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Full-Text Articles in Business

Survival Strategies For Small Independent Full-Service Restaurants, Haitham Nizam Jan 2017

Survival Strategies For Small Independent Full-Service Restaurants, Haitham Nizam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses play a vital role in the modern economy. They represent the main catalyst for economic development. However, small businesses fail at a high rate, especially small independent restaurants. Around 25% of small independent restaurants fail within the first year of operation, and around 60% do not survive for more than 3 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore what strategies small independent full-service restaurant owners in the Al Rehab District, Cairo, Egypt implemented to sustain operations for more than 5 years. The restaurant viability model provided the conceptual framework for this study. The population …


Team Member Selection Strategies, Robert Carl Stewart Jan 2017

Team Member Selection Strategies, Robert Carl Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business teams have been losing millions of dollars every year in cost and schedule over-runs from incomplete or failed projects. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that business managers use to determine team fit when selecting employees for assignment to cross-functional project teams. The participants for this study were 3 senior management personnel and a 6-member employee focus group, all from midsized, nonprofit organizations located within 200 miles of the tri-state region of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The conceptual framework for this study was Werbel and Gilliland's theory of person-group fit, McCrae's and John's …


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 …


Strategies To Promote It Project Success, Gerald Scheuchner Jan 2017

Strategies To Promote It Project Success, Gerald Scheuchner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many project managers and business leaders lack effective strategies to manage information technology (IT) projects, which may inhibit business leaders from successfully implementing IT changes. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that IT leaders use to successfully implement IT projects. The target population consisted of IT leaders in IT organizations located in the Saint Louis Metro East area. The conceptual framework consisted of the general systems theory and the coordination theory. Data collection included organizational documents and semistructured interviews with 6 qualified participants. Data analysis included coding and thematic analysis, member checking, and methodological triangulation. …


Employees' Organizational Commitment And Turnover Intentions, Andrea Annette Bonds Jan 2017

Employees' Organizational Commitment And Turnover Intentions, Andrea Annette Bonds

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employees who want to leave their companies may exhibit low morale and commitment to organizations, which may affect the way employees interact with customers. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between employees' affective, continuance, and normative commitment to their organizations and their turnover intentions. The target population consisted of individuals with 2 or more years of call center experience who resided in the United States. Meyer, Allen, and Smith's 3-component model of commitment provided the study's theoretical framework. A purposive sampling of participants, which included a targeted audience and individuals who accessed the survey from …


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 …


Beyond The Enclave: Success Strategies Of Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Jose Delfin Gonzalez Jan 2017

Beyond The Enclave: Success Strategies Of Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Jose Delfin Gonzalez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, immigrant entrepreneurs start almost one third of all new businesses. However, many immigrant entrepreneurs lack the knowledge or expertise to evolve their businesses beyond the ethnic enclave where the businesses are located. This multiple case study captured the strategies used by 5 Latino immigrant business owners who successfully expanded their business beyond their ethnic enclave. The conceptual framework for this study was dynamic capabilities theory. Data were collected from interviews, company documents, and observations of the operation of businesses and owners. Member checking and transcript reviews were used to enhance the reliability and credibility of the …


A Case Study Of Financial Literacy And Debt Of Immigrants In Lloydminster, Canada, Oludamola Olalere Durodola Jan 2017

A Case Study Of Financial Literacy And Debt Of Immigrants In Lloydminster, Canada, Oludamola Olalere Durodola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high debt-to-income ratios and the low financial literacy levels among Canadian immigrants are hindering public welfare, macroeconomic policies, and economic growth. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore why immigrants to Lloydminster, Canada possess high debt-to-income ratios in their financial portfolios by examining pertinent themes and patterns between their debt profiles and their financial literacy levels. The life cycle hypothesis, rational choice theory, and bounded rationality theory grounded the study. Data collection from the purposeful sample included semistructured face-to-face interviews with 13 adult immigrants and a focus group discussion with 6 adult immigrants, all of …


Exploring The Importance Of Soft Skills Training For Accountants, Tonja Annette Gardner Jan 2017

Exploring The Importance Of Soft Skills Training For Accountants, Tonja Annette Gardner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Regional accounting firm leaders face challenges with employees who possess strong technical skills, but lack nontechnical communicating and teamwork skills. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies regional accounting firm leaders use to train technical staff on soft skills. The human capital theory was the conceptual framework supporting the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with partners, leaders, managers, and human resource personnel with 5 years or more of experience who participated in the hiring, training, and professional development process at 3 regional CPA firms. The review of company documents and company website postings triangulated …


Process Capability Calculations With Nonnormal Data In The Medical Device Manufacturing Industry, James Walter Kwiecien Jan 2017

