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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Articles 1951 - 1980 of 2856

Full-Text Articles in Business

Strategies To Retain Millennial Employees At Full-Service Restaurants, Candace A. Ruiz Jan 2017

Strategies To Retain Millennial Employees At Full-Service Restaurants, Candace A. Ruiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some supervisors lack effective strategies to retain millennial generation employees. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore effective strategies supervisors use to retain culinary-educated millennial employees in full-service restaurants. Nine millennials and 3 supervisors from 3 full-service restaurants in Denver, Colorado consented to face-to-face semistructured interviews with open-ended interview questions concerning retention strategies. The conceptual framework of Herzberg's two-factor theory served to guide the scope and the data analysis for the multicase study. The interview transcripts were coded and grouped into themes. Explanation building for the data analysis assisted in finding causal links between cases and the unit …


Perceptions Of Organizational Change Among Minority Owners Of Small Businesses, Chad E. Walizer Jan 2017

Perceptions Of Organizational Change Among Minority Owners Of Small Businesses, Chad E. Walizer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses continue to be a dominant portion of the global economy, and their owners need to understand how they can effectively make organizational changes, including implementing sound decision-making processes and innovation, as well as competing with much larger businesses. Minority small business owners have a particular need for organizational change because of their limited financial opportunities in relation to their nonminority counterparts. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how minority small business leaders in the food service industry in south central Pennsylvania experience and perceive organizational change. Organizational change theory, contingency theory, and situational theory provided …


Exploring The Employability Of African-American Male Ex-Offenders In Local Government, Chandra Latrelle Porter Jan 2017

Exploring The Employability Of African-American Male Ex-Offenders In Local Government, Chandra Latrelle Porter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The public sector is the largest employer that requires a background check. When African-American male ex-offenders return to their communities, they are often unable to find work in local government because of their criminal record. The central research question for this phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of African-American male ex-offenders regarding their employability in the local government sector. Guided by Sampson and Laub's life course perspective theory, a purposeful sample of 5 African-American male ex-offenders who applied for work or who currently work for local government entities in the state of Georgia was selected for this study. A three-interview …


Exploring The Impact Of Collective Bargaining Agreements On Employee Performance Management, Nana Gyesie Jan 2017

Exploring The Impact Of Collective Bargaining Agreements On Employee Performance Management, Nana Gyesie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As of 2014, union density in the United States had dropped compared to union density during the 1950s. Collective bargaining agreements are the foundational agreement for all issues related to salary, benefits, and working conditions. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how collective bargaining agreements hindered or enabled managers from creating and sustaining high performance work practices. The conceptual framework included Walton and McKersie's work on behavioral theories for labor negotiations, human capital, and collective bargaining, and Huselid's work on high performance work practices. Fifteen respondents across 5 labor unions in Washington DC were selected through …


Impact Of Change Management On Employee Behavior In A University Administrative Office, Kendra M. Turner Jan 2017

Impact Of Change Management On Employee Behavior In A University Administrative Office, Kendra M. Turner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative case study focused on the effect of a system implementation upgrade on employees' job performance within a central administration department of a major research university in the Southern United States. Review of literature revealed a lack of a specific model or process for system implementation upgrades and its impact on employees' performance in a university administrative office. Guided by Kotter's research on change management models, the research questions examined the attitudes and behaviors of employees involved with the business process project. Data collection was through purposeful sampling and face-to-face interviews with 11 employees. Data were analyzed through pattern-matching …


The Sustainability Management Control System: Factors To Consider In Metric Conceptualization, Corne Mouton Jan 2017

The Sustainability Management Control System: Factors To Consider In Metric Conceptualization, Corne Mouton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The performance metrics embedded in sustainability management control systems (SMCS) provide organizational leaders the ability to affect the implementation and continual improvement of sustainability strategies. Leaders in oil sands companies lacking adequate information on the efficacy of the sustainability performance metrics and their use to enhance their SMCS could be at a competitive disadvantage. Guided by stakeholder theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies Alberta-based oil sands company leaders use for critical planning, developing, and implementing SMCS performance metrics. The target population comprised of 20 oil sands company leaders from an Alberta, Canada, organization who …


