Business Commons^™

The Impact Of Manager Appreciative Communication On Employee Psychological Well-Being Being, Matthew Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

Communication and leadership are both important components of a successful organization and can play a role in an employee's psychological well-being. This study looks at managers communication and the real-life impact on an employee's experience at work and how it affects their happiness. This study uses a mixed methodology to build a foundation of data, each from the managers and employees' point of view to build context and generate a direction a manager can take when communicating with their staff. The manager and employee reactions showed a correlation between a manager's ability to communicate their appreciation to their employee. A …

Team Building Challenges And Opportunities After A Public Agency Merger, Andrea A. Severson

Theses and Dissertations

This study used a mixed-method design to gather data about team building after a public agency merger. This study found that teamwork, role clarity, and clear decision processes were the most important factors impacting goal accomplishment post-merger. Prioritizing team building before, during, and after a public agency merger can address some of the most common challenges presented by a merger or acquisition.

Multi-Generation Family Business Succession At Mondial Printing Services In Nigeria: A Case Study, Titus Oyeladun

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative single case study examined the factors that contributed to the successful transition of Mondial Printing Services (MPS)—a family business in Nigeria—to the second generation. Secondly, this study investigated to what extent, if any, did formal succession planning impact the transfer of Mondial Printing Services from founder to second generation in Nigeria. And lastly this study investigated to what extent, if any, does succession experience of a second-generation family business leaders at MPS influence their approach to continuity and succession planning. This study analyzed qualitative data in the form of interviews from a sample population of five employees at …

An Evaluation Of A Transorganizational Development Process Promoting Positive Social Change, Erin Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Humanity's largest and most complex social problems are not going to be adequately addressed by one organization working alone. This study addressed two research questions: (1) what ingredients enable successful transorganization collaboration seeking positive social change? and (2) what roles does trust play? Using a case study methodology, participants and observers were interviewed. The data was analyzed using Ainsworth and Feyerhem's diagnostic model of transorganzational systems and Vangen and Huxham's trust-building and trust-sustaining theory. The findings emphasize the interdependence of transorganizational system (TS) design components and, in particular, of trust with each of the components.

Talent Investment And Nonprofit Pay: A Study In The Arts Community, Sally E. Loftis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore employee perceptions of pay as part of a talent investment strategy at Penland School of Craft, the largest non-academic craft school in the United States. The study outlines action research completed when funds from a transformational endowment gift were used for employee needs. Study data reflected that structural and pay changes increased employee engagement. Study findings also informed recommendations for a nonprofit strategy to pay living wages connected to costs of living and a pay raise framework that supports different levels of employee development.

Assessing Best Practices For The Virtual Onboarding Of New Hires In The Technology Industry, Kaitlyn Pavlina

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the recent virtual onboarding experiences of new hires at companies in the technology industry. The present study sought to answer two research questions: to identify the current practices of technology companies for virtually onboarding new hires and to understanding the self-identified needs of recent new hires in this industry around virtual onboarding. The study found that tech companies focus most heavily on formal orientation sessions, one-on-one meetings, and group meetings when virtually onboarding new hires. Additionally, four key themes emerged when exploring what new hires find most important during virtual onboarding. This study details each of …

Developing Ei: Leadership Journeys In Emotional Intelligence, Erin Bric

Theses and Dissertations

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been deemed a critical competency for leaders in today's world. However, there is little information to help OD practitioners, leaders, and organizations understand how leaders can develop these skills in ways that meaningfully and positively impact their teams and organizations. This study examined the journeys of senior leaders as they developed their emotional intelligence. The study addressed two research questions: how leaders perceive they have developed their emotional intelligence throughout their lifetimes and how leaders are continuing to develop their emotional intelligence in their lives and careers. Key themes emerged out of leader interviews and were …

Love As An Organizational Norm: An Exploration At A Values-Centered Organization, Vangie Marie Bogaty-Rodríguez

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated to what extent, if any, developing a norm of love might be accepted, incorporated, sustained, and beneficial to an organization. Participants included 18 directors, manager, and supervisors of a 24-year-old telecommunications company located in Puerto Rico. Data were collected through individual interviews where interviewees shared their perspectives on the possibility of adopting the norm of love, their acceptance of it, and how they would implement it. Findings indicated that a majority (83.33%) of the participants acknowledged that love is part of the human essence and whole selves, and that such a norm would be beneficial to employees …

