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Strategies For Small Business Entrepreneur Sustainability For 5 Years And Beyond, Ralph A. Heath Iii Jan 2021

Strategies For Small Business Entrepreneur Sustainability For 5 Years And Beyond, Ralph A. Heath Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSmall business failures impede entrepreneurs' sustainability in localities, the state, and the U.S. economy. Small business entrepreneurs are concerned about strategies to target and minimize obstacles from business inception for business survival because the failure rate increases as the business develop. Grounded in the entrepreneurial theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies for small business entrepreneur sustainability beyond five years. Participants comprised three small business owners in Southeast Virginia who effectively used strategies to sustain their business beyond five years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, analysis of participants’ business documentation, and research of …


Manufacturing Business Leaders’ Strategies For Achieving Diversification And Sustainability, Tracye Weeks Jan 2021

Manufacturing Business Leaders’ Strategies For Achieving Diversification And Sustainability, Tracye Weeks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Manufacturing businesses can fail due to not implementing diversified business strategies. Some manufacturing business leaders lack strategies to diversify lines of business for achieving business sustainability. Grounded in the resource-based view theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies three manufacturing business leaders in the northeastern region of the United States used to diversify lines of business to achieve sustainability. Data were collected via semistructured interview recordings, company documents, and internal archived documents, as well as public documents found on the internet. Thematic analysis of the data revealed the importance of implementing (a) servitization strategies …


Nonprofit Strategies For Alternative Revenue Generation And Sustainability, Aretha Lepearl Day Jan 2021

Nonprofit Strategies For Alternative Revenue Generation And Sustainability, Aretha Lepearl Day

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn the post-2008 Great Recession era of a highly volatile global business environment of increased competitiveness, diminishing predictable revenues, and depleting philanthropy, many nonprofit leaders struggle to sustain their organizations. Volatility is important to nonprofit leaders because such fluctuations create unpredictability, which threatens their organizations' financial stability for short-term survivability and long-term sustainability. Grounded in Elkington's triple bottom line conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore nonprofit leaders' strategies for short-term survivability and long-term sustainability. The participants comprised 3 senior leaders in a nonprofit located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States who …


Effective Decision-Making Strategies That Support Long-Term Sustainability In Nondenominational Churches, Andre Paul Davis Jr. Jan 2021

Effective Decision-Making Strategies That Support Long-Term Sustainability In Nondenominational Churches, Andre Paul Davis Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective financial decision-making has frequently led to nondenominational church failures and contributes to 4,000 to 8,000 churches closing each year in North America. Grounded in stewardship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective financial decision-making strategies in nondenominational churches that support long term sustainability. Participants were 10 church leaders who successfully used financial decision-making strategies to support long-term sustainability in Central North Carolina was used for this study. Data were collected from semi structured interviews and internal church documents relating to church leadership's financial decision-making and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: budgeting …


Strategies To Sustain Small Construction Businesses Beyond The First 5 Years Of Operation, Catherine Nyasha Mukopfa Jan 2021

Strategies To Sustain Small Construction Businesses Beyond The First 5 Years Of Operation, Catherine Nyasha Mukopfa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners employ over half the U.S. labor force, yet only 50% of small businesses survive beyond 5 years. When small business owners understand the factors that lead to their business failure, they can develop strategies to remain sustainable and profitable within the first 5 years, thus reducing the potential of business failure. Grounded in the resource-based theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies five small construction owners in central Georgia used to remain in business beyond 5 years. Data were collected from semi structured interviews, a review of organization income statements and …


Strategies For Small Business Restaurant Sustainability Beyond The First 5 Years, Allison Marie Sellers Jan 2021

Strategies For Small Business Restaurant Sustainability Beyond The First 5 Years, Allison Marie Sellers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective leadership strategies can negatively affect the sustainability of small business restaurants. Leaders of small business restaurants who do not implement effective leadership strategies may face challenges sustaining their business in the first 5 years of operation. Grounded in entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies that successful small business restaurant managers employ to help sustain their businesses beyond the first 5 years of operation. The participants of this study included three individuals who successfully managed small business restaurants in the Midwestern United States. Data collection procedures included semistructured interviews and a …


