Business Commons^™

Cross-Generational Perspectives On Work-Life Balance And Its Impact, D. Roebuck, D. N. Smith, T. El Haddaoui

Faculty Articles

This qualitative study focuses on how women of three different generations, Generation Y, Generation X and Baby Boomers, view the concept of work-life balance and what relationship these views have to their attainment of workplace leadership positions. Work-life balance was defined differently across the three generations, but the generational lines faded as most women reported struggling with finding a balance. Some women conveyed choosing not to pursue high-level leadership positions as the personal cost was too high. Those who had obtained high-level leadership positions shared what types of support were most effective in helping them juggle personal and professional obligations. …

Awesome Responsibility Of Leadership (Newport, Va), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

Speaking at Christopher Newport University (Newport, VA), Pollard outlines his vision of leadership, arguing that the exercise of true leadership can never be divorced from questions of faith. This is because leadership is fundamentally about character development. When exercised in a servant-like manner it has the ability to create an organization that is as much a moral community as it is a profit-oriented institution.

Merideth Thompson To Serve On Editorial Board For Leadership Quarterly, Usu Jon M. Huntsman School Of Business

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business News Collection

Assistant Professor Merideth Thompson has been asked to serve on the editorial board for Leadership Quarterly, an elite academic journal that is nationally known within her field of research.

Closing The Leadership Gap In Asia, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Emerging Asian markets – which are expected by the International Monetary Fund to grow by 8.5 percent in 2014 – are indispensable for any large firm with aggressive growth commitments. Although such projections may prove optimistic, companies still rely on Asia to compensate for under-performing mature markets. CEOs in Asia report that their targets for regional business units average 5 percent above the rate of regional economic growth — a target that can only be reached by capturing significant market share from the competition. Over-performing in hypercompetitive

Asian markets depends, in large part, on the quantity and quality of Asia …

The Effects Of Ethical Leadership And Organizational Safety Culture On Safety Outcomes, David Ronald Freiwald

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This dissertation investigated the relationship among ethical leadership, an ethical workplace climate, safety culture, safety behaviors, and measured safety outcomes of workers in the high reliability organizations of aviation and healthcare. The primary objective was to develop a model linking these factors and assess their fit within the model. A secondary objective was to examine differences between the two populations. In this study, a 101-item instrument was used to collect and analyze employee responses on ten factors comprising the model. Structural equation modeling – path analysis was used for testing and evaluating relations using a combination of statistical analysis and …

Management As A Liberal Art (Seattle), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

In these opening remarks recorded for a fall seminar at Seattle Pacific University, Pollard outlines Peter Drucker's theory of management as a liberal art and details the ways in which it was implemented in the ServiceMaster organization. He also notes why such a vision is important for contemporary management education.

How Kaizen Group Leader Selection Affects Group Participation, M. Joleen Byerline

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Organizational communication research indicates group member participation increases as the legitimate power differences among group members decreases. Lean principles and practices indicate Kaizen Event members will contribute regardless of legitimate power levels, due to member training, education, and the Lean team-oriented culture. Further study is needed to determine if Lean culture and training maximize group member contribution, or if legitimate power levels in Lean environments manipulate participation. The focus of this case study is a central Kentucky Lean manufacturing organization that practiced Lean principles for at least three years and completed a Kaizen Event within twelve months previous to the …

2013 Applied Projects Evaluation Organizational Impact Report, Svetlana Krasynska, Jennifer A. Jones, Mary Jo Schumann

USD Evaluation of Applied Learning Model in Nonprofit Leadership and Management Master's Program

University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Leadership and Management (NLM) master’s degree program places a special focus on experiential learning, requiring students to complete multiple applied projects as part of the program’s curriculum. Applied projects give students various opportunities to work in teams to provide real-world consulting services to nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. In developing this curriculum, the NLM program serves both the students who are given these real-world consulting opportunities, as well as the client organizations who benefit from the services provided by the students.

