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Factors Affecting The Customer Relationship Management System Implementation Process, Enshrah Shashoug

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managers in the telecommunications industry face a high failure rate of customer relationship management (CRM) system implementations. The dynamic culture of employees’ resistance to and readiness for CRM system implementation may contribute to successful implementation in U.S. commercial organizations. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship among employee’s resistance to and readiness for CRM system implementation, the culture of the organization, prerequisites for successful CRM system implementation, age, and gender. Using Rogers’s innovation-decision process theory, an online survey was created and sent to a random sample of all customer service employees using CRM systems in …

Strategies Small Business Leaders Use To Improve Employee Engagement, Jennifer A. Boyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When employees are disengaged, owners of small businesses face decreased employee productivity, which affects profitability. Owners of small businesses may reduce the profits lost annually by implementing strategies to improve employee engagement. Grounded in the social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that 3 small business owners in Virginia used to improve employee engagement. The participants selected successfully implemented strategies to improve employee engagement. Data were collected using semistructured interviews via Zoom audio, employee handbooks, and documents obtained from the small businesses' websites. The 3 themes that emerged from the thematic analysis …

Recidivism In The U.S. Criminal And Military Justice Systems, Dameian Cooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recidivism in the U.S. Criminal and Military Justice Systems

by

Dameian J. Cooper

MA, American Military University, 2015

BS, Columbia Southern University, 2012

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Criminal Justice

Walden University

August 2020

The purpose of the U.S. criminal and military justice systems is to deliver justice for all and protect public safety. However, “tough on crime” legislation has contributed to mass incarceration and high rates of recidivism. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand which justice system (criminal or military) is more effective in reducing recidivism. …

Predictive Factors Of Risky Sexual Behaviors Of Emerging Adult Women, Corey Dabney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study offered a predictive model to better understand the social dynamics of risky sexual behavior through examining how reproductive coercion, self-esteem, and peer relationships that present with risky sexual behaviors correlate to unintended pregnancy. The participants were 104 emerging adult women between the ages 18-25 who resided in the United States and were proficient in the English language. Using the theoretical lens of reciprocal determinism, direct logistic regression was performed to assess the likelihood that the variables reproductive coercion, peer relationships, and self-esteem would impact unintended pregnancy. The full model containing all predictors was statistically significant, indicating that the …

Strategies For Retaining Bedside Nurses, Desmond Chuma Duru

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care organizations incur high costs because of the increase in voluntary turnover of nursing staff. Grounded in the social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies to reduce the voluntary turnover of bedside nurses. The participants comprised 6 senior health care leaders in the southeastern United States who successfully implemented strategies to reduce bedside nurses’ voluntary turnover. Data were collected from face-to-face, semistructured interviews, member checking interview summaries, reflexive journal notes, and reviewing the available digital documentation from the health care system’s websites. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: …

Perceptions Of Health Care Professionals Providing Smoking Cessation In Health Care Settings, Dr. Tenishia Tamika Edwards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tobacco use affects many individuals in the United States and around the world, particularly those who have existing health disparities. Smoking cessation therapy is a process used by health care professionals (HCPs) to help aid in the reduction or elimination of tobacco use. HCPs providing this service in health care settings can reach patients directly while helping to decrease the mortality rate in those who use tobacco. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to identify HCPs’ perceptions of patient barriers to adherence to smoking cessation services and what can be done to improve smoking cessation in health care …

Foster Parents’ Perceptions Of Services Needed To Help Manage Foster Children’S Emotional And Behavioral Issues, Timothy A. Lance

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children entering the foster care system in the United States have higher rates of behavioral and emotional issues than children in the general population. Research has revealed that foster parents need to be trained in how to manage the emotional and behavioral problems of children placed in their care. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding foster care providers’ perceptions of services they may need to assist them in managing their foster children’s behavioral and emotional problems. A generic qualitative approach was used to address the question: What are foster parents’ perceptions of services they need to effectively manage …

Supporting Intervention For Adolescents Of Incarcerated Parents In Rural Areas, Jeanette Kathleen Loudy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was focused on the challenges experienced by children who had a parent incarcerated during their adolescence. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of adult child survivors of parental incarceration in a rural community and to describe the impact that parental incarceration had on children during adolescence and into young adulthood. The research questions were designed to examine the perceived challenges facing adult children of parental incarceration in rural areas and policy intervention programs that would be most effective at supporting children of parental incarceration during adolescence and the transition into adulthood. …