Strategies To Sustain Business Operations During Continuous Environmental Change, Alfred Tembo Jan 2021

Strategies To Sustain Business Operations During Continuous Environmental Change, Alfred Tembo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to change and adapt to changing conditions can result in organizational stagnation, leading to imminent business extinction. Business leaders in parastatal companies who fail to adapt to changing conditions may be unable to sustain business operations resulting in business failure. Grounded in McKinsey’s 7S framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies business leaders in parastatal companies use to adapt to continuous environmental change to sustain their business operations. Participants were 4 Zambian business leaders who successfully implemented strategies to adapt to continuous environmental change and had evidence of sustainable business operations through their …


Exploring The Need For Sustainable Reform Of Local Government To Build Administrative Capacity In Jamaica, Mario Antonio Perez Woode Jan 2021

Exploring The Need For Sustainable Reform Of Local Government To Build Administrative Capacity In Jamaica, Mario Antonio Perez Woode

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of labor and financial resources in local Jamaican governments’ corporation negatively impacts senior management government officials’ sustainability efforts. Grounded in Buchanan’s and Tullock’s public choice theory, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of 20 randomly selected Jamaican senior management government officials from two local government corporations concerning the financial and human resource capacity issues. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, government documents, and public and government legislative data. The data were analyzed using the Smith and Osborn interpretative phenomenological analysis, and the Moustakas modified van Kaam 7-step analysis method. …


Funding Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Ayokunle O. Iyanda Jan 2021

Funding Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Ayokunle O. Iyanda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

About 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years of operation, lacking access to capital being a contributing factor. The high failure rate is of great concern to the business owners; their livelihood and employees are jeopardized. Through the pecking order theory lens, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business owners use to access capital to sustain the business past the first five years. Eight small business owners who successfully operated for more than five years in Georgia and Illinois participated in the semistructured interviews. Through thematic data analysis, four themes …


Exploring The Strategies For Sustaining Small- To Medium-Scale Enterprises, Kingsley Onochie Umadia Jan 2020

Exploring The Strategies For Sustaining Small- To Medium-Scale Enterprises, Kingsley Onochie Umadia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of development and the continued survival of small- to medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) poses a challenge to SME practices in Nigeria. Using sustainability theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies that leaders use in sustaining SMEs in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria. Ten SME leaders from the manufacturing sector, trading services, education, oil and gas service companies, and financial services sector provided comments during the interviews that addressed the research question. Data were analyzed by transcription, coding, categorizing and analysis of participants' responses using member checking. From the themes that emerged from the study, …


Sustainability Strategies Of Small Business Owners In Northcentral Texas, Danielson Ledum Dukor Jan 2020

Sustainability Strategies Of Small Business Owners In Northcentral Texas, Danielson Ledum Dukor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While small businesses contribute significantly to job creation in the United States, they fail financially at alarming rates. Fifty percent of small businesses survive 5 years or longer, and only one-third of small business startups survive more than 10 years. Owners of small businesses could benefit from strategies used to mitigate the small firms’ failure rate by obtaining suitable leadership values and skills, understanding the business’s nature, and engaging in financial planning. Grounded in Schumpeter’s entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small home health business owners used to sustain their businesses beyond …


Human Resource Management Practices For Sustainability Of Ghanaian Small And Medium Enterprises, Charles Bandari Jan 2020

Human Resource Management Practices For Sustainability Of Ghanaian Small And Medium Enterprises, Charles Bandari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2018, the failure rate of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana was approximately 75%. SME owners and managers who refuse to recognize HRM strategies as a way for business sustainability risk closure. Grounded in Blau's social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore human resource strategies leaders of SMEs use to sustain their businesses. Participants were 4 SME leaders in the Tamale metropolitan area of Ghana who successfully used human resource management strategies to promote the sustainability of their businesses. Data were collected from semistructured face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions, and company …