Process Capability Calculations With Nonnormal Data In The Medical Device Manufacturing Industry, James Walter Kwiecien

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls of medical devices are at historically high levels despite efforts by manufacturers to meet stringent agency requirements to ensure quality and patient safety. A factor in the release of potentially dangerous devices might be the interpretations of nonnormal test data by statistically unsophisticated engineers. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that testing by lot provides a better indicator of true process behavior than process capability indices (PCIs) calculated from the mixed lots that often occur in a typical production situation. The foundations of this research were in the prior …


Retaining Employees After Downsizing, Chizoba C. Nwoye Jan 2017

Retaining Employees After Downsizing, Chizoba C. Nwoye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Oil and gas industry business leaders who fail to implement adequate talent retention strategies experience reduced profits and sustainability challenges. During the first 2 years following downsizing, 67% of organizations using excuse-based downsizing reflected reduced sales and profitability, and 11% of such organizations experienced financial losses. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that successful Calgary medium size oil and gas businesses implemented to retain talented employees after downsizing. The population for the study included business leaders of 3 medium oil and gas businesses in Calgary, Canada, who had successfully implemented talented employee retention strategies. …


Corporate Governance And The Shareholder: Asymmetry, Confidence, And Decision-Making, John Buchanan Jan 2017

Corporate Governance And The Shareholder: Asymmetry, Confidence, And Decision-Making, John Buchanan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the decade following the ten-plus percent stockmarket collapse of 2000, regulators enacted a myriad of regulations in response to increasing angst experienced by U.S. capital market retail investors. Systemic asymmetric disclosures have fractured investor confidence prompting many commentators to characterize the relationship between Wall Street and the investment community on main street as dire. Though copious works exist on the phenomenon of corporate behaviors, especially matters of shareholder welfare, weak boards, pervious governance mechanisms, and managerial excess, current literature has revealed a dearth in corporate governance praxis specific to the question and effects of asymmetric disseminations and its principal …


Strategies To Expand The U.S. Automated External Defibrillator Market, Arturo Cervantes Jan 2017

Strategies To Expand The U.S. Automated External Defibrillator Market, Arturo Cervantes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite defibrillation as the only effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), less than 15% of homes and public facilities have access to an automated external defibrillator (AED). In the United States, ineffective response to SCA cases occurring each year classifies it as a business problem for medical device manufacturing leaders, emergency responders, and bystanders. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore the marketing strategies AED manufacturing leaders use to expand their consumer customer base. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of participants from 2 U.S. AED manufacturers on the east coast, 2 AED …


Business Strategies To Increase The Financial Stability Of Private Universities, Brian Greenwell Jan 2017

Business Strategies To Increase The Financial Stability Of Private Universities, Brian Greenwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

University administrators of nonprofit higher education private institutions face challenges to maintain financial stability as the projected tuition revenue is expected to decline over the next 15 years. In addition, projected closure or mergers for all colleges and universities is expected to reach 50% by 2030. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies higher education private institution administrators use to manage financial stability. Kaufman's complexity theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Purposeful sampling was used to select 4 university administrators from an Ohio higher education private institution for face-to-face interviews. Semistructured questions provided …


Leadership Strategies For Addressing U.S. Pharmaceutical Drug Shortages And Supply Chain Disruptions, Adrian Grant Scioli Jan 2017

Leadership Strategies For Addressing U.S. Pharmaceutical Drug Shortages And Supply Chain Disruptions, Adrian Grant Scioli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care providers in the United States expend more than $400 million in unnecessary direct costs annually managing the effects of widespread drug shortages. Based on the theory of complexity and complex adaptive systems, the purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to identify the strategies that health care pharmaceutical procurement leaders from the Eastern region of the United States use to address widespread drug shortages. Data were collected from 5 semistructured interviews with pharmaceutical procurement leaders, recorded field notes, and a review of public documents from company websites. Data analysis included deductive and open coding techniques. Emergent themes …


Leader–Member Exchange Between Academic Deans And Faculty In Community Colleges, Alexander Lincoln Clifford Jan 2017

Leader–Member Exchange Between Academic Deans And Faculty In Community Colleges, Alexander Lincoln Clifford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Between 2011 and 2016, 84% of senior leaders in community colleges indicated retirement intentions and thereby exposed a need to provide better mentorship, training, and early selection of potential replacements for college executives. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature and extent of the relationships between the independent variables (mentorship, leadership training, and time in the position as dean) and the dependent variable (demonstrated leadership of academic deans in community colleges). A popular approach that describes this dynamic is Graen and Uhl-Bien's leader–member exchange theory, which was operationalized by the LMX–7 instrument. A causal–comparative design was used …


