Business Commons^™

High-Speed Rail Safety Analysis Based On Dual-Weighted Complex Network, Liu Lv

Dissertations

This study uses a complex network model to analyze the causes of accidents in high-speed railway operations. By identifying the key factors that led to high-speed railway accidents, hidden safety hazards were discovered. This will help improve the operational safety of the U.S. high-speed rail line under construction.

The analysis uses the regional high-speed railway network in Guangzhou, China as a case study, including the railway (including high-speed railway) accidents that occurred in the company's jurisdiction from 2013 to 2017. With comparative analysis between general railways and high-speed railways, the changes of high-speed railway safety factors are explored. Data analysis …

Roli Dhe Rëndësia E Sistemeve Të Informacionit Në Kohë Pasigurie, Albion Rexhepi

Theses and Dissertations

Punimi shtjellon problemet që u paraqiten me rastin e përhapjes së pandemisë së fundit globale. Problemet janë në shumë aspekte, problemet në menaxhimin e mirë të shëndetsisë, probleme tek kompanitë e fluturimeve, problemet me turizmin, problemet tek aktivetetet sportive, tek ndërmarrjet e mëdha, të mesme dhe të vogla, e të tjera. Problemet tek këta sektorë u shfaqën kur shtetet filluan mbylljen e disa prej veprimtarive. Pasojat ishin të pashmangshme, vetëm se niveli i pasojave do të dallonte prej veprimtarisë në veprimtari, përshembull, tek sektori i ndërtimit dhe sektori i pjesëve të këmbimit. Pra, në këtë punim fokusi do të jetë …

Happiness At Work: A Phenomenological Investigation Of Clinic Managers, Jorge Melendez

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

This study seeks to understand, through a qualitative phenomenological design, the meaning of happiness at work for clinic managers who work for a mission-driven healthcare organization. There exists many organizational dynamics that can influence happiness at work; nevertheless, for the scope of this investigation, this paper converged on three theoretical premises: (1) Positive Psychology: Happiness at work which is divided into eudemonic and hedonic happiness, (2) Intrinsic Motivation Theory: Self-determination, and (3) Extrinsic Motivation Theory: Self-determination. The evidence discovered in this study demonstrates the importance of understanding the context for what happiness at work means for management-level caregivers/employees. The clinic …

A Framework For Adaptive Capacity In Complex Systems, Abdulrahman Alfaqiri

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Complex systems are characterized by their high level of inter-connectivity, ambiguity, and emergence. Therefore, a failure in one element of a system (e.g. cyber layer) due to external or internal disturbances can lead to a cascade effect that may influence all elements of the system. Consequently, the complex system will not be able to perform its functional performance. Threats related to complex systems are very dynamic, fast, complex and damage can be severe. Thus, to respond to the dynamic and unpredictable nature of these threats, complex systems need to be highly adaptive to survive and thrive in the face of …

Clarifying And Measuring The Value Of Human Capital Resources, Donald Hale, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of value is central to the strategic human resources (SHRM) and strategic human capital resource literatures (SHCR) because of their grounding in Resource Based Theory (RBT). In order to facilitate a firm’s competitive advantage, both the SHRM and SHCR literatures argue that the practices and people in a firm must work together to generate resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable. Value is the first and primary consideration in this logic. Despite the centrality of value in both literatures, prior attempts to identify and measure human capital resource (HCR) value (e.g. utility analysis) have produced mixed results …

Leadership Adapted: Towards An Understanding Of How Western-Developed Leadership Theories Are Translated And Practiced In The Modern Arab Middle East, Derek R. Olson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand how western-developed leadership theories are translated and practiced in the Modern Arab Middle East (MAME). Over the past century the notion of leadership has progressed through phases of understanding, definition, and practice. This evolution continues today and is no longer contained to the academic and practice-oriented institutions of North America and Europe. Through western-styled educational institutions and professional industries, western-developed leadership theories have stretched around the globe, including the MAME. While this is known, what is much less understood is how these theories are adopted and adapted. This study’s objective is to …

Does Extrinsic Motivation Affect Creativity Within Diverse Teams?, Gitanjali K. Viswanathan

