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Full-Text Articles in Business

Electronic Warrant Systems: The Effect Of Advanced Technologies On Arrest Performance, Gerald Lee Ward Jan 2016

Electronic Warrant Systems: The Effect Of Advanced Technologies On Arrest Performance, Gerald Lee Ward

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public safety is negatively affected when arrest warrant information is not available to law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, and other criminal justice practitioners. The U.S. Government and the criminal justice community have advocated for electronic warrant systems (e-warrants). Peace officers know that when e-warrant systems deliver warrant information to them immediately from multiple jurisdictions, their safety is increased. However, the factors that cause these e-warrants systems to improve safety are not known. The purpose of this historical data analysis study was to determine if the use of e-warrant systems resulted in shorter clearance times than the use of legacy paper-based …


Strategies For Employee Engagement In A Small Business Enterprise, Jennifer L. Kizer Jan 2016

Strategies For Employee Engagement In A Small Business Enterprise, Jennifer L. Kizer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2013, 35% of the workforce was not engaged, which results in lack of productivity and loss of profitability for small business enterprises (SBEs). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore successful strategies that frontline leaders in a 4 generation, family-owned excavating business used to engage their frontline employees. The excavating business was started in 1947 by the father of the current business owners. William Kahn's employee engagement theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through a focus group and direct observations of engagement during meetings and frontline areas from a population of …


Marketing Strategies Used By Franchise Small Businesses To Retain Customers, Hilda Jordan Arline Jan 2016

Marketing Strategies Used By Franchise Small Businesses To Retain Customers, Hilda Jordan Arline

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Franchised small businesses will not survive their first 5 years if they cannot implement marketing strategies that appeal to their customers. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies that successful franchise small business leaders used to retain customers. The population comprised 4 business leaders at franchise small businesses in North Carolina. Competitive advantage theory and blue ocean theory grounded this study. Data were collected using semistructured face-to-face interviews and review of company marketing materials. Data were thematically analyzed, and 6 themes emerged: personalization of customer service, market segmentation, innovative advertising, networking, brand identity, and …


Transforming Christian Schools Using Sustainable Model Of Organizational Change And Performance Improvement, Abraham Adhanom Jan 2016

Transforming Christian Schools Using Sustainable Model Of Organizational Change And Performance Improvement, Abraham Adhanom

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational failure in Christian schools is a common phenomenon affecting millions of families in the United States. In the past 2 decades alone, more than 200 Christian schools closed each year; and many continued to struggle for survival. This trend presented significant challenge for the sustainability of faith-based schools that serve over 10% of grade-level students in the country. The purpose of this study was to examine internal and external factors impacting the performance of Christian schools and analyze existing theories of institutional effectiveness leading to the development of a sustainable framework. The research question addressed what type of organizational …


Strategy And Profitability: Managing Profits In Inflation Economy, Mohamed Jaffar Mohamed Sharaaz Jan 2016

Strategy And Profitability: Managing Profits In Inflation Economy, Mohamed Jaffar Mohamed Sharaaz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inflation rate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) rose to 5-year highs in 2014 and higher by 28% in the first half of 2015. This situation has challenged business managers to sustain business goals. Guided by Kaplan and Norton's balanced scorecard framework. the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies business managers use to maintain profitability with rising operating costs. Two organizations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates were purposefully sampled for this multiple case study. Data were collected through multiple semistructured interviews of a single senior manager from each organization, then triangulated with company e-mails and …


Strategies For Responding To Generational Differences In Workplace Engagement, Amanda Delane Crowe Jan 2016

Strategies For Responding To Generational Differences In Workplace Engagement, Amanda Delane Crowe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business managers are experiencing a 30% turnover of employees, costing U.S. businesses $41.3 million per year. The purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies that experienced business managers use in small accounting firms to respond effectively to generational differences in workplace engagement. Using a purposeful sampling technique, 5 managers possessing successful experience in issues related to generational differences in the workplace were recruited from small accounting firms located in Midwestern United States to participate in semi-structured interviews about engaging a multi-generational workforce. Methodological triangulation was used to analyze the data collected through semi-structured interviews and observations, …


