willingness to adapt their moral behavior and examine both positive and negative consequences of this type of moral flexibility in the workplace. My dissertation consists of three studies. In Chapter 2, I draw from the personality strength literature and research on within-person variability in moral behavior to introduce the construct of moral adaptability (MA) defined as the willing to adjust moral behavior depending on the situation. I argue MA functions in a similar manner to personality strength (but in …

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Strategic Audit, Jessica Salzar

Honors Theses

Berkshire Hathaway is an extremely successful, well-known company. With Warren Buffett approaching retirement, it is important that the company prepares its stakeholders and is strategically prepared. What must be determined is whether or not Berkshire Hathaway needs to implement a new strategy or continue doing what it is already doing. This strategic audit analyzes Berkshire Hathaway's company history, internal and external environment, competitive advantages, and organizational structure. After the analysis of Berkshire Hathaway, several strategy alternatives are considered, ending with a strategic recommendation, implementation plan, and contingency plan.

Communication As Constitutive Of Organization: Practicing Collaboration In And English Language Program, Ariadne Miranda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is about collaboration as an organizational practice that is communicatively constituted. Specifically, I examine how members of a team in an English language program located in a large southeastern university in the United States make sense of what they define as a collaborative work environment and materialize it in their meetings in spoken and written discourse, and in their mention and use of organizational artifacts. Though the study examines the practices of one organizational setting, the insights generated illuminate broader organizational and discourse dynamics and speak to important issues in the discipline of communication such as authority, leadership, …

Traits And Trends Of Social Entrepreneurship/ Innovation Leaders, Heet Ghodasara, Juanie Walker

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The purpose of this study was to examine qualifications, characteristics, successes and motivations among leading social entrepreneurs in not-for-profit or for-profit organizations. Based on an interview guide developed by Dr. Juanie Walker and Heet Ghodasara, Ghodasara conducted interviews with 20 leaders of social entrepreneurship/innovation strategically located in Washington, D.C. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts revealed traits of successful organizations and individuals supported by provocative quotes. Themes of successful organizations include system disruptions, mutual investment, broad network and founder obsolescence. Individual themes include traits such as self efficacy, humility, grit and perseverance as well as imperatives to Get Dirty but Clean …

Leading With Trust: A Phenomenological Study Of The Strategies Leaders In Certified B Corporations Use To Build Trust With Their Employees, Victoria Wodarczyk

Dissertations

Purpose:The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how senior management leaders of certified B Corporations (B Corps) build trust with employees, using the 5 domains of connection, concern, candor, competence, and consistency.

Methodology:Aqualitative phenomenological approach was used in this study to explore how senior leaders of certified B Corps build trust with their employees using The Values Institute (TVI; Weisman, 2016) trust framework and the accompanying domains of connection, concern, candor, competence, and consistency. Participants were purposely chosen based on study criteria of a senior management leader in a certified B Corp including leadership for at …

Austin Fraser Internship In Reading, England, Megan Ditore

Student Engagement Posters

Megan Ditore discusses student engagement at Linfield College with regard to her internship at Austin Fraser during her study abroad experience in England.

Ball Is Life, Molly Danielson

Student Engagement Posters

Molly Danielson discusses student engagement at Linfield College with regard to her participation on the women's basketball team.

Meaning Makers: A Mixed-Method Case Study Of Exemplary Small Business Owner Leaders And The Strategies They Use To Create Personal And Organizational Meaning, Margaret S. Ohlhaver

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this replication of a thematic, mixed-method case study was to identify and describe the behaviors that small business owner leaders use to create personal and organizational meaning for themselves and their followers through character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration.

Methodology. Qualitative interviews with exemplary small business owners were conducted to capture their insights on how they used behaviors associated with character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration to create personal and organizational meaning. In a quantitative survey, followers of each small business owner leader participants were asked to assess how important each of the variable behaviors were …

My Leadership Journey, Tanny Crane

Leadership Hour at Otterbein University

Tanny Crane is President and C.E.O. of Crane Group. Crane Group, a 70-year old, privately-held diversified portfolio company, is comprised of five operating businesses as well as an investment company that holds real estate, private equity investments, equities / bond portfolio, and hedge funds.

The Missing Shifts, Saumya Sindhwani, Jerry Conner, Howard Thomas

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Saumya Sindhwani, Jerry Connor and Howard Thomas argue it is time to change the way we develop leaders – and tap into the power of mindset. The needs the managers speak of fit into two broad categories (“empathy” and “resourcefulness”) and both are fundamental “changes in mindset”. By that, we mean a change in attitude or world view.

The Empathetic Leader, Sarah Romney

Marriott Student Review

Research shows that “empathy” is an important quality in a leader and improves one’s ability to resolve group needs, obtain followers, perform prosocial behaviors, and get positive results. However, many business students do not recognize the value of empathy. Business schools can help improve this by teaching the importance of empathy and giving students the opportunity to develop it.

I Landed A U.F.O. On Main Street: An Autoethnography Of The Founding Of An Arts Education Organization In Appalachian Kentucky, Elise L. Kieffer Phd

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Abstract: The Appalachian region in the southern mid-west has long been the source of stereotyping for dramatic and political affect. Through the course of nine years as a resident in an Appalachian community in south-central Kentucky, the author experienced life as it is lived by the local people. Through the establishment of an art education organization, the author became entwined with local families and became familiar with the origins of many of those stereotypes. Using autoethnography to interpret her experiences, through the lens of academic research, the author will confront the primary issues that surfaced: the acute designation of outsider …

What Went Wrong? Lessons In Leadership From Solomon, The Bible’S Wisest And Worst Ruler, Hershey H. Friedman, Linda W. Friedman

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This paper attempts to demonstrate the many insights about successful and unsuccessful leadership that may be derived from the life of King Solomon, who, according to Scripture, was the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon may have been very wise but made some very serious blunders as a leader that led to the breakup of his empire after his son took over. This paper answers the obvious question as to which mistake/character flaw transformed Solomon from a great leader to an unsuccessful leader. This paper will also examine the Book of Proverbs attributed to Solomon and see what leadership lessons …

Proving Yourself: How Top Executives Relate Their Leadership Experience, Ellen S. O'Connor, Denise M. Lucy

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

We asked 30 top executives (CEOs, COOs, and Presidents) to describe their paths to and in office. Our purpose was to explore how executives practice leadership in the way they discuss their experience. We identified three structures that interviewees used: the full proof, a thesis statement backed by evidence; the narrative plot, a trajectory toward a goal; and the signature story, a defining leadership experience. We argue that structuration proves leadership; that is, full proofs and narrative plots communicate dependability and signature stories convey realism. We also constructed paradigmatic narratives or representative experiences of leadership, which suggest an experiential curriculum …