Digital Commons Network^™

Modernization Of Legacy Information Technology Systems, Rabie Khabouze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Large enterprises spend a large portion of their Information Technology (IT) budget on maintaining their legacy systems. Legacy systems modernization projects are a catalyst for IT architects to save cost, provide new and efficient systems that increase profitability, and create value for their organization. Grounded in sociotechnical systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies IT architects use to modernize their legacy systems. The population included IT architects in large enterprises involved in legacy systems modernization projects, one in healthcare, and one in the financial services industry in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas metropolitan …

Improving Financial Management Skills Among Small Business Owners, Jonathan Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners (SBOs) lack of financial management skills can negatively impact small businesses' profitability and result in business failure. SBO’s limited understanding of financial management skills increases the likelihood of business failure and negatively impacts local and national economies. Grounded in the stakeholder theoretical framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies SBOs use to improve financial management. Data were collected from five small business owners' successful years of freight business experience in Central Mississippi using semi-structured interviews, annual organizational reports, and member checking. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step thematic …

Using Agile Strategies To Improve Project Success Rates, Tim Kirkland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project failures can be costly to businesses, but on average, program managers’ (PMs’) success rates for managing information technology (IT) projects is less than 35%. Organizational cultures struggle to adapt to agile project management (APM) that provides stakeholder flexibility for dynamic environments. Grounded by project management theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies project managers use to reduce IT project failures. The participants consisted of nine project managers in the northeastern United States with APM experience managing successful IT projects. Data were collected from virtual semi-structured interviews and journal notes. Ten open-ended interview questions …

Public Sector Managers’ Organizational Context Challenges For Talent Management Implementation With Millennials, Solomon Djan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A literature gap exists on organizational context challenges facing meso-level public sector managers that undermine retention of millennial talent. Scholars recommend that this gap should be addressed in theoretical and empirical research. The purpose of this study was to understand public sector managers’ perceptions on how organizational context challenges in their public sector agencies undermine talent management implementation with millennial employees. A single case study with an embedded unit design was used to address the literature gap, and qualitative data from 15 semistructured interviews, reflective field notes, and archival data were collected to answer the central research question. This study …

Strengthening Mission Through Strategy: An Analysis Of The Mission-Driven Excellence Strategy, Osvaldo Souza Santos Jr.

Dissertations

The Office of Strategy and Research (OSR) for the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) churches in the North America Division (NAD) is beginning to implement a new strategy that focuses on mission. The OSR designed the strategy, created tools and materials to support the churches in implementing the Mission-driven Excellence (MdX) strategy. MdX combines planning and direction that helps church leaders to think strategically. MdX is a combination of pre-events, processes, and resources combined with local church strategies toward mission. The purpose of this study was to suggest strengths and improvements to the Mission-driven Excellence (MdX) strategy by seeking to better understand …

Changing The Ways Bedside Nursing Staff Think About ‘All Things Urinary Catheters, Angela Foard

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of this project was to bring attention to the importance of the bedside nursing staff’s "back to the basics" approach to nurse-led interventions to help reduce the number of increasing hospital-acquired infections (HAI), specifically catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). The motivation to address this problem was due to the bedside nursing staff under-utilizing best practice interventions to prevent insertions and re-insertions of urinary catheters. A high number of urinary catheter insertions and re-insertions increases the risk of a CAUTI. Evidence-based interventions should be reinforced and utilized by bedside nursing staff to prevent insertions and re-insertions. Evidence-based nurse-led practices …

Real Talk: A Realist Dialogic Approach In A Realist Evaluation, Emilie Francis-Auton, Mitchell N. Sarkies, Chiara Pomare, Janet C. Long, Rebecca Hardwick, Hoa Mi Nguyen, Jeffrey Braithwaite

Peninsula Medical School

Realist evaluation is a method increasingly adopted to provide an understanding of how and why a program works, for whom, and under what circumstances. Initial program theories (IPT) are the crucial starting point of any realist evaluation, however descriptions about how they are developed in practice remain under-reported in the published literature. This article argues for the value of genuine research-group conversations using David Bohm’s concept of dialogue in realist research. We label it the realist dialogic approach. We draw out the relational qualities as well as the contextual circumstances of dialogue through our development of IPT and interview guides …

The Impact Of Mindful Breathing On Stress Of Employees Working From Home, Lindsey Goldberg

