Business Commons^™

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 …

Strategies For Motivating Sales Employees' Performance Within Small Businesses In The United States, Wesley Chikwanda Chishimba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The loss of revenue, profits, brand, and corporate sustainability are possible for companies whose managers do not use strategies to motivate employee sales performance. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies managers use to motivate sales employees' performance. A purposeful sample of 3 managers from U.S. companies with sales employees shared their strategies to motivate sales employees' performance. Methodological triangulation was used to review and analyze information from semistructured interviews, journal notes, member checking data, and review and analysis of relevant company documents. Additionally, coding indicated 4 main themes supporting the benefits of strategies to …

Examining The Relationship Between Communication Apprehension And Individual Innovativeness In Managers, Michelle Campagnola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Communicative challenges that hinder managerial engagement in social networks can impede innovation adoption and thereby damage the financial performance and competitiveness of a firm. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between communication apprehension (CA) and individual innovativeness in managers. The focus of the research questions was determining if a relationship exists between these variables before and after controlling for demographic characteristics. With diffusion of innovation theory as the theoretical framework, this research involved an attempt to address how adoption categories relate to varying degrees of CA. One hundred and five American-based owner-executives, senior managers, and …

Resources Available To Managers To Manage Employees Through Mergers, Jacqueline Ann Bursey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The failure rate of mergers is high, with the greatest effects being felt by the employees. Company mergers result in managers burdened with extra responsibilities that often result in poor people integration management of employees. A gap in literature exists regarding people integration resources available to managers during mergers. The purpose of this phenomenological, descriptive study was to explore resources managers perceive to have available to assist with managing employees through a merger. Greenleaf's servant leadership and Herzberg's 2 factor theories were used as the study's conceptual foundation. The research questions explored managers' perceptions of the range of resources available …

Collaborative Strategies Used To Reduce Billing Administrative Cost, Stella Fayomi-Olaleye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Billing inefficiencies represent 80% of wasteful healthcare administrative costs that are projected to reach $45 billion by 2018. Potentially, a reduced billing administrative cost is estimated to yield an annual savings of $60 billion that could fund other societal needs such as jobs, wage increases, and education. Through the conceptual framework of iceberg change management model, this single case study explored collaborative strategies 3 healthcare billing managers in Dallas, Texas successfully used to reduce billing administrative costs. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and the review of company documents. Using Yin's procedure of examining, comparing, categorizing, and coding data, the …

Managing Learning In The Workplace: A Study Of The Perceptions And Practice Of Local Government Managers, Jenna Rogers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In 1995 the Australian Government commissioned the report Enterprising Nation ‘: renewing Australia’s managers to meet the challenges of the Asia-Pacific century (Karpin, 1995), which emphasised the change that was necessary in Australian business to remain competitive in the global and growing economy. The development of flexible organisational cultures, where managers increasingly displayed leadership and developed their staff to generate innovative cultures, was a central premise of the Karpin Report Task Force’s vision. Twenty years later, this study explored the extent to which managers have moved from being ‘cops to coaches’ and integrated the facilitation of employee learning within …

Empowerment Of The Few And Disempowerment Of The Many - Disempowerment In Thai ‘One Tambon One Product' Organizations (Otops), Thomas Diefenbach

The South East Asian Journal of Management

Thai ‘One Tambon One Product’ organisations (OTOPs) have had considerable economic suc-cess since their initiation by the Thai government in 2001. However, in contrast to their ever-increasing economic relevance, OTOPs’ contributions to social development have been acknowl-edged and interrogated only very little. In particular the issue of empowerment, a key component of any social development whether within organisations, at community or even societal level, is strangely absent from any discourse about OTOPs. This article looks at how far the idea of em-powerment is realised within Thai OTOPs – or how far it is not realised. For this, a three-dimensional concept …

Strategies To Improve The Financial Performance Of State-Owned Enterprises In Ghana, Solomon Bonney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The deteriorating financial performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has been an increasing concern for the government of Ghana. The contributions of SOEs to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Ghanaian economy have declined, leading to the loss of job opportunities because of the unprofitability and rising debt levels. SOE managers need to adopt strategies to improve the financial performance of their organizations so they can contribute to the GDP and generate employment opportunities. Government, SOE management, and employees will benefit from profitable and sustainable SOEs that have the ability to contribute to the national development agenda. The purpose …

Communication Satisfaction Of Charismatic Leaders In Virtual Teams, Felicia Latrice Chachere

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the last 2 decades of advances in technology, organizations have used virtual teams (VTs) as one way to expand globally. Strong leadership and communication skills with followers are essential qualities for successful VTs. It is important to conduct research related to charismatic leadership and communication satisfaction of team members as many organizations now use VTs. The purpose of the survey study was to examine the relationship of perceived charismatic leadership qualities in VT leaders and communication satisfaction in VT members. The research questions examined the association between charismatic leadership qualities and the subdimension of communication satisfaction. Charismatic leadership was …

Impostor Phenomenon: Alive And Well Among Library Leaders, Elizabeth Martin

Elizabeth Martin

Communication Channels Utilized By Emirati Females To Enact Leadership, K. Kathleen O'Neill

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify the communication channels six Emirati females concurrently employed in organizations in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in which they had supervisory responsibilities; formal, legitimate authority; and positional leadership roles recalled using with their direct reports to enact leadership. In particular, the study attempted to ascertain the reasons for the selection of communication channels when engaged in downward communication with organizational subordinates. Data were collected via three interviews with each participant over a four week period. Interviews were conducted both face-to-face and via telephone. Data were analyzed via thematic content analysis to …

What Knowledge Managers Really Do: An Empirical And Comparative Analysis, Arben Asllani, Fred Luthans

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The advent of information technology has generated not only interest in how to acquire, store and ‘‘mine’’ data, but also how to manage knowledge. Yet, there is still considerable confusion and a lack of understanding of what today’s knowledge managers really do. Continuing a stream of previous research on the behavior activities of traditional managers, this study investigated the relative amount of time today’s knowledge managers (N = 307) spend on traditional management functions, communications, human resources and networking. Besides identifying what knowledge managers really do, this study examined what successful knowledge managers do. Comparisons are then made with managers …