Business Commons^™

Strategies To Secure Sustainable Funding For The Successful Conclusion Of Infrastructure Projects, Ibrahim Adia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Construction industry leaders who neglect to implement appropriate project funding strategies harm business operations and lose profits. Inadequate funding is also a significant cause of project failures in the global construction sector. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies construction project owners use to secure sustainable funding for the successful conclusion of infrastructure projects. The population comprised 5 leaders of organizations owning construction projects in the Middle Eastern Gulf Cooperation Council states, with successful strategies to acquire adequate funding for completing infrastructure projects. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with the business leaders and reports …

Strategies To Motivate And Retain Sales Associates In Small Businesses, Benjamin O. Chukwu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Owners of small businesses who fail to implement adequate employee motivation and retention strategies may experience lost profit and high employee turnover. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the managerial strategies that owners of small businesses owners used to motivate and retain sales associates to increase profits. The population for the study included owners of 4 businesses in Texas who successfully implemented employee motivation and retention strategies. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with business owners and from artifacts such as company websites and social media pages. Transformational leadership theory guided the study. Data were analyzed …

Leader Readiness In A Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, And Ambiguous (Vuca) Business Environment, Karen Rimita

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders in the 21st century face relentless changes in the business environments in which they operate. The diversity, intensity, and rapidity of these changes create volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), which challenge leaders on ways to lead effectively as existing methods prove inadequate. The problem in this study was that of inadequate leader preparedness to lead and win in VUCA environments. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of 15 Nigerian corporate executives about their VUCA business environment and the strategies they employed for VUCA-readiness and success within the manufacturing sector. The …

Funding Strategies For Smallholder Rice Farmers In Afadzato South District, Ghana, Faith S. Ababio-Twi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Agriculture revenue contributions to Ghana's gross domestic product have declined because of limited farm funding, which has constrained some smallholder rice farmers access credit to acquire necessary inputs, and to secure a stable market for their harvests. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful strategies some smallholder rice farmers in the Afadzato South District of Ghana used in obtaining farm funding. Data collection included semistructured, face-to-face interviews with 9 smallholder rice farmers who successfully obtained farm funding. Previous research, reports, and policies of the Ghana Ministry of Food and Agriculture served as additional data collection …

Strategies For Sustainability Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In Ghana, John Kwaku Amaglo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 92% of all Ghana firms, providing 60% of citizens' employment and contributing about 70% of Ghana's income from gross domestic products. Within the first 5 years of operation, 40% of new businesses fail. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by Ghanaian SME manufacturing leaders in the fruit industry to sustain business for longer than 5 years of operation. The conceptual framework for this study was open systems theory and complexity theory. The population for this study was 5 Ghanaian SME manufacturing business leaders in the fruit industry …

Evaluating The Effects Of Counterterrorism Strategies On Insurgency In Nigeria, Bowie Sonnie Bowei

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the evolving problems of terrorism in Nigeria and the formation of numerous new terrorist groups, insurgency in Nigeria has escalated, making it one of the most terrorized countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This study looked critically at the effects of the strategies applied in the attempt to fight terrorism and how these strategies have affected insurgency in Nigeria. The background of the study gives an insight on the evolution of terrorist groups in Nigeria, their mode of operation, effects on citizens and the Nigerian economy, as well as the operations of counterterrorist agencies. The qualitative research method was used for …

Recruiting Strategies For Increasing The Number Of Emergency Medical Technician Personnel, Carolyn Denise Mack

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Demand for the emergency medical technician (EMT) is 2 times greater than that of all other occupations. Sustainability of ambulance services (AS) personnel is dependent upon the recruitment of EMTs into the industry. The purpose of this multiple case study was the exploration of the recruiting strategies that AS administrators used to increase the number of EMTs. Herzberg's 2 factor theory of motivation was the conceptual framework for this study. The data collection instrument included semistructured interviews with 6 AS company executives in southeastern New Mexico and southwestern Texas. Secondary data and document from each state's emergency medical services personnel …

Successful Strategies For Energy Sector Enterprise Resource Planning Projects, Dora Kwei Arko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders use enterprise resource planning (ERP) to integrate and streamline business functions and processes. Each year, the majority of these projects fail due to project managers' ineffective management of the project scope. The successful implementation of ERP software enhances the flow of information in organizations and tends to improve the performance of employees and job satisfaction, resulting in improved sustainability and profitability. The Leavitt organizational change management model was used as the conceptual framework for this multiple-case study. The purpose of the study was to explore the strategies project managers in the energy sector used to implement successful ERP …