A Quantitative Descriptive Study Of The Self-Perception Of Southern Oregon Entrepreneurial Leaders, Rebecca Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The study helped to identify what are the leadership styles of adult entrepreneurs, and what if any factors contribute to an entrepreneurs' leadership style. The study focused on entrepreneurial leaders, over the age of 18, who own and started their own business. These entrepreneurs are a member of one of the following Southern Oregon-based business networking groups: Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (SOREDI), and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of Southern Oregon. The study explored the self-perceived leadership styles of entrepreneurs in Southern Oregon through a quantitative descriptive survey method that utilized a 45-question, Likert scale from the …

Once Upon A Team: The Impact Of Personal Storytelling Types On Desire To Collaborate, Matt Ebeling

Theses and Dissertations

Personal story disclosure supports the development of interpersonal relationships through the building of trust and feelings of closeness. In organizational teams, trust is key to the promotion of cooperative behaviors and team performance, and collaboration within a team and across teams becomes exceedingly important as organizations grow and increase in complexity. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of specific types of personal storytelling on a person's desire to collaborate with others in the workplace. I conclude that the following characteristics of personal story sharing by co-workers have a positive impact on desire to collaborate with the …

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 …

An Investigation Into Educational Employee Practices For Finding And Maintaining A Sense Of Meaning In Their Work, Elizabeth P. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed method study examined how educational employees in 3 public school districts in southeast Michigan make and/or create a sense of meaning in their work and sought to understand how relationships influence employee's sense of meaningfulness. Quantitative data collection came from a survey combining the Job Crafting Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Work and Meaning Index (WAMI). 266 employees completed the survey. Qualitative data collection included interviewing 17 employees with representation from each role category and each school district. This study found personnel working in the field of education in southeast Michigan find their work highly meaningful; and that relationships …

"Thanks For The Free Products! #Ad": The Effects Of The Number Of Followers And Sponsorship Disclosures On The Credibility Of Instagram Influencers, Allison Renee Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Instagram influencers regularly promote products for brands. Some influencers follow Federal Trade Commission rules on advertising disclosures, such as putting "ad" or "sponsored" in a visible line of text, whereas others do not. Disclosures alert users that they are viewing an ad. Many social media users view influencers as authentic, trusted information sources, so it is important they are aware when viewing paid ads. How disclosures affect source credibility remains unclear. This study used 2 x 2 factorial design to evaluate the roles of two possible credibility enhancing factors: number of followers and advertising disclosures. Instagram users (N = …

Systemic Barriers And Facilitators Of Help-Seeking And Highly Performing Individuals In Business And Sports, Jonathan N. Weller

Theses and Dissertations

The mental health and wellbeing of highly performing individuals in business and sport demands attention due to the high costs (personal and financial) that disruptions can create for these individuals and their organizations or teams. Utilizing 13 interviews with support professionals (e.g., executive coaches, psychologists), this study explored factors affecting help-seeking and wellbeing amongst high-performing athletes and executives, consequences of not seeking help, and similarities present in business and elite sports environments. Themes including stigma, career consequences, logistics, culture, and isolation of leadership were identified as factors inhibiting help-seeking and wellbeing. Service delivery factors, organizational resources and policies, and leadership …

Advancing Leadership Consciousness: Integrity From The Inside Out, Jessica Plancich Shinners

Theses and Dissertations

A poll conducted by the World Economic Forum (2015) found that 86% of respondents perceive that we are facing a global leadership crisis. At the time of this study, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the global ecology in dramatic and widespread ways. In light of this uncertain political, economic, sociological, and ecological climate, humanity is in need of consistent and reliable ways of developing exemplary leaders. As society enters into massive technological advancement, leaders and collaborators are at risk of obsolescence if we do not find innovative ways to harness innate human capacities to advance consciousness and co-evolve with technology. …

What Role Can Social Cognitive Neuroscience Play In Promoting Prosocial Behaviors In Organizations, Lynne Forbes-Zeller

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to establish a correlation between the integration of Social Cognitive Neuroscience (SCN) frameworks (e.g., The SCARF model) into day-to-day social interactions in the workplace. The study also sought to determine whether SCN practices can increase prosocial behaviors and improve a leader's influence. This qualitative study had four phases: an educational video, a self-assessment, a learning workshop, and an experiential learning exercise. Data were collected through eight interviews. This study revealed that understanding the brain's influence in social environments increased prosocial behaviors and positively impacted leader thoughts and actions. Data showed taking the self-assessment, learning …

The Effect Of Participative Management On Workplace Belonging, Hannah Nichols

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine how participation affects employee perceptions of belonging within nonprofit organizations. A mixed-methods design was utilized that included a survey of 24 employees' perception of participation, belonging, and relationship with their supervisor, and 10 semi-structured interviews. A regression analysis showed that participation had a strong positive relationship to workplace belonging and that generally interviewees felt invested in and supported because of their participation. There was also a strong positive correlation between perceived participation and the quality of the supervisor-employee relationship. The main conclusions of the study were participative management affects workplace belonging and …

