Digital Commons Network^™

Strategies For Reducing Employee Turnover In Small And Medium Enterprises, Olusegun Ayinde Fadahunsi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover negatively impacts small and medium enterprises (SME) sustainability. SME leaders are interested in finding workable strategies to reduce turnover and the high cost of hiring new employees. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies SME leaders in Nigeria used to reduce employee turnover. The participants were three SME business owners who successfully reduced employee turnover. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Through thematic analysis, four themes were identified: effective leadership practices, focus on employees’ working conditions, enhancing employees’ competence, and implementing …

Effects High-Cost Health Insurance And The Uninsured Middle-Class Families Of Essex County, New Jersey, Janice A. Fearon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThousands of middle-class families living in Essex County, New Jersey, cannot afford health insurance, but little is known about their experiences regarding this lack. The purpose of this research study was to explore the lived experiences of uninsured middle-class families who could not afford state or any other type of health insurance in Essex County, New Jersey. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Smith’s rational choice theory. The research question explored the lived experiences of uninsured middle-class families. Purposeful sampling was used in this phenomenological study to select 10 participants from families residing in Essex County with …

Strategies For Developing And Implementing Internal Controls For Mitigating Retail Consumer Fraud, Anna Marie Foye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of consumer fraud internal controls can destroy a small business. Small retail business owners who do not practice good internal controls are susceptible to early failure. Using the fraud triangle theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small retail business owners use to develop and implement internal controls for mitigating retail consumer fraud. Participants consisted of four small retail business owners in the Southeastern United States who practiced effective internal controls. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and financial documents and analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: financials, monitoring, and segregation …

Social Capital And Food Insecurity In Two Counties In Wisconsin, Yvonne Denise Greer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hunger and food insecurity are public health issues with 38 million people in the US struggling with food hardship. This study examined if there was a relationship between four types of social capital (SC) (bonding, bridging, community structural-formal, and community structural-informal), income, and food insecurity risk (FIR), in two counties in Wisconsin. A quantitative descriptive correlational study design involving multiple linear regression analysis and the integral model framework was conducted with cross-sectional secondary data from the 2014-2016 Survey of the Health of Wisconsin. Participants were from Milwaukee (n = 335) and Dane County (n = 235). Results revealed that in …

Integration Strategies For Mergers And Acquisitions In The United Kingdom Housing Sector, Mark Allen Howard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many letting and factoring company leaders face challenges in the United Kingdom housing sector, necessitating mergers and acquisitions (M&As) to adopt hybrid growth models. Yet, the company leaders typically lack M&A integration strategies to achieve sustainable growth. Grounded in the theory of the competitive forces, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore M&A integration strategies business leaders used to achieve sustainable growth in the United Kingdom social housing sector. The participants were four executive-level leaders of a for-profit housing and property factoring organization representing 17 of 32 local authority locations throughout Scotland, United Kingdom. Data were …

Growing Up In The United Arab Emirates: The Cross-Cultural Identities Of Adult Third Culture Kids, Ninar Itani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While research on the multicultural experiences of refugees and immigrants is abundant, research on the psychological well-being (PWB) of third culture kids (TCKs) is limited. Using Useem’s model of TCK identity, refined further by Pollock, this research addressed the relationship between gender, cultural homelessness (CH), and cross-cultural identity (CCI), and how these predictors may impact self-esteem and PWB among adult TCKs (ATCKs) who grew up in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, an intersectionality framework was used to conceptualize identity formation in TCKs. The primary hypothesis was that gender, CH, and belonging to a CCI predict self-esteem and PWB in ATCKs …

The Experience Of Affection Expressed Between Black Male Friends, David Manning

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAffectionate communication supports the maintenance and sustenance of long-term relationships for the purposes of survival and procreation. Friendship has been identified as one of the most significant relationships throughout an individual’s lifespan, supporting improved mental and physical health. This qualitative study explored the expressions of affection experienced within Black male friend dyads. Two research questions were posed, what is the experience of Black men receiving and giving affection to other Black men within the context of friendships? Also, are the affectionate needs of Black men being met within their Black male friendships? Affectionate exchange theory and social learning theory were …

The Relationship Between Internet Livestream Religious Engagement And Social Support And Health-Related Quality Of Life, Kimberly Ann Mccowan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractReligious engagement is essential in terms of offering protective factors for mental and physical health. However, religious engagement has changed, and religious affiliation has decreased over the last decade. This change in religious practice is represented by a decline in religious engagement via disaffiliation of traditional brick and mortar forms of religious activity, with an emerging phenomenon of religious engagement on the Internet. This engagement leads to a gap within the literature regarding Internet-centric religious behaviors. The study aimed to fill this gap by increasing societal understanding of religious engagement behaviors on the Internet. Social support was used to explain …

