Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Commons^™

Information Technology Training To Promote Collaboration Among Multiple Generations, Gregg Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The decision to implement information technology (IT) initiatives to enhance collaboration among veterans, baby boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Fifth Generation employees continues to challenge organizational leaders. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to identify how the implementation of information technology initiatives, coupled with the knowledge of learning styles, might enhance collaboration among generational cohort employees. The generational cohort theory, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, and the technology acceptance model were the theoretical frameworks used to develop an understanding of the relationships among the cohorts and the acceptance of technology to enhance collaboration. Data were collected from a …

Strategies For Minimizing Defects In Offshore-Outsourced Products, More Layen-Layeni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders increasingly grapple with longer and more complex supply chain nodes wrought by the globalization of corporate manufacturing processes. The flow of outsourced materials is also more vulnerable to high-profile product-harm crises, sabotage, product defect, and recall problems. The purpose of this single case study was to explore manufacturing strategies used by business leaders of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the United States to minimize the defects in offshore-outsourced products. The sample was 2 OEM business leaders who have successfully reduced the defects in offshore-manufactured products in their Michigan facility. The conceptual framework was agency theory. Data were …

Factors Affecting Student Loan Default In Proprietary Non-Degree Granting Colleges, Samuel Hanson Kelley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The significant problem addressed in this research was the increasing default rate among federal student loan borrowers who attended non-degree-granting proprietary colleges in Florida (i.e., career and technical colleges). The purpose of this study was to identify, better understand, and predict which borrower characteristics increased the likelihood of student loan default at proprietary non-degree-granting colleges. The research was based on the structural-functional and planned behavior theories and utilized a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design to explore the relationship between academic success, age, college graduation status, ethnicity, gender, high school class ranking, and federal student loan default. Self-reported data were obtained from …

Driving Strategies In Performance Excellence, Nathan Lawrence

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Only a small number of U.S. businesses have implemented the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence to improve their performance. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that executive business leaders use to implement the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. The study population consisted of 6 business executives and 2 organizations in the U.S. state of Texas, all with experience in implementing the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. The theory of high performance work systems provided the conceptual framework for the study. Data were gathered from interviews and record reviews that were conducted within the organizations. Inductive …

Strategic Alignment Of Information Technology Projects And Project Success, Joan Barnes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alignment of information technology (IT) projects remains a concern for business executives and negatively impacts IT investments through failed projects. Drawing from the theory of systems thinking and the concept of holism, the purpose of this correlational study was to provide executive leaders with information about influences associated with the independent variables of project alignment and performance outputs, and the dependent variable, project success rates. Accordingly, the research question addressed the relationship between the 2-predictor variables and the outcome variable. Data collection involved a nonprobability, purposive sample of 49 credentialed project managers from Arizona who completed an online survey. Results …

Exploring Leaders' Strategies For Employee Engagement In The South African Mining Industry, Le-Marlie Marais

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggests that disengaged employees have contributed to the 28.5% reduction in the mining industry's contribution to South African gross domestic product. Some South African mining leaders lack strategies for engaging employees. Using the employee engagement framework, the purpose of this single case study was to explore successful strategies that South African mining leaders use to engage employees. The target population was mining leaders, purposefully selected because of their success with engaging employees at a typical South African mining company. Data collection was through face-to-face interviews with 4 leaders; a focus group interview with 9 employees; and a review of …

Personality Factors That Influence Administrative Assistants' Participation In Continuing Education And Training, Rose Friend Schmitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Administrative assistants (AAs) provide critical office support for modern businesses, yet many do not participate in the continuing education and training (CE&T) required for rapidly changing technologies and new office procedures. The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative correlational study was to investigate whether a significant predictive relationship exists between AAs' general self-efficacy (GSE), locus of control (LOC), and their participation in CE&T activities. The primary research question examined whether a significant predictive relationship existed among these variables, factoring in generation cohort and education level. Bandura's self-efficacy theory and Rotter's LOC theory provided the theoretical foundations. Volunteer AAs (n = 125) …

Health Care For All In Ireland? The Consequences Of Politics For Health Policy, Vivienne Byers

Articles

The Irish health-care system is a complicated mix of public and private providers, with inequitable and unclear routes for health-service users to access and navigate the system. In 2011, the Irish Government committed to significant health reform to develop a universal single-tier health system. In line with other European nations this was to be underpinned by the principle of social solidarity, with equitable access based on need rather than ability to pay. The road to this reform and its recent collapse highlights the practical implications of political and policy choices in health care, and has implications for financing and delivery, …

Relationship Between Ethical Leadership And Sustainability In Small Businesses, David Amisano, Peter Anthony

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Since the 2008 financial crisis, business leaders have faced uncertainty regarding the impact of ethical leadership behaviors. Because small business leadership involves multiple facets of behavior and decision-making, small business leaders may have an insufficient understanding of the impact of ethical leadership behaviors on sustainability. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ethical leadership and financial, social, and environmental sustainability in small businesses. The participants were 80 members of a Miami, Florida chamber of commerce. Correlation analysis and Bonferroni corrected calculation indicated significant relationships (p < .001) between ethical leadership behaviors and social and environmental sustainability.