Perceptions Of The Reentry Process Among African American Male Ex-Offenders With Multiple Incarcerations, Chanae Latrice Lumpkin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within 3 years of their release from the criminal justice system, almost 7 out of 10 released African American males go back to. There is limited social science research into how these ex-offenders perceive their lived experiences after release. The research questions that guided this inquiry related to understanding the post-prison experiences of African American males with a history of multiple incarcerations. The conceptual framework was guided by Tajfel’s social identity theory and Becker’s social reaction theory. Interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 6 African American males with a history of multiple incarcerations who had been released from …

Small Nonprofit Fraud: Risk Mitigation Strategies, Anne M. Marchetti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fraud is a significant worldwide issue for organizations of every size and industry. Small nonprofit organizations are particularly vulnerable to financial and reputational loss due to a fraud incident, which can be devastating. Grounded in the Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission framework, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore fraud risk mitigation strategies employed by management in a small nonprofit organization in Florida. Three managers in a small nonprofit organization in Florida, participated in face-to-face semistructured interviews to share their fraud risk mitigation strategies. The data collection process also included inspection of business …

Transformational Leadership And Fiscal Sustainability In African American Churches, James Munford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American church leaders often experience difficulty responding to financial crises, which ultimately increases their risk of organizational failure. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the relationship between transformational leadership and fiscal sustainability of African American churches in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, California, and the District of Columbia. Data were gathered from online surveys received from 92 adult church leaders who were responsible for the daily administration of their church’s duties and responsibilities. The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated the model significantly …

Why Do Mentors Stay? Exploring Mentor Experiences, Perceptions And Motivations Within Mentorship Programs, Ann Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Youth mentorship has captured the attention of policymakers as a method of addressing societal issues. A review of the literature highlighted challenges that mentorship programs face regarding mentor sustainability. The purpose of this study was to explore and differentiate the experiences, perceptions, and motivations among paid and volunteer mentors within formal youth mentorship programs. This phenomenological study informs public policymakers how funding should be allocated within the nonprofit sector in order to optimize mentor retention. Structural functionalism and Kingdon’s multiple streams approach composed the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected utilizing 14 semistructured interview questions. An analysis of …

Financial Management Strategies For Sustaining Small Entertainment Businesses, Michael Nana Nitto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of effective financial management control strategies results in many small business entertainment owners (SBEOs) failing within their first 5 years of operations. Without strategies to develop and maintain adequate financial management controls, SBEOs may lose market share and potentially go bankrupt, which would result in the loss of jobs and income for employees. Grounded in the mental budgeting theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore financial management strategies successful SBEOs use to improve productivity and profitability to sustain business operations beyond 5 years. The participants comprised 4 successful SBEOs in Northern Virginia who effectively …

Evaluating Successful Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives Of Multinational Corporations In The Niger Delta Region, Chukwuemeka Theophilus Omeoga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and the multinational companies perceive the contribution and success of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities differently, which cause conflicts. There is a lack of consensus with the evaluation of successful CSR initiatives by the multinational corporations in the Niger Delta region. The purpose of this qualitative classical Delphi study was to determine how a panel of 32 global experts of CSR practices in multinational corporations in Africa view the desirability, feasibility, and importance of elements of a framework for evaluating the success of CSR initiatives in the Niger Delta. The …

Antecedents To Customer Satisfaction For U. S. Health Insurance Customers, Vivian Phillips Husband

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Customer satisfaction in the health insurance industry remains low compared to other industries, resulting in financial losses for health insurers. Increasing customer satisfaction has a positive effect on financial performance in other industries, indicating that the health insurance industry may also benefit from increasing customer satisfaction. The theoretical foundation for this study was relationship-marketing, a principle of the social exchange theory. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to test the effects of health insurance literacy, customer engagement, and relationship-marketing as independent variables on customer satisfaction as the dependent variable. The research question examined the influence of the factors …