An Exploration Of Male Ex-Offenders' Experiences Of Postsecondary Education And Reentry, Marvin Lee Moore, Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem addressed in this study is postsecondary education in prisons, ex-offenders, and the issues surrounding their reintegration into society. The primary focus is on ex-offenders who had received postsecondary education in prison, their experience obtaining a credential, and their ability to cease criminalistic behavior. After time served and education acquired, lack of inclusion within society perpetuated the problems ex-offenders faced when reentry occurred. This study includes an exploration of the experiences of ex-offenders who had received postsecondary education while in prison. The theoretical frameworks for this study were Leibrich’s desistance theory and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. The generic qualitative …

Transitional Experiences Of Young African American Women In Foster Care, Tiarra Michelle Myers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emancipated foster youth continue to experience fewer positive outcomes after foster care despite the changes in legislation and the implementation of additional transitional living programs and supports such independent living programs. This quantitative research study followed a non-experimental, secondary data analysis to examine how independent living programs impact the outcomes for African American young women who have transitioned out of the foster care system compared to their Caucasian young women peers at age 17 and age 21. The exploratory study used data from the Children’s Bureau National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Cohort 2. A cross-section comparison analysis was conducted …

Experiences Of Women In Sierra Leone Relating To Accessing Breast Cancer Treatment, Anne Neville

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been a lack of consistent access to breast cancer care and treatment for women in developing countries, especially in Sierra Leone. Limited access to breast cancer care and treatment is a significant problem for women diagnosed in the later stages of the disease. The purpose of this research was to understand the experiences of women diagnosed with different stages of breast cancer, how they went about accessing breast cancer care and treatment, and how those experiences can be used to improve access to breast cancer treatment in Sierra Leone. Andersen and Newman’s healthcare utilization model guided the study’s …

Associations Of Fast-Food Zoning Policy And Cardiovascular Disease In African American Communities, Starrlett Pena-Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major public health concern, causing one in every four deaths in the United States. Despite availability of effective disease management, African Americans bear the burden of incidence and mortality as CVD prevails as the primary cause of disparities in life expectancy, stroke, and heart failure. This cross-sectional study investigated fast-food restaurant (FFR) availability and socioeconomic status (SES; income, occupation, and education) to predict CVD risk scores in African Americans residing in Jackson, Mississippi. The social construction of target populations theory was used to inform this study. Using hierarchical multiple linear regression, a secondary data analysis …

Strategies For The Reduction Of Cybersecurity Breaches In Hospitals, Donovan M. A. Pottinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractRecent cyberattacks in hospitals show the urgency of the need to enhance secure information technology (IT) infrastructure. Hospitals are statistically more at cyber risk than all the multiple industries against ransomware, malware, hacking and internal threats. Guided by routine activity theory, the purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to explore strategies utilized by hospitals' IT security managers to reduce cybersecurity breaches associated with sensitive data. The participants were nine IT security managers from hospitals in the eastern United States. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and supporting documentation from the consenting participants and hospitals' websites. Through thematic analysis, …

Sociodemographic And Behavioral Predictors Of Obesity Among Female Asian Indian Immigrants In The United States, Afiya Saleem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals from low-income countries such as those in the Asian region migrate to high-income countries and adopt obesogenic behaviors like sedentary lifestyles and high fat and sugar intake. This results in increased susceptibility to obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Previous research has demonstrated that migrants from South Asian countries are at an increased risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension; however, little is known about the factors that contribute to this phenomenon. This was a quantitative, cross-sectional study guided by the social-ecological model. This study used secondary data from the National Health Interview survey to investigate …

Diabetes Self-Management Education In The Urban Low Socioeconomic Status Senior Population, Heather Santa Barbara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This exploratory quantitative study used a survey design to address a gap in the literature concerning primary care team perceptions about diabetes care for urban low socioeconomic status seniors with diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic health problem that is often managed in primary care offices, and primary care teams are often the first source of education and support for patients. Standards of management for seniors with diabetes has changed to eliminate tight control of glucose levels, and primary care team members may have differing perceptions about diabetes care depending upon their role in the primary care team and years of …

