Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year

Articles 5611 - 5640 of 6363

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Improving Child Welfare: African Canadian Youth's Postcare Options, Irene Elizabeth Mcintosh Jan 2016

Improving Child Welfare: African Canadian Youth's Postcare Options, Irene Elizabeth Mcintosh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Thousands of youth exit Ontario's Child Welfare System (CWS) each year and perform poorly after returning to the community. However, understanding African Canadian youths' perspectives about their experiences and needs was problematic because no outcome data was available in the Canadian database. Using a phenomenological design grounded in a constructivist framework, the purpose of this study was to explore the meaning(s) that African Canadian youth ascribed to positive outcomes on exiting the CWS. A purposeful sample included 10 participants (6 females and 4 males, ranging in age from 19-24). The data collection method was face-to-face interviews with hand coding used …


Empirical Forecasting Of Returns During The Great Recession Through Economic Value Added, Godwin Ohene Sekyere Jan 2016

Empirical Forecasting Of Returns During The Great Recession Through Economic Value Added, Godwin Ohene Sekyere

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

US economic recession from 2007- 2009, also known as the Great Recession, negatively impacted the financial sector as well as other aspects of society. Researchers have found value-based measures and accounting measures as effective performance measures, but they have found inconclusive results when comparing the strengths of economic value added (EVA) and accounting measures in predicting stock performance. This study used data from the Great Recession to further compare EVA and accounting measures. The purpose of this cross-sectional or correlational study was to determine the relative predictive strength of EVA during the Great Recession to determine whether a model with …


Transformational Leadership As A Means Of Improving Patient Care And Nursing Retention, Carla D. Thomas Jan 2016

Transformational Leadership As A Means Of Improving Patient Care And Nursing Retention, Carla D. Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Joint Commission (TJC) sets standards to assist healthcare organizations in improving performance. The hospital for which this project was developed did not meet national TJC benchmarks for patient satisfaction and nurse retention. Based on direct observation, discussion with staff, and results of the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire given to 39 staff nurses before this project was chosen, evidence suggested that the leadership style of the charge nurses was transactional, which is less effective than transformational leadership (TFL). Framed within the Plan, Do, Study, Act model, the purpose of this quality improvement project was to design an educational curriculum including didactic …


Female Circumcision: A Phenomenological Study Of Somalian Immigrant To The United States, Emmanuel Fai Tatah Jan 2016

Female Circumcision: A Phenomenological Study Of Somalian Immigrant To The United States, Emmanuel Fai Tatah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female circumcision (FC) is the partial or total removal of the female genitalia for nonmedical reasons. This study was designed to examine the lived experiences of Somali women who underwent FC before coming to the United States. FC is widely carried out in Somalia with a prevalence of 98%, making Somalia the country with the highest percentage of circumcised women. There are short- and long-term consequences associated with FC such as bleeding, infection, and death. Therefore, it is important to understand how Somali women who underwent FC think and feel about circumcision, why they would continue the practice, and whether …


Marketing Strategies Restaurant Leaders Use To Develop Their Customer Base, Carrie Weinreich Jan 2016

Marketing Strategies Restaurant Leaders Use To Develop Their Customer Base, Carrie Weinreich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Surviving past the first year of operation is a growing concern for independent, full-service restaurants. Some restaurant leaders lack the marketing strategies necessary to develop a loyal customer base and survive beyond the first year of operation. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies that independent, family-oriented, full-service restaurant leaders located in the Pittsburgh, PA, metro area in business for at least 5 years have used to develop their customer base during the first year of operation. This study was guided by the 7Ps of marketing theory, which emphasizes how people, including customers and …


Corporate Governance Issues In The Nigerian Banking Industry, Oyebola Bejide Akande Jan 2016

Corporate Governance Issues In The Nigerian Banking Industry, Oyebola Bejide Akande

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporate governance issues resulting from bad governance, fraudulent activities, insider abuse, and corruption have attracted the attention of shareholders and regulators in the banking industry. The financial crisis that erupted from the United States affected the financial institutions of both developed and developing countries, among which Nigerian banks belong. The Central Bank of Nigeria removed 8 managing directors and executive directors due to bad governance, nonperforming loans of 61%, and toxic assets of $13.3 billion; the Central Bank injected 620 billion naira into the banks. The purpose of this multiple case study was to develop an understanding of corporate governance …


Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infections In The Eight Service Planning Areas Of Los Angeles County, Ildiko Roxane Bocskay Jan 2016

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infections In The Eight Service Planning Areas Of Los Angeles County, Ildiko Roxane Bocskay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become resistant to antibiotics. The purpose of this quantitative, retrospective cohort study was to examine the relationship between length of hospitalization and invasive MRSA infection rates among different racial and ethnic groups in the 8 service planning areas (SPAs) of Los Angeles County. Cane, O'Connor, and Michie's theoretical domain framework was used. Secondary data from the Healthcare-Associated (HA) Infections Program of the California Department of Public Health were analyzed. For the first research question, a Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationships between length of hospitalization and invasive HA-MRSA infection rates and counts. …


Globalization, Mobile Technology, And Social Media's Influence On Leadership Communication Involving Millennials, Rasheedah Dunston Jan 2016

Globalization, Mobile Technology, And Social Media's Influence On Leadership Communication Involving Millennials, Rasheedah Dunston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current research identifies effective leadership communication, which includes frequent direct conversational communication from company leaders, influences worker performance during organizational change. Social media, mobile technology, and the Millennial workforce have shifted leader communication style from purely top-down, town hall style communication to incorporate more collaborative and engaging forums. The case study addressed how globalization, social media, and mobile technology affects leadership communication and then subsequently effects worker performance as Millennials join the workforce. Qualitative data were collected from observations and interviews from a purposeful selection of 9 Millennial employees, including 2 Millennial leaders, and 8 non-Millennial leaders of a Fortune …


A Multiple Case Study Of The Influence Of Positive Organizational Behavior On Human Resources, Michelle Geiman Jan 2016

A Multiple Case Study Of The Influence Of Positive Organizational Behavior On Human Resources, Michelle Geiman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations are looking for ways to have higher employee engagement and productive employees. A way that this may be accomplished is through Positive Organizational Behavior (POB) practices. There is a lack of knowledge surrounding the successes and failures of implementing a POB culture by human resource departments (HRDs). The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study design was to explore the influence POB practices have on HRDs. Specifically, the research helped to gain an understanding of how a POB strategy operates and affects HRDs. Items examined in the conceptual framework include a foundation in positive psychology theories and human resource …


Transitions From Military Duty To College For United States Military Veterans, Velma Layne Jan 2016

Transitions From Military Duty To College For United States Military Veterans, Velma Layne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some veterans transitioning from military duty to the classroom are not obtaining college degrees. The purpose of this study was to investigate student veterans’ perceptions of the transition services and support systems at their college that might impact the challenges they face while pursuing a college degree. The theoretical framework for this study was Schlossberg’s Theory of Transition. The guiding research question asked how military veterans perceived the transition services and support systems at their university in the context of their decision to obtain their degrees. A purposeful sampling approach was used for selecting student veteran participants who had returned …


The Challenges Of Cultural Business Relationships Within Manufacturing, Delariah Katherlene Jones Jan 2016

The Challenges Of Cultural Business Relationships Within Manufacturing, Delariah Katherlene Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Manufacturing leaders seek strategies to improve cross-cultural business relationships because of the increasing demand for outsourcing, which requires strong partnerships among manufacturing supply chain members. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore successful strategies that manufacturing business leaders use to improve cross-cultural business relationships within their manufacturing supply chain. The targeted population included business leaders, fluent in English, within 1 company located at 2 different manufacturing sites in the Midwest region of the United States and the Northeast region of Mexico. The capability-based view theory was used to support knowledge sharing, trust, and strategic management. Methodological …


Business-To-Business Marketing Perceptions: Customer Knowledge Management And Customer Engagement, Lorraine Marzilli Lomas Jan 2016

Business-To-Business Marketing Perceptions: Customer Knowledge Management And Customer Engagement, Lorraine Marzilli Lomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract: Business-to-business (B2B) marketing involves several components including the marketing management decision-making process and the buying behaviors of the B2B clientele and the end users. Disregarding customer knowledge management (CKM) and inaccurate analysis of data cost companies billions of dollars per year. The objective of this exploratory single-case study was to develop an in-depth analysis of the problem that some marketing managers have limited knowledge of how to use CKM strategies to improve B2B customer engagement. The dynamic capabilities and technological opportunism theories comprised the study's conceptual framework. Data collection consisted of participant observations, member checking, and semistructured interviews with …