Strategies To Improve Productivity Of A Multigenerational Workforce, Grace Elizabeth Beasley Jan 2017

Strategies To Improve Productivity Of A Multigenerational Workforce, Grace Elizabeth Beasley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that millennials will soon represent 46% of the workforce. The anticipated changes in the workforce are of great concern to business leaders who may manage individuals from different generations. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that administrative leaders in an advisory group of community-based organizations and educational institutions used to improve the productivity of a multigenerational workforce. The conceptual frameworks that grounded this study were the social constructivist perspective and generational theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews to elicit narratives from 6 administrative leaders from 6 …


Effective Strategies Employed By Retail Store Leaders To Reduce Employee Turnover, Alexandro Beato Jan 2017

Effective Strategies Employed By Retail Store Leaders To Reduce Employee Turnover, Alexandro Beato

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover affects retail organizations in the form of lower productivity, decreased profitability, and reduced sustainability. In 2014, organizations lost over $11 billion in tangible and intangible assets as the result of employee turnover. High employee turnover rates have an adverse effect on productivity, which lead to unsustainable business practices. The number of retail employees who quit their jobs each month increased from 432,000 in December 2016 to 464,000 in January 2017, which indicates that some managers lack strategies to reduce employee turnover. Using the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore effective strategies …


Work-Family Conflict: Does Romance Matter?, Christie Marie Charles Jan 2017

Work-Family Conflict: Does Romance Matter?, Christie Marie Charles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that being in a romantic relationship has related negatively with work-family conflict. Using social exchange theory, the investment model, and role theory, this study examined the relationships among the dimensions of perceived partner support, romantic relationship interdependence, and work-family conflict. A sample of 192 adults in paid employment, currently involved in a romantic relationship, were recruited from SurveyMonkey Contribute. Study participants completed online a demographic survey, the revised Support in Intimate Relationships Rating Scale (SIRRS), the Investment Model Scale, and work-family conflict scales. Correlation analyses showed that work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict correlated negatively with commitment and …


A Complex Systems Simulation Study For Increasing Adaptive-Capacity, Kadambari Ram Jan 2017

A Complex Systems Simulation Study For Increasing Adaptive-Capacity, Kadambari Ram

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Examination of empirical research confirmed that climate change is a complex problem of anthropological origin and revealed the need for a management framework to facilitate strategic decisions aimed at mitigating a rise in global temperatures of 2-°C linked to irresponsible and unsustainable business practices. The purpose of this simulation study was to develop a management framework of resilience, robustness, sustainability, and adaptive-capacity (RRSA) for organizations viewed as complex systems to address the current unsustainable state. As such, the evolutionary-RRSA prisoner's dilemma (PD) simulation was developed using an evolutionary game theory approach to agent based modeling and simulation, to generate data. …


The Relationship Between A Cfo's Financial Expertise And Firm Profitability, Scott Jeremy Rubin Jan 2017

The Relationship Between A Cfo's Financial Expertise And Firm Profitability, Scott Jeremy Rubin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 50% of small businesses fail by the 5th year of operation because of lack of economic sustainability. Organizations without a chief financial officer (CFO) with financial expertise may have suboptimal fiscal performance. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether there was a relationship between CFO licensure status, CFO age, and firm earnings per share. A sample of 403 small businesses in the United States, taken from the Russell 2000 Index, was used in the study. The theoretical framework for the study was Penrose's resource-based view of the firm. CFO names and firm earnings per share …


Strategies For Reducing Employee Stress And Increasing Employee Engagement, Kumar G. Subramaniam Jan 2017

Strategies For Reducing Employee Stress And Increasing Employee Engagement, Kumar G. Subramaniam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stress inside and outside of work affects employee productivity. In 2013, the estimated impact of employee absenteeism on U.S. businesses was $225 billion per year through reduced efficiency, overtime wages, fixed fringe benefits, and the cost of replacement employees. Based on the social exchange theory and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the strategies that HR leaders in a single organization used to reduce employee disengagement caused by stress. Using semistructured interviews, data were collected from 12 HR leaders and line managers within a single healthcare organization in eastern Tennessee. …