In Fall 2010, the University of San Diego’s NLM program initiated an Applied Projects Evaluation …

Interactive Empathy And Leader Effectiveness: An Evaluation Of How Sensing Emotion And Responding With Empathy Influence Corporate Leader Effectiveness, Gerald Burch

Theses and Dissertations

Empathy has been shown to be a very powerful social and work ability. This study surveyed 754 employees of a privately held eastern United States company, and incorporated annual performance evaluations to empirically link interactive empathy to leader performance of 102 leaders. Data was collected from the leader’s followers, peers, and supervisors and from self-report personality evaluations. The results of this study show that leaders that are willing to engage their followers with empathic displays are seen as better leaders from their supervisors and have more engaged employees. Other contributions of this study include validation of the interactive empathy scale …

Women As Leaders In Differing Microfinance Models, Rae M. Randleman

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

One of the original microfinance institutions (MFIs) is Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and the founder of the bank is Muhammad Yunus (2007). Yunus (2007) initiated a discourse that stated that microloans granted to women resulted in, among other things, increased female empowerment. Much of the global microfinance industry (MFI) has mimicked Yunus’ focus on women and thus created a global master narrative which stated that the capitalist system of credit provided to marginalized women can alleviate poverty and empower women. Other development organizations contend that by itself microfinance cannot empower women; empowerment also requires long-term efforts to influence change in …

Exploring Integrity, Leadership And Value Maximization In Microfinance, Junette A. Perez

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study intends to review thoughts and expositions on integrity, leadership, and its potential link to value maximization in microfinance. The major source of exposition is from Jensen, Erhard, and Zaffron (2011). Prior reviews revealed that a man with integrity is a man of his word. As such, integrity begins with the mind as the mind compels the desire to exercise the manifestations of integrity. Jensen et al. (2011) measured integrity as equivalent to honoring one’s word. Applying such definition in microfinance, imputed with concepts of leadership with a view of maximizing value in microfinance is limitless as well as …

Book Review Of: The New Entrepreneurial Leader: Developing Socially, Ethically, Economically And Environmentally Sensitive Leaders - A Literature Review Of Recent Trends From Three Leading Writers, Shahid Qureshi

Business Review

In the past few decades the words used as synonyms for leadership were confidence, strategic planning, and a focused mindset. The business schools claim to produce managers and leaders with the above mentioned qualities that are required to manage and run the present day corporations.

Engaging And Expanding Communities: Widening The Circle Of Stakeholders, Lisa Deangelis, Maureen A. Scully, Andrea Wight

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The 32 fellows in the 2013 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) worked with community partners to investigate the theme, “Engaging and Expanding Communities".

They worked with six community partners, and identified ways to help them expand beyond their core stakeholders to a wider circle of stakeholders and broader potential impact. The fellows gave their time and professional skills to understand how to reach new business partners, new participants, new advisors, and new donors. They conducted surveys, interviews, and focus groups; explored social media options; examined best practices; and considered ways to tell powerful stories about the vitally important work of the …

Raising Daughters To Become Leaders, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

The purpose of this six-minute message is to share, in an engaging way, some key highlights from a variety of studies on how high profile women were raised to become leaders. It will focus on what influencers (e.g., parents, siblings, and relatives) did to rear their daughters, granddaughters, nieces, etc. to become the influential women they are today.

A Leader's Impact On Sense Of Community In One Venue At The London 2012 Olympics, Laura Grouchy

All Theses

The importance of creating and maintaining sense of community in workplaces is becoming an increasingly essential facet to help restore bonds and develop support systems which can create happier and more efficient employees. The focus of this research will be on how leadership influences sense of community within one venue at the London Olympic Organizing Committee (LOCOG). This problem is of interest to scholars because Organizing Committees are rapidly growing, temporary and have symbolical strong cultures. In-depth interviews, participant observation and a big five-inventory questionnaire were administered to eight full-time employees at the same venue in London Olympic Organizing Committee. …

Authentic, Transformational Leadership: A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Black/White Biracial Leaders, Carmen R. Zafft

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This phenomenological study described the racial identity and leadership experiences of eight community, education, and business Black/White biracial leaders. Four central themes emerged relating to the participants’ racial identity choices: (a) family discourse, (b) social networks, (c) appearance, and (d) identity work. Three central themes emerged relating to the participants’ leadership experiences: (a) cultural agility: “Blessed to be flexible”, (b) perceived representation: “I look like them”, and (c) transformational leadership: “I lead so others can grow.” Because the participants were conscious of their identity development experience, all demonstrated a strong sense of self which influenced how they experienced leadership. As …