Honors Theses

This study analyzes the relationship between extrinsic motivation and creativity in teams. The moderation effect of functionality, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and diversity within a team is also considered. A survey was constructed and distributed to students within Sections 1 and 6 of the course Principles of Management at The University of Mississippi. Survey data were collected from 77 respondents and used for hierarchical regression and moderation analysis. The results of this study do not support extrinsic motivation as a significant predictor of creativity. Functionality, agreeableness, and conscientiousness each demonstrate a separate, significant interaction effect with extrinsic motivation. However, …

The Macroeconomic And Cultural Microcosms Of Global Groceries, Emily C. Mccluskey, Stephanie A. Barton

Senior Theses

The aim of this thesis is to understand the global grocery market and to present a framework to assist sector players in developing go-to-market strategies as they expand abroad. In order to holistically study the cultural and economic implications of grocery stores across the world, we first selected six unique countries to focus our research: Singapore, Brazil, Chile, Australia, Germany, and the United States. In addition to having personally traveled to each of these countries, we chose to analyze these six very different markets in order to include a wide range of cultures and levels of economic development. We found …

A New Generation Of Workers: Preparing For Generation Z In The Workplace, Kendra Harris

Senior Theses

A new generational wave has begun to enter the workforce. The oldest members of Generation Z, those approximately at the age of 25 and below, have recently begun their careers. In the past few years, some changes have been made to work environments, like constructing gyms and daycares at workplaces, expanding the options for work at home programs, and firms hosting social events to attract top, young talent. Some of these actions were to appease Generation Y (Millennials), but some, whether the intent was known or not, will be very pleasing and beneficial to Generation Z. However, Generation Y and …

Getting A Top Management Consulting Job From Usc: The Definitive Guide, Cameron Wall

Senior Theses

This thesis is meant to serve as an instructional guide on landing a job at an elite management consulting firm for students of the University of South Carolina. Management consulting is an attractive career path for many reasons, but it also is intense, has long hours, and is not the right career fit for everyone. The first section of this guide seeks to introduce the field, help students understand if the career might be right for them, and outline the steps they should take to make themselves competitive when they apply. In the second section, they will find the personal …

Effective Strategies For Sustaining Small Retail Businesses, Eddie Dean Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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

The Impact Of Small Business Leadership On Employee Turnover, Zanlandria M. Crosby-Hardin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover creates a skill loss and negatively affects productivity, reducing organizational effectiveness as well as increasing costs for recruitment and training of new employees. This important to business owners who want to sustain employees, prevent loss of profit, and productivity. Herzberg’s two-factor theory was the conceptual lens for this qualitative multiple case study which explored hair salon owners’ strategies to reduce employee turnover. The participants were 5 hair salon owners in the state of South Carolina. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and an analysis of company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5 phase process to identify patterns …

Managerial Entrenchment And Financial Reporting Comparability, Qifeng Wu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines whether managerial entrenchment has an association with firms' financial statement comparability. I find that managerial entrenchment has a significant negative association with financial statement comparability, providing a new notion about the management influence on financial reporting quality. Moreover, by using the business segment as a proxy for business complexity, I find that the variation of accounting comparability with its peer firms mainly stems from managers' investment choice. This finding supports FASB's assertion that financial statement comparability is a reporting quality that should be enhanced among firms with similar economic events. Lastly, I test if managerial entrenchment mitigates …

Successful Strategies To Lead Change Initiatives, Lorice S. Edwards Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As financial systems, global trade, and the regulatory environment integrate, business leaders are often ill equipped to develop and implement strategies to lead changes in organizations. Business leaders who lead change initiatives without proven sustainability strategies are highly susceptible to business closure. Grounded in Lewin's theory of change, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful strategies some business leaders used to develop and manage change initiatives to remain operable beyond 5 years. The participants included 4 industry business leaders with a minimum of 5 years of successful change leadership experience. The data collection included semistructured …

Leadership Strategies To Manage Workplace Conflict, Omari Asante

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace conflict can be counterproductive to organizational goal attainment and can cause dysfunction and unhealthy competition among organizational members. When left unchecked, workplace conflict can negatively impact teams’ performance and result in substantial financial losses to organizations. However, when properly managed, workplace conflict can lead to positive relationship building, peer learning, enhanced communication, innovation, and high motivation. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore leadership strategies senior account managers use to manage workplace conflict. Participants were 8 senior account managers who had successfully implemented leadership strategies for managing workplace conflict in …