Effective Marketing Strategies Of Profitable Small Businesses, Xoriunstance T. Brown Jan 2020

Effective Marketing Strategies Of Profitable Small Businesses, Xoriunstance T. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inability to achieve profitability can negatively impact business operations. Small independent insurance agency owners who fail to maintain profitability are at a higher risk of failure. Grounded in the dynamic capabilities model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective marketing strategies leaders of small independent insurance agencies use to achieve and maintain profitability. The participants comprised 3 independent insurance agents in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who effectively used marketing strategies to achieve and maintain profitability. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, company websites, and company documents. Yin’s 5-step thematic analysis, which included compiling, disassembling, interpreting …


Financial Management Strategies Used By Microbusiness Leaders, Dorothy M. David Jan 2020

Financial Management Strategies Used By Microbusiness Leaders, Dorothy M. David

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-sized microbusinesses accounted for the majority of net new jobs in the United States between 2000 and 2018. Yet a high percent of microbusinesses have exited the market due to business failure. The applicability of the findings from this study may positively influence small business owners seeking strategies that enable small business success. Grounded in entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore financial management strategies microbusiness leaders use to sustain their business success beyond 5 years. The participants comprised 3 small business owners in Virginia with sustained businesses beyond 5 years. Data were …


Strategies For Sustaining Minority-Owned Small Businesses, Taha Seid Jan 2020

Strategies For Sustaining Minority-Owned Small Businesses, Taha Seid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority small businesses play a significant role in the development of the United States economy. Minority small business owners who do not implement successful and sustainable strategies are at a high risk of failure. Grounded in entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that minority small business owners used to sustain their business beyond 5 years of beginning operations. The participants included 3 minority small business owners in Alexandria, Virginia, who have been in business for 5 years. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, field notes, company websites, and financial, marketing, strategy, and …


The Way Forward For The Integration Of Sustainability Standards, Tobi Petrocelli Jan 2020

The Way Forward For The Integration Of Sustainability Standards, Tobi Petrocelli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Large-scale environmental failures within public companies in the United States have led to a globally growing trend in stakeholder insistence that company leaders maintain formal integrated sustainability accounting in their financial reports. Companies that rate high on communications of their sustainability efforts and integrating corporate social responsibility develop investment efficiency and ultimately increase their financial performance. Grounded in stakeholder theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies 5 chief sustainability officers within publicly held companies in New York can integrate into their annual reporting in order to generate maximum value for stakeholders. Data were collected …


Information Systems Strategies For Small And Medium Size Enterprise Sustainability, Oluseyi Solomon Awotayo Jan 2020

Information Systems Strategies For Small And Medium Size Enterprise Sustainability, Oluseyi Solomon Awotayo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium size business owners who do not use information systems effectively degrade business models, reduce customer value, and diminish the prospects for business stability, profitability, and growth. Grounded in the resource based view framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the information systems strategies small business owners used to sustain their business beyond 5 years. A purposeful sample of 5 owners of 5 different small and medium sized businesses in the state of Texas participated in the study. Data were collected via semistructured, face-to-face interviews, company documents, and member checking. Data were analyzed using …


Achieving Sustainability In Global Supply Chains, Parthiv G. Patel Jan 2020

Achieving Sustainability In Global Supply Chains, Parthiv G. Patel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most multinational company leaders lack effective strategies to achieve sustainability in their supply chains. Multinational company leaders who struggle to sustain supply chains, experience poor business performance creating risks of business failure. Grounded in systems theory, a qualitative multiple case study was conducted to explore successful strategies that leaders of multinational companies implemented to achieve sustainability throughout their supply chains. The participants comprised 6 business leaders of multinational consumer packaged goods companies in northern Vermont who have successfully implemented strategies for achieving sustainability in their global supply chains. Data were collected through semistructured face-to-face interviews, internal company supply chain documents, …