Health Care Leaders' Strategies To Reduce Nursing Turnover, John Clayton Phelps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care leaders who lack effective nurse turnover strategies can negatively affect patient quality of care, productivity, and profitability. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies health care leaders used to reduce nursing turnover in a health care organization. The conceptual framework for this study was Herzberg's 2-factor theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 4 health care leaders in the West Texas region who had a history of reducing nurse turnover for a minimum of 5 years from the date of hire, and from review of organizational documents related to the strategies to reduce …

Leadership Strategies For Increasing Employee Productivity In The Banking Industry, Thiquita Ward

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Investing in employee engagement is beneficial to ensuring an organization's ability to sustain and improve productivity and performance. The purpose of this single case study was to explore effective leadership strategies leaders used to increase employee productivity. The population for this study were 6 bank leaders from Mississippi with a minimum of 5 years of experience implementing effective strategies to increase employee productivity. The conceptual framework for this study was Bass's transformational leadership theory. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, observations, and a review of company documents. The data analysis process involved Yin's 5-step approach, methodological triangulation, and member checking …

Strategies For Mitigating Employee Turnover In The Nigerian Financial Services Industry, Oluwabukunmi Fapohunda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business owners and leaders have committed resources, time, and funding to understand and mitigate the phenomenon of employee turnover. The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies that managers used to mitigate employee turnover in the financial services industry in Nigeria. The transformational leadership model was the conceptual framework for this single case study. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 middle-level managers who had experience and knowledge of employee turnover at an organization in the financial services industry in Nigeria. The company's policy documents and audited financial statements were also reviewed. Thematic coding was used for data …

Psychological Distress Among High-Risk Youths First-Year In Collegiate Sport, Cassidy Janay Jenkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is well documented that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds face a significant degree of deficiencies in college opportunity. Previous researchers have shown an estimated 1 in 5 student athletes given the opportunity to compete at the college level come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and encounter more adjustment issues than other students because of the psychological barriers they face. Using Pearlin's theory of psychological distress and Selye's GAS as the foundation, this study explored the extent to which the difference between the perceived time needed and actual time spent in both sports and academic commitment predict psychological distress in first-year …

Relation Between Employee Learning, Emotional Intelligence, And Organizational Performance, Jose A. Lopez-Martinez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many managers of Puerto Rican corporations have not been able to assist employees in their recovery from the devastation left by Hurricane Maria. This lack of assistance has resulted in high employee attrition rates, low productivity, anxiety, isolation, anguish, despair, panic attacks, and depression. Scholarly literature lacks research on emotional intelligence and learning in corporate, postdisaster contexts; both capacities may mitigate employee stress due to the uncertainty inherent in postdisaster conditions and motivate employees to persevere in the face of adversity. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the relationship between employee learning, emotional intelligence, and organizational performance. …

Strategies Hospital Administrators Utilize To Optimize Patient Services, Vicente Njoku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital administrators face challenges that arise from environmental factors or psychosocial factors, and lack resources to deliver valuable medical services to stakeholders, including patients and employees. A multicase study served to explore experiences and gain a broader perspective of hospital administrators' use of strategies to optimize patient services. Ten hospital administrators from acute care hospitals in Nevada and California were purposefully selected from the population of hospital managers with a minimum of 2 years of documented experience in successfully implementing management strategies to improve patient services. The conceptual framework was Drucker's management theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with …

Survival Strategies For Owners Of Micro And Small Enterprises In Kenya, Samuel Kipngetich Too

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Micro and small enterprise (MSE) owners in Kenya are faced with a myriad of constraints that affect their survival for longer than the first 5 years. Owners of MSEs who are unable to identify and implement strategies may not succeed in sustaining their businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies owners of MSEs in Nairobi, Kenya, used to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. The conceptual framework for the study was the theory of constraints. Data were collected from 4 purposefully selected MSE owners in Nairobi, Kenya, through face-to-face, semistructured interviews, and review …

