Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Business Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 203

Full-Text Articles in Business

Nigerian Oil And Gas Industry Content Development Act's Perceived Performance Impact, Olakunle Thomas Ayoola Jan 2017

Nigerian Oil And Gas Industry Content Development Act's Perceived Performance Impact, Olakunle Thomas Ayoola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Petroleum-producing companies in Nigeria were forced to increase spending on Nigerian-sourced materials and services from $8 billion to $13 billion since 2010, due to the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act. The act was enacted in 2010 to support local firms and improve the companies' performance. However, there is sparse research on how the act affected the companies' performance. This study was an examination of the impact of the act on the companies' performance. Bandura's social cognitive theory was the theoretical framework. The research questions of this descriptive correlational study were used to examine the act's effect on …


A Qualitative Exploration Of The Security Practices Of Registered Nurses, Beth Ann Savage Jan 2017

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Security Practices Of Registered Nurses, Beth Ann Savage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increased breach occurrences in healthcare cause concern for health information as reported by the Federal Government. Significant effort, regulations, and safeguards are in place to protect the systems used in the healthcare industry. Employee handling of security remains an area of vulnerability related to security protocols. The unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT) served as the model for this qualitative exploratory study with the purpose of understanding registered nurse (RN) perceptions and lived experiences related to IT security. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 participants from the Three Rivers Chapter American Association Critical Care Nurses. Transcribed data …


Return On Investment Of The Cftp Framework With And Without Risk Assessment, Anne Lim Lee Jan 2017

Return On Investment Of The Cftp Framework With And Without Risk Assessment, Anne Lim Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, numerous high tech companies have developed and used technology roadmaps when making their investment decisions. Jay Paap has proposed the Customer Focused Technology Planning (CFTP) framework to draw future technology roadmaps. However, the CFTP framework does not include risk assessment as a critical factor in decision making. The problem addressed in this quantitative study was that high tech companies are either losing money or getting a much smaller than expected return on investment when making technology investment decisions. The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between returns on investment before and after adding risk …


Strategies To Retain Revenue Management Analysts In The U.S. Airline Industry, Curtis Raynard Williams Jan 2017

Strategies To Retain Revenue Management Analysts In The U.S. Airline Industry, Curtis Raynard Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The voluntary turnover of revenue management analysts in the U.S. airline industry is an issue, compelling revenue management leaders to implement retention strategies that successfully reduce employee turnover. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies revenue management leaders used within the last 15 years to retain revenue management analysts. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was Maertz's 8 motivational forces of job attachment and voluntary turnover. The targeted population was comprised of revenue management leaders at an airline in Dallas, Texas who had demonstrated successful strategies to reduce employee turnover. Using criterion-based sampling, 4 …


Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility And Corporate Financial Performance, Christopher Lim Jan 2017

Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility And Corporate Financial Performance, Christopher Lim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Consumers are demanding that corporations become more socially responsible. Executives are challenged to maximize shareholders' returns with achieving a favorable corporate citizen status. The research problem was a gap in knowledge and understanding of the impact of corporate social responsibility on financial performance. This study used multiple linear regression to assess the relationship between key indicators of corporate social responsibility and financial performance from 372 corporations in the S&P500 in 2014. The theoretical foundation was Freeman's stakeholder theory. Environment, community, human rights, diversity, employee relations, product quality, and corporate governance were measures of social performance. Return on assets was used …


Exploring The Impact Of Shared Leadership Styles And Nonprofit Performance, Will Brown Jan 2017

Exploring The Impact Of Shared Leadership Styles And Nonprofit Performance, Will Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Empirical data have not adequately revealed current methods of nonprofit leadership in a way that reflects shared leadership in the nonprofit sector leaving nonprofit organizations (NPOs) at a disadvantage in relation to understanding and describing leadership effectiveness. Using a conceptual framework that incorporated organizational theory, shared leadership theory, path goal theory, transformational theory, leader member exchange, and fund development theory, this mini ethnographic study was conducted to explore the effect of leadership styles in shared leadership situations and the impact of matched and unmatched leadership styles on NPO funding performance. With the use of purposeful sampling to conduct the study, …


Work Motivation Theory: Identifying Multi-Generational Values In The Workplace, Rhonda Rochelle Brown-Crowder Jan 2017

