Digital Commons Network^™

Critical Success Factors In Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation In U.S. Manufacturing, Justin Goldston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders have increasingly turned to enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, also known as decision-support systems, to make their firms' operational, tactical, and strategic processes more efficient and effective in the changing global marketplace. High failure rates in ERP systems implementations make these projects risky, however. Most prior research on critical success factors for conventional ERP implementation has been on large enterprises, resulting in a gap in knowledge on these factors in the small and medium enterprises that constitute the majority of U.S. employer firms. A qualitative modified Delphi study with an expert panel of U.S. manufacturing consultants and 3 …

Social Work Professionals' Strategies To Reduce Employee Turnover, Jamilla Jenkins Jenkins Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Some social work leaders in the United States lack strategies to successfully reduce employee turnover, which is detrimental to the profitability of an organization. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore effective strategies that social work professionals used to reduce employee turnover. The targeted population included 10 social work managers from organizations in South Carolina who experienced employee turnover and implemented successful strategies to overcome it. The conceptual framework was Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. Triangulation was used to increase the reliability and validity of the data. Data were collected from semistructured in-depth interviews with managers who …

Florida Political Appointees Usage Of Social Power Bases After Service First Initiative, Leland Francis Butcher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Florida reformed its civil service system with the passage of the Service First Initiative of 2001, resulting in a unique organizational setting by altering the employer-employee relationship, yet little academic research explored the power tactics used by politicians and political appointees in order to gain subordinate compliance in unique organizational environments. Using French and Raven’s bases of social power theory and Raven’s interpersonal power interaction model as the foundation, the primary purpose of this stratified cross-sectional study of politicians and political appointees in Florida was to explore whether certain demographic factors are predictors of the extent to which French and …

Strategies To Recruit Skilled Workers In Manufacturing, Ina Renee Rawlinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Manufacturing hiring managers in the United States who fail to implement adequate recruitment strategies for skilled production workers experience reduced profits and sustainability challenges. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that successful manufacturing hiring managers in North Carolina used to recruit skilled production workers to sustain business profitability. Inductive analysis was guided by the human capital theory, and trustworthiness of interpretations was strengthened by member checking. The population for the study consisted of 4 business leaders who demonstrated the use of effective recruitment strategies to sustain profitability in manufacturing businesses in southeastern North Carolina. …

Leadership Strategies To Improve Nurse Retention, Floyd Jordan Colwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The nursing shortage and high turnover rates are a problem in the United States. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies that hospital senior nurse managers in the Rocky Mountain states use to improve nurse retention. Participants were 6 hospital senior nurse managers including 3 chief nursing officers, 1 assistant chief nursing officer, and 2 directors who had demonstrated effective leadership strategies in retention of nurses. The leadership-motivated excellence theory was the conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews with open-ended interview questions were used to collect data; organization websites and documents were used to help corroborate evidence …

The Effects Of Small Learning Communities On College And Career Ready Performance Index, Julie Mizell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I

In an attempt to address persistent dropout rates and low-test scores, a high school with nearly 1,700 students in the southeastern region of the United States restructured itself into small learning communities (SLCs) in 2006 resulting in higher student achievement as based on College and Career Ready Performance Index scores. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine the perspectives of teachers as they experienced the SLC transformation. Guided by Piaget and Dewey's theories of constructivism, the perspectives of teachers as they experienced a successful transformation within the context of the school were investigated. The participants' prior …

Strategies To Improve Employee Engagement In The Hospitality Industry, Carolyn Yvette Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 50% of the workforce in the United States is disengaged, costing U.S. organizations almost $355 billion annually. Engaged employees improve customer satisfaction, perform effectively, and are committed to organizational goals. Guided by Kahn's personal engagement theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies business leaders in the hospitality industry used to improve employee engagement for increased productivity. A purposive sample of 1 business leader each from 6 organizations in South Korea shared their experiences with the phenomenon of employee engagement. Data were collected through face-to-face semi structured interviews and by reviewing company position descriptions …