Police-Civilian Interaction Trend Analysis In Detroit And Atlanta (1980–2018), Australia Powell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study compared trends in arrests and fatalities between Black Americans and Caucasians in Atlanta and Detroit. A descriptive analysis was conducted on secondary data compiled by the Department of Justice (1980-2014) and the Mapping Police Violence Organization (2015-2018) to compare Police-Civilian Interaction between races and cities over the past four decades. Trend analysis was conducted on arrests records for Atlanta, Georgia and Detroit, Michigan for years 1980 to 2014, and for persons who were fatally shot by police from 2015 to 2018 in these cities. The number of arrests from 1980 to 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia was 26,532 and …

Factors Affecting Seatbelt Use Among The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing, Deidre G. Mott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, despite the proven significant economic, health, and social benefits of seatbelt use, millions of Americans do not use seatbelts. It is known that some factors, including obesity, reduce the rates of seatbelt use; however, a lack of research exists regarding whether individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (HOH) have different rates of seatbelt use. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in seatbelt use between deaf or HOH individuals and hearing individuals after adjusting for individual-level factors (BMI, marital status, education, and access to health care). The theoretical foundation for this study was …

Demographics, Naloxone Accessibility, And Repeat Opioid Overdose In The United States, Craig Hamp Booker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 2.1 million people in the United States suffer from opioid use disorder, and over 47,600 people die from opioid-related overdoses each year. Opioid overdose is often treated with naloxone, a quick-acting medication that counteracts the effects of an overdose. This quantitative, correlational study was conducted to determine whether demographics (gender, age, and race) and naloxone accessibility were predictors of repeat opioid overdose in a Tennessee county in the United States. The study was developed and conducted using principles of the diffusion of innovations theory. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted using secondary, county-level data (n = 967) from emergency …

Coping And Support Strategies Portrayed In Rheumatoid Arthritis Illness Blogs, Folasade Bolanle Alagbada

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), such as pain, fatigue, stiffness, and inflammation, limit individuals’ abilities to care for themselves, participate in social events, and complete tasks associated with gender norms. RA is a chronic and debilitating disease that people struggle to cope with physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and financially, but many have not established effective coping and support strategies. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study guided by a combination of Orem’s theory of self-care and Watson’s theory of the human caring was to explore the coping mechanisms and support strategies of women and men with RA as …

Principals Managing The Expectations Of Instructional Leadership, Shonda Ham Collins-Richey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have shown that principals are second only to teachers in their impact on student learning. The problem studied was principals’ abilities to balance their responsibilities as operational managers while placing primary focus on instructional leadership. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the processes established by school principals to balance the expectation of managing their buildings while being instructional leaders and how their sense of self-efficacy influenced their ability to establish and adhere to those processes and structures. The theories of complexity self-efficacy guided this study. Data were collected using structured and semistructured interviews with six elementary …

Precursors To Human Trafficking, Aleta J. Eldridge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem addressed in this phenomenological study was the lack of documentation of the supported lived experiences of the precursors that children exhibit prior to being groomed by a sex trafficker into human sex trafficking. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of adults, whom as a child, were groomed into sex trafficking due to being bullied, experienced familial abuse and had used illegal drugs, concurrent. Using Ostrom's institutional analysis theory (IAT) and Shaw and McKay's social disorganization theory (SDT), this study examined the three precursors of human trafficking that occurred, concurrently, prior and during the …

Effective Strategies For Sustaining Small Retail Businesses, Eddie Dean Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners have major issues in sustaining their businesses. Small business owners who do not use successful strategies to sustain their businesses are destined to fail. Grounded by the systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective strategies for sustaining small retail businesses beyond 5 years. The participants comprised 6 small business owners who successfully sustained their business beyond 5 years in Memphis, Tennessee. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and reviewing company documents and analyzed using Yin's 5-step process. The 4 themes that emerged from this study were: be adaptive to external …

An Exploration Of The Criminal Thinking Processes In Criminal Offenders, Mark V. Lemieux

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study sought to learn about Criminal Thinking patterns of thought in former criminal offenders. The discovery of this information is important to several fields in the formulation of treatment programs toward the elimination of criminal behavior. This research is based on the theory formulated by Yochelson and Samenow, and expanded on by Walters, that holds that Criminal Thinking patterns develop along a continuum and can lead to criminal behavior in some. Specifically, this study sought to learn whether criminal offenders were aware of their Criminal Thinking patterns and if that awareness impacted their criminal behavior. This qualitative phenomenological study …