Servant Leaders' Use Of High Performance Work Practices And Corporate Social Performance, Michelle Kathleen Fitzgerald Preiksaitis Jan 2016

Servant Leaders' Use Of High Performance Work Practices And Corporate Social Performance, Michelle Kathleen Fitzgerald Preiksaitis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business researchers have shown that servant leaders empower, provide long-term vision, and serve their workers and followers better than do nonservant leaders. High performance work practices (HPWPs) and corporate social performance (CSP) can enhance employee and firm productivity. However, when overused or poorly managed, HPWPs and CSP can lead to the business problems of employee disengagement, overload, or anxiety. Scholars noted a gap in human resource management research regarding whether leadership styles affect HPWPs and CSP use. This study examined the relationship between leadership style and the use of HPWPs and CSP, by using a quantitative, nonexperimental design. U.S. business …


Examining Alignment Between Canadian Municipal Police Performance Evaluation Policies And Officer Perceptions, Birdella Wilson Jan 2016

Examining Alignment Between Canadian Municipal Police Performance Evaluation Policies And Officer Perceptions, Birdella Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A lack of alignment between police performance evaluation policy purposes and officer performance evaluation perceptions has implications for the organizations' resource management, officer morale, and public safety. A literature review points towards a gap existing between policy purpose statements and employee perceptions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the policy purposes of police performance evaluations and the officers' perceptions of those evaluation experiences in 4 Ontario municipal police services. DiMaggio and Powell's (1983) Institutional theory was the foundation for this study. Data for this study were collected from 4 police services in Ontario, Canada. The …


Absenteeism In An International Custom Software Engineering Company, Jennifer M. Mudek Jan 2016

Absenteeism In An International Custom Software Engineering Company, Jennifer M. Mudek

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Absenteeism has a negative impact on organizational output in the form of lost productivity and profit reduction for software engineering companies. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore the strategies that software engineering managers utilize for reducing absenteeism. The theory of planned behavior formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews from a purposeful sample of 11 managers at an international custom software engineering company. Data collection also included organizational data on employee absences for the past 5 years (2011-2015), e-mail memos, newsletters, employee handbook, and employee performance reviews. Based on …


Relationship Between Hospital Performance Measures And 30-Day Readmission Rates, Henry M. Carter Jan 2016

Relationship Between Hospital Performance Measures And 30-Day Readmission Rates, Henry M. Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medical errors occur at the prescription step due to lack adequate knowledge of medications by the physician, failure to adhere to policies and procedures, memory lapses, confusion in nomenclature, and illegible handwriting. Unfortunately, these errors can lead to patient readmission within 30 days of dismissal. Hospital leaders lose 0.25% to 1% of Medicare’s annual reimbursement for a patient readmitted within 30 days for the same illness. United States, lawmakers posited the use of health information technology, such as computerized physician order entry scores systems (CPOES), reduced hospital readmission, improved the quality of service, and reduced the cost of healthcare. Grounded …


Perceived Best Practices Of Small Business Executives In War Zones, Eric Wayne Barton Jan 2016

Perceived Best Practices Of Small Business Executives In War Zones, Eric Wayne Barton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The ability to sustain small businesses operating in war-torn areas is important not only to the business owners, but also to foreign communities receiving United States contract services for recovery from widespread decimation. While all small businesses address a wide range of issues, businesses operating in war-torn areas also face cultural diversity, local regulations, and potential threats to employee safety. The conceptual framework for this exploratory multiple case study was transformational-transactional leadership theory, guiding the research to discover traits and strategies of successful leaders in the population of small businesses that were profitable beyond 5 years while operating in the …


The Role And Impact Of Cyber Security Mentoring, James O. Ellithorpe Jan 2016

The Role And Impact Of Cyber Security Mentoring, James O. Ellithorpe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business organizations are faced with an enormous challenge to improve cyber security, as breeches and lapses through firewalls are increasingly commonplace. The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Information Technology (IT) staff are constantly challenged to identify and purge online and network structural weaknesses. The goal is to reduce overall business risk because unresolved risks are a constant concern to consumers who are uneasy about cyber security failures. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to examine the role and impact of Cyber Security Mentoring (CSM) from the perspectives of the workplace CISO, mentors, and protégés, who were randomly …