Effective Strategies For Recognition And Treatment Of In-Hospital Strokes, Maryika Ivanova Gibson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In-hospital onset strokes represent 4% to 20% of all reported strokes in the United States. The variability of treatment protocols and workflows as well as the complex etiology and multiple comorbidities of the in-hospital stroke subpopulation often result in unfavorable outcomes and higher mortality rates compared to those who experience strokes outside of the hospital setting. The purpose of this project was to conduct a systematic review to identify and summarize effective strategies and practices for prompt recognition and treatment of in-hospital strokes. The results of the literature review with leading-edge guidelines for stroke care were corelated to formulate recommendations …

Strategizing Effective Succession Planning For Information Technology Executives, Michael Barr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations across the United States lose hundreds of millions of dollars each year due to the lack of effective succession planning for information technology executives. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies for the development and implementation of effective succession plans for future information technology executives. Bass and Avolio's transformational leadership theory was the conceptual framework for this study. The 3 participants were selected based upon their roles as executives in technology-related positions and their experiences with succession planning. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with these executives from a company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. …

Parents' Knowledge Of Child-Passenger Safety And Child-Passenger Restraint Usage, Amanda Cadore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although occupant protection laws exist, limited research has been conducted on how current child passenger safety (CPS) issues and CPS marketing strategies relate to child passenger safety seat (CPSS) usage. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the relationship between parents' perception and knowledge of CPS issues and CPSS usage rates. The diffusion of innovation and the social marketing theories provided the frameworks for this study. The overall research question for the study examined the correlation between parents' knowledge of CPS issues and CPSS usage. Data (participants' surveys, car seat check-up information, and observational statistics) were collected from …

Effective Human Resources Recruiting And Hiring Practices For Improving Organizational Performance, Marcus Karl Wardlaw

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single case study was to explore the recruiting and hiring practices used by human resources (HR) and recruitment managers to support organizational goals for performance improvement. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 4 HR and recruitment managers from a vegetation management company in Pennsylvania and review of organizational documents. Bertalanffy's general systems theory (GST) and Thelen and Smith's dynamic systems theory (DST) were the basis for the study's conceptual framework. Data reliability and validity were achieved through an interview protocol, member checks, interview transcriptions, and methodological triangulation. The study included an inductive analysis of interviewees' …

Developing Staff Education Regarding Colorectal Cancer Screening Practice Guidelines, Ruth Airiohuomo Aboiralor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Colorectal rectal cancer (CRC) is the 3rd most common cancer in men, the 2nd most common cancer in women, and the 4th leading cause of cancer death. Lack of screening or delayed screening for CRC is the major cause of undiagnosed cancers that become malignant and eventually become fatal. Nurses at the project site are not in compliance with CRC screening guidelines due to inadequate knowledge of the screening guidelines recommended by the American Cancer Society, which creates a gap in practice. The purpose of this project was to develop staff education on CRC screening guidelines. The practice focused question …

Process Management Strategies Of Successful Small Manufacturing Companies In Massachusetts, Daniel R. Champagne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The manufacturing industry has been on a decline. Companies have been closed, and employees have lost their jobs. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to understand how 5 small manufacturing companies in Massachusetts remained competitive. Systems theory was used to focus on process and innovation management implemented by organizational leaders. A purposeful sampling was conducted to identify 15 organizational leaders from 5 small manufacturing companies in Massachusetts. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with the 15 participants. Interviews were recorded and transcribed with NoNotes software. Data were compiled and submitted to participants to member check information. …

Sharing Of Threat-Related Information Among Public Safety Agencies In Honolulu, Hawaii, Cortney M. Chambers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of knowledge regarding how public safety organizations communicate threat-related information at the local level. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the benefits and challenges of sharing threat-related information between public safety agencies (law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and public health) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The conceptual framework for the study was general systems theory. The sample for this study was a subset of 13 individuals from the larger population of approximately 50 subject matter experts who worked within four public safety agencies and had extensive experience analyzing and sharing threat-related …

Positive Deviance Behaviors And Definition In Nursing, Stacy L. January

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The concept of positive deviance (PD) has not been studied in the context of nursing. Grounded in narrative inquiry and combined with vocabularies of motive and symbolic interactionism, the purpose of this study was to explore whether PD behaviors existed in nursing, and if so, to develop an operational definition of PD for nursing. The research question addressed what PD behaviors, if any, were present in nurses’ workplace stories. Using posted flyers, eight participants either self-selected or were selected by snowball method to participate. Interviews were conducted in locations decided on by each participant. Interview data were obtained, transcribed, then …