Work Motivation Theory: Identifying Multi-Generational Values In The Workplace, Rhonda Rochelle Brown-Crowder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The workforce is diverse on gender, race, ethnicity, culture, work styles, and age. Employees from different generations have varying expectations of what they value from the workplace and therefore approach work differently. Generational differences can lead to mistrust and communication breakdowns. They can also impact job satisfaction and productivity. The Generational Cohort Theory was utilized in this nonexperimental study, and the sample was recruited from CB Richard Ellis Real Estate Group. The purpose of this study was to determine the work values differences among the 4 generational cohorts: Silent, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials. The research questions for this …


Information Technology Training To Promote Collaboration Among Multiple Generations, Gregg Foster Jan 2017

Information Technology Training To Promote Collaboration Among Multiple Generations, Gregg Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The decision to implement information technology (IT) initiatives to enhance collaboration among veterans, baby boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Fifth Generation employees continues to challenge organizational leaders. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to identify how the implementation of information technology initiatives, coupled with the knowledge of learning styles, might enhance collaboration among generational cohort employees. The generational cohort theory, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, and the technology acceptance model were the theoretical frameworks used to develop an understanding of the relationships among the cohorts and the acceptance of technology to enhance collaboration. Data were collected from a …


Why Leader-Member Exchange Is Important To Business Thinking, Linda Lou Coto Jan 2017

Why Leader-Member Exchange Is Important To Business Thinking, Linda Lou Coto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership style affects the workforce and is one of many vital elements in business operations. Prior research suggests that leadership style can affect production outcomes and employee turnover ratios, yet scant evidence suggests the effect of leadership style on business thinking. This qualitative grounded theory study investigated the extent to which a leadership style known as LMX theory drives business thinking. The information gained from this study, including the effect on business thinking, may enhance how companies coach their leaders to interact with subordinates and improve production outcomes. Participants came from either private and public-sector companies or agencies. The sample …


Employee Retention Strategies In The Fast Food Industry, Darren Cross Jan 2017

Employee Retention Strategies In The Fast Food Industry, Darren Cross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Voluntary employee turnover in the fast-food industry is 50%. Employee turnover costs fast-food restaurants $10 billion annually. The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the strategies of 5 fast-food restaurant managers in the Midwestern United States who achieved higher employee retention than did peers in their districts. The conceptual framework was the 8 motivational forces of voluntary employee turnover. Data were collected via semistructured, face-to-face interviews, recruiting materials, retention activities, policy manuals, and overall voluntary termination reports. Data were compiled, disassembled into groups, reassembled into patterns and themes, and interpreted for conclusions, revealing 3 themes that influenced …


Strategies For Recruiting Cybersecurity Professionals In The Financial Service Industry, Iva Walters Jan 2017

Strategies For Recruiting Cybersecurity Professionals In The Financial Service Industry, Iva Walters

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The cybersecurity market is the fastest growing market in the United States; as such, leaders in financial institutions recognize their businesses are vulnerable, as money is accessible within computerized banking systems. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore what strategies financial service leaders- use to recruit cybersecurity professionals. The conceptual framework for this study was the hierarchy of needs and stakeholder management theory. Data collection involved company archival documents and semistructured, open-ended interviews with 5 financial service leaders in the Midlands area of South Carolina who recruited skilled cybersecurity professionals to support long-term business sustainability. Coding, clustering, …


Strategic Alignment Of Information Technology Projects And Project Success, Joan Barnes Jan 2017

Strategic Alignment Of Information Technology Projects And Project Success, Joan Barnes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alignment of information technology (IT) projects remains a concern for business executives and negatively impacts IT investments through failed projects. Drawing from the theory of systems thinking and the concept of holism, the purpose of this correlational study was to provide executive leaders with information about influences associated with the independent variables of project alignment and performance outputs, and the dependent variable, project success rates. Accordingly, the research question addressed the relationship between the 2-predictor variables and the outcome variable. Data collection involved a nonprobability, purposive sample of 49 credentialed project managers from Arizona who completed an online survey. Results …


A Comparison Between Administrative Leadership In Higher Education And Change-Oriented Leadership In Banks, Glenn King Jr Jan 2017

A Comparison Between Administrative Leadership In Higher Education And Change-Oriented Leadership In Banks, Glenn King Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational environments continually change. Organizations that do not meet the demands for change do not survive. The required changes differ for banks versus universities, suggesting that leaders in each type of organization need to use unique styles to adapt to their unique environments. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to test a contingency theory of leadership that leaders of banks are change-oriented, whereas leaders of higher educational institutions are administrative in their style. The research questions dealt with differences in the uncertainty of internal operations and the external environment of banks versus universities, and the leadership style most …