Narcissism And Accounting Majors, Jill C. Brown, Michael D. Akers, Don E. Giacomino

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

Narcissism is a personality trait that varies in individuals much like other characteristics. Accordingly, narcissism can positively or negatively impact the leadership style and career of business leaders. While personality research has examined the level of narcissism in college-aged students over the past 30 years, only recently has limited research examined narcissism in business students. Prior research has not examined accounting students. Using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), we assess the level of narcissism in accounting students at a public and private institution in the Midwest. Our findings show accounting students have a lower level of narcissism than other business …

Harnessing Charisma For Leadership Training, Meagan Roper

Masters Theses

Effective leadership develops followers toward objectives that focus a group's energy to engage in its task and accomplish its goals. The following study sought to understand charismatic leadership and its role in creating transformational change. Through a mixed methods case study using surveys and interviews, this researcher sought to explain the essence of charismatic leadership. Within the organization this study investigated, this meant first establishing organizational vision for a family atmosphere and guiding members on the path to achieving that vision, generating motivation and dedication to the task goals. The researcher discovered practical communicative strategies for incorporating charismatic leadership in …

Organizational Leadership In Times Of Uncertainty: Is Transformational Leadership The Answer?, Sophon Shadraconis

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

In a world that is rapidly changing, organizations are finding that they must adapt quickly to meet the needs of their changing environment. Organizations can only remain relevant and achieve long-term success and sustainability by adopting a model of leadership that addresses the needs of their fluctuating environment. However, many organizations have failed to adapt to their operating environment. Some examples of recent major organizational failures and bankruptcies include: Circuit City, Hollywood Video, and Mervyn's. To remain competitive, leaders must adopt a model that allows for rapid responses to the changing business environment. Transformational leadership can serve as this needed …

Entrepreneur Leadership Series Is Hosting Weekly Speakers, Usu Jon M. Huntsman School Of Business, Allie Jeppson

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business News Collection

Many people dream of launching their own business. Getting a new venture off the ground, however, is not easy.

Women And Leadership In Bahrain, Susan R. Madsen, Linzi J. Kemp

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Most leaders in public, private, and social sectors across the globe now acknowledge the importance of developing both men and women for formal leadership positions, and scholars (e.g., Bass, 1990; Bennis, 1989) have conducted leadership studies for decades in various disciplines (e.g., education, management, psychology) to better understand how to effectively do this. Within the human resource development (HRD) field, Kowske and Anthony (2007), Ardichvili and Manderscheid (2008), and Madsen (2009, 2012a, 2012b) have specifically highlighted the importance of studying leadership development within the United States of America and beyond. Yet, studies coming from any discipline about developing women leaders …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Work Environment, Timothy Dweylan Wilson

HCBE Theses and Dissertations

The research herein was developed to gain a robust understating of the relationship of transformational leadership and work environment in East Africa (Bass & Avolio, 1994). Likewise, the study provides additional data and an examination of what correlation and impact the aforementioned have on organizational commitment. The research faced many challenges, including examining a new model in a high context society that relies heavily on enriched clan, subclan, tribes, super tribes, and communal relationships, which had not been tested prior. Valid and reliable survey instruments included 60 questions from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X), 90 questions from the Work Environment …

The Ups Approach To Employee Relations, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

But at UPS, the management starts off every meeting by reciting one of the policies in the company’s policy handbook that contains guidelines on how to handle employees, stakeholders and customers. Mary Yeo, vice president of supply chain operations at UPS South District, said at a talk presented at Singapore Management University (SMU): “This is a reminder to all of us working at UPS that we cannot overlook any important matters happening in our environment by simply forgetting the good culture at UPS.”