Black American Adult Children Of Divorce, Aurielle C. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While a plethora of studies have examined the effects of divorce on children, fewer have looked at young adults who have experienced parental divorce after they were 18 years of age, and even fewer have examined the experiences of Black American adult children. Using concepts from Social Identity Theory, the goal of this study was to understand the experiences of Black adult children whose parents have divorced and the phenomenon of their self-perception based on family identity. This was a phenomenological study conducted through guided face-to-face interviews and utilizing Photovoice with four Black adult children of divorce, whose parents divorced …

Faculty And First-Year Students' Perceptions Of Civility In College, Conni Eve Claflin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While researchers have identified student incivility as a problem in higher education in the United States, little is known about how students and faculty perceive the issue within the classroom environment at a private university in the northeast. Uncivil behavior can negatively impact the learning environment. The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to compare students' and faculty's perceptions of civility in the classrooms and explore how civility is addressed in course syllabi and artifacts. The theoretical base was Clark's continuum of incivility, and the conceptual framework was Bandura's social cognitive theory. Types and frequency of uncivil behaviors were …

Exploring Strategies For Adapting Traditional Vehicle Design Frameworks To Autonomous Vehicle Design, Alex Munoz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fully autonomous vehicles are expected to revolutionize transportation, reduce the cost of ownership, contribute to a cleaner environment, and prevent the majority of traffic accidents and related fatalities. Even though promising approaches for achieving full autonomy exist, developers and manufacturers have to overcome a multitude of challenged before these systems could find widespread adoption. This multiple case study explored the strategies some IT hardware and software developers of self-driving cars use to adapt traditional vehicle design frameworks to address consumer and regulatory requirements in autonomous vehicle designs. The population consisted of autonomous driving technology software and hardware developers who are …

Predicting And Mitigating Civil Conflict: Vertical Grievances And Conflict In Central Africa, Jd Walter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent conflict research has relied on proxy variables of horizontal inequality to make causal assumptions, but these do not reveal the root of deprivation in aggrieved populations. However, it is important to continue to explore the greed-grievance dichotomy to explain the persistence of violent civil conflict. The purpose of this quantitative study was to expand this line of inquiry by investigating the relationship between indicators of vertical deprivation and reported civil conflict incidents to determine whether a significant correlation exists. Relative deprivation theory provided the framework for this study, which consisted of 10,779 survey responses regarding lived experience across 7 …

Unsheltered Homelessness On Oahu, Hawaii, Erik Gray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to a recent national estimate of homelessness in the United States, between 2016 and 2017, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased by 0.7 %. This study was focused on the issue of unsheltered homelessness in the context of Oahu, Hawaii. There is a gap within the available scholarly literature that directly addresses the unsheltered homeless populations and why it is that they are unsheltered rather than living in a shelter or utilizing other transitional services. Using the generic qualitative approach and a purposive sampling method, 12 service provider professionals who work directly with the unsheltered homeless on the …

Treatment Providers’ Perceptions Of Effective Sexual Offender Treatment Modalities, Reta Alphin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The treatment of sex offenders is a controversial public policy issue, yet the research on what treatment providers perceive to be effective treatment modalities is limited. Using von Bertalanffy’s systems theory as the theoretical foundation, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine and evaluate the treatment providers’ perceptions of effective treatment modalities. Data were collected from 101 treatment providers located within 6 states in the Midwest through a researcher developed survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis. A total of 55 treatment modalities were examined, which were condensed into 5 categories. Findings indicated that the psychoeducational modality …

Predictors Of The Health Effects Of Marijuana Use On The Hepatic Function, Makafui Kokou Gbogbo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The quantity of marijuana use, the length of time it was used, and the age of initiation of the drug are at the core of the discussions about the potential health effects of marijuana use on the liver. Results of recent studies regarding how the drug affects human health have resulted in a number of conflicting conclusions. Nevertheless, based on these findings, marijuana users are being denied liver transplants. The objective of this study was to identify predictors of the health effects of marijuana on the liver and provide guidance in the care management of marijuana users. To address the …