Financial Strategies For Sustainability Of Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises In Nigeria, Okey Okoro Udo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute significantly to Nigeria’s socioeconomic and political development, most of the country’s SMEs no longer operate by their fifth anniversary. Many owners lack knowledge of the financial strategies required for the long-term performance and growth of their enterprise. The aim of this qualitative multiple case study was to gain an in-depth understanding of financial strategies that SMEs owner-managers can adopt to enhance the sustainability of their business operations in Nigeria. This study was grounded in entrepreneurship theory and Porter’s model of competitive strategy. Qualitative data from multiple sources, including semistructured interviews, scholarly works, and …

Early Hearing Screening Policy And Deaf Children’S Language Acquisition, Marla Hatrak

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The federal Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act (EHDI) guarantees medical and communication interventions for deaf children and audiological, medical, and language intervention data collection. However, the policy and its implementation have not been analyzed in regard to policy goal attainment of deaf children’s language acquisition. A qualitative case study was conducted to analyze seven federal- and state-level early hearing screening policy websites and implementation and intermediary documents to assess the federal and state policy formation and implementation of EHDI. In addition to the document assessment, data were collected from interviews to obtain the perspectives of two early childhood educational …

Relationships Among Burden, Quality Of Life, And Self-Efficcy In Careegivers Of An Older Family Member, Dr. Marietta Margaret Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractInformal caregivers of a family member who has been dementia diagnosed play a substantial personal, social, and economic role in the care of their family member. However, this type of caregiving can have detrimental effects on a caregiver’s psychological, financial, physical, social, and emotional well-being. This quantitative study addressed possible relationships between caregiver burden and quality of life, and caregiver burden and self-efficacy as measured by the Zarit Burden Interview, the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF, and the Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale. The theory of transactional stress and the stress process model provided the theoretical foundation. The participants of this …

The Narratives Of Cross-Cultural Misidentification And Exoneration In Wrongly Convicted Men, Miki L. Ross-Elster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Wrongful conviction is often due to misidentification, particularly cross-cultural misidentification. DNA errors and other influences (including weapon focus effect, mugshot error, police suggestibility) also increase the risk of wrongful conviction, and the process of exoneration is onerous. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experience of cross-cultural misidentification, wrongful conviction, exoneration, and the return to society of formerly incarcerated men. Implicit bias theory served as the theoretical framework and refers to both attitudes and stereotypes that people hold without realizing it and which unconsciously affect the way they see a particular person or event. A narrative analysis …

Police Officers’ Perspectives Regarding The Militarization Of The Jamaica Constabulary Force, Anthony Hugh Mclaughlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Crime is the main public safety issue and a significant threat to human and economic development in Jamaica. To curtail the worsening crime problem, the prime minister of Jamaica has declared a state of public emergency in certain parishes. Policy makers currently lack understanding of how the militarization of the Jamaica Constabulary Force has affected communities and citizens in Jamaica where states of public emergency have been declared. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to understand police officers’ perspectives on the militarization of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The theoretical framework was the operational-styles theory, which offered a means …

Intersectional Approach To Understand Condom Use Behavior Between Black And Latinos Msm And Transgender Women, Vanessa J. Mejia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women has been a focus of scholars since the early 1990s. Researchers have demonstrated that individuals in these communities are at greater risk for adverse health outcomes such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This study examined the relationship between macrosocial structural factors (i.e., housing stability) and the acceptance of risky sexual behavior (RSB) (i.e., condom use) between Black and Latino MSM, and transgender women guided by the health belief model and intersectionality theory. Using a quantitative approach, primary data were collected from MSM and transgender women …

Relationships Between Stress Self-Management, Social Support, And Health In Hispanic Informal Caregiver Burnout Prevention, Nicole Alexandra Mas Román

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Burnout syndrome is a psychological disorder characterized by physical, emotional, and mental distress and exhaustion resulting in feelings of depression, anxiety, irritability, and negative attitudes. If left unattended, burnout syndrome can lead to new or worsening health outcomes. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to examine the relationship between stress self-management, perceived social support, health status, and burden among Puerto Rican informal caregivers. The theoretical foundations for this research were the informal caregiving integrative model and the individual and family self-management theory. Survey data were collected from 415 participants. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship …

Factors Influencing Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among Hispanic Youth In Bexar County, Texas, Timothy Edward Wallum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A high number of Hispanic youth in Bexar County, Texas, face morbidity and mortality related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection due to inadequate vaccination coverage youth. A better understanding of the factors that influence vaccination might help public health authorities to increase coverage. The aim of this quantitative, cross-sectional study, which was based on the socioecological model and involved analysis of weighted survey data from the 2016 to 2018 National Immunization Survey-Teen, was to better understand the multilevel factors influencing HPV vaccine use among Hispanic youth. The weighted sample was representative of the study population in terms of survey characteristics …