Relationship Building And Unethical Behavior In The Hospitality Industry, Sharron Lee Koch Jan 2016

Relationship Building And Unethical Behavior In The Hospitality Industry, Sharron Lee Koch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Relationship building is a fundamental component to develop successful businesses, although corrupt purchasing executives pay bribes in excess of $1.5 trillion dollars annually. The participants for this case study consisted of 10 national sales managers who have successfully implemented strategies to train suppliers in relationship building in a hotel in Greensville, South Carolina. The resource dependence theory grounded the study. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies a hotel owner in Greenville, South Carolina used to train managers on relationship building. Collection of data included 8 semi-structured telephone interviews and 2 video interviews that were audio …


The Impact Of Organizational Culture On Corporate Performance, Tewodros Bayeh Tedla Jan 2016

The Impact Of Organizational Culture On Corporate Performance, Tewodros Bayeh Tedla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of effective organizational culture and poor cultural integration in the corporate group affect organizational performance and decrease shareholders return. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore successful strategies that one corporate group used to establish an effective organizational culture to improve performance. The Denison organizational culture model served as the conceptual framework for the study. A purposive sample of 20 senior managers from a corporate group in Ethiopia participated in semistructured face-to-face interviews. The selected participant met the criteria of a minimum 5 years of experience with successful strategies in establishing an effective organizational culture in …


Small Business Survivability Beyond Five Years, Koyandome Freddy Koyagialo Jan 2016

Small Business Survivability Beyond Five Years, Koyandome Freddy Koyagialo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States has a high failure rate of small businesses, with 30% of small business failing within the first 2 years. The objective of this case study was to explore strategies successful small business owners use to achieve profitability beyond 5 years. The purposive sample for this study included 4 owners of successful small businesses in Atlanta, Georgia, who have been in business for at least 5 years. The conceptual framework was built upon disruptive innovation and susceptibility theory. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and company documents. The analysis revealed 3 themes, market research, passion and determination, and …


User Adoption Of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems In The Public Sector, Lionel O. Wright Jan 2016

User Adoption Of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems In The Public Sector, Lionel O. Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The importance of aligning information technology and business strategies to exploit capabilities and change business practices has increased as firms strive for competitive advantage in a diverse and changing marketplace. Nevertheless, over 50% of firms implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems ranked expected process and value enhancements as inadequate, whereas only 13% indicated that implementations met their needs. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model formed the conceptual framework of this single case study. The study comprised a purposeful sampling of 8 business managers in Southeast Alabama working in related job roles and based on established …


The Effects Of Participative Leadership Practices On Job Satisfaction For Highly Skilled Virtual Teams, Funda Sinani Jan 2016

The Effects Of Participative Leadership Practices On Job Satisfaction For Highly Skilled Virtual Teams, Funda Sinani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Virtual-team professionals have reported experiencing low job satisfaction due to lack of face-to-face interaction leading to stress, miscommunication, and role-confusion. Dissatisfaction among virtual teams has increased turnover and management costs for organizations. Despite these known associations, there was a gap in the literature investigating efficient leadership practices to improve job satisfaction for highly skilled virtual teams. Participative leadership offers an effective approach to increase job satisfaction among face-to-face teams and innovative teams. This study explored the relationship between participative leadership and job satisfaction among highly skilled virtual teams within the global software industry. A quantitative study with a correlational design …


Market Orientation In Government Markets And Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, Ashley Moye Jan 2016

Market Orientation In Government Markets And Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, Ashley Moye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate resources, poor market strategy, competition, contract regulation, and disparate performance outcomes are issues small business owners face while competing for government contracts. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the market orientation-business performance relationship and the influence of market factors among veteran-owned small businesses competing for government contracts in the United States. A survey with adapted MARKOR and Government Regulation Lassez-Faire scales was administered to 203 veteran-owned small business owners. Resource-advantage theory served as the theoretical foundation for this study. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant, suggesting that market orientation relates to firm performance …