Leadership Style And Organizational Citizenship Behavior In Community-Based Mental Health Facilities, Paula Ann Lucey Jan 2017

Leadership Style And Organizational Citizenship Behavior In Community-Based Mental Health Facilities, Paula Ann Lucey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A dramatic and historic evolution has occurred as mental health care has shifted from institutional-based care to community-based care. Framed by the social exchange theory, the purpose of this study was to identify the correlation of the leadership style of supervisors in residential care facilities with the organizational citizenship behavior of the residential care workers. The research questions focused on the correlation between the leadership styles and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) with a secondary focus specifically on transformational leadership. Residential care workers in 3 states working in 65 facilities within a single organization completed 2 surveys: the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire …


Effects Of Change Valence And Informational Assessments On Organizational Readiness For Change, James Edward Phillips Jan 2017

Effects Of Change Valence And Informational Assessments On Organizational Readiness For Change, James Edward Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly two-thirds of organizational change initiatives are unsuccessful due to a lack of high levels of change readiness prior to implementation of the change. A review of the literature supported the importance of establishing organizational readiness for change (ORC), but a gap remained in the empirical data and extant literature about whether presumed antecedents identified in ORC theory contribute to increased levels of ORC. The purpose of this study was to gather empirical data to address this question of whether change valence and informational assessment scores are associated with increased levels of organizational readiness for implementing change. The research design …


Leader - Member Exchange And Performance In Nonprofit Human Services Organizations, Charles A. Archer Jan 2017

Leader - Member Exchange And Performance In Nonprofit Human Services Organizations, Charles A. Archer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Success of nonprofit human services organizations depends upon the ability to cultivate high quality performance among staff members. Employees of such organizations experience lower job satisfaction when managers disregard their opinions or treat them as unimportant. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory case study was to explore employees' perspectives on the quality of their relationships with their supervisors and impacts of that perception on job performance. The central research questions regarded how employees understood those relationships and their impact on their work success. Using the framework of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, which centers upon the employee-supervisor relationship, data were collected …


Balancing Career And Family: The Nigerian Woman's Experience, Ngozi Eze Jan 2017

Balancing Career And Family: The Nigerian Woman's Experience, Ngozi Eze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigerian women have become more integrated into the workforce, but this integration has led to conflicts between work and family responsibilities. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Nigerian women regarding challenges and strategies in management and leadership positions in relation to their domestic lives and responsibilities. Liberal and social feminist theory and gendered leadership theory were used as the conceptual framework of the study. The findings of this study came from data obtained from semistructured interviews with 15 Nigerian women in leadership and management positions regarding their perceptions and lived experiences of balancing …


Employee Perceptions Of Loyalty As A Factor Of Performance. Grounded Theory Approach, Chanaz Gargouri Jan 2017

Employee Perceptions Of Loyalty As A Factor Of Performance. Grounded Theory Approach, Chanaz Gargouri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The relationship between employee loyalty and organizational performance has long been recognized but not included in performance appraisal models. This study identifies the perspectives of Master of Business Administration (MBA) candidates at a small private university in the eastern U.S. Fifteen interviews were conducted after distributing flyers among MBA classes and interested students volunteered to participate. The study was qualitative, based on personal interviews, to explore how loyalty is perceived in relation to performance. The theoretical framework used was Hogan's (1983) socioanalytic theory to explain differences in people's performance at work. Through use of a grounded theory approach, employees' perceptions …


Management Contingencies Between Privately-Funded And Publically-Funded Broadcasting Organizations, Michael Godson-Amamoo Jan 2017

Management Contingencies Between Privately-Funded And Publically-Funded Broadcasting Organizations, Michael Godson-Amamoo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations, for-profit or not-for-profit, continually assess demands from their internal and external stakeholders and adjust their operations and strategies for long term sustainability. Building on the classical contingency theory of organization, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify the differences of operational values and principles between private and public broadcasting organizations; an additional goal was to examine how these organizations use their operating choices to adapt to their environment. In a comparative study design between for-profit and not-for-profit broadcasting organizations as independent variables, the focus of the study was to compare 3 groups of dependent variables regarding operational …


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 …


Leadership Strategies For Developing And Implementing Organizational Change, Hardy L. Delay Iv Jan 2017

Leadership Strategies For Developing And Implementing Organizational Change, Hardy L. Delay Iv