Strategies To Improve Millennial Employees’ Engagement Within The Hospitality Industry, Duane Stephens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, engagement levels of the multigenerational workforce are negatively affecting the overall business value. Employee engagement is important to hospitality industry leaders as an indicator of job performance, turnover, employee intentions, and organizational commitment. Grounded in Kahn’s employee engagement theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective strategies used by leaders in the hospitality industry to improve Millennial employee engagement. The participants were 5 hotel leaders in Virginia who successfully engaged their Millennial workforce. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, company documents, and note-taking. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-step data analysis, …

Strategies For Business Management Innovations To Improve Competitiveness, Roger George Denousse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some African business leaders were, in 2019, less competitive because they continue to use traditional business management practices and have failed to incorporate advanced technology. Taking advantage of new management strategies and innovative technology to increase their global competitiveness will benefit African businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study, grounded in Burns’ transformational leadership theory, was to explore strategies that business leaders in Seychelles have used to implement management innovations to improve competitiveness. The participants consisted of 5 business leaders from 5 large innovative business organizations operating successfully and based in Mahe, Seychelles. The data were collected through semistructured …

Public Service Employee Perceptions Of Leadership Behaviors That Engage Or Disengage, Beverlyn A. Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A high percentage of U.S. employees do not engage in their work, resulting in lower productivity. U.S. corporations are losing more than $400–$500 billion per year because of low productivity at work. This phenomenological study involved an examination of leadership behaviors that engage or disengage employees in public service organizations. Kahn’s conceptual frame of engagement and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs motivation theory guided this study. The purpose was to determine why disengagement behavior continues despite extensive literature on the benefits of engagement and what organizations can do to encourage leadership behaviors that engage employees and discourage leadership behaviors that disengage …

Strategies For Implementing E-Learning Solutions In Ghana’S Public Universities: A Delphi Study, Joyce Manu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Thousands of qualified university applicants are denied admission into mainstream public universities in Ghana each year mainly due to lack of physical space on campuses, but e-learning has been identified as a way of increasing admissions. However, there have been no strategies for implementing solutions to e-learning, and so this study was conducted to identify these strategies. The conceptual framework comprised of status quo bias, culture, and resistance to change. A qualitative modified Delphi approach was used for the study with three rounds of surveys. The 11 panelists were administrators and/or professors who had been in their positions for 2 …

Mutual Accountability And Its Impacts On Cross-Functional Teams, Lori E. Simms

Theses and Dissertations

The intent of cross-functional teams is to bring together diverse individuals of relevant functional expertise from across an organization to solve problems rapidly and efficiently. The difficulty with cross-functional teams is in establishing and maintaining mutual accountability because individuals come with their respective individual accountabilities and the methods for which those accountabilities were established. This qualitative study explored mutual accountability, how it is established, and its impact on cross-functional teams. Nine individuals participated in semi-structured interviews to explore how mutual accountability is established, barriers to establishing and maintaining it, and the impact of its presence or lack thereof on the …

Modelo De Gestión, Atención, Seguimiento Y Fidelización De Clientes Aplicado A La Empresa Seguridad Atlas, Omar Eduardo Eslava Fuentes

Maestría en Administración

El presente documento tiene como propósito el establecer un modelo de gestión, atención, seguimiento y fidelización de clientes aplicado a la empresa Seguridad Atlas, para lo cual se asumió una investigación descriptiva de tipo mixto, ya que se combinan los enfoques cuantitativo y cualitativo, mediante un método deductivo que analiza fenómenos generales para llegar a situaciones particulares, utilizando para ello teorías y principios. El trabajo también utiliza como instrumento de investigación el formato de encuesta para conocer la percepción y valoración de los clientes acerca de la organización. Los resultados obtenidos señalan que a pesar de la aceptación que posee …

What Works Where?, Edmond Davis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project my goal is to examine the management styles of three workplace environments and the relationships those styles create between the employees and their managers. I will endeavor to explore areas that can be improved from the management perspective of the work force so that employees will have more input in their workplace setting. The environments that this project will look into are the office setting, retail setting, and labor setting. Information for this project was collected via questionnaires that I constructed. There were two surveys distributed for this project. One survey was for employees and the others …