Strategies For Managing A Multigenerational Workforce, Ronald Lee Iden Jan 2016

Strategies For Managing A Multigenerational Workforce, Ronald Lee Iden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The multigenerational workforce presents a critical challenge for business managers, and each generation has different expectations. A human resource management study of organizations with more than 500 employees reported 58% of the managers experiencing conflict between younger and older workers. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the multigenerational strategies used by 3 managers from a Franklin County, Ohio manufacturing facility with a population size of 6 participants. The conceptual framework for this study was built upon generational theory and cohort group theory. The data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, company documents, and a reflexive journal. …


An Exploration Of Leadership Styles And Motivation In Egyptian Business Organizations, Nady Ahmed El-Zayaty Jan 2016

An Exploration Of Leadership Styles And Motivation In Egyptian Business Organizations, Nady Ahmed El-Zayaty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership styles can have a profound impact on employee motivation and performance. The changing global business landscape has drawn much attention to transformational leadership as an approach that addresses the demands of organizations in this complex environment. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to understand the nature of employee motivation with regard to leadership styles and the role of transformational leadership in Egyptian business organizations. Seventeen Egyptian professionals were recruited through a combination of e-mail and telephone procedures and were interviewed regarding their experiences with organizational leaders; their perception of the ideal organizational leader; their feelings about …


The Effect Of Healthcare Reform On The Sustainability Of Nonprofit Hospitals, Carmela Josephine Lynch Jan 2016

The Effect Of Healthcare Reform On The Sustainability Of Nonprofit Hospitals, Carmela Josephine Lynch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare spending in the United States has continued to rise with annual healthcare cost of $3.8 trillion in 2014. While costs and the population continue to rise, resources continue to dwindle. Consequently, Congress has imposed various price controls and healthcare reform measures over the past 20 years, including the recent Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which aims to decrease spending while enhancing quality and safety of care delivery. As a result of the implementation of the PPACA, 34 million additional Americans may be eligible for healthcare in a system already needing additional resources, increased access to care, and …


Leader Strategies To Reduce Sales Personnel Attrition, Nicole Lea Hawkins Jan 2016

Leader Strategies To Reduce Sales Personnel Attrition, Nicole Lea Hawkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Because sales are the primary revenue generators for insurance companies, reducing attrition of sales agents is essential to organizational success. The purpose of this single descriptive case study was to explore strategies that 6 Nebraskan sales leaders within the insurance industry used to reduce attrition. Participants had experience in sales leadership and the attrition of sales personnel and were able to provide insight into the unique perspectives on attrition in the insurance industry. Participants met the following criteria: (a) manage an insurance sales office or organization or (b) held an insurance sales leadership position for at least 1 year and …


The Bop Energy Challenge And Pro-Poor Responses: Strategic Entry Pathways For Entrepreneurs, Felix Motekah Tang Jan 2016

The Bop Energy Challenge And Pro-Poor Responses: Strategic Entry Pathways For Entrepreneurs, Felix Motekah Tang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many large multinational energy company leaders lack strategies to successfully enter and thrive in bottom of the pyramid (BOP) markets. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies using a purposeful selection of 7 senior managers from a U. S. based global multinational energy leader with experience in BOP markets in the Republic of Cameroon. The BOP concept served as the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with senior managers, relevant websites, and government publications. Several themes emerged that were narrowed through categorical aggregation to identify strategies. Major themes included BOP readiness …


The Impact Of Transformational Leadership Style On The Success Of Global Virtual Teams, Shery Wojtara-Perry Jan 2016

The Impact Of Transformational Leadership Style On The Success Of Global Virtual Teams, Shery Wojtara-Perry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations in the age of modern technology have a diverse workforce, who are spread around the globe, and the business leaders of the 21st century need to understand how best to manage, overcome new challenges, and know the various skills of team members to capitalize on their differences and unique skills. To allow those geographically dispersed workers to reach their full potential and facilitate team success. Global virtual teams (GVTs) operate in complex environments characterized by diverse cultural and organizational elements. The primary purpose of this correlational and nonexperimental quantitative research was to examine the impact of transformational leadership on …


Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Style, And Job Satisfaction In Contrasting Workplace Environments, Jason Allen Downing Jan 2016

Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Style, And Job Satisfaction In Contrasting Workplace Environments, Jason Allen Downing