The Determinants Of Traffic Citation Revenues On Florida's Clerks Of Court And Comptrollers, Corey A. Hamilton Jan 2017

The Determinants Of Traffic Citation Revenues On Florida's Clerks Of Court And Comptrollers, Corey A. Hamilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the wake of budgetary restraints, many local government organizations are examining existing sources of revenue to exhaust available streams without increasing constituents' financial burden. Some of these revenue streams include nontraditional sources, such as traffic citations, yet little research has explored the implications of revenue generated from fines from traffic citations. Using the theory of resource dependence as the foundation, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the estimated population of the county, the unemployment rate of the county, and the personal income per capita against the number of traffic citations issued and the Florida …


Nonprofit Leaders' Strategies In Capturing The Attention Of Committed, Large Donors, Aneatra Holland Jan 2017

Nonprofit Leaders' Strategies In Capturing The Attention Of Committed, Large Donors, Aneatra Holland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Few U.S. nonprofit organizations meet annual operational costs. Facing government funding cuts, U.S. nonprofit leaders have had to seek other revenue streams to remain operable and ensure that the clients they serve continue to receive support. Leaders often seek out large donors but lack strategies for successfully doing so. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies successful nonprofit leaders have used to capture the attention of committed, large donors in Southern California. Government failure theory and independence theory constituted the conceptual framework. The purposeful sampling method consisted of 3 nonprofit agency managers who had operated …


The Survival Of Small Businesses In Northeastern Florida After A Natural Disaster, Harry Kemp Jan 2017

The Survival Of Small Businesses In Northeastern Florida After A Natural Disaster, Harry Kemp

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small business owners lack strategies needed to prevent permanent business closure in the wake of extreme natural disaster situations. After a natural disaster, small businesses suffer financial losses in millions of dollars related to damage and destruction that disrupt their lives, families, and communities. This multiple case study explored strategies that 5 small business owners in northeastern Florida used to avoid permanent business closure in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The theory of planned behavior and vested interest theory were the conceptual frameworks used in this multiple case study. In-depth interviews with purposively selected small business owners were …


Essential Executive Coaching Competencies For Enhancing Executive On-The-Job Performance: A Modified Delphi Study, Arturo Small Maxwell Jan 2017

Essential Executive Coaching Competencies For Enhancing Executive On-The-Job Performance: A Modified Delphi Study, Arturo Small Maxwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 93% of Fortune 1000 companies in the United States rely upon executive coaching to accelerate executive performance. However, there is a lack of empirical research identifying effective executive coaching competencies. In this modified Delphi study, a panel of 17 executive coaching experts was purposefully selected from the International Coach Federation and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Participant selection criteria included training in executive coaching, executive coaching credentialing, and -?¥3 years practicing executive coaching or purchasing executive coaching services. Participants used a 5 point Likert-type questionnaire to provide their expert opinion regarding essential executive coaching competencies for enhancing …


Effect Of 2007-2009 Economic Crisis And Dodd-Frank Legislation On The U.S. Banking Industry, Steven D. Simpson Jan 2017

Effect Of 2007-2009 Economic Crisis And Dodd-Frank Legislation On The U.S. Banking Industry, Steven D. Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This correlation research study was used to investigate the impact of the Dodd-Frank legislation on the U.S. bank industry. The economic crisis of 2007-2009 had a global and significant financial impact, some of which still reverberates. In the United States, the reaction was The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which took effect July 21, 2010. This act has recently been the subject of academic research and remains debated in congress, with discussion focused on its repeal. The publicly available, secondary data set from banks' quarterly filed regulatory reporting provided the data used in this study. Every FDIC …


The Influence Of Corporate Social Responsibility And Star Rating On Chinese Hotels' Occupancy Rates, Che Wang Wang Jan 2017

The Influence Of Corporate Social Responsibility And Star Rating On Chinese Hotels' Occupancy Rates, Che Wang Wang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some small business owners are unaware of the possible long-term benefits of engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR). A business undertaking CSR can benefit from long-term financial benefits. Hotel businesses can benefit from developing long-term relationship with visitors and higher occupancy rates. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine the potential influence of family-owned hotel owners' attitudes towards CSR and star ratings on hotel occupancy rates. The study's population comprised owners of family-owned hotels within Yanqing Zhen, Yanqing County, in Beijing, China. Bowen's formulation of CSR constituted the theoretical framework. Independent variables were hotels owners' attitudes towards CSR …


The Relationship Between Ethical Leadership And Sustainability In Small Businesses, David Amisano Jan 2017