Emotional Intelligence In Leadership And Project Success Within Virtual Teams, Betsy Ferronato Jan 2017

Emotional Intelligence In Leadership And Project Success Within Virtual Teams, Betsy Ferronato

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous literature has focused on the traits of various leadership styles. Due to the lack of research on leadership styles, the focus of this study was to identify which emotional intelligence characteristics of a leader are significant to the success of virtual team projects. Supported by emotional intelligence and transformational leadership theories, the research questions addressed (a) whether, among virtual teams, a relationship exists between overall emotional intelligence scores and the success of virtual project teams, and (b) to what extent virtual team leaders' abilities to express and use their emotions predict the success of virtual team projects. The target …


Strategies To Secure Sustainable Funding For Nonprofit Organizations, Jasmine Y. Hardy Jan 2017

Strategies To Secure Sustainable Funding For Nonprofit Organizations, Jasmine Y. Hardy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are 1.4 million active nonprofit organizations in the United States; however, funding sustainability often forces nonprofit senior leaders into closure, which can lead to increased unemployment and decreased services provided to local communities. Nonprofit senior leaders seek help from scholars, at times, to identify strategies to secure sustainable funding sources, improve the sustainability of funding, or prevent or reverse losses of funding to their organizations. Through the conceptual lens of the general systems theory, the 2015-2016 Baldrige Excellence Framework and Criteria, and single- and double-loop learning, this single-case study explored strategies used to secure sustainable funding for nonprofit organizations …


Relationship Between The California Drought And Almond Demand, Wayne E. Lacy Jan 2017

Relationship Between The California Drought And Almond Demand, Wayne E. Lacy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Areas of California's Central Valley are sinking at rates up to 1 foot per year due to subsidence caused, in part, by the state's years-long drought, challenging growers to locate additional water sources for their crops. Supply and demand theory guided this correlational study. The purpose of the study was to examine the financial impact of drought on almond demand. This study included annualized historical almond industry data for the United States (N = 97), downloaded from a United States Department of Agriculture database. The results of multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the model was capable of predicting almond …


Successful Strategies Used By Small Business Owners For Company Sustainability, Robert Oppong Jan 2017

Successful Strategies Used By Small Business Owners For Company Sustainability, Robert Oppong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, African Americans are the fastest growing entrepreneurial minority group in the United States. However, they suffer the highest business failure rates. The research design for this study was a multiple case study to explore the strategies small business owners used to succeed in business beyond 5 years. The conceptual framework for this study was the systems theory. The population was small business owners in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolis, Texas. Data collection sources included semistructured interviews, company documents, company websites, and site visit observations. The data analysis process included data cleaning, uploading transcribed interviews …


Effective Strategies Small Retail Leaders Use To Engage Employees, Dr. Janet Lynn Deskins Jan 2017

Effective Strategies Small Retail Leaders Use To Engage Employees, Dr. Janet Lynn Deskins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggests that 70% of North American employees are disengaged in the workplace. Some small retail managers lack strategies for engaging employees. Using the employee engagement framework, the purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore successful strategies that small retail managers use to engage employees. The target population was small retail leaders, purposefully selected because of their success with engaging employees at an Orlando, Florida, company. Data collection was through face-to-face interviews with 5 leaders; and a review of archived organizational documents, including company memorandums, central email software, and online customer reviews through social media websites such as …


Success Strategies Of Latin American Immigrant Small Business Entrepreneurs, Bruce David Gaynor Jan 2017

Success Strategies Of Latin American Immigrant Small Business Entrepreneurs, Bruce David Gaynor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business restaurants represent a significant segment of the U.S. economy; however, many small business restaurants fail before 5 years of operation. The purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to explore the strategies entrepreneurs used to sustain operations beyond 5 years. The population for this study was 3 Latin American immigrant small business restaurant owners in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia, who had sustained operations for more than 5 years. The conceptual framework consisted of entrepreneurship and knowledge management theories. The data derived from semistructured interviews and organizational documents presented by the participants. Data …


