Business Commons^™

Hustle Culture And The Implications For Our Workforce, Arianna Balkeran

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study defines hustle culture as an unspoken agreement between supervisors and employees concerning a designated workplace commitment compliance, which determines the minimum expectation of an employee's productivity capability. As such, this research paper aims to explore hustle culture within the workforce and how employee engagement, or lack of, affects the quality of professional relationships within the workplace. By doing so, we can begin a broader discourse on employee and managerial accountability in the relational aspect of supervisor-employee relationships and work dyads. With current changes to employment opportunities, such as the sudden influx of remote corporate workers resulting from COVID-19, …

Helping Employees Help The Environment: An Intervention To Increase Environmental Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (Ocb-E) Via A Subtle Stimulus, Rebecca C. Garden

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Researchers’ understanding of the relationships between environmentally-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors (i.e., OCB-Es) and other workplace variables have improved since the turn of the century, but both our comprehension of the behaviors and the effectiveness of interventions targeting them require much more investigation. Further, there is very little research that examines the role of positive affect in promoting these behaviors, even though scholars have suggested that it may be the “silver bullet” (Kals & Müller, 2012) to facilitating employees’ voluntary environmental actions. To that end, the aim of the current research is to take an initial step towards understanding how organizations …

Healthcare Stocks And Presidential Elections, Jake Yennaco

Honors Theses and Capstones

In this study I examine the impact presidential elections have had on health care stock returns. Through my own data collection and analysis, I sought to examine the performance of stocks across election cycles in addition to the performance of healthcare stocks across election cycles. Using data from 1998-2019 I find that 1.) In election years, the stock market underperforms relative to non-election years; 2.) Healthcare stocks underperform the broader market during election years; 3.) The impact on healthcare stocks is consistently poor in election years yet contained to only that year; 4.) The Presidential Election Cycle, stating that stocks …

Are Female Executives Receiving Adequate Capital Financing? An Analysis Of Gender Disparity On Venture Capital Funding, Lina Aluzri

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines the inequalities that exist between male and female CEO’s and other top executives by analyzing the effect of gender diversity when it comes to venture capital funding and firm performance. Building off of previous research, I focus on three major areas. First, I utilize data from 2016 to 2018 found in PitchBook and Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS). Second, I explore the effect of firm performance prior to funding on the amount of capital received. Third, I narrow down the analysis of firms to 364 companies that were once venture capital backed and have successfully exited with …

Performance Evaluation Criteria For Project Managers, Nestor Briones Aquino

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supervisors of business project managers lack strategies to effectively evaluate the work of project managers, increasing the probability of project failure, and costing organizations billions of dollars in losses each year. Effective evaluation of the work of project managers is essential to avoid project failure. Grounded in Kaplan and Norton’s balanced scorecard theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies supervisors of business project managers use to evaluate the project managers’ work. The participants comprised 3 supervisors of project managers in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States with successful experience in evaluating the …

Leadership And Performance Of The Brewery Industry In Nigeria, Abayomi Abimbola Abidakun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the most pressing concerns for business organizations remains the need to seek leaders who can manage employee effectively and efficiently to improve business performance. Guided by the principles of transformational leadership theory, this correlational study examined the relationship between leadership and non-financial performance at the brewery industry in Nigeria. I relied on primary data collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire -MLQ, job satisfaction scale-JSS, three-components commitment scale- JCS and six-item Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6) to measure leadership, job satisfaction, employee commitment and turnover intention. Four hundred participants who were senior and junior manager at Nigerian Breweries Plc. were …

Investment Motives And Non-Traditional Foreign Direct Investment, Jianhua Zhu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines the characteristics and performance of non-traditional investment motives, with a secondary focus on small-employment subsidiaries. It also investigates how firms re-evaluate and change their organizational control after an industry-wide consumer confidence crisis.

Essay 1 (Chapter 2) examines the characteristics and performance of subsidiaries according to different investment purposes, with a special emphasis on non-traditional investment motives. The key characteristics examined in Essay 1 include the size of an affiliate, the ownership mode, expatriate control, and performance. It finds that FDI with a support function differs substantially from a typical manufacturing facility. Meanwhile, there is a huge difference …

Culture Inside The Firm And Its Effect On Collaboration Within The Supply Chain Industry, James Bailey Morris

Honors College Theses

Increasing collaboration between suppliers and buyers is a goal of every firm. Researchers have discovered multiple aspects that can affect this level of collaboration including culture. Cultures between firms have been analyzed, however no study has examined how the culture within a firm affects the firm’s collaboration. This study aims to research how the cultural dimensions of in-group collectivism and future orientation can affect firm collaboration and performance. After our analysis, the following relationships were discovered: in-group collectivism and future orientation positively affect collaboration, and collaboration positively affects the individual’s perception of organizational support.