Job Satisfaction And Job Embeddedness As Predictors Of Manufacturing Employee Turnover Intentions, Angie R. Skelton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unplanned and frequent employee turnover can result in significant costs to an organization. Grounded in Herzberg's two-factor theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between employees' job satisfaction and their degree of job embeddedness, and their intent to leave the organization. In this study, 63 full-time Southeastern U.S. manufacturing employees completed surveys that included the Andrews and Withey's job satisfaction questionnaire, Crossley, Bennett, Jex, and Burnfield's global measurement of job embeddedness, and Mobley, Horner, and Hollingsworth's intent to stay scale. The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated the model was able to significantly predict …

Team Member Selection Strategies, Robert Carl Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business teams have been losing millions of dollars every year in cost and schedule over-runs from incomplete or failed projects. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that business managers use to determine team fit when selecting employees for assignment to cross-functional project teams. The participants for this study were 3 senior management personnel and a 6-member employee focus group, all from midsized, nonprofit organizations located within 200 miles of the tri-state region of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The conceptual framework for this study was Werbel and Gilliland's theory of person-group fit, McCrae's and John's …

Strategies Female Small Business Owners Use To Succeed In Business, Mere Sovick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses owned by women cease operations 11% more often than businesses owned by men. Women, who own over 37% of all businesses in the United States, contribute significantly to the 50% small business failure rate. The purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore strategies 5 women who own small businesses use to succeed in business beyond 5 years on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The theory of constraints was the conceptual framework. Data were collected through semistructured face-to-face interviews, websites, company documents, and archival records. Transcript review of interview response data was used to strengthen the credibility of the interview …

Information Communication Technology Management As A Gdp Growth Contributor Within Arab League Nations, Jamal Alexander Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The general problem addressed in this study was Arab League nations' over-reliance on fossil fuels as a gross domestic product (GDP) growth driver. Arab League nations that depend primarily on fossil fuel production lack alternative resources for growth in times of fossil fuel usage or price decline. Overdependence on fossil fuels has led to minimal development in other economic sectors, primarily in skilled domestic labor, and to a high dependency on foreign skilled labor for skilled domestic jobs. The purpose of this study was to examine to what extent information communication technology (ICT) management can be a viable GDP growth …

Management Strategies And Intervention Program Readiness For Paroled Offenders And Ex-Offenders, Sylvia Jean Bell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Paroled offenders and ex-offenders' retention and completion for 3 small-sized prisoner-

release intervention programs in Columbus, Ohio, continue to decline. Prisoner-release

intervention programs aid paroled offenders and ex-offenders with societal reentry.

Influenced by the conceptual framework of the social control theory, this exploratory

multiple case study was designed to contribute to the common understanding of the

paroled offenders and ex-offenders' retention and completion in the small-sized prisoner

release intervention programs. The 18 participants included stakeholders from the

criminal justice system, prisoner-release intervention programs, community advocacy

organizations, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers. Analysis of data collected

from interviews and telephone …

Exploring Which Leadership Styles Are Effective With Millennial Employees, Samuel Long

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managers struggle with how to motivate the Millennial generation employee. Research that explores which leadership styles are effective with Millennial generation employees is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore what leadership styles are effective with Millennial employees, which led to a key research question: Which leadership styles facilitate employee motivation for the Millennial generation? The theoretical framework was based on the social learning, transformational leadership, and servant leadership theories, which were used to identify effective leadership styles. In the theoretical framework, different motivation theories were presented to establish the context in which motivation was discussed. This quantitative …

The Role Of Project Leadership In Global Multicultural Project Success, Jamal Nassif

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Global projects have a high failure rate, with many project failures attributed to lack of effective leadership. A knowledge gap about leadership requirements and complexities in a global project management environment has increased the risks in global projects. The problem is evident in the increasing project failure rate and the struggling national strategies in the oil and gas industry in the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The purpose of this study was to explore the role of leadership in project success and adaptation complexities in GCC. The conceptual framework consisted of complex adaptive systems and contingency theories. A qualitative approach …

Healthcare Executive Leadership Development And Succession Planning, Robin Ford Dillard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders face leadership crises as executives from the baby boomer generation retire, creating a shortage of experienced and knowledgeable leaders. Some business leaders are unprepared for the replacement of retiring senior-level executives and lack strategies for succession planning. The findings of this study indicate succession planning and leadership development play a significant role in preparing future healthcare leaders in their ability to improve the quality of patient care and improve the strategic and financial health of the organization. Guided by the human capital theory the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by healthcare …

A Phenomenological Study Of Executive's Perspectives Of Hope Theory In Executive Coaching, Steven Hodlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The executive coaching and positive psychology fields are growing; however, minimal research exists regarding the coaching experiences of executive coachees with the various approaches a coach can utilize. The problem addressed in this study was the lack of research on consistent standards regarding how executive coaching should be conducted. The primary purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of executives who have been coached using approaches based on Snyder's hope theory, Buckingham and Clifton's theories of strength-based approaches to leadership, and the theories of positive psychology advanced by Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi. The participants in this …

Small To Medium Enterprise Succession Planning: Millennial Employee Development, Mark Tarmann Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increased mobility and a growing presence in the workforce by millennial employees are pushing sustainability to the forefront of concerns for business leaders. Especially for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with limited human capital resources and no formal succession plans. Thus, increasing the need for insight on millennial employee development to mitigate voluntary turnover. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore successful millennial employee developmental strategies employed by 3 SMEs leaders in southern New Jersey. These SMEs leaders were the ideal population with millennial employees with 3 or more years of employment and not solely family-run organizations. …

Accountants And Accounting Educators' Perceptions Of Accounting Certifications/Accreditations And Communication Divides, Brigitte A. Bennerson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Global changes to business exchanges of goods, services, capital, technology, and knowledge requires accountants to have more diverse skill sets than in the past. Practitioners' documented concerns about accounting graduates' inability to function globally. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was twofold: (a) to explore accounting practitioners' and educators' perceptions of the Certified Public Accountant and other accounting certifications and accreditations, and (b) to explore possible communication divides between accounting academia and professionals that may be creating a gap between what employers expect and what they receive from graduates. Phone interviews were conducted with 5 practicing accounting educators and …