Relationship Between Nonprofit Leadership Intention, Leadership Development Programs, And Succession Planning Documentation, Denise March Jan 2020

Relationship Between Nonprofit Leadership Intention, Leadership Development Programs, And Succession Planning Documentation, Denise March

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding the importance of efficient and effective leadership transition to retain organizational intelligence can mitigate the risks of significant disruption. The problem for nonprofits is the potential loss of organizational intelligence, funding, and continuity as baby boomers retire and transition out of their leadership roles without effectively addressing leadership transition and an impending leadership deficit. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive correlational study was to examine the relationship between leadership intention factors, succession planning documentation, and leadership development programs. The research questions pertained to the relationship between leadership intention factors, succession planning documentation, and leadership development programs. Ajzen’s theory of …


Enterprise Risk Management Strategies For Organizational Sustainability, Kaleb Matthew Wyma Jan 2019

Enterprise Risk Management Strategies For Organizational Sustainability, Kaleb Matthew Wyma

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single case study was to explore enterprise risk management strategies that nonprofit business leaders used to maintain and improve organizational sustainability. The study population included 3 executive leaders from a rehabilitation and social services nonprofit agency located in the northeastern United States. The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations integrated enterprise risk management framework was the conceptual lens used in this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with the 3 executive leaders of the client organization and review of internal, external, and publicly available documents. Data and information from documents and interviews were manually coded. Findings were …


Strategies To Increase Profitability And Longevity Of Small Trucking Businesses, Derrick Olando Brown Jan 2019

Strategies To Increase Profitability And Longevity Of Small Trucking Businesses, Derrick Olando Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Typically, small businesses have encountered issues with sustaining their enterprise for longer than 5 years after inception, which can adversely affect the prosperity of the communities in which the businesses operate. The purpose of this multiple case study was to identify and explore strategies some owners of small business trucking companies used to achieve profitability and longevity for longer than 5 years. The population of the study consisted of owners of 4 small business trucking companies located in Northern Virginia, who demonstrated profitability and longevity for longer than 5 years of operation. The conceptual framework for this study was systems …


Employer Strategies For Improving Employee Work-Life Balance, Vernessa Lashawn Johnson-Hoffman Jan 2019

Employer Strategies For Improving Employee Work-Life Balance, Vernessa Lashawn Johnson-Hoffman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Senior leaders who fail to implement work-life balance strategies may experience reduced profits and sustainability challenges. This single case study explored employers' strategies for improving employee work-life balance. The population for the study included 4 senior leaders of a hospice care agency in North Carolina who successfully implemented employee work-life balance strategies. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and from the review of company documents, website, and social media pages. The conceptual framework for the study was the transformational leadership theory. The trustworthiness of interpretations was supported by member checking. Four themes emerged from inductive analysis of the data: a …


Effective Revenue Diversification Strategies In Nonprofit Organizations, Jennifer R. Niswonger Jan 2019

Effective Revenue Diversification Strategies In Nonprofit Organizations, Jennifer R. Niswonger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit organization leaders increasingly encounter social burdens and financial difficulties, jeopardizing ongoing success and organizational sustainability. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore revenue diversification strategies used by 3 leaders of a small nonprofit organization in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States through the conceptual lens of modern portfolio theory. Data were collected via in-depth semistructured interviews, and member checking was used to facilitate accuracy, consistency, and integrity. Methodological triangulation included a document review and analysis of financial statements, tax returns, strategy objectives, the organizational website, social media, and nonprofit data reports. Data from documents and interviews …


Sustainability Strategies For Nonprofit Organizations During General Economic Downturns, Lakesha T. Brown Jan 2019

Sustainability Strategies For Nonprofit Organizations During General Economic Downturns, Lakesha T. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many leaders of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) lack strategies to build and maintain a financially sustainable organization to continue providing vital social services. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the financial strategies some NPO leaders used to maintain financial sustainability during general economic downturns. Five purposively selected leaders of an NPO in northwestern Indiana participated in the study. The resource dependency theory and the change management theory were the conceptual frameworks that guided the study. Data were collected from face-to-face and telephone interviews and a review of company documentation. Member checking was conducted with participants and data …


