Business Commons^™

Enhancing The Competitive Advantage Of U.S. Corporations By Incorporating A Foreign Trade Zones Strategy, Dino Adolfo Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some leaders of U.S. companies fail to implement proper decision-making strategies to enact and execute strategies to realize the benefits provided by a foreign trade zone (FTZ). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and to identify the proper decision-making strategies used in successfully implementing a FTZ. The target population consisted of 5 leaders, including a senior leader, a supply chain manager, and 3 department managers of a company located in the midwestern region of the United States that successfully implemented a FTZ. Porter's competitive advantage theory was the conceptual framework used for the study. Semistructured interviews …

Strategies Small Business Owners Use To Remain Sustainable, Desire Luamba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, 41% of small retail businesses fail to succeed for longer than 5 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies small retail business owners used to remain sustainable for more than 5 years. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was Schumpeter's innovation theory. The sample size of this