Exploring Factors Related To Customer Service Representatives’ (Csrs) Performance In Call Centers., Ruth R. Jayson-Polk

Theses and Dissertations

This study provides critical research on individual change and its impact on individual performance using the ADKAR change management model. This applied dissertation was designed to research improvement in call monitoring performance scores between two groups of customer service representatives’ (CSRs): the experimental group receiving the ADKAR change management intervention, and the control group, who did not receive the ADKAR change management intervention. The ADKAR change management model (Hiatt, 2006) provided the theoretical framework for the study.

The literature review revealed that change management is a critical component of organizational change but is driven by individual change. The literature informs …

Examining The Utility Of The Hexaco-Pi-R For Predicting Positive And Negative Indicators Of Police Officer Performance, Angela Marie Ripley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Identifying behaviors that are either counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) or organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) may assist law enforcement agencies in selecting and aligning police officers for the various roles asked of them. The 6 dimensions of personality are not currently being used in law enforcement agencies to predict overall job performance of police officers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the extent to which the 6 personality dimensions as measured by the HEXACO Personality Inventory Revised (HEXACO-PI-R) predicted overall indicators (OCB and CWB) of police officer job performance. A sample of 51 police officers from a variety …

Employee Perceptions Of Fairness In Performance Appraisals And Job Satisfaction, Simon-Davies Amenyenu Nutakor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business and management researchers have shown that performance appraisals have continued to remain a standard component of the human resource management (HRM) function and play an integral role in contributing to employee performance and job satisfaction levels. Recent researchers indicated that employees have continued to hold negative views about the degree of fairness and accuracy of appraisals, thus rendering the process a mere routine and periodic ritual detrimental to organizational efficiency and growth. The purpose of this study was to add to what is a paucity of data on perceptions of fairness of employees and examine the employee perceptions of …

Essays On Investments, Michael Farrell

Theses and Dissertations--Finance and Quantitative Methods

The first chapter studies mutual funds. I model intraquarter trading and use a genetic algorithm to estimate the trade pattern that is most consistent with the fund's daily reported returns. I validate the model empirically on a sample of institutional trades from Ancerno and I confirm that the method more accurately predicts daily holdings when compared to existing naive assumptions. Further, my method is substantially more accurate in classifying a fund's tendency to supply liquidity, and this increased precision has important implications for identifying superior performing funds. Specifically, a long-short strategy based on the model's liquidity provision measures earns significant …

Retail Employee Motivation And Performance, Angela Michelle Addair

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retail industry leaders seek effective strategies to improve employee motivation to increase levels of workforce productivity. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies successful retail industry leaders used to motivate their employees to achieve higher levels of workforce productivity. The conceptual framework for the study was Vroom's expectancy theory of motivation. The research participants consisted of 2 retail store managers from the same retail store located in southeastern mid-Atlantic region of the United States who successfully motivated their employees. Data collection consisted of semistructured interviews, direct observation, and review of company documents. Data analysis included …

Exploring How Managers Increase Employee Performance Within Organizational Supply Chains, Angela B. Freeman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders and the strategies they employ to enhance employee performance are essential to retaining an organization's competitive advantage. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by supply chain management managers to improve employee performance in the workplace. The conceptual framework for this study combined elements from Vroom's expectancy theory of motivation, Adams's equity theory of motivation and leadership, and transformational leadership theories. Participants were selected via the purposeful sampling of 6 successful supply chain managers in the District of Columbia's metropolitan area. Data were obtained using semistructured face-to-face interviews, interview notes, transcripts, and a …

Leadership Strategies For Increasing Employee Engagement In The Service Industry, Yavonda Malia Ulfig

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Companies lose an average of $1,000 in profit each year for every employee who feels disengaged and uncommitted to the firm's success. Employee engagement is critical to an organization's productivity, profitability, and competitive edge. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that business leaders in a service organization use to increase employee engagement and work performance. The conceptual framework for this study was Homans's social exchange theory. A purposeful sample of 6 company leaders participated in the study based on their success in developing strategies that enhanced employee engagement and performance in an advertising services firm …

What Personality Factors Influence Performance In A Multi-Line Insurance Agency?, Timothy R. Greer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is exploring personality factors that impact performance within a small insurance agency. The primary research question is, what is (or are) the best personality factor(s), sub-facets, or constructs, that contribute to increased performance within an insurance agency. Three of the Five-Factor Model dimensions, extroversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience along with grit and hardiness were examined, as well as their sub-facets. Grit and hardiness were not found to add additional explanation of the variance while five of the sub-facets were found to better explain the variance over the composite dimensions.