A Phenomenological Study Of Flourishing In Mid-Career Professionals, Sohyun Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research shows that mid-career professionals experience more negative emotions such as regret, confusion, disappointment, frustration and anger than positive feelings. Yet, many mid-career professionals are flourishing in their careers and not experiencing such negativity. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of five professionals who self-identify as flourishing in mid-career. This study also addressed the literature gap concerning mid-career professionals who are flourishing. Prior studies did not utilize the up-to-date model of flourishing and specifically, Seligman's well-being theory and its PERMA-H (positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning, achievement, and positive physical health) model, …

Understanding Gender Roles In The Workplace: A Qualitative Research Study, Andrea Michel

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored female leaders' experiences with gender norms, implicit bias and microaggressions that they have experienced over the course of their careers. Research questions explored what gender norms exist, how they show up behaviorally in the workplace, and how gender norms, implicit bias and microaggressions impact women. 12 women participated in the study and were asked 12 interview questions. Participants' answers to these questions were coded to highlight themes. Themes were identified as communication diplomacy, leadership style, family commitments, physical appearance, and pink roles for data analysis. Key themes were summarized, and key research findings were discussed. Key …

Assessing The Impacts Of Work-Related Applications Of Improvisation Training On Psychological Safety In Teams, Marne Maykowskyj Nordean

Theses and Dissertations

This paper discusses improvisational training (IMPT) and psychological safety and seeks to find if the former impacts the latter. For this study, improvisation has four main tenets: ensemble / co-creating, 'yes, and' / accept and heighten, authenticity / celebrating failure, and listening and communication skills. Psychological safety is defined as the shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking and a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up. This confidence stems from mutual respect and trust among team members. It is described as …

The Relationships Among External Environments, Organizational Structures, And Performance In Pursuit Of The Clinical And Academic Missions At Academic Health Centers, Eric J. Strucko

Theses and Dissertations

Clinical and academic missions place Academic Health Centers (AHCs) at the center of the American health care system, and the future viability of these institutions requires successful performance in competitive environments. AHCs are organizations involving hospitals, physician group practices, and medical schools, and treat patients with complex conditions, conduct bio-medical and health science research, and educate future physicians and health professionals. AHCs account for 20% or $540 billion of national health care expenditures, conduct over 80% of all heart, liver, and lung transplants, utilize over $27 billion in annual sponsored research funding, and graduate approximately 17,300 medical doctors annually. Financial …

Why We Use A New Currency: The Role Of Trust And Control In Explaining The Perception And Usage Of Bitcoin, Joseph B. Walton

Theses and Dissertations

Social media, e-commerce, global peer-to-peer technologies, and the near ubiquity of computers and smartphones allow people to interact, trust, and exchange value across traditional socio-economic control boundaries and over significant distances. Since the creation in 2008 of a new cryptographic currency system called Bitcoin, a financial technology market sector of about 250 billion USD has rapidly emerged, raising questions about the nature of currency in society and whether new types of non-national money are warranted and viable. This debate has pitted heterodox economic interests against orthodox economic interests while it has rekindled interest in theories that view money as a …

Knowledge And Skill Predictors Of Voice Behavior: Voice As An Upward Influence, Zitong Sheng

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing body of research focused on improving our understanding of employee voice behavior. Yet this literature focuses mainly on factors that influence employees’ decisions regarding whether to speak up (i.e., quantity of voice behavior), rather than factors that influence whether voice behavior turns out to be effective. As a result, job attitudes and personality characteristics have been identified as the major personal factors predicting voice behavior. The current study contributes to the voice literature by viewing voice from an upward influence angle, examining the influences of the quality of content and …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Roles, Responsibilities, And Impact Of The Chief Data Officer At Institutions Of Higher Learning, Kevin Michael Casey

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes to analyze the role of chief data officer within institutions of higher education. The role of chief data officer is relatively new in the higher education industry and is appropriate to be studied. This dissertation seeks to discover personal, educational, and career demographics of the current chief data officers in higher education, as well as begin to understand their roles, responsibilities, and impact to the institution. Finally the study analyzes current institutions with chief data officers in order to identify factors for other universities to consider when considering the appointment. The research was conducted using survey methodology …

Tatimet Në Të Ardhura Personale Dhe Në Të Ardhura Të Korporatës Në Republikëne Kosovës, Vjosa Cena

Theses and Dissertations

Pako fiskale ka filluar që të aplikohet në Kosovë në vitin 2015 me pakon fiskale 1, me qëllim të përkrahjes së bizneseve. Prandaj është e rëndësishme që të identifikohet se si ka ndikuar kjo pako në zhvillimin e biznesit. Gjithashtu në këtë punim është shtjelluar qështja se çfarë lehtësirash ka sjellur pako fiskale tek bizneset Kosovare, veçanërisht lehtësirat në Tatimin në të Ardhura Personale (TAP) dhe Tatimin në të Ardhura të Korporatës (TAK).