The Relationship Between Ethical Leadership And Sustainability In Small Businesses, David Amisano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the 2008 financial crisis, business leaders' ethical behaviors have been under scrutiny. These leaders face uncertainty regarding ethical leadership behaviors and their impact. Because small business leadership involves multiple facets of behavior and decision-making, small business leaders may have an insufficient understanding of the impact of ethical leadership behaviors on the sustainability of their businesses. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between ethical leadership and financial, social, and environmental sustainability in small businesses. Integrated social contracts theory was the theoretical framework. The participants consisted of 80 members of a chamber of commerce located in …


Sexual Harassment Experience, Psychological Climate, And Sex Effect On Perception Of Safety, Kenneth C. Barker Jan 2017

Sexual Harassment Experience, Psychological Climate, And Sex Effect On Perception Of Safety, Kenneth C. Barker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual harassment has significant adverse psychological and physical effects on employees and can negatively impact the workplace, and overall business operations. A gap in current research was identified concerning whether the employee's sex affects employee's perceived workplace sexual harassment climate, sexual harassment experience, and perceived safety from sexual harassment. This study examined the effects of employee workplace sexual harassment experience and perception of workplace sexual harassment psychological climate on employee's perceived safety from sexual harassment moderated by sex. Results showed that perceived workplace sexual harassment climate and employee workplace sexual harassment experience were both significant predictors of perceived safety from …


Employee Lived Experiences And Initiative Success In Arkansas Quality Award Recipient Organizations, Carol Barton Jan 2017

Employee Lived Experiences And Initiative Success In Arkansas Quality Award Recipient Organizations, Carol Barton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Businesses with failed quality initiatives lose revenue, experience high expenses, and have fewer market opportunities. Researchers attribute failed quality initiatives to human and social factors. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of employees in companies that received an Arkansas Governor's Quality Award between 2010 and 2015. No one knows how employees' experiences contribute to successful quality initiatives, or how their stories about their experiences influence quality management and continuous improvement. The conceptual framework consisted of Weick's theory of sense-making and Deming's system of profound knowledge. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with 11 participants …


Integrating Consumer Feedback Into Business Marketing Strategies, Elijah G. Clark Jan 2017

Integrating Consumer Feedback Into Business Marketing Strategies, Elijah G. Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Consumer feedback and reviews are critical to the success of businesses because 49% of consumers trust online reviews more than other sources. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore marketing managers' strategies for using consumer reviews to improve marketing success, brand awareness, and their clients' profitability. The conceptual framework for this study was built upon organizational theory and disruptive innovation theory. The participants were recruited through local events, social media, and e-mail. Data were collected from public online records and semistructured telephone interviews using 1 marketing manager from each of 5 marketing agencies in North Texas. Thematic analysis …


Factors Contributing To Business Process Reengineering Implementation Success, Mary Elizabeth Dell'aquila Jan 2017

Factors Contributing To Business Process Reengineering Implementation Success, Mary Elizabeth Dell'aquila

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders continue to use business process reengineering (BPR) as a process improvement methodology even though BPR implementations have had low success rates. To increase BPR success rates, organizational leaders must understand what specific factors contribute to successful BPR implementations. Grounded in Lewin's field theory, the purpose of this nonexperimental, cross-sectional study was to examine the impact of gender and education on BPR. Data collection consisted of nonprobability convenience sample of 122 members from the professional networking website LinkedIn and the professional organizational website American Society for Quality. Data were gathered from a 6-point Likert-type scale survey instrument based on …


Resources That Predict Microbusinesses Winning A U.S. Government Contract, James Marshall Ensign Jan 2017

Resources That Predict Microbusinesses Winning A U.S. Government Contract, James Marshall Ensign

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Government (USG) sets aside $133 billion annually to procure goods and services from small businesses. To increase efficiency and effectiveness, the USG employs e-commerce procedures that continually change, forcing small and microbusiness owners (MBO) to learn new technical skills. This continuum of change is adversely affecting MBO who lack technical skills. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine whether a relationship existed between the independent variables of formal training consisting of third party providers, consultants, and higher education (INTM); previous federal employment (PFE); and government-sponsored training (GST) and the dependent variable of MBO winning a USG …


Testing A Psychological Readiness Training Intervention On Ptsd, Depression, Anxiety, & Stress In First Responders, Renee Kosor Jan 2017

Testing A Psychological Readiness Training Intervention On Ptsd, Depression, Anxiety, & Stress In First Responders, Renee Kosor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exposure to traumatic events is rare for the general public but common for first responders. However, there is little proactive emotional health care occurring inside the first responder community. No preventive treatment for depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD exists. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a psychological readiness training intervention on 361 police officers and firefighters in a medium-size Midwestern city. A combined positive psychological capital and cognitive behavior therapy approach was used to frame the study. This study used a pretest, posttest quasi-experimental design. The participants were a convenience sample of 119 volunteers from …