The Connection Between Race And Performance Of Nba Draft Picks, Jeremiah Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between race and performance in terms of one of the highest forms of efficiency in basketball, field goal percentage, based on college statistics, with regard to draft position, career earnings and NBA win shares.

Implementimi Dhe Funksionaliteti I Shtëpive Të Mençura, Besart Musliu

Theses and Dissertations

Termat si smart homes, intellegent homes, home networking janë përdorur për më shumë se një dekadë për të prezantuar konceptin e pajisjeve të rrjetave dhe atyre shtëpiake. Sipas Smart Homes foundation definicioni më i mirë për këtë teknologji është integrimi i teknologjisë dhe shërbimeve përmes rrjetave për një jetë më të mirë. Kohëve të fundit, shumë smart house projekte janë realizuar në shtëpitë e të moshuarve. Qëllimi i prezantimit të smart teknologjisë nëpër këto shtëpi është që qiramarrësit të qëndrojnë të pavarur në shtëpinë e tyre sa më shumë që të jetë e mundur. Aplikacionet janë të fokusuara në siguri, …

Re-Evaluating Performance Measurement: New Mathematical Methods To Address Common Performance Measurement Challenges, Jordan David Benis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Performance Measurement is an essential discipline for any business. Robust and reliable performance metrics for people, processes, and technologies enable a business to identify and address deficiencies to improve performance and profitability. The complexity of modern operating environments presents real challenges to developing equitable and accurate performance metrics. This thesis explores and develops two new methods to address common challenges encountered in businesses across the world. The first method addresses the challenge of estimating the relative complexity of various tasks by utilizing the Pearson Correlation Coefficient to identify potentially over weighted and under weighted tasks. The second method addresses the …

Effective Resource Utilization In Arkansas Public Schools, Ryan Sanders

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Teacher pay in Arkansas public schools varies widely from district to district across the state. This pay discrepancy is driven by both the funds available to a district and by how these funds are allocated. There is a standard per student budget given to districts across the state, but this budget can be supplemented by additional property taxes collected on property within a district. This leaves districts with more highly valued property at an advantage. Districts are free to allocate their budget for teacher pay as they see fit, with constraints on number of students per teacher and minimum teacher …

A Socioemotional Wealth Perspective On Innovativeness And Performance Of Family Businesses., Vasiliki Kosmidou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a theoretical and empirical examination of the relationships among socioemotional wealth, innovativeness, and performance in family firms. Building on the Behavioral Agency Theory’s predictions that socioemotional wealth of family firms may affect their strategic decision making both positively and negatively, this study theoretically develops and tests a research model that aims at understanding the nuanced influences of different socioemotional wealth dimensions on firm innovativeness and performance. Specifically, the study hypothesizes that a family’s socioemotional wealth affects the firm’s innovativeness and performance both negatively, in the case of internal socioemotional wealth and positively, in the case of external …

Music & Media: A Senior Recital & Honors Project, Kayla Luteran

Honors Projects

Music & Media: A Senior Recital & Honors Project is a cross-media marketing strategy. The main purpose of this project was to develop visually appealing, informative graphic elements and branding to effectively promote a musical performance. This is interdisciplinary in nature and includes written and oral communication.