A Study Of Large Hotel Occupancy Rates On The Island Of St. Lucia., Sean J. Matthew Jan 2016

A Study Of Large Hotel Occupancy Rates On The Island Of St. Lucia., Sean J. Matthew

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the past several years, some hotels in St. Lucia, Caribbean have experienced declining occupancy rates and revenues. The failure of general managers of large hotels on the island to increase and sustain occupancy levels may threaten the economic stability of the island. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that general managers from 3 large hotels on the island in St. Lucia have used to increase and sustain occupancy levels in their hotels. The general managers selected for each case had over 15 years of experience in managing large hotels in St. Lucia. The conceptual …


Strategies For Managing A Multigenerational Workforce, Ronald Lee Iden Jan 2016

Strategies For Managing A Multigenerational Workforce, Ronald Lee Iden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The multigenerational workforce presents a critical challenge for business managers, and each generation has different expectations. A human resource management study of organizations with more than 500 employees reported 58% of the managers experiencing conflict between younger and older workers. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the multigenerational strategies used by 3 managers from a Franklin County, Ohio manufacturing facility with a population size of 6 participants. The conceptual framework for this study was built upon generational theory and cohort group theory. The data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, company documents, and a reflexive journal. …


Success Strategies For Small Business Owners In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marcellinus Emeka Madu Jan 2016

Success Strategies For Small Business Owners In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marcellinus Emeka Madu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African immigrant business owners create jobs and often stimulate economic growth in distressed inner-city areas, yet they continue to experience barriers obtaining financial support in the United States when trying to gain entrance into the broader economy. The objective of this multiple case study was to explore strategies African immigrant business owners used to succeed in business beyond 5 years. The conceptual framework of this study included resource-based theory, human capital theory, and disadvantage theory. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 3 African immigrant business owners in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who had succeeded in business beyond 5 years. Thematic analysis from interviews, …


Clinician Perspectives Of Adult High-Functioning Autism Support Groups' Use Of Neurodiversity Concept, Gwendolyn Spencer Barnhart Jan 2016

Clinician Perspectives Of Adult High-Functioning Autism Support Groups' Use Of Neurodiversity Concept, Gwendolyn Spencer Barnhart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ample research has examined the impact of autism for children and families, but less has addressed the effects of this condition for adults. The literature indicates that adults on the autism spectrum suffer from depression and have a heightened risk of suicidal ideation because of their social skills deficits. Research also shows that individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) can benefit from participating in support groups. In addition, research indicates that use of the term "neurodiversity" rather than other diagnostic labels encourages increased self-esteem to persons on the autism spectrum. This grounded theory study sought to understand the belief of clinicians …


Relationship Between Safety Climate, Job Tenure, And Job Satisfaction Among Railroad Workers, Maurice Cortez Etheridge Jan 2016

Relationship Between Safety Climate, Job Tenure, And Job Satisfaction Among Railroad Workers, Maurice Cortez Etheridge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have reported that corporations in the United States incur hundreds of billions of dollars of annual direct and indirect costs from workplace injuries. Employing a theoretical framework underpinned by the job characteristics theory, this correlational study examined the relationships between task identity, safety climate, and job satisfaction to assist transportation managers with information for improving workers' job satisfaction for increasing productivity and organizational performance. Three validated survey instruments (Safety Climate, Job Characteristics Inventory, and Job Satisfaction) and one demographic instrument were distributed to railroad workers in the eastern region of North Carolina (n = 80). The survey response data …


Benefits Of Conducting Postproject Reviews To Capture Lessons Learned, Olayemi Fadairo Jan 2016

Benefits Of Conducting Postproject Reviews To Capture Lessons Learned, Olayemi Fadairo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational learning has been a focus of scholars since 1970. Researchers have demonstrated that conducting postproject reviews to capture lessons learned significantly improves organizational learning. Guided by the concept of organizational learning, the purpose of this case study was to explore how 6 New York metropolitan organizational leaders used postproject reviews to prevent project managers from repeating the same mistakes, increasing cost and time overruns, and experiencing project failure. Semistructured face-to-face and phone interviews were conducted with a project sponsor and 5 project managers in the New York metropolitan area. Data were analyzed using the process of coding and condensing …