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This DNP project was designed to decrease stress among employees working from home (WFH) by educating them on mindful breathing practices. Through the implementation of a mindful breathing activity, the intended project outcome was to improve stress levels of employees working from their homes. Mindful breathing is an evidence-based strategy that has demonstrated decreased stress levels. Mindful breathing was implemented among two companies employing an estimate of 170 WFH employees to improve health and well-being with potential long-term positive impact on sustainability of organizations in the post-COVID, work from home environment. The participants were invited to perform 8-minutes of daily …

“I Think I’Ve Always Thought I Have To Prove Myself”: Interpretations, Perceptions, And Teacher Sensemaking At A Distance, Rafael Zavala

Dissertations

This grounded theory, constant comparative method study provides a Critical Race Institutional Logics Perspective account of Latina teacher sensemaking of distance learning. Distance learning—while not a particularly new school initiative, school reform effort, or organizational change—brought forth an organizational change that unmasked racist systems and deficit policy models perpetuating persistent, pervasive, disproportionate, low academic achievement for Latinx students. This study looked at how Latina teachers made sense of and enacted distance learning from their own personal values, beliefs, perceptions, and or impressions. Particularly, this study analyzed the role of race and its effects in shaping Latina teacher practice through these …

Strategies To Mitigate The Effects Of Negative Political Rhetoric On Service Providers: A Study In Two Refugee-Serving Organizations, Maria V. Wathen, Charity N. Weishar, Patrick L.F. Decker

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper explores the strategies that staff at two refugee-serving organizations found helpful in mitigating their increased distress from negative political rhetoric aimed at their clients. Results point to the importance of organizational acknowledgement of the distress. Additionally, staff perceived that intentionally focused organizational interventions can mitigate the emotional impacts of negative rhetoric. Finally, strategies employees used to lessen their distress and regain a sense of efficacy included recommitment to the mission, advocacy for refugees among family and friends, strong reliance on religious faith in coping, and an avoidance of the rhetoric by decreasing engagement with news and social media.

Human Rights Due Diligence: Roles And Contributions Of Sustainability Professional In Thailand, Pimpilai Rumthum

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study examines the role of sustainability professionals in driving Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) within organizations and provides valuable insights into their responsibilities, competencies, and impact. As there was no study done to understand this particular career that tends to be trendy for sustainability businesses to achieve their goals beyond financial efficiency. The study examines the tasks, competencies, and impact of sustainability professionals from different viewpoints of related stakeholders. Using primary data gathered through semi-structured interviews, the research investigates the question that sustainability professionals positively contribute to HRDD processes. Through 9 interviews with key informants from diverse backgrounds, including …

บทบาทของสำนักงานข้าหลวงใหญ่ผู้ลี้ภัยแห่งสหประชาชาติในกระบวนการสร้างบรรทัดฐานเรื่องผู้ลี้ภัยทางสภาพภูมิอากาศ ตั้งแต่ปี ค.ศ.2000-2022, พิมพ์วิภา ชาโรจน์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้มุ่งศึกษาบทบาทของสำนักงานข้าหลวงใหญ่ผู้ลี้ภัยแห่งสหประชาชาติ (UNHCR) ในกระบวนการสร้างบรรทัดฐานเรื่องผู้ลี้ภัยทางสภาพภูมิอากาศ ตั้งแต่ปี ค.ศ. 2000-2022 เพื่อวิเคราะห์บทบาทของ UNHCR กับการดำเนินงานเรื่องผู้ลี้ภัยทางสภาพภูมิอากาศ และประเมินบทบาทของ UNHCR ในกระบวนการสร้างบรรทัดฐาน โดยผู้วิจัยจะใช้กรอบแนวคิดกระบวนการสร้างบรรทัดฐานประกอบการวิเคราะห์ จากการศึกษาพบว่า UNHRC เป็นองค์กรระหว่างประเทศที่มีบทบาทหลักในฐานะผู้เผยแพร่บรรทัดฐานเรื่องผู้ลี้ภัยจากสภาพภูมิอากาศ โดยเผยแพร่ประเด็นการคุ้มครองผู้ลี้ภัยจากสภาพภูมิอากาศเข้าสู่วาระทางการเมืองในประชาคมโลก และเป็นผู้นำกลุ่มด้านสิทธิมนุษยชน ในการสร้างกลไกการประชุมเพื่อปรึกษาหารือแนวทางแก้ไขปัญหา และแสวงหากลไกและเครื่องมือในการคุ้มครองต่อกลุ่มผู้ลี้ภัยจากสภาพภูมิอากาศอย่างเป็นรูปธรรม ซึ่งการดำเนินการดังกล่าวส่งผลให้เกิดบรรทัดฐานในการคุ้มครองผู้ลี้ภัยจากสภาพภูมิอากาศที่ประชาคมโลกให้การยอมรับและเกิดเป็นข้อตกลงระหว่างประเทศร่วมกัน โดยเมื่อวิเคราะห์ขั้นตอนการสร้างบรรทัดฐาน ถือได้ว่า UNHCR ในฐานะผู้เผยแพร่บรรทัดฐานนั้นมีบทบาทในการผลักดันและเผยแพร่ประเด็นเรื่องผู้ลี้ภัยจากสภาพภูมิอากาศจนเป็นที่ยอมรับในเวทีระหว่างประเทศจนสามารถทำให้เกิดกลไกการปรึกษาหารือเพื่อแก้ไข แสวงหาแนวทางในการรับมือต่อปัญหาดังกล่าวได้สำเร็จ