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders in some narcotics treatment programs struggle with change development and implementation. The objective of this single-case study was to explore strategies used by leaders in a narcotics treatment program to develop and implement organizational change initiatives successfully. Participants included 4 leaders who had developed and implemented successful change initiatives repeatedly for more than 10 years in a narcotics treatment program in the southeastern United States. Bertalanffy's general systems theory was the basis for the conceptual framework. Data collection included semistructured interviews of leaders of a narcotics treatment program and collection of archival data, such as reports relating to strategic …


Transformational Leadership Strategies For Addressing Voluntary Employee Turnover, Chris A. Osisiogu Jan 2017

Transformational Leadership Strategies For Addressing Voluntary Employee Turnover, Chris A. Osisiogu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For every standard deviation of increase in employee turnover, organizations could suffer a roughly 27% decline in financial performance. Current voluntary employee turnover rates hover between 15% - 40% and the associated unquantifiable indirect costs affecting customer loyalty and creating reputational risks for business leaders. Furthermore, when employees leave an organization for another, a minimum of 95% leave with trade secrets, strategic skills, and acquired knowledge. As a result, turnover has evolved into a significant concern for organizational leaders. Using the transformational leadership concept, the purpose of this single case study was to explore the leadership strategies that bank leaders …


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 …


The Lack Of African American Women Ceos In Corporate America: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Rosalind D. Sawyer Jan 2017

The Lack Of African American Women Ceos In Corporate America: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Rosalind D. Sawyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the number of African American women filling executive level positions in Fortune 500 companies in America has improved, there is still a need for significant improvements in increasing their access to corporate chief executive officer (CEO) positions. African American women occupy only 11.7% of the board seats, and their representation as CEOs has steadily declined. Throughout the history of Fortune 500 companies, there have been only 14 African American men with CEO titles. As of January 2017, there are no African American women CEOs. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences and perceptions of …


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. …


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 …


Healthcare Executive Leadership Development And Succession Planning, Robin Ford Dillard Jan 2017

Healthcare Executive Leadership Development And Succession Planning, Robin Ford Dillard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders face leadership crises as executives from the baby boomer generation retire, creating a shortage of experienced and knowledgeable leaders. Some business leaders are unprepared for the replacement of retiring senior-level executives and lack strategies for succession planning. The findings of this study indicate succession planning and leadership development play a significant role in preparing future healthcare leaders in their ability to improve the quality of patient care and improve the strategic and financial health of the organization. Guided by the human capital theory the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by healthcare …


Credit Strategies For Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises Within A Changing Environment, James Edward Wilkinson Jan 2017

Credit Strategies For Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises Within A Changing Environment, James Edward Wilkinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to credit in the changing environment is the primary challenge to survival for many small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners. The purpose of this multicase study was to understand how seasoned small business leaders in wholesaling and manufacturing in Northwest Arkansas strategically adapted to obtaining access to credit in an environment of bank mergers and acquisitions, disruptive information technology, federal and state regulations, and globalization. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was adaptive leadership and change management. Although, small business leaders prefer to obtain credit from community banks through relationship financing, leaders of SMEs can adapt to the …


Examining The Relationship Between Communication Apprehension And Individual Innovativeness In Managers, Michelle Campagnola Jan 2017

Examining The Relationship Between Communication Apprehension And Individual Innovativeness In Managers, Michelle Campagnola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Communicative challenges that hinder managerial engagement in social networks can impede innovation adoption and thereby damage the financial performance and competitiveness of a firm. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between communication apprehension (CA) and individual innovativeness in managers. The focus of the research questions was determining if a relationship exists between these variables before and after controlling for demographic characteristics. With diffusion of innovation theory as the theoretical framework, this research involved an attempt to address how adoption categories relate to varying degrees of CA. One hundred and five American-based owner-executives, senior managers, and …


Leadership Practices That Improve The Workplace Safety Environment, Nathan Nomore Chikono Jan 2017

Leadership Practices That Improve The Workplace Safety Environment, Nathan Nomore Chikono

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate leadership is the reason workplace accidents in the mining industry remain high, making the industry one of the most hazardous operational activities in the world. Unsafe leadership practices may result in death or injury to workers. A group of 30 mining company leaders from 3 gold mines in Zimbabwe revealed an exception to these hazardous practices, however, notable through their outstanding safety improvement records. To better understand what these practitioners were doing, this multicase study research design explored their strategies to improve the workplace safety environment in the mines. Data were collected using audio-recorded semistructured interviews and document analyses. …