Implementation Of An Evidence-Based Diabetic Foot Care Protocol And Impact On Health Outcomes, Tina Marie Warfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes is a condition that can lead to foot ulcers that often progress to amputation of a limb. Providing patients with education about foot care is crucial because it can help to prevent or minimize the incidence of foot ulcer development and amputation of a limb. Foot care education as a strategy not only empowers patients with proper foot care knowledge and skill to support and motivate self-care but can also enhance the partnership between the provider and patient. The purpose of this quality improvement project was the implementation of a sustainable evidence-based foot care program for adult patients with …

Telecommunication Organization Employee Development Program's Role In Employee Engagement, Cynthia Jenkins Shuler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The risk of losing the most talented workers due to limited career opportunities had become an issue for telecommunication organizations. Talented workers became disengaged when there were limited opportunities for growth and development. To address this issue, human resource practitioners created employee development programs aimed at increasing employee engagement to help retain talented workers. However, data to determine the link between employee development programs, engagement, and retention were limited. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore managers' and employees' perceptions of how a telecommunication organization's employee development program contributes to employee engagement and to explore employees' experiences resulting …

Strategies Healthcare Managers Use To Reduce Employee Turnover, Christopher Sean Atkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare managers who are unaware of the various strategies that exist for reducing turnover could adversely affect patient care, organizational morale and performance, and the achievement of organizational goals. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies healthcare supervisors used to reduce employee turnover. The participants comprised 3 senior healthcare managers located in central Texas responsible for hiring, firing, training, supervising, and successfully using strategies to reduce employee turnover. Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory provided the conceptual framework. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Thematic analysis of the data resulted in 5 …

Strategies For Meeting Local Workforce Policy Requirements In Developing Countries, Gianandrea Manzoni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foreign companies operating in developing countries are losing competitive advantage due to local workforce policies and restrictions that governments issue to foster the development of indigenous businesses and people. Maintaining a competitive advantage is essential to foreign business owners long term sustainability. Based on Argyris and Schön's organizational learning theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies foreign company managers use to achieve profitable business performance while satisfying local workforce policy requirements. The population comprised of 5 foreign managers who implemented effective strategies to increase the profitability of their company while meeting local content requirements …

Employee Retention Strategies For Executive Operation Leaders In An Academic Nursing Environment, Polly Castro Ramos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee attrition affects organizations in the form of lower productivity, decreased profitability, and reduced sustainability. In 2014, business owners lost over $11 billion in tangible and intangible assets due to the inability to retain employees. Using the social exchange theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore effective employee retention strategies used by business leaders in an academic nursing environment. The study encompassed participants from 3 of the United States: Texas, Kentucky, and Florida. Participants were purposefully selected because of their experience in implementing effective employee retention strategies. Data were collected via semistructured …

Strategies Nonprofit Leaders Use To Achieve Financial Stability Through Sustainable Funding, Jerel Lynnette Colemon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of nonprofit organizations fail to achieve financial stability to meet their mission and vision without sustainable funding. The achievement of fiscal sustainability is the most pressing challenge facing the nonprofit sector. Through the lens of the balanced scorecard model, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that nonprofit organization executive leaders used to secure sustainable funding for financial stability. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 5 executive directors of nonprofit organizations in Ohio and a review of their organizational documents relevant to sustainable funding. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5-step process for analysis. The …

Innovation Strategies For A Global Manufacturing Business, Sachin Kakaji Ramteke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some global manufacturing businesses fail to reach an adequate level of financial

performance within 5 years. The purpose of this single case study was to explore

innovation strategies that business leaders of a global machinery manufacturing company

in northwestern Illinois used to increase profit margins. The conceptual frameworks for

this study included the holistic innovation model and the disruptive innovation theory. A

purposeful sample of 9 business leaders who had more than 5 years of experience in the

manufacturing industry and more than 2 years of experience using innovation strategies

participated in the study. Data were collected from semistructured in-depth …

Examination Of Adoption Theory On The Devops Practice Of Continuous Delivery, Andrew John Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many organizations have difficulty adopting advanced software development practices. Some software development project managers in large organizations are not aligned with the relationship between performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions, as moderated by experience, with intent to adopt the DevOps practice of continuous delivery. The purpose of this study was to examine the statistical relationships between the independent variables—performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions, as moderated by experience—and the dependent variable of behavioral intent to adopt a continuous delivery system. Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, and Davis's unified theory of acceptance and use of technology provided …