Strategies To Sustain A Real Estate Small Business In Postnatural-Disaster Area, Vianka Miranda Jan 2019

Strategies To Sustain A Real Estate Small Business In Postnatural-Disaster Area, Vianka Miranda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small real estate business leaders lack effective strategies to resume and sustain operations in a postnatural-disaster environment. This multiple case study investigated strategies that 3 small real estate business leaders in southeastern Louisiana used to resume and sustain operations in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The chaos theory and stakeholder theory were the conceptual frameworks for this study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, and reviews of business continuity plan documents and member checking. The themes that emerged from data analysis were leaders' strategies relating to business planning and innovation, stakeholder engagement, operations management, and disaster responsiveness. Implications …


Leadership Style And Smes Sustainability In Nigeria: A Multiple Case Study, Vincent Ikechukwu Okeke Jan 2019

Leadership Style And Smes Sustainability In Nigeria: A Multiple Case Study, Vincent Ikechukwu Okeke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has remained an under-researched area in the management literature, especially in developing countries such as Nigeria. SME owner-managers in Nigeria lacked in-depth understanding of their leadership style to objectively evaluate its implication on long-term performance and growth of their enterprise. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the experiences of SME owner-managers in Nigeria to gain an in-depth understanding of their leadership style and its implication for long-term performance and growth of their enterprise. The conceptual framework for this study was anchored in two key concepts; leadership styles and leadership …


Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Victor K. Adoukonou Jan 2019

Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Victor K. Adoukonou

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses represent more than 99% of all employers in the United States, but more than 50% of small businesses have failed before 5 years. Climate change, digitization, and social media contribute to a paradigm shift in consumers' habits, as more consumers have become environmentally and social justice conscious. Business leaders who are unable to follow the consumers' trends and changes of habit may not succeed in sustaining their businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies owners of small businesses in the District of Columbia use to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years …


Exploring Sustainable Capital Acquisition Strategies Of Small Businesses, Naieche Brooks Jan 2019

Exploring Sustainable Capital Acquisition Strategies Of Small Businesses, Naieche Brooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners encounter various difficulties in funding businesses. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that some small business owners used to acquire capital to sustain their businesses longer than the first 5 years of operation. The resource-based theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with a sample of 3 owners of small businesses in a metropolitan area in the southeastern United States and review of company profit statements. Five themes emerged from data triangulation and analyses: start-up capital access, private lender networking, motivation, self-realization, and external perceptions. …


Success Factors For Minority Small Business Sustainability, Tawny Barnes Jan 2019

Success Factors For Minority Small Business Sustainability, Tawny Barnes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority small business owners significantly contribute to national and local economies. Only 50% of small firm owners sustain their businesses longer than 5 years. The purpose of the multiple case study was to explore the management strategies that minority small business owners used to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. The study's population consisted of 4 minority small business owners in the midwestern region of the United States to explore management strategies necessary for maintaining minority small firm operations. The conceptual framework for the study was general system theory. Data sources included semistructured interviews, social media information, company …


Sustainable Supply Chain Management In The Nigerian Consumer Goods Manufacturing Sector, Ekpen Theophilus Owie Jan 2019

Sustainable Supply Chain Management In The Nigerian Consumer Goods Manufacturing Sector, Ekpen Theophilus Owie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chain practitioners in developing economies, like Nigeria, experience challenges in implementing sustainable supply chain management practices. Poor sustainability implementation engenders the negative effects of supply chain operations on people, the environment, and business continuity. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore and describe the experiences of supply chain practitioners in the consumer goods manufacturing industry in Nigeria about sustainable supply chain management based on the theoretical foundations of stakeholder and general systems theories. The focus of the research question was to examine the experiences of supply chain practitioners to understand the challenges in implementing sustainable …