Business Commons^™

A Content Analysis Of Dissertations On Business Topics: A Quantitative Study, Kat Yamamoto

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Many students explore business topics in their dissertations because they are relevant research areas for future scholar-practitioners such as leaders, educators, researchers, and consultants. Nevertheless, there is limited scholarship on the content of dissertations from PhD and practitioner doctoral programs. Dissertation research methodology choices, page lengths, and research topics have not been studied extensively. Few studies have been conducted to explore the differences and similarities between researcher-oriented and practitioner-oriented dissertations. This study examined dissertations written on business topics in the recent ten years using content analysis to address these gaps. A sample of dissertations uploaded in the years 2010, 2015, …

Factors Motivating Leaders To Volunteer: An Examination Of Volunteer Leadership In Long-Term Post-Acute Care, Christian Allen Mason

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Volunteer literature presents distinct insights into the motives, individual personalities, and socio demographic characteristics of volunteers. Numerous studies exploring the cognitive, behavioral, and functional approaches to volunteerism populate the literature. However, comparatively little research has been conducted focusing on the specific motives leading association members to volunteer in nonprofit health care trade associations. Yet, non-profit health care trade associations offer some of the highest volunteer rates. Using the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI), this study examines the functional motivations of professional long-term post-acute care (LTPAC) leaders volunteering in a member-driven trade association. This research examines intrinsic and extrinsic motivations using a …

A Narrative Analysis Of Virtue Ethics Among Accounting Professors, Gibran N. Zogbi

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore the vision that accounting professors had of teaching virtue ethics in their courses. The study sample consisted of eight professors who have taught accounting and related finance courses full time for at least 2 years at an institution that grants four-year (bachelor) degrees in Accounting. Participants included professors from two public and one private university. The methodology allowed for the discernment of meanings that emerged from participants’ lived experiences of virtue ethics and ethics in general. Analysis of resulting themes and constructionist perceptions created a narrative conclusion that was a …

Impacts Of Public Land And Income On Obesity In The United States, Megan Brower, Gracie Carlsen

Student Scholarship - College of Business

This study looked at state public land acreage, average median income, poverty rates, and unemployment rates to analyze the significance of their impact on obesity in the United States. Percentage of public land for each state was gathered from a data overview of 2018, data for the economic factors of influence were from 2017-2019, and obesity rate information was collected from 2019. The hypothesis was that there would be a negative relationship to obesity with public land and average median income; and a positive relationship to obesity with poverty and unemployment rates. This study found there to be a negative …

The Effect Of Economic Growth On Co2 Emissions, Parker Jackson

Student Scholarship - College of Business

This study looked at the effect of economic growth on the CO2 emissions of each U.S. state. Data from all 50 states and Washington D.C. was collected from multiple sources across the years of 1990 to 2017. This data was tested using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions to test the hypothesis that there was a positive causation between the growth of the economy and an increase of CO2 Emissions. The results of this study were that there was a negative relationship between the growth of the economy, based on GDP per state, and the amount of CO2 emissions produced. However, …

Rings Do Not Come From Spring, Richard Beck, Nathaniel Gurnee

Student Scholarship - College of Business

“Ring by Spring” is a common phrase used by undergraduate students at George Fox University to describe the phenomenon where students are engaged before receiving their degree. This research paper aims to understand the factors that lead to students becoming involved in long-term relationships on campus at George Fox. Our research was gathered via a survey of 238 undergraduate students and then analyzed using regression modeling to determine which, if any, factors contributed to students engaging in long-term relationships of more than 6 months. After conducting research, we concluded that three factors were primarily significant in determining the likelihood of …

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 …

Job Satisfaction Among Faculty Members At Cccu Institutions, Heather C. Vaccaro

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

The purpose of this research study was to determine whether any significant differences existed between generational cohorts, gender and employment status, and reported levels of job satisfaction among faculty at institutions within the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). This study aimed to influence institutional objectives and values to make any necessary adjustments in the attraction and retention of faculty members. The Academic Setting Evaluation Questionnaire (ASEQ) was used to survey participants. The data suggested factors that impact job satisfaction among faculty members within CCCU institutions are not those related to generational cohort, gender, or employment status. This study …

A Cord Of Three: A Phenomenological Study Of Linkages In Interdenominational Interactions In Northwest Wyoming As Informed Through Network And Social Exchange Theories, Timothy N. Gray

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

This study explores pastors’ interactions in a rural regional network through Network and Social Exchange Theories. With the increasing need to understand the life experiences of network actors, a qualitative based approach is utilized. The results provide in-depth and contextually sensitive results that traditional quantitative-based techniques cannot. Open-ended interviewing allowed the participants to share their lived experiences, identifying the rhythms of boundary spanning behaviors. This offers hope for those seeking to understand the intricacies that orchestrate groups of people coming together in synergistic relationships. From a biblical understanding, a Cord of Three is not easily broken, and this study reveals …

Millennial Students’ Awareness Of Retirement Issues, Their Retirement Preparedness And Future Expectations, Krzysztof P. Bryniuk

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Sandwiched between the "Gen-Xers" and the "Baby Boomers," the Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce. They also have a (mostly undeserved) reputation of being pampered, over-protected, lazy, spoiled, failures. Millennials often shun grownup responsibilities for which the term "adulting" was coined. Primary adulting responsibility is planning for retirement. This study addressed that issue and had its origins in the author's practice as an Accountant and Income Tax Preparer, as well as his profession as a Business and Accounting Professor/Instructor at various colleges and universities.