While many music students post about their senior recital on social media or place flyers, they do not develop a thorough methodology for generating buzz about their event. Although musical preparation is of utmost importance for a performance, I believe that time should be spent on all aspects of planning the recital. With …

Monetary Incentives And Adolescent Males' Athletic Performance, Sean Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the use of monetary incentives as motivational tools has been studied by previous researchers, the mechanism of the relationship between monetary incentives and behavior/performance remains poorly understood. The purpose of this quasi-experimental investigation was to explore the relationship between 3 levels of monetary incentives ($0, $3, and $10) and the athletic performance of adolescent male soccer players. The moderating effect of perceived physical self-efficacy or intrinsic motivation on the relationship between athletic performance and monetary incentives was also investigated. The framework for the study was comprised of expectancy theory, the theory of planned behavior, and self-determination theory. Study participants …

Motivation Strategies For Improving Consistency In Live-Entertainment Employees' Performances, Anthony G. Ricotta

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of discrete motivation strategies to improve the consistency of employees' performances was the problem that instigated this research. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore the motivation strategies live-entertainment artistic directors (ADs) use to improve consistency in the artists' performances. Data were collected within an international live-entertainment company to uncover whether artists self-determined the approach to improving consistency in performance or whether consistency occurred from strategies developed by the ADs. Data were collected from face-to-face interviews with ADs and senior ADs and performance evaluations of employees, and then analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldana's data analysis …

A Study On The Impact Of Technological Advancement On Community Bank Performance, Andre Ong

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigates the impact of technological advancement in community bank lending, more specifically, how online financial product and service offerings affect community banks' performance. Community banks, institutions with assets under $1 billion are praised as relationship banking specialists, are important source of credit to individuals and businesses. Their productive performance is highly beneficial for the economic development of the communities and customers that they serve, yet community banks' competitive power against large banks has become increasingly more challenging. Technological advancements radically shift all production and service based industries, including the banking industry and its institutions' offerings. The increasing use …

Strategies For Motivating Sales Employees' Performance Within Small Businesses In The United States, Wesley Chikwanda Chishimba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The loss of revenue, profits, brand, and corporate sustainability are possible for companies whose managers do not use strategies to motivate employee sales performance. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies managers use to motivate sales employees' performance. A purposeful sample of 3 managers from U.S. companies with sales employees shared their strategies to motivate sales employees' performance. Methodological triangulation was used to review and analyze information from semistructured interviews, journal notes, member checking data, and review and analysis of relevant company documents. Additionally, coding indicated 4 main themes supporting the benefits of strategies to …

Attraction And Retention Of Individual Donor Funding In Nonprofit Organizations, Andria Coleman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individual donors are an important source of revenue for nonprofit organizations. However, there is limited information on the attraction and retention of individual donors in nonprofit organizations. This single-case study addressed strategies 3 nonprofit leaders in the Northeast United States use to attract and retain individual donors. The conceptual framework was Kaplan and Norton's strategy map and the 2015-2016 Baldrige Excellence Framework used to evaluate organizational performance. Data collection included semistructured interviews; review of company documents; analysis of data available via GuideStar, an online provider of information on U.S. nonprofit organizations; analysis of data available about U.S. agencies; and review …

Procurement Strategies In Nigerian Ceramics Manufacturing, Emmanuel Korede Alege

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some developing nations struggle with a diminishing manufacturing output market share because of a lack of appropriate procurement strategies. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the procurement strategies that managers successfully developed and deployed to improve company performance. The strategic alignment model was the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 6 members of a Nigerian ceramics manufacturing company, as well as from a review of publicly available documents related to the performance of the company. A thematic analysis of the data was conducted to identify codes, extract subthemes and themes …

Internationalization And Hotel Performance: Moderating Effects Of Agglomeration, Linda Woo

Doctoral Dissertations

The relationship between internationalization and performance has been extensively examined in international business studies, but the findings remain mixed. Furthermore, recent studies have failed to reflect the complexity of internationalization and the unique nature of the hotel industry. The relationship between internationalization and hotel performance is not simple: there are many variables in the middle that affect this relationship, and a failure to account for these variables may result in poor hypothesis testing. This study aims to fill these literature gaps by providing a more robust analysis of internationalization-hotel performance relationship. To capture the complex patterns of internationalization, this study …

The Impact Of Growth, Governance, And Geography On Franchise Performance, Moeen Naseer Butt

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Growing franchise systems are admired and rewarded favorably by press, seen as “growth engines” in investor stock portfolios, and attract significant interest from potential franchisees. Yet growth brings with it the specter of intra-brand competition, and its attendant ill effect of sharply reducing the motivation of franchisees – the very drivers of such growth. Facing competition from their very own, franchisees indulge in shirking, in turn eliciting franchisor terminations in ever greater numbers as they run afoul of the franchise agreement. These franchisor terminations, in turn, may subsequently affect the financial position of franchise systems in terms of sales and …