Business Commons^™

An Integrated Lean Supply Chain Framework For U.S. Hospitals, Subhajit Chakraborty, Jorge A. Gonzalez

Management Faculty Publications

We apply a lean supply chain framework to the healthcare industry in the U.S., drawing support from lean systems philosophy. We conceptualize a view of the U.S. healthcare ecosystem that places a hospital and its admitted patients at the center and describes how all entities inside and outside the hospital work can implement lean principles to improve patients' quality care. This application depicts how a holistic consideration of hospital resources available in both the internal and external supply chain would increase the optimal use of such resources and ultimately serve patients. We offer propositions suggesting that an integrated supply chain …

If I Share What I Know, Will You Listen? The Role Of Personality And Rewards In Information Sharing And Group Decision Making, Janice Super, Pingshu Li, Ghadir Ishqaidef, James P. Guthrie

Management Faculty Publications

The authors examine underlying motivations for individuals to share information during a group decision making exercise. Focusing on two specific types of motivation: epistemic and prosocial, the study looks at both innate tendencies towards information sharing and the effect of a particular situational cue: group performance-based pay. Using a model called “Motivated Information Processing in Groups” (MIPG), the study examines the effect of group rewards on individual motivations to share unique information (prosocial motivations), as well the groups’ overall motivation to listen, consider, and deeply process that information (epistemic motivations). The authors find that, while some people are innately prone …

The Creation Of Military Family Leisure Experiences, Karen K. Melton, Jasmine Townsend, Camilla J. Hodge

Faculty Publications

This article provides a theoretical model that positions family leisure experiences as a mechanism for positive family outcomes and resilience in military families. The article integrates the Creation of Family Experiences (CFE) framework with literature on military families, family leisure, and structured experiences. The CFE framework is a conceptual model that provides a lens for examining the context of family activities in order to better identify benefits for human development and family relations. When contextualized within military settings, the CFE can be used to understand and systematically optimize military family leisure experiences. It is critical to consider the experiences of …

Measurement Of Deep Structured Experiences As A Binary Phenomenon, Gary D. Ellis, Patti A. Freeman, Jingxian Jiang, Andrew Lacanienta

Faculty Publications

We developed a procedure for measuring ‘deep structured experiences’ based on a conceptualization of such experiences being binary (i.e. present or absent at a given moment) rather than continuous. Deep structured experiences are heightened states of attention and motivation that may occur during a distinct period of activity. This binary approach is consistent with definitions of similar concepts, such as Maslow’s [1962. “Lessons from the Peak-Experiences.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology 2 (1): 9–18] description of ecstasy, Csikszentmihalyi’s [1975. Beyond Boredom and Anxiety. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass] description of flow, and Ackerman’s [1999. Deep Play. New York: Vintage Books] description of deep …

Why People Play At Work: A Theoretical Examination Of Leisure-At-Work, Mat D. Duerden, Stephen H. Courtright, Mark A. Widmer

Faculty Publications

Postmodern perspectives on work and leisure acknowledge the interwoven nature of these domains, an example being the increasing number of organizations intentionally incorporating leisure into the employee experience. Existing research, however, provides no specific theoretical guidance regarding the potential impacts of strategically integrating recreation activities into the work domain. Thus, based on positive organizational scholarship and leisure science theories, we build an individual level model describing the phenomenon of leisureat- work (LAW). We propose LAW activities have the ability to produce feelings of personal expressiveness at work as moderated by employees’perceptions of the activities. Personal expressiveness then mediates LAW activities’ …

Ne Maquixtia: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Leaders’ Dispositions And Their Impact On The Organizational Cultures They Lead, Georgina Yvette Garcia

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

The aim of this field-based research study was to explore and examine the importance of leader dispositions and their impact on organizational culture and sustained success. It focused on answering the following research question: What leadership dispositions, whether in education or in business, transcend organizational boundaries and most likely lead to organizational cultures that sustainably impact results and support continuous improvement?