Progress On The Economic Empowerment Of Female Entrepreneurs In Kenya's 30% Preferential Public Procurement Policy, Rukaya Mohammed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Kenya, a 2013 presidential directive reserved 30% of government procurement opportunities for enterprises owned by women, youth, and persons with disabilities to promote economic empowerment; however, as of 2016, female entrepreneurs continued to be outpaced by their male counterparts. The lack of policy evaluation from the female entrepreneur perspective limits the ability to assess progress and identify obstacles. Through purposeful sampling and semistructured interviews, this qualitative phenomenological study obtained the perceptions of the implementation and impact of Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) on economic empowerment from the perspective of 20 female entrepreneurs in Kenya previously awarded procurement contracts. …

A Bibliometrics Literature Review On Cryptocurrency, Asefeh Asemi, Andrea Kő

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Objective: A bibliometrics literature review on Cryptocurrency and thematic clustering. The study tried to answer the following questions: What are the most active publishers in Cryptocurrency? What are the most active Authors in Cryptocurrency? What is expression count of the main categories in Cryptocurrency? What is expression count of the sub-categories in Cryptocurrency?

Q5. What is expression count of the keywords in cryptocurrency? What are the most important word occurrences in the title? What are the most thematic clusters in Cryptocurrency?

Methodology: A combined research method is applied. Research community included the published papers in cryptocurrency and retrieved from Google …

An Analysis Of The Quality Of Ph.D Theses: A Peep Through In-Text Citations And Bibliography, Unnikrishnan S

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study attempts to analyze the quality of Ph.D theses awarded by Mahatma Gandhi University, South India in the field of Social Sciences through their in-text citations and bibliography. This is done by foregrounding the mistakes made by the scholars in their theses. In between 2017-18, the university had awarded 69 Ph.Ds under Social Sciences of which 25 theses were selected for this study. The major finding of the study is that even though American Psychological Association (APA) style of citation is generally accepted across the academic community, none follow it strictly. This is because research guides are often permitted …

Funding Strategies For Smallholder Rice Farmers In Afadzato South District, Ghana, Faith S. Ababio-Twi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Agriculture revenue contributions to Ghana's gross domestic product have declined because of limited farm funding, which has constrained some smallholder rice farmers access credit to acquire necessary inputs, and to secure a stable market for their harvests. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful strategies some smallholder rice farmers in the Afadzato South District of Ghana used in obtaining farm funding. Data collection included semistructured, face-to-face interviews with 9 smallholder rice farmers who successfully obtained farm funding. Previous research, reports, and policies of the Ghana Ministry of Food and Agriculture served as additional data collection …

Manufacturing Companies' Strategies To Mitigate Supply Chain Disruptions, Vanessa Kaye Benton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chains have become increasingly unstable due to unanticipated disruptive events, which undermines a firm's capacity to achieve a competitive market advantage and increase profitability. The disruption of a supply chain is essential to supply chain managers, as the interruption can be expensive, and the goods and services lost can negatively affect the entire supply chain. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that manufacturing firm managers use to mitigate supply chain disruptions to remain profitable. The population consisted of 4 supply chain managers from 2 manufacturing firms located in the southern region of eastern …

Relationship Between Time Estimation, Cost Estimation, And Project Performance, Eyas Nakhleh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the project management role is increasing, project failure rates remain high. Project time and cost are 2 project factors that can affect the performance of the projects. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between time estimation, cost estimation, and project performance. Data collection involved a purposive sample of 67 project sponsors, managers, and coordinators in Qatar. The theoretical framework was the iron triangle, also known as the triple constraints. Participants were randomly invited to answer 18 questions using the project implementation profile instrument. A standard multiple regression analysis was used to examine the correlation …

Assessment Of Adaptability Of A Supply Chain Trading Agent’S Strategy: Evolutionary Game Theory Approach, Yoon Sang Lee, Riyaz T. Sikora

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

With the increase in the complexity of supply chain management, the use of intelligent agents for automated trading has gained popularity (Collins, Arunachalam, B, et al. 2006). The performance of supply-chain agents depends on not just the market environment (supply and demand patterns) but also on what types of other agents they are competing with. For designers of such agents it is important to ascertain that their agents are robust and can adapt to changing market and competitive environments. However, to date there has not been any work done that assesses the adaptability of a trading agent’s strategy in the …

Dialogue During Team Problem Solving Using Visual Representation Boundary Objects: A Case Study, Julie Marie Webb