Experiences Of Black Msm At An Hbcu Regarding Stigma And Hiv Risk Behavior, Natasha Harden Jeter Jan 2016

Experiences Of Black Msm At An Hbcu Regarding Stigma And Hiv Risk Behavior, Natasha Harden Jeter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black men who have sex with men (MSM) on Historically Black College/University (HBCU) campuses face a unique set of challenges. In addition to being disproportionately affected by HIV, Black MSM are impacted by risk behavior, stigma, and environmental policies and practices that adversely influence their experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Black MSM at a HBCU and how stigma, culture, social practices and the collegiate environment impact HIV risk-taking behavior. Utilizing the ecological framework and qualitative analysis, the behaviors of 13 Black MSM on a HBCU campus were examined. Personal interviews and risk assessment …


Teachers' Perceptions Of The Impact Of The Jolly Phonics Program On Students' Literacy, Lorane Evadney Moodie-Reid Jan 2016

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Impact Of The Jolly Phonics Program On Students' Literacy, Lorane Evadney Moodie-Reid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At 2 primary schools in Western Jamaica, students at the Grade 1 level lacked basic literacy skills of comprehension, letter recognition, letter sounds, and oral communication. The purpose of this qualitative evaluation study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of the Jolly Phonics program implemented to improve students' literacy in Grades 1-3. Guided by Engestrom's activity theory, the effectiveness of the Jolly Phonics approach was examined based on the sociocultural learning theories of Vygotsky, Dewey, and Piaget. The research questions focused on teachers' perceptions of the program's impact on students' literacy improvement and of the strategies used in the Jolly Phonics …


An Evaluation Of Service Learning For Associate Degree Nursing Students, Valerie Marie Pauli Jan 2016

An Evaluation Of Service Learning For Associate Degree Nursing Students, Valerie Marie Pauli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes of the service-learning requirement in the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) curriculum at the local college. The problem addressed in this study was that the local ASN program lacked formal evaluation of the service-learning requirement. Guided by Kolb's model of experiential learning, a goal-based, summative evaluation employed as a qualitative case study explored the perceptions of 20 stakeholders including graduates, faculty members, and key community informants. The research questions focused on how service learning influenced a student's learning of cultural competence and the impact service learning had on the community. …


Counselor Educators' Multicultural Competencies: Understanding Relationships Between Race And Ethnic Identity Awareness, Ariel Winston Jan 2016

Counselor Educators' Multicultural Competencies: Understanding Relationships Between Race And Ethnic Identity Awareness, Ariel Winston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current literature explains that multiculturally incompetent behaviors demonstrated by counselor educators have negatively affected the personal and professional lives of students, clients, counselors, counselor educators, and supervisees. Using the theoretical framework of critical race theory (CRT), this study examined the relationship among race, ethnic identity awareness, and multicultural competence in counselor educators. CRT involves recognizing conscious and unconscious biases, attributed to race, that individuals might experience. Ninety self-identified counselor educators currently employed in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) counseling programs completed online surveys containing questions concerning racial classification, adapted questions from the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge …


A Phenomenological Exploration Of Children's Experiences During The Therapeutic Process, Katherine Destefano Jan 2016

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Children's Experiences During The Therapeutic Process, Katherine Destefano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Billions of mental health care dollars for millions of children and adolescents in need has garnered significant attention within the behavioral health industry to reduce costs while improving treatment efficacy through the identification and implementation of evidence based practices with youth populations requiring therapeutic services. This hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative research approach in the field of psychology is a consumer driven one in the world of business. Line by line context and discourse analyses, which included both a prior and inductive coding, of the verbiage and phraseology of 10 boys and 10 girls, aged 8-12, actively engaged in outpatient psychotherapy, formed …


The Implementation Of Governance To Counter Islamist Militancy In Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, David Robert Diorio Jan 2016

The Implementation Of Governance To Counter Islamist Militancy In Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, David Robert Diorio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Militancy inspired by Islamists is escalating globally, and government action is necessary to protect vulnerable populations. Security professionals generally agree that governance may complement the use of force to defeat militants; however, current doctrine does not address the concurrent integration of governance in a comprehensive strategy. This interpretive case study explored Pakistan's application of governance during the 2009 Khyber operation in Swat Valley, code-named Operation Rah-e-Rast. The central research question focused on how governance activities were integrated with military operations to subdue militancy. Data were collected through interviews with 6 planners, Pakistani secondary source survey data, and government artifacts. Data …