Potential Adverse Impacts Of The Lack Of Diversity Of African American Women On Business Operations: Diversity And The Competitive Advantage, Leilani Jasmine Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Senior organizational leadership lacks diversity, with African American women elevating to senior executive positions to contribute to the competitive advantage. A lack of diversity in leadership could impact profitability and an organization’s competitive advantage. Grounded in cognitive diversity theory, the purpose of this single qualitative case was to explore strategies African American women executives used to increase diversity with other African American Women in their ranks to ensure profitability and maintain a competitive advantage. The participants were five African American women senior executives in the District of Columbia who implemented strategies to increase diversity with other African American women and …

Use Of Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines In Obesity Management In Women, Chizimako Margaret Eze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractObesity is one of the Healthy People 2020 high-priority public health issue. Obesity is of importance due to the troubling higher prevalence in women because of the close link that exists between body weight and reproductive health in females from menarche to menopause and beyond. The identification of guidelines to improve or manage the care of female patients can alleviate the burden and complications from being overweight or obese. This project guided by the ADDIE (analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate) model was conducted in a family primary care clinic to address a gap in practice, the lack of knowledge …

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Pessimism–Optimism Scale As A Predictor In Depression Change After Medication Treatment And Placebo, Donna J. Winsor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The field of positive psychology has included research on the personality traits of optimism and pessimism and how they predict depression; however, there has been limited investigation on whether these characteristics can predict treatment outcomes. This study used a quantitative nonexperimental design with archived data provided by Summit Research Network, to evaluate whether pessimism or optimism, as measured by the Pessimism–Optimism (PSM) scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, had an effect on depression and somatic symptom change in 98 adults with depression who were randomized into imipramine, alprazolam, or placebo treatment. Seligman’s explanatory style theory was used to guide …

Interrogating Systems That Cause Disparities: Testing The Social-Ecological Model In Low- Versus High-Density African American Communities, Kaprea F. Johnson, Lauren B. Robins, Chelsea Derlan Williams, Tiffany G. Townsend

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This study utilized the four-level social-ecological model to provide a better understanding of the disparities in health-related outcomes in high- and low-density African American (AA) communities. The current research sought to understand the relationships between mental and physical health, social-economic factors, and physical environment within this community. The goal of this study was to understand the relationship between these indicators of health, to better inform health-care strategies. The results highlight the significant difference between high- and low-density AA communities and socio-economic factors, physical environment, poor physical days, and poor mental health days. Implications for behavioral health providers are explored.

Remote Teaching In Nepalese Higher Education During Covid-19: Teachers' Perspectives, Suman Laudari, Sojen Pradhan, Sanjay Lama

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine the factors that supported or inhibited teacher participation in remote teaching. Teaching and learning in Nepal was predominantly face-to-face prior to the pandemic, and the previous studies showed that the use of educational technology in higher education was limited.

Method: This exploratory case study draws on data derived from focus group discussions with teachers in higher education. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the impacts of different factors in sudden transition to remote teaching.

Findings: Findings show that personal factors such as teachers’ sense of duty and their attitude towards technology …

The Paideia Program Is Worth Another Look, Jessica Richardi

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Educational opportunity is unequally distributed in the United States, most notably by race and economic status. Commonly practiced in K–12 schools across the country, tracking and ability grouping serve to exacerbate those existing inequities. Recent renewed activism for racial and economic justice, coupled with concerns over learning loss due to COVID-19 school closures, makes this an ideal time for educators to reconsider a formerly well-known and ambitious whole-school reform system called the Paideia Program. The system itself is described and a comprehensive review of research and literature follows. This review demonstrates Paideia’s potential to improve educational outcomes and thus help …

Enabling Sustainable Organizational Change: A Case Of Cognitive Diversity In The Automotive Industry, Tonja Blom, Yvonne Du Plessis, Hamid H. Kazeroony

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

In diverse societies such as South Africa, organizations continue to face inclusion challenges when implementing change. This study proposes a different method and new dimension of diversity management within the cognitive diversity construct, namely human niche theory, to tackle the diversity dilemma of exclusivity. The research question asked whether human niche theory, as a defined concept within cognitive diversity, could be utilized by managers to enable inclusion and promote sustainable organizational change implementation. Conceptually, this paper relates human niche theory to seven themes in the change process, namely, communication, training, motivation, resources, control, monitoring, and feedback. An exploratory single case …