Critical Success Factors For Data Warehouse Implementation In An Industrial Associations Organization, Phatnarin Khantayana

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The purpose of this research is to delve into the key success factors (CSFs) associated with data warehouse (DW) implementation from the perspectives of various stakeholders within an organization. A data warehouse provides a unified and structured view of an organization's data for analysis and reporting, and successfully implementing such a system can have a significant impact on overall organizational performance. It enables better data management, facilitates improved decision-making, and enhances strategic planning. The scope of this research encompasses an in-depth examination of the core CSFs that are instrumental in achieving success during data warehouse deployments. It focuses on understanding …

Leadership For Change: Teacher Education In Afghanistan: A Decade Of Challenge In Reconstruction, Reform, And Modernization In A Post Conflict Society, Susan Wardak

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation used interpretive case study methodology focused on the story of rebuilding the national education system of Afghanistan destroyed by decades of conflict. The study documents the challenges and progress in preparing adequate and qualified teachers for the nation. The dissertation is based on critical analysis of available documents tracing events, policies, and programs. The research asks: What are the critical leadership strategies and organizational frameworks that promote or impede institutional change? What are the barriers to change in teacher education in a conservative Islamic society? The dissertation is unique in that this story of educational intervention in a …

How Should Bosses Lead? New Revelations From Frontline Managers, Bonnie A. Curtis

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Strategic business change in the 21st century has been fraught with issues, resulting in failure for more than half of all attempted efforts to transform companies. Frontline managers (FLMs) are key to successful corporate change, transforming a company’s direction into action and results and the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique business challenge for every Consumer Products Group (CPG) company and FLM by interrupting supply chains. The aim of this grounded theory study was to create theory by conducting open-ended interviews with 20 frontline managers to determine how they viewed themselves and their roles, teams, and bosses during change. Results …

Exploring The Leadership-As-Practice Of Middle Managers Engaged In Organizational Changes In An Asia Pacific Multinational Setting, Eric Kung

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There has been a great need for leadership studies on middle management, particularly in the Asia Pacific context. This study explored the leadership practices of middle managers engaged in leading organizational changes of multinational corporations (MNCs), within the Asia Pacific context. Organization ethnography was used as the research method. The ethnographer observed and analyzed the actual practice of middle managers of a multinational manufacturing company located in China for six months. The findings showed that middle managers played significant roles in communication and execution in leading organizational changes. The study also showed that change management could be a dynamic process …

Reframing Leadership Narratives Through The African American Lens, Marion Missy Mcgee

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Reframing Leadership Narratives through the African American Lens explores the context-rich experiences of Black Museum executives to challenge dominant cultural perspectives of what constitutes a leader. Using critical narrative discourse analysis, this research foregrounds under-told narratives and reveals the leadership practices used to proliferate Black Museums to contrast the lack of racially diverse perspectives in the pedagogy of leadership studies. This was accomplished by investigating the origin stories of African American executives using organizational leadership and social movement theories as analytical lenses for making sense of leaders’ tactics and strategies. Commentary from Black Museum leaders were interspersed with sentiments of …

A Journey To Finding Space In The Tension: Experience Of Instructors' Relationship With Religion And Spirituality In Doctoral Psychology Programs, Samantha Mcgee