This study spotlights the urgent need for leaders in all organizational contexts to immerse themselves in a profound and meaningful manner with developing greater awareness of the dispositions related to their leadership and the cultures they directly impact and …

Successful Strategies For Reducing Employee Turnover In The Restaurant Industry, Jaun Derek Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover remains a ubiquitous phenomenon that could negatively impact the operations and profitability of any business entity. For decades, managers, business leaders, and individuals in academia have devoted considerable time and resources to understanding and reducing the phenomenon. This qualitative multiple case study was conducted to explore the successful strategies that restaurant managers used to reduce employee turnover. The population sample consisted of 4 restaurant managers from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago who had successfully used strategies to reduce employee turnover. The conceptual framework used was the transformational leadership model. Data for the study were gathered using semistructured …

Mitigating Petroleum Product Shortages In The Nigerian Downstream Petroleum Supply Industry, Lucky Ubini Itsekor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Nigeria, almost every business enterprise relies on petroleum products for power or transportation. Shortages of petroleum products cripple business activities and undermine development of the Nigerian economy. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore supply chain management strategies needed by petroleum business leaders to mitigate shortages and sustain business development in Nigeria. The sample for the study included 10 senior leaders from 2 private-sector Nigerian downstream petroleum supply companies located in the Niger Delta region, who had successfully implemented strategies for petroleum supply. The resource based view theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. …

Pathways To Entrepreneurship Training Towards Addressing Youth Unemployment In Nigeria, Edward Perekebina Agbai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inadequacy of entrepreneurial knowledge among 21-25 year olds in Nigeria with recent undergraduate degrees has led to youth unemployment after graduating from universities. The development of entrepreneurship skills through entrepreneurship education programs for the students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria may bridge the unemployment gap. Guided by the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to gain a robust common understanding of how undergraduates from 21-25 years old can obtain the entrepreneurial knowledge required for self-employment in Nigeria. Data collection involved semistructured interviews, field notes, and archived training documents, with a purposeful sample …

Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Management, And Profitability, Dr. Daisy Valentin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. hospitality industry's profitability has been shifting to environmental management and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Hospitality industries accounted for 5% of the global market in 2015 and are expected to increase by 130% in 2035. Grounded in stakeholder theory, this correlation study examined the relationship between corporate sustainability officer (CSO) CSR, CSO environmental management, and hospitality business profitability. Secondary data were collected from 97 hotel websites of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area from 2014 to 2016. The multiple linear regression combinations of CSR and environmental management (EM) measured significantly related to the profitability index, F(3, 93) = 4.67, …

Productivity And Employee Behavior Change Strategies In Two Nigerian Manufacturing Organizations, Marvel Saturday Ogah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some Nigerian manufacturing organizations suffer significant losses yearly due to a lack of employee commitment and engagement. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to gain understanding of the strategies that leaders in the manufacturing industries in Lagos need to know in order to change employee behavior to achieve increased organizational productivity levels. The conceptual framework that grounded the study was the path-goal theory of leadership. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with a purposeful sample consisting of 24 managerial and non-managerial staff members of 2 manufacturing organizations in Nigeria who have had experience in, and training, and …

Financial Crowding Out Of Ghanaian Private Sector Corporations, Andrews Kwablah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The government of Ghana borrows from both domestic and foreign sources to finance the budget deficit. By the year 2013, the domestic debt was 55% of the public debt. Government domestic borrowing is competitive and can potentially crowd out the private corporate sector. Therefore, the specific research problem addressed in this study was whether the Ghanaian government's domestic debt (DEBT) caused financial crowding out (FCO) in Ghana. FCO theory is not conclusive and not proven specifically for Ghana, so the purpose of this research was to investigate its presence in Ghana. The neoclassical theory of FCO underpinned the research. The …

Relationships Between Transformational Leadership And Organizational Citizenship Behavior In Ghanaian Organizations, Adjoa Randy-Cofie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The recent global financial crisis prompted organizations to search for effective ways to minimize loss of revenue due to settlement of organizational scandals. Transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) are known to affect employees and subsequently organizational productivity. However, little is known about the relationship between transformational leadership and the OCB of employees of multinational corporations (MNCs) in Ghana. The purpose of this quantitative study was to bridge the gap in knowledge by examining the relationships between transformational leadership and the OCB of employees of MNCs in Ghana. The theoretical frameworks for this study were Bass' transformational leadership theory …

Effective Strategies For Venture Capital Evaluations Of Organizations' Drug Development Capabilities, Roslyn Chand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Undercapitalization is a major impediment for the growth and survival of Canadian life sciences firms. Proficient management teams are the 'sine qua non' criteria in the venture capital decision-making processes. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore strategies successful venture capitalists use to improve their evaluation processes of life sciences management teams' drug development capabilities. The conceptual framework for this study was based on business process management. The purposeful sample consisted of 10 venture capitalists located in the United States and Canada who had expertise evaluating life sciences management teams. The data were triangulated from semistructured interviews, annual …