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managers in direct contact with employees in operational and organizational settings have a profound effect on employee satisfaction and performance. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated distinctly different levels of occupational stress between blue- and white-collar workers. A quasi-experimental design tested if the levels of emotional intelligence and transformational leadership style of managers had different effects on employee job satisfaction between blue- and white-collar workers. The theories of emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, and employee job satisfaction grounded the framework of the study. Data was collected using the Multifactor Factor Leadership (MLQ) questionnaire, the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), and the …


Culture Wars: Explaining Congressional Partisanship And Organizational Dysfunction Through Moral Foundations Theory, Jessica H. Wilson-Hart Jan 2016

Culture Wars: Explaining Congressional Partisanship And Organizational Dysfunction Through Moral Foundations Theory, Jessica H. Wilson-Hart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The focus of this study was the organizational working environment and existing partisanship evident in the United States Congress. There has been a reduction in the number of laws passed over the last 30 years from a high of over 1,000 to a low of around 120, with a period of complete government shutdown in 2013. This qualitative research utilized qualitative content analysis to discover the nature of partisan conflict as demonstrated by 6 members of Congress. The conceptual framework for this study was moral foundations theory. Different moral principles held by Democrats and Republicans were studied as a possible …


Succession Planning Strategies Of Faith-Based, Nonprofit Leaders Of The Boomer Generation, Leigh Byers Jan 2016

Succession Planning Strategies Of Faith-Based, Nonprofit Leaders Of The Boomer Generation, Leigh Byers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Formal succession planning strategies for retiring Baby Boomer generation of leaders in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are nonexistent in many NPOs, including faith-based NPOs. Top NPO leaders possess vital organizational knowledge and experience. The lack of strategic succession planning adversely affects organizational sustainability and mission fulfillment. Guided by the conceptual framework of knowledge transfer, the current study supplies a description of succession planning strategies used in faith-based organizations that have Boomer leaders. This multiple case study included 3 faith-based NPOs in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in Florida and their top-level leaders. They supplied descriptions of formal succession planning strategies through semistructured …


U.S. Federal Government Telework Management Strategies, Blaine Edward Mills Jan 2016

U.S. Federal Government Telework Management Strategies, Blaine Edward Mills

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 dramatically increased teleworking opportunities for federal employees. The increase in the number of teleworking employees presented numerous challenges for federal managers attempting to establish social networks, teamwork, and organizational commitment for their employees. This study used the case study design with a socio-technical conceptual framework as the basis to explore the strategies managers used. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with federal managers of teleworkers located in the Midwest region of the United States. A coding strategy was employed to organize the transcripts from the interviews into themes, and methodological triangulation was utilized by …


Predictive Ability Of Emotional Intelligence Scores On Employee Self-Reported Perception Of Comprehensive Organizational Credibility Inventory, Leif Allen Ford Jan 2016

Predictive Ability Of Emotional Intelligence Scores On Employee Self-Reported Perception Of Comprehensive Organizational Credibility Inventory, Leif Allen Ford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that emotional intelligence (EQ) is positively related to beneficial outcomes in organizations. Research has also found that negative perceptions of organizational credibility (OC) can result in adverse economic and social costs for organizations and communities. To date, the existing research has failed to examine whether employee EQ might affect employee perceptions of OC. A quantitative, non-experimental study was conducted using a sample of employees in large health and medical organizations throughout the United States. The variables in the study were measured using the Assessing Emotions Scale and the Comprehensive Organizational Credibility Inventory. Multiple regression analyses and Pearson …


Developing Generation-Based Volunteer Management Practices, Tonya Renee' Howard Jan 2016

Developing Generation-Based Volunteer Management Practices, Tonya Renee' Howard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many nonprofits seek a volunteer base that includes the experience and maturity of the Silent and Baby Boomer Generations as well as the creativity and advanced technological knowledge of Generations X, Y, and Z. Published literature recommends implementing multigenerational volunteer programs to increase the representation of multiple generations. However, there is no literature providing guidance to create volunteer management practices that simultaneously recruit and retain those generations. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of 5 generations of volunteers. The research questions for this phenomenological study addressed perspectives that may contribute to developing generation-based volunteer …