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Religion and spirituality, when viewed through a holistic lens, can reflect important aspects of a person’s identity. It can be a source of well-being and also struggle. The fields of religion, spirituality and psychology have had a history of being polarized, with some efforts to integrate the two fields. Tensions exist at multiple ecological levels around the topic of religion and spirituality, which can make it easier to avoid discussing it in classrooms and therapy rooms. It is important to address and create room for discussion of experiences around religion and spirituality in classrooms that are training psychologists so they …

"Because God Said So": A Thematic Analysis Of Why People Denounce Black Greek-Letter Organizations, Mea Ashley

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Today, Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs) struggle to use empirical data to address financial burden, elitism, hazing, relevance in social justice issues, and the anti-BGLO movement. The anti-BGLO movement frames this study. The movement stems from beliefs that secret societies, fraternities, and sororities are anti-Christian. Society will continue to question the relevance and importance of BGLOs if they cannot overcome the issues plaguing them. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to ascertain why members are leaving BGLOs, in case the organizations find the anti-BGLO movement to be a threat to organizational vitality. Through thematic analysis, 18 YouTube testimonials from denouncers …

Locating Uncertainty In Hospital Leader Sensemaking And Sensegiving Of Organizational Change: A Single Case Study, Sara E. Barry

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Leaders planning strategic change face significant ambiguity and uncertainty due to the complex, fast-paced, and volatile nature of organizational life. What one leader sees as an opportunity, another may view as a threat depending on their past experiences, their existing mental models, and their perceptions of uncertainty. Sensemaking and sensegiving theories provide a framework for how leaders retrospectively make sense of new and disorienting information through recursive cycles of interpretation, action, and learning, and seek to influence the meaning-making of others towards a shared vision of the strategic change. Despite decades of research using these theories, studies have yet to …

The Diffusion Of A Discipline: Examining Social Marketing's Institutionalization Within Environmental Contexts, Liz Foote

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

As a social change discipline, social marketing has demonstrated its effectiveness in addressing many types of wicked problems. However, despite its utility in environmental contexts, it is neither well known nor widespread in its uptake in these settings. This study’s purpose is to reveal opportunities to drive the adoption, implementation, and diffusion (“institutionalization”) of social marketing within the domains of environmental sustainability and natural resource conservation. This research considers the use of social marketing as an innovative practice within a diffusion of innovations framework and uses a systems lens to examine early adopter social marketing professionals and the institutional contexts …

Building The Plane While It’S Flying: Implementation Lessons From Integrating A Co-Located Exercise Clinic Into Oncology Care, Mary A. Kennedy, Sara Bayes, Robert U. Newton, Yvonne Zissiadis, Nigel A. Spry, Dennis R. Taaffe, Nicolas H. Hart, Daniel A. Galvão

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background:

Despite its therapeutic role during cancer treatment, exercise is not routinely integrated into care and implementation efforts are largely absent from the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate a strategy to integrate the workflow of a co-located exercise clinic into routine care within a private oncology setting in two clinics in the metropolitan region of Western Australia.

Methods:

This prospective evaluation utilised a mixed methods approach to summarise lessons learned during the implementation of an integrated exercise workflow and supporting implementation plan. Data collection was informed by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework. Reports …

Willingness To Enhance Employability, Eszter Kiss, Jami Cotler, Eben Afrifa Yamoah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This exploratory study was conducted across two different institutions in the United States and in Australia. The online surveys applied two instruments: The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale to investigate the correlations between the constructs of employability, emotional intelligence, and motivation. The results showed a positive significant relationship between campus program internship and perceived employability. Further, emotional intelligence was significantly positively correlated with motivation. These results may reinforce institutions in their effort to design or refresh teaching intervention programs improving students employability. Beyond focusing on skills acquisition, these programs could also aim for enhancing students …

The Career Resilience Of Senior Women Managers: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Uma Jogulu, Esmé Franken

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article examines how cultural contexts influence the demonstration of resilient behaviors of women senior managers in large organizations. We compare the experiences of Malaysian and Australian women overcoming key challenges and obstacles in their career journeys by engaging in the resilience strategies of network leveraging, learning, and adaptability. Our findings reveal the unique, complex, and contextual nature of career resilience, and show how resilience can be demonstrated, often differently, across culture and context. Our study adds to the existing body of literature in the areas of careers, gender in the workplace, and resilience, by highlighting how senior women sustain …

Open Science Via Hubzero: Exploring Five Science Gateways Supporting And Growing Their Open Science Communities, Sandra Gesing, Claire Stirm, Gerhard Klimeck, Lynn Zentner, Su Wang, Braulio Misael Villegas Martinez, Carrie Diaz Eaton, Sam Donovan, Lan Zhao, Carol Song, Et Al.