Community Public-Private Partnership Leadership Synergy In Tanzania, Hawa Yatera Mshana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the public-private partnership (PPP) concept in health and social health has been politically accepted as the best pathway to improving health outcomes in many developing nations, implementation lacks leadership synergy. Lack of awareness and engagement of community leaders about PPP interventions and their benefits affect accountability and ownership of health and social care interventions. The purpose of this study was to better understand factors that could promote partnership leadership synergy to enhance ownership and accountability for community health and social welfare initiatives in Tanzania. A qualitative empirical case study design was used; diffusion of innovation and the public-private integrated …

Online Marketing Strategies For Increasing Sales Revenues Of Small Retail Businesses, Asia R. Lockett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small retail business leaders use online marketing to connect with consumers and the community. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies some small retail business leaders use to implement online marketing to increase sales. Data were collected from 4 small retail business owners who successfully used strategies to implement online marketing in California. The conceptual framework for this study was Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory. Data collection techniques and sources were semistructured, face-to-face interviews, and review of public business documents, company websites, social media websites, and analytical tools. A thematic analysis of the data …

Corporate Social Responsibility And The Welfare Of Nigerian Niger Delta Landowners, Charles Oboh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The perception by any group of ineffectiveness in the dispensation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to major stakeholders may result in friction, reduction in productivity, and an overall loss of social and economic capital. The problem addressed in this study, which represented the gap in knowledge and practice, was that CSR initiatives in the Niger Delta region lack a community-centric framework to ensure optimal and sustainable returns on CSR investments for multinational corporations and local Nigerian landowners. The purpose of the study was to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to experience CSR for Nigerian landowners in the …

Cultural Backgrounds And Leadership Styles In The Virtual Work Environment, June Reid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The introduction of the virtual work environment has resulted in the creation of a new work structure where interaction between employees and leaders occurs through technological innovations such as teleconferencing, emails, and text messages. The absence of physical workspace has also created a diverse work environment with people from various cultural backgrounds working together as virtual teams. Existing studies have been conducted on leadership styles and culture in the traditional work environment, but few empirical studies have been conducted on leadership styles and culture in the virtual work environment. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental survey study was to identify …

Advancement Of Social Service Delivery Through Cross-Sector Partnerships In Nigeria, Emmanuel Chukwudi Ihenacho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit organizations and the social services they provide have often engaged the attention of organizational scholars and practitioners. There is also a general perception of nonprofits as agents of social development in cases of public service failure. However, with the proliferation of many small nonprofits, their capacity for effective service delivery has been debated. Some have proposed cross-sector organizational partnerships (CSPs) as a means of assuring service effectiveness; however, such initiatives have been limited and not well understood in Nigeria. This study used a qualitative case study approach to focus on a CSP involving a nonprofit vocational training institute and …

Niger Delta Youths' Views On Entrepreneurship Education For Combating Poverty And Unemployment, Sylvanus Obidinma Ohakam.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Education policymakers in Nigeria lack the knowledge on the views of Niger Delta youths, who rely on entrepreneurship education and its contents to fight poverty and unemployment in their area. This study's purpose was to gain deeper understanding of the views of Niger Delta youths on entrepreneurship education, its contents, and its role in fighting their area's high rate of poverty and unemployment. This study was framed and guided by three key concepts that focus on the challenges of poor communities: youth unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa, entrepreneurship education, and youth entrepreneurship. To address this issue properly, a qualitative multiple-case …

Retail Business Managers' Strategies For Enhancing Workplace Diversity Planning, Daniel M. Ortiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of workplace diversity planning leads to negative financial outcomes. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that business managers in the retail sector use to enhance workplace diversity planning for assuring compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulations. The population included a single focus group of retail business employees as well as business managers of 5 distinct retail stores located in the Southeastern United States who have successfully instituted workplace diversity plans for assuring compliance with EEOC regulations. The conceptual framework for this study was cultural intelligence theory, which researchers have used to …

Project Manager Strategies To Improve The Delivery Of Construction Projects, Luis Gaspar Crespo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The return on investment of construction organizations is at risk because construction managers fail to execute projects efficiently. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that construction managers used to deliver projects efficiently. The selected population was 10 construction managers from a single construction organization operating in Panama. The conceptual framework for this study was the McKinsey 7S. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, observations, and a review of public documents. Collected data were compiled, disassembled, reassembled, interpreted, and then conclusions were reached, as noted in Yin's 5-step analysis. Themes that emerged from the study included …