Strategies To Improve Job Satisfaction And Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover Of Nurses, Stewart Proctor Jan 2017

Strategies To Improve Job Satisfaction And Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover Of Nurses, Stewart Proctor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction and employee turnover affect the health care industry in the form of overworked staff, inadequate health care, and loss of profits. In 2015, the United States health care industry had a shortage of over 923,000 registered nurses. Health care organizations lose an estimated $1.4 to $2.1 billion each year because of registered nurse (RN) turnover. These factors indicate that some managers lack the strategies to increase job satisfaction and reduce RN turnover. The purpose of this single case study was to use the Herzberg 2-factor theory to explore strategies 5 health care leaders use to improve nurses' job …


Primary Care Nurse Practitioners And Organizational Culture, Leanne Christine Rowand Jan 2017

Primary Care Nurse Practitioners And Organizational Culture, Leanne Christine Rowand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse practitioners (NPs) were introduced to the British Columbia healthcare system 12 years ago. Integration challenges related to infrastructure and relationships between administrators and physicians continue. The purpose of this project was to understand how nurse practitioners, working in primary care roles, experience the organizational climate within their healthcare agency. Kanter's empowerment theory guided this project. Data were collected using the Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Organizational Climate Questionnaire. A total of 64 NPs relayed their degree of perceived organizational support. NPs scored highest on Autonomy and Independent Practice (Mean [M] = 3.54, Standard Deviation [SD] = 0.59). Organizational Support and …


Competition Among Domestic Apparel Manufacturers, Mary Simpson Jan 2017

Competition Among Domestic Apparel Manufacturers, Mary Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Apparel manufacturing characterizes a sustainable means of creating employment and encouraging economic growth; however, 86% of U.S. apparel manufacturing companies and 74.7% in North Carolina have closed since the late 1990s. Less than 3% of apparel bought in the United States is domestic. The purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies used by American apparel manufacturing business leaders who produce competitive products using Porter's diamond theory as the conceptual framework. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 4 business leaders from an apparel manufacturer that had been in business a minimum of 5 years in North Carolina. …


Strategies For Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover, Xiomara Dejesus Jan 2017

Strategies For Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover, Xiomara Dejesus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high costs associated with turnover and the loss of skilled employees have a significant adverse effect on organizational performance. The loss of one skilled worker can cost 25-500% of an employee's salary with respect to replacement, training, and productivity. The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to explore strategies for frontline managers and human resource managers to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The sample consisted of 5 frontline supervisors and 6 human resource leaders with successful experience designing and implementing strategies to reduce voluntary employee turnover in 8 organizations in Orange County, Florida. The conceptual framework for this …


Engagement Strategies To Reduce Registered Nurse Turnover In Hospitals, Robert Neeley Jan 2017

Engagement Strategies To Reduce Registered Nurse Turnover In Hospitals, Robert Neeley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Skilled and experienced registered nurse employees are critical to the organizational success and stability of hospitals, but an annual average registered nurse turnover rate of 14% can result in financial losses of millions of dollars annually for the typical hospital in the United States. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the engagement strategies hospital nurse managers use to retain registered nurses. The study population included 8 nurse managers employed by hospitals in West Central Florida who have successfully implemented engagement strategies to retain registered nurses. The conceptual framework for the study was based on systems theory …


Improving The Efficiency Of Mortgage Loan Modification, Devan Pierce Jan 2017

Improving The Efficiency Of Mortgage Loan Modification, Devan Pierce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A majority of delinquent mortgage loans during the foreclosure crises were unmodified. Lending institutions lost on average 50% of a home's value in future profit from each foreclosure. The purpose of this single case study was to explore what strategies mortgage loan officers might use to improve the selection of delinquent borrowers for mortgage loan modification. The conceptual framework for this study was contract theory. The target population included mortgage loan officers from one community bank who successfully implemented strategies to modify loans for delinquent borrowers during the foreclosure crisis. Semistructured interviews were the data collection method. Emergent themes were …