All Faculty Scholarship

The research landscape applying computational methods has become increasingly interdisciplinary and complex regarding the research computing ecosystem with novel hardware, software, data, and lab instruments. Reproducibility of research results, the usability of tools, and sharing of methods are all crucial for timely collaboration for research and teaching. HUBzero is a widely used science gateway framework designed to support online communities with efficient sharing and publication processes. The paper discusses the growth of communities for the five science gateways nanoHUB, MyGeoHub, QUBEShub & SCORE, CUE4CHNG, and HubICL using the HUBzero Platform to foster open science and tackling education with a diverse …

Implementation Of An Amiodarone Infusion Nurse Practice Guideline To Reduce The Incidence Of Phlebitis: A Quality Improvement Project, Kristen N. Cottrill

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Patients have an increased risk of developing phlebitis when amiodarone is delivered through a peripheral intravenous catheter. In a 32-bed cardiac surgery step-down unit, patients experienced phlebitis at a rate of 28.57% despite following manufacturer recommendations. Individual interventions targeted at amiodarone-related phlebitis have presented mixed results, however, when an amiodarone infusion practice guideline was established, the rate and severity of phlebitis consistently decreased across studies. Purpose: This project aimed to implement an evidence-based amiodarone infusion guideline to reduce phlebitis development or severity in cardiac-surgery step-down patients without a central venous catheter who received a peripheral intravenous infusion of amiodarone. …

Global Engagement Model For Land-Grant Universities, A Grounded Theory., Lorena Ivonne Ballester

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to examine how land-grant universities engage with the public in the era of globalization; to explain the institutionalization of engagement processes accounting for the global context; and, to integrate this analysis into a Global Engagement Model for Land-Grant Universities (GEM) implementing a grounded theory research methodology.

GEM’s foundation is both theoretical and empirical. Applying the intensity sampling method, the universities selected for the empirical base were: The University of California, Davis, Michigan State University, and The Pennsylvania State University. Rather than an exact representation of individual universities’ engagement models, the model is the researcher’s …

The Effects Of A Syllabus On Students’ Perceptions Of The Motivational Climate In A Course, Brett D. Jones, Xiao Zhu

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

A course syllabus can affect students’ perceptions of the motivational climate within a course. Yet, few researchers have conducted experimental studies of students’ perceptions of syllabi in courses in which they were currently enrolled. The purpose of the present studies was to assess the extent to which syllabi language and organization affected students’ motivation-related perceptions in hypothetical and real courses. In Study 1, undergraduate students reported their motivation-related perceptions for hypothetical syllabi statements about the course overview, late submissions, attendance, and use of electronics. Statistically significant differences in perceptions were documented between different types of syllabi statements. Study 2 was …

Generation Z’S Proclivity For Technological Communication: An Exploration Into Its Effects On Employers’ Perceptions Of Gen Z And The Intergenerational Workplace, Hannah G. Whitehead

Honors College Theses

Gen Z’s proclivity for digital communication may be putting them at a disadvantage when shifting into professional settings. Generation Z is inclined to communicate differently than Millennials and Generation Y, the two generations that currently make up the largest percentage of the job market. The idea that Gen Z’s future employers prefer different styles of communication creates the risk of negatively influencing these employers’ perceptions of Gen Z’s professionalism and workplace capabilities. By interviewing 12 internship supervisors from varying industries amidst the Southeast who belong to Generations X and Y, the author explores the difference in communication styles between Generation …

Is Sales Competition A Good Motivator Or A Bad Idea? The Underlying Mechanism Of Threat Appraisals, William J. Zahn Ph.D., Yi Peng, Willy Bolander, Bryan Hochstein, David Mathis

AMTP Proceedings 2022

The common logic for competition in sales organizations is simple: as salespeople compete with one another, the sales performance of the entire group should increase. Some prior research has supported this notion, while other studies suggested that competition may adversely affect employees. Our research finds both positions have merit, as a salesperson's perceptions of a competitive psychological climate (CPC) increase sales performance and turnover intentions. To explain this countervailing effect, we turn to cognitive appraisal theory to demonstrate that salesperson appraisal of the environment motivates their behavior. Specifically, salesperson threat appraisals act as a mediator between CPC to performance and …