Sports Content Viewership Motivations Across Digital Devices, Mark Henry Jan 2016

Sports Content Viewership Motivations Across Digital Devices, Mark Henry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. advertisers spent over $2 billion on sporting events in 2014 directing advertisements towards consumers through digital devices used such as televisions, computers, smartphones, and tablets. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify motivation factors that predict the intention to view sports content on digital devices. Knowing such factors is important for advertisers to prioritize distribution channels. Uses and gratification theory formed the theoretical framework for the study. The methodology adapted a survey that encapsulated 9 motives. The research questions examined what motives influenced sports viewership, what motives predicted the intention to view specific sports content, and the …


Public Sector Leaders' Strategies To Improve Employee Retention, Michael D. Izard-Carroll Jan 2016

Public Sector Leaders' Strategies To Improve Employee Retention, Michael D. Izard-Carroll

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics consistently reports significant employee turnover in the public sector, including the federal, state, and local levels. High turnover results in compromised public goods and services provided to a community. The widespread nature of the problem and the scarcity of literature focusing on employee retention strategies in the public sector merited this case study. Public sector leaders from Western New York who had implemented employee retention strategies in a public organization comprised the population for the study. Cost-benefit theory, human capital theory, and social capital theory provided the conceptual context for developing and executing …


Factors Influencing The Use Of Physical Restraints On Children Living In Residential Treatment Facilities, April M. Minjarez-Estenson Jan 2016

Factors Influencing The Use Of Physical Restraints On Children Living In Residential Treatment Facilities, April M. Minjarez-Estenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of physical restraints in residential treatment centers for children has been shown to be detrimental to both staff and the children. Although there have been nationwide initiatives to reduce or eliminate the use of physical restraints on children, to date, researchers have not yet identified the organizational factors that predict the likelihood of using physical restraints on children. Based on the two-factor theory, in which two different types of predictors of motivation and behavior in the workplace were identified, the purpose of this quantitative non-experimental study was to examine whether satisfaction with pay, a hygiene factor, and satisfaction …


The Licensing, Preparation, And Role Of High School Department Chairs, Gina Marie Mathews Jan 2016

The Licensing, Preparation, And Role Of High School Department Chairs, Gina Marie Mathews

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited existing research indicates that high school department chairs may not be prepared to fulfill their duties because of varying role descriptions and training. This qualitative comparative layered case study examined the alignment of high school department chairs' contextual intelligence in an eastern seaboard region of the United States from 3 perspectives: (a) school districts' role descriptions, (b) local universities' leadership courses, and (c) a state's education department's licensure requirements. Sternberg's contextual intelligence, the learned skill of decision-making based on past experiences, present settings, and future ideals, conceptually framed this study. The primary research question explored the extent to which …


Navy Personnel And Effects Of Select Factors On Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology, Thomas J. Palmer Jan 2016

Navy Personnel And Effects Of Select Factors On Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology, Thomas J. Palmer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the establishment of the individual augmentee role within the U.S. Navy, little research has examined this nontraditional role associated with combat units. The majority of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research has been dedicated to Army and Marine Corps personnel with little research conducted on the Navy population. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to identify the prevalence of combat-related PTSD symptomology for Navy personnel returning from an augmentee tour. The link between component and tour length and the presence of individual resilience factors on PTSD were examined. The theoretical foundation of this research included the cognitive link …


Exploring Customers' Perceptions Of Third Party Maintenance, Repair, And Operating Programs, Reginald E. Peterson Jan 2016

Exploring Customers' Perceptions Of Third Party Maintenance, Repair, And Operating Programs, Reginald E. Peterson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A survey of 25 industrial manufacturing organizations in the U. S. indicated that 70% of respondents experienced dissatisfaction with their outsourcing programs due to unfulfilled expectations, which caused negative continuance intentions. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore the experiences of customers who currently use 3PMRO outsourcing programs to determine what factors affect satisfaction levels in the Southern United States. The conceptual framework for this study was the expectancy disconfirmation paradigm, which connects consumer satisfaction level to the fulfillment of consumer expectations. Data were collected from interviews of 22 procurement professionals of maintenance, repair, and operating supplies; …