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Organizations benefit from the knowledge held by individual members as well as knowledge that is shared among those members. In order for knowledge to co-develop between members, and to spread, organizations must provide opportunities for members to collaborate. Organizational teams sometimes require assistance with interpersonal communication, establishing consensus, and sharing knowledge when collaborating. Group facilitators can offer guidance and intervene when teams need support. In addition, teams can find support through the use of visual representation boundary objects (VRBOs) to build trust, improve communication, increase cooperation, and share ideas. This study explores how knowledge is shared between team members and …

Codification Of Statements On Standards For Attestation Engagements, Number 18, As Of January 2019, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

AICPA Professional Standards

No abstract provided.

Attractive Or Aggressive? A Face Recognition And Machine Learning Approach For Estimating Returns To Visual Appearance, Guodong Guo, Brad R. Humphreys, Mohammad I. Nouyed, Yang Zhou

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

A growing literature documents the presence of appearance premia in labor markets. We analyze appearance premia in a high-profile, high-pay setting: head football coaches at bigtime college sports programs. These employees face job tasks involving repeated interpersonal interaction on multiple fronts and also act as the “face” of their program. We estimate the attractiveness of each employee using a neural network approach, a pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network fine tuned for this application. This approach can eliminate biases induced by volunteer evaluators and limited numbers of photos. We also use this approach to estimate the perceived aggressiveness of each employee based …

2019 Association Integrated Report; Re-Imagine; Aicpa Annual Report, 2019, Association Of International Professional Accountants

AICPA Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

The Hague Rules On Business And Human Rights Arbitration, Bruno Simma, Diane Desierto, Martin Doe Rodriguez, Jan Eijsbouts, Ursula Kriebaum, Pablo Lumerman, Abiola Makinwa, Richard Meeran, Sergio Puig, Steven Ratner, Giorgia Sangiuolo, Martijn Scheltema, Anne Van Aaken, Katerina Yiannibas

Other Publications

The Hague Rules on Business and Human Rights Arbitration provide a set of procedures for the arbitration of disputes related to the impact of business activities on human rights. The Hague Rules are based on the Arbitration Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (with new article 1, paragraph 4, as adopted in 2013) (the “UNCITRAL Rules”), with modifications needed to address certain issues likely to arise in the context of business and human rights disputes. Each article is accompanied by a commentary, which includes background on the drafting of various provisions in the Rules, explaining in …

Regression Tree Construction For Reinforcement Learning Problems With A General Action Space, Anthony S. Bush Jr

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Part of the implementation of Reinforcement Learning is constructing a regression of values against states and actions and using that regression model to optimize over actions for a given state. One such common regression technique is that of a decision tree; or in the case of continuous input, a regression tree. In such a case, we fix the states and optimize over actions; however, standard regression trees do not easily optimize over a subset of the input variables\cite{Card1993}. The technique we propose in this thesis is a hybrid of regression trees and kernel regression. First, a regression tree splits over …

Volatility Spillovers In Electricity Markets: Evidence From The United States, Themistoclis Pantos, Stathis Polyzos, Angelos Armenatzoglou, Ilias Kampouris

All Works

© 2019, Econjournals. All rights reserved. This paper examines the degree of market integration, as observed by measuring volatility spillovers, in selected wholesale electricity spot markets from United States. We choose markets located at interconnected and non-interconnected areas. We use a Multivariate GARCH framework, which allows us to model time varying correlations and to conclude whether the markets show evidence of interdependency. We estimate the variance-covariance and correlation structure, in order to observe the evolution of interactions among markets, accounting for asymmetric effects. We find evidence of significant correlations between interconnected markets, which are mainly due to electricity transmission, since …

Measuring Fiscal And Monetary Policies Spillovers In Asean, Thi Mai Lien Dau, Yuthana Sethapramote

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This paper aims to comprehensively examine fiscal and monetary policies spillovers to real GDP and inflation in ASEAN-5 countries. We examine the effects of shocks from each of the ASEAN members and advanced economies by employing the global vector autoregression (GVAR) model because it allows us to investigate this issue in a multinational system. The empirical results show several important findings. Generally, both internal and external fiscal and monetary spillovers have a significant effect on all ASEAN-5 countries, although internal monetary spillover seems to be stronger than internal fiscal spillovers. At country level, out of the five ASEAN countries, Indonesia’s …