Në këtë punim do të shtjellojmë barrën tatimore të Tatimeve në të Ardhura Personale dhe Tatimeve në të Ardhura të Korporatës në Republikën e Kosovës.Është e rëndësishme …

Strategjite E Marketingut Në Kompanitë Prodhuese, Mehmet Islami

Theses and Dissertations

Ky studim u realizua për të hulumtuar ndërlidhjen e strategjive të marketingut me kompanitë prodhuese, se si strategjia e marketingut në internet rritë nivelin e kënaqshmërisë në kompanitë prodhuese si dhe strategjia e marketingut në internet rritë nivelin e kënaqshmërisë të konsumatorëve online. Këto ishin edhe hipotezat e punimit. Hulumtimi u realizua me dy pyetësorë dhe me intervistë të strukturuar. Mostra për konsumatorë ishte (N=200), mostra për kompanitë për përdorimin e strategjisë të internetit ishte (N=12) si dhe dy intervista të strukturuara me dy Kompani prodhuese në Kosovë. Sipas hulumtimit të tri hipotezat u aprovuan doli se strategjitë kanë ndërlidhje …

Menaxhimi I Riskut Në Institucionet Financiare – Bankat Në Kosovë, Breta Berisha

Theses and Dissertations

“Çdo e vërtetë shkencore, është një ide e gabuar në pritje...” Karl R. Popper (The Logic Scientific Discovery, 1934) Në kuadër të këtij studimi në fillim është analizuar menaxhimi i riskut në institucionet financiare, duke i përmbledhur të gjitha risqet që i kanosen një sistemi bankar. Ky studim i shqyrton menaxhimin e riskut të kredisë, riskut operacional, riskut të likuiditetit dhe reputacional. Qëllimi i studimit është se si menaxhohen këto risqe në institucionet bankare, si dhe vështrimi i rregullativës së Komitetit të Bazelit për Mbikëqyrje Bankare (BCBS). Gjatë studimeve kemi hasur një qasje të bazuar në vlerësimet e brendshme me …

Menaxhimi I Relacionit Me Klientin (Crm) Në Epokën E Digjitalizimit: Rasti I Institucioneve Bankare, Dafina Hasani Ibrahimi

Theses and Dissertations

Ekonomia globale është duke u transformuar me një ritëm të shpejtë, derisa teknologjia është instrumenti kryesor për këtë ndryshim. Ndikimi i revolucionit teknologjik po përjetohet në të gjitha sferat e jetës gjithashtu edhe në sektorin bankar në Kosovë. Banka nuk është më e kufizuar vetëm në sistemin tradicional të relacioneve me klientin, por është transformuar në një sistem modern të afarizmit bankar virtual. Sot, në tregun global të gjitha bizneset, të të gjitha industrive dhe madhësive, nga kompanitë e mëdha deri tek kompanitë e vogla dhe private, po i kushtojnë rëndësi relacioneve me klientë, për të fituar klientë besnik. Filozofia …

Exploring Configuration Management In Department Of Defense (Dod) Projects, Manessa Threatt

Theses and Dissertations

Configuration management has become more important than ever to managers of DoD projects. The study evaluated the relevancy of the facilitating and obstructing factors to the success of the overall configuration management process in DoD projects. It also examined the correlation between years of experience and academic qualification as well as configuration management professionals supporting DoD projects and the criticality of each factor. Hypothesis testing indicated that all facilitating and obstructing factors are relevant to the success of the overall configuration management process in DoD projects. Hypothesis testing indicated four significant positive correlations with years of experience as configuration management …

The Economic Impact Of Anti-Corruption Legislation On Foreign Investor Perceptions Of Corruption, Jean-Marie Marthe Auguste Richard Marcel Van Der Elst

Theses and Dissertations

Corruption has increasingly become an international challenge and the coordination of Anti-Corruption Legislation (ACL) and its implementation, a priority for nations. The economic impact of corruption on economic growth, foreign direct investment flows, and international trade is indicated in international research studies. The significant increase in global financial and trade transactions has presented new and increased opportunities for rent-seeking and increased the need for coordinated action against all forms of corruption. The effectiveness of national ACL measures in combatting and reducing corruption in all its forms, remains poorly defined and the extant research inconclusive. This study explores the economic impact …