It became apparent to the researcher that clients and students, particularly those in …

Leadership In Extremis: Authentic Leadership In Recreational Scuba Instructors, Geoffrey E. Sutton

Doctor of Management

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the operational environment was chaotic and uncertain. Effective leadership in these circumstances was internally centered and values-based, rather than externally centered and rule-based. Theorists named this leadership style authentic leadership. Research into leadership in dangerous circumstances revealed that effective in extremis leaders display authentic leadership. Dangerous circumstances include not only military combat and traditional occupations such as law enforcement and firefighting, but also dangerous sports such as parachuting and mountain climbing. This investigation extended the existing research to a different dangerous sport, scuba diving. Data collection consisted of a single stage cross-sectional survey …

Assessing The Impact Of Transition From Rules-Based To Principles-Based Accounting In The Recognition Of Revenue: A Study Of Public Companies Listed In The Russell 3000 Index That Elected The Full Retrospective Method Of Accounting, Foday Y. Deen-Conteh

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

This research empirically assesses the impact on the financial statements for businesses listed on the Russell 3000 Index after the transition to FASB ASC Topic 606: Revenue from Contract with Customers. The study was focused on the 272 companies that elected the Full Retrospective Method of accounting after transition from rules-based accounting to principles-based accounting. The research applied Gray Comparability Index and Student t-Test to determine the significance of the difference between the ex ante and ex post revenues reported in the Form 10K filed with the Securities Exchange Commission. The companies were divided into all adopters, early-adopters, and non-early …

Electronic Health Records: Influencing Performance At Critical Access Hospitals, John Bennett

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

This study examines the effectiveness of management decisions with implementing electronic health record’s initiatives through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009. Specifically, this research explores attested stages of Meaningful Use with impacts on profitability, costs, and financial liquidity in Washington State Critical Access Hospitals through an analysis of ratios and financial measures. These facilities are often anchors supporting local economic growth, and a closure can bring financial hardship throughout the community. There is a need in critical access hospital markets to establish a relationship between management decisions investing in new technologies coordinating patient care …

The Relationship Among Generational Cohorts, Tenure, Job Categories, And Employee Readiness For Organizational Change In A Healthcare Environment: A Quantitative Study, Jerry S. K. Adatsi

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Internal and external factors constantly influence and pressure healthcare organizations to adapt, change, or respond to changes in the modern global business environment. When facing the challenge of change initiatives, healthcare organizations depend on the flexibility of employees to successfully navigate the change process as there is the expectation that their employees will be ready for a change. Extant literature, however, suggests that more than 70% of change initiatives undertaken by businesses fail, and the high cost of failure is due to the resistance of employees to change and their lack of change readiness. With continued interest by healthcare organizations …

The Impact Of Buyer Needs On Perceived Trade Show Effectiveness, Rj Fryan

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

The personal needs of professionals within the steel industry have the potential to influence sales and marketing activities. In a business-to-business setting, trade shows stand out as industry-accepted sales and marketing activities. While previous research has explored trade show strategies by examining various aspects of operational functions, a gap exists in the literature surrounding the attendees and their needs. Using three of Maslow’s needs classifications, this study seeks to explore the relationship between trade show attendees’ needs and their perceptions of trade show effectiveness and post-show purchase intention.

Self-Determination Theory And Pharmaceutical Salespeople: Does Motivational Orientation Of U.S.-Based Pharmaceutical Salespeople Influence Sales Performance?, Brandon Gilbert

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Utilizing self-determination theory as the foundational theory for this research, this study analyzes the potential relationship that exists between a U.S.-Based Pharmaceutical salesperson’s motivational orientation (intrinsic or extrinsic) and their sales performance. Sales performance in this study is defined by sales awards (President’s Club, sales rankings, 100% to goal, etc.). To build a foundation of understanding of motivational theory, various theories in addition to self-determination theory are explored in the literature review. The four motivational categories explored are: a) hedonic motivational theories, b) cognitive motivational theories, c) personal growth or actualization motivation theories, and d) self-determination theory. Self-determination theory is …

Sticker Price Elasticity As Predictor Of Tuition Reset Success: A Quantitative Approach, Robert F. Van Cleef

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Few quantitative studies exist on tuition outcomes resets despite increasing frequency and interest among industry practitioners. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between sticker price elasticity and changes in first-year student enrollment, net tuition and fee revenue from first-year students, percent of first-year students who are Pell-eligible, and changes in transfer student enrollment using multivariate logistic and linear regression models. The independent variable is the sticker price elasticity of demand from two years preceding the announcement of a reset.

This study contributes to the literature by adding to evidence regarding the signaling role of sticker price …

Can Trait Emotional Intelligence Variables Of Well-Being, Self-Control, Emotionality, And Sociability Individually Or Collectively Predict A Software Development Engineer's Creativity?, Mwoyondishe Jonathan Mvududu

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

This quantitative research study was carried out as a partial requirement for earning a Doctor of Business Administration degree from George Fox University. The main goal of the research study was to investigate whether trait emotional intelligence variables of well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability can individually or collectively predict a software development engineer’s creativity or creativeness potential. Employee innovativeness is the primary focus of many organizations in today’s turbulent business environment whereby employees are increasingly gaining autonomy in self-managed teams. The study discusses the theoretical frameworks of creativity and trait emotional intelligence (Trait EI), an extension of the emotional intelligence …

Management Succession In A Two-Family-Owned Business: A Case Study, Dwight D. Ham

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

The purpose of this paper was to examine the impact in a two-family-owned business of the management succession process to the second generation. The research explored the use and makeup of a management team in transferring the leadership of the company. The study looked at the preparation and determination of which members of the family would assume positions formerly held by the two patriarchs and who would assume executive responsibilities as president. The research endeavored to answer the following question: How is succession planning for multiple senior executive positions in a two-family-owned business accomplished in a second-generation family-executive team? The …