Using Succession Strategies To Increase Workplace Productivity, Dayton Dave Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 70% of small and medium-sized enterprises fail due to a lack of effective leadership succession planning. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies that some business leaders in the manufacturing sector in Jamaica used to implement leadership succession plans. Data were collected from semistructured interviews conducted with 5 business leaders who participated in the succession strategies of a manufacturing organization in Jamaica. Data were analyzed according to Yin's 5-step process. Analysis of data collected from interview sessions and review of company documentation were used to conduct methodological triangulation to validate the findings. Five themes …

Copreneurs' Coping Strategies For Work-Family Conflict, Eunice Peregrino-Dartey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Family businesses including copreneurships have a high failure rate. Copreneurs experience work-family conflict (WFC), which can have a negative effect on business sustainability. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that copreneurs used in managing WFC to achieve business sustainability for longer than 10 years. Three copreneurs from 3 copreneurial businesses located in the Greater Accra region of Ghana, who have employed effective strategies to cope with WFC to achieve business sustainability longer than 10 years, participated in the study. The WFC model for business/marriage partners (copreneurs) and the reciprocal coping model served as the …

Corporate Governance Implementation In The Nigerian Banking Industry, David Nkata Bassey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increasing level of fraud, the collapse of banks, and the loss of confidence in the Nigerian banking industry have been attributed to poor corporate governance. The problem of this study was effective implementation of corporate governance in Nigeria where multiple regulations are in place. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to understand how corporate governance is implemented in the Nigerian banking industry in the face of a multiplicity of regulations. The research question investigated how Nigerian bank managers implement corporate governance regulations in the face of a multiplicity of regulations. The conceptual framework was grounded in …

Increasing Universities' Tuition Fee Revenues From International Undergraduate Students, Marc Jan Ledermann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Universities are losing expected tuition revenues due to attrition of international undergraduate students. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that university leaders use to increase tuition fee revenues from international undergraduate students. The participants in this study were 3 former leaders of the European division of Laureate International Universities, a global university group with university locations in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Cyprus. The conceptual framework of this study was institutional theory as part of the change management of universities. Data collection included semistructured interviews of 3 former leaders of the …

Are Social Networks A Double-Edged Sword? A Case Study Of Defense Contractors, Xiaobing Shuai, Christine Chmura

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Utilizing a survey of defense contractors in the New England region, this study explores the effect of social networks on business performance—measured by annual employment growth and market diversification—during a time when defense spending in the United States was contracting. In contrast to prevailing literature focusing on entrepreneurial firms, this study offers insights on how social networks function in defense contractors, which tend to be mature firms. The main conclusion is that having more network connections is associated with faster short-term employment growth (from 2014 to 2015) for defense contractors, but there is a limit to that benefit. The analysis …

Strategies For Insurance Agency Managers To Retain Customers And Improve Revenue, Daniel Lee Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The cost of creating new property and casualty insurance accounts is much greater than the costs associated with sustaining current accounts. Property and casualty insurance agency managers lack strategies to retain customers, the retention of whom has been found to improve revenue. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore strategies for insurance agency managers to retain customers and improve revenue. The population used for the study was 4 insurance agency managers in the Northeastern United States. The conceptual framework was customer relationship management, which is a technological and organizational mechanism for buffering market instability by understanding customer …

Case Study Of Inclusive Environments For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Employees, Darin Dale Stephens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the positive changes occurring regarding American attitudes toward members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, empirical evidence indicates that LGBT individuals do not believe inclusive environments exist, as 48% of the population remains closeted at work. A gap exists in the literature relating to the formulation of practical solutions that establish and sustain inclusive environments. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the possible influence of cultural lag on the workplace engagement of LGBT employees. Ogburn's cultural lag theory served as the conceptual framework. The following research questions guided the study: (a) The …

Leadership Development Strategies To Build Leaders Through Mentorship Programs, Devin Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Developing employees to assume leadership positions has never been more critical for organizational leaders given the competitive climate and the shortage of executive leaders. Organizations must develop future leaders at unprecedented rates to assume roles and responsibilities of the current executive leaders who will leave the organization due to retirement and other forms of attrition. Using mentorship theory, the purpose of this multicase study was to explore strategies that business leaders use to successfully improve their mentoring programs for employee leadership development. The target population consisted of 3 business leaders located in central Florida with successful experience in improving their …