Leadership Characteristics In Flexible Information Technology Environments, Chrisilia Bristow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found that a positive correlation exists between information technology (IT) flexibility, IT effectiveness, and strategic alignment in organizations. It has been determined that within inflexible IT environments maintainability is reduced and key business factors become at risk. An IT flexibility measurement matrix was developed to assess IT flexibility however leadership characteristics were not identified for measurement with that model. Determining the leadership characteristics needed for IT flexibility was the purpose of this multiple case study. Leveraging the empowerment, situational leadership, IT-business equilibrium, and complexity change theories, the research questions were focused on the leadership characteristics exhibited by organizational …

Strategies For Implementing Workplace Violence Prevention Policies In Small Businesses, Anthony Fleming

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace violence can produce adverse financial outcomes for organizational shareholders, harms employees, and might create long-lasting mental health issues for survivors. Leaders of small businesses might lack the tools available to larger organizations to effectively address the growing incidence of violence in the workplace. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies some leaders of small businesses used to prevent workplace violence. The targeted population consisted of 3 leaders of small businesses from 3 different organizations in the government consulting industry in northern Virginia who successfully implemented workplace violence prevention programs. The general systems theory was the …

Leadership Strategies That Promote Employee Engagement, Tiffany N. Mccutcheon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the higher education industry, employee engagement is crucial to the survival of organizations because engaged employees increase profits, productivity, and sustainability. The purpose of this single case study was to explore leadership strategies that leaders of higher education organizations used to promote employee engagement. Expectancy theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Four leaders of a higher education organization in the southeastern United States were purposefully selected for the study based upon their experience implementing effective leadership strategies to promote employee engagement. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, direct observation, and review of publicly available organizational documents. …

Managing Customer Complaints In Online Auction Markets, Mohammad Mousavi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies managers in the online auction industry used to manage customer complaints to improve customer satisfaction. The targeted population consisted of 4 managers of online auction companies in the southwestern region of the United States. The conceptual framework for the study was Argyris and Sch�n's double-loop learning theory. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with business managers, observation of company operations and behaviors, review of documentation, and member-checking activities. Data analysis consisted of text interpretation of data and notes using coding techniques. Data analysis resulted in 5 themes: business orientation, …

Impact Of A Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention Module On Staff Knowledge, Michelle Leigh Arroyo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The healthcare sector experiences violence 4 times as much as any other civilian domain, including law enforcement and corrections facilities. The clinical practice problem addressed in this project was the lack of adequate healthcare workplace violence (HWV) prevention in a not-for-profit community hospital. The purpose of this project increase awareness of HWV prevention through the use of an education module. Rogers’ diffusion of innovation model served as the foundation for analysis of scores from pre- and posteducation tests. The practice-focused question asked if a module on HWV prevention based on current clinical practice guidelines and peer-reviewed literature would improve staff …

Experiences Of Subtle Sexism Among Women Employees In The National Park Service, Audrey Marie Ashcraft

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although blatant sexism persists in the workplace, there is a subtler type of sexism that is not often discussed. Some of the harmful outcomes that concern organization employees and leaders include decreased job satisfaction and morale, increased stress and turnover, damaged workplace relationships, barriers to career development for women, and decreased feelings of safety in law enforcement employees. Subtle sexism is often disguised as friendliness or chivalry, and therefore is difficult to detect, so it is often ignored or trivialized. The harms are cumulative and compound over time. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to gather data about …

African American Women Middle Managers’ Stories Of Stereotype Threat And Leadership Aspirations, Rockell Chandler Ashley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even with the rise of racial diversity in the workplace, African American women remain underrepresented in upper management and organizational leadership positions, making up only 1% of U.S. corporate officers. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to explore the daily experiences of African American women middle managers in regard to stereotype threat and the effect of these experiences on their engagement with leadership aspirations. The narrative inquiry method was used to address this gap and answer the research question, through storytelling from African American women in middle-management positions. This study was framed by 2 key concepts that …