What Is Character And Why It Really Does Matter, Thomas A. Wright, Tyler L. Lauer

Business Faculty Publications

Conclusion:

In presenting our overview of character, we set out to challenge the increasingly prevalent (and narrow) self-interest perspectives of character considered as merely freefloating values and cults of personality. One can almost hear Theodore Roosevelt’s eloquent call for a renewal of more traditional views of character. Our take-away point is simple. As with the impending financial debacle, we find ourselves in a similar moral dilemma. The time is now to carefully consider the many benefits of character and character-based leadership

Investigating Virtual Worlds, Patricia D. Sobczak

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

The global phenomena of online gaming engages millions of people, some playing over 45 hours a week - the equivalent of a second full-time job. Our children are logging over 10,000 hours of gaming time before they are 21 years old; the equivalent of the time children spend in formal classrooms from grades five through 12. Players in one of the most popular online games have logged over 5.3 million years of play time since 2004.

These statistics show that virtual worlds, including online games, have become an important component of modern culture, but their impact on society has yet …

An Exploratory Study Of The Role Of Values In Microeconomic Decision-Making And The Implications For Organizations And Leaders, Holly A. Bell

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

This research is designed to test the role reflecting on and sharing values plays in our individual decision-making schemas in a group. The research is based on evidence from the literature that values play a role in economic decision-making, can be formed and utilized either consciously or unconsciously, and impact microeconomic decision-making and ethics in organizations. The study found that when decision considerations were reframed in a values context the decision-making process became more quasi-rational, but the decisions participants made were as good or better than they were before values were introduced. In some cases decision-makers became less interested in …

Internal Marketing Implications Of Workplace Bullying: The Integration Of Multiple Perspectives, Mary F. Mobley, Michael C. Mobley, Richard Easley, Clinton Amos

AMTP Proceedings 2013

This special session will highlight marketing, behavioral, leadership, and legal perspectives of workplace bullying behavior and how such behavior can negatively affect an individual’s wellbeing and adversely impact an organization’s welfare. The discussion will be couched within an internal marketing framework with special emphasis on strategic implications. Behavioral aspects of those who bully and the impact that their behavior can have on their targets will be given special consideration. Also, various leadership issues that arise in workplace environments with respect to workplace bullying will be explored. Further, an overview of the legal ramifications of workplace bullying will be integrated into …

Marketing Faculty And Marketing Staff: Framework Of Shared Opportunity, Lynn W. Mcgee

AMTP Proceedings 2013

Marketing faculty and university marketing professionals are finding opportunities to collaborate that deepen research in marketing for higher education, enrich the marketing student experience and enhance marketing effectiveness at their institutions. This exploratory research brief draws on two advancement experts to describe the potential-- and the challenges--of research in higher education marketing, reviews a sample of published research to identify the types of published collaborations and uses a case study of a public comprehensive university to identify types of marketing faculty/staff collaboration. As faculty across all disciplines are asked to take more leadership in marketing their schools and departments, marketing …

A Narrative Approach To Delivering Bad News In Organizations: Effective Or Not?, Michael S. Carriger

WCBT Faculty Publications

Purpose: This paper presents empirical evidence for the use of narrative to deliver bad news within an organization, specifically bad news about layoffs. The attempt is to extend previous empirical work, using narrative by senior leadership to convey corporate strategy, to a different leadership challenge and further explicate a model for understanding the effectiveness of narrative as a leadership communication tool. Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper presents further original research on the effectiveness of narrative as a leadership tool. And theoretical implications for leaders seeking effective communication tools are explored. Findings: Data presented to substantiate that narrative use, as opposed to a …

Keep Relationships Positive Or Do Things Right: Bridging Women Leaders’ Conflict Management Strategies In Non-Profit Organizations In Taiwan And The Us, Chin-Chung Chao, Dexin Tian

Communication Faculty Publications

Purpose – The present study aims at contributing to the knowledge of organizational communication and cross-cultural female leadership by examining the conflict management strategies between Taiwanese female presidents and their American counterparts in Rotary Clubs.

Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through field observations and 25 in-depth interviews with 14 Taiwanese female presidents and 11 American female presidents in Rotary Clubs. Theme analysis of the interpretive method was used in this research.

Findings – This study revealed that the female presidents in both cultures applied obliging and integrating strategies to handle management conflicts. Yet, due to the interference of past presidents, …