Strategies To Manage Enterprise Information Technology Projects, Mario West Jan 2017

Strategies To Manage Enterprise Information Technology Projects, Mario West

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 2005, most midsize company information technology (IT) projects had a 62.4% failure rate because of wrong project team communication skills or cost overruns. IT leaders expect negative IT project outcomes will cost over $2 billion by 2020. Using the actor-network theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies used by IT leaders from a midsize IT company in Washington, D.C. to plan and execute projects under budget and on time. Using purposeful sampling, 5 IT leaders were selected for this study because of their experience in implementing successful strategies for projects. Data were collected using …


Managing Informal Learning In The Auditing Profession: How Auditors Develop Proficiency, Michelle Kusaila Jan 2017

Managing Informal Learning In The Auditing Profession: How Auditors Develop Proficiency, Michelle Kusaila

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The auditing environment is in a period of innovation, and auditors need to maintain their financial reporting commitment to financial statement stakeholders. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional survey study was to examine the impact of auditors' perceptions of informal workplace learning contexts on the external auditing profession using a perceived organizational support lens. Organization support theory includes four aspects used to explore informal workplace learning: management support, peer support, supportive organizational culture, and access to work resources. These aspects were used to examine the impact of informal learning on auditors' engagement and performance. Multiple linear regression was used to …


Strategies For Small Businesses To Win Federal Contracts, Fredrick Derell Murphy Jan 2017

Strategies For Small Businesses To Win Federal Contracts, Fredrick Derell Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses miss out on federal contracting opportunities because of the strategies they lack. Both large and small businesses provide supplies and services through contract awards to the U.S. government while spending over $300 billion annually. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies of small business owners in the Clarksville, Tennessee and Hopkinsville, Kentucky region who have won federal contracts. Porter's competitive advantage theory grounded this study as the conceptual framework. The data collection process involved face-to-face, semistructured interviews and member checking with 3 small business owners to enhance credibility of data interpretation. Themes that …


The Core Competencies Necessary For Global Information Technology Project Management, Gregory Michael Von Schleh Jan 2017

The Core Competencies Necessary For Global Information Technology Project Management, Gregory Michael Von Schleh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Global information technology (IT) project management organizations can create more value in their operations by presenting the core competencies possessed by global IT project managers (PMs) who are successful in their respective projects. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the core competencies and business strategies that IT PMs use to meet global IT project deadlines and budgets. This study involved 5 IT PMs from the Pacific Northwest (United States and Canada) who increased the quality of outsourced IT projects from 4 different companies. The data collection method included in-person semistructured interviews of participants and review of …


The Relationship Between Sustainable Supply Chain Management, Stakeholder Pressure, And Financial Performance, Zulfiya Tchaikovsky Jan 2017

The Relationship Between Sustainable Supply Chain Management, Stakeholder Pressure, And Financial Performance, Zulfiya Tchaikovsky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporate sustainability confronts significant challenges when supply chain managers pursue short-term financial performance to meet stakeholders' expectations. To achieve sustainable economic success, organizational managers need to understand the relationship between corporate sustainability and long-term financial performance. Based on the resource dependence theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between sustainable supply chain management (SCM), stakeholder pressure, and corporate sustainability performance. The population consisted of worldwide public organizations from Newsweek Global Green Ranking 2016 list engaged in sustainable SCM. The secondary data for the study were collected from databases hosted by Sustainalytics and Standard & Poor's. …


Exploration Of Leadership Skills For Organizational Strategy Execution, Regina L. Banks-Hall Jan 2017

Exploration Of Leadership Skills For Organizational Strategy Execution, Regina L. Banks-Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Multinational corporate leaders acknowledge that a lack of business direction by senior leadership results in a 68% failure in the execution of organizational strategies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore what best practice solutions automotive manufacturing senior leaders created to help front-line managers execute organizational strategies. The population consisted of 20 automotive manufacturing senior leaders located in Michigan with significant years of automotive experience and at least a year of experience employed as an automotive manufacturing senior leader. Vroom's expectancy theory served as the conceptual framework for the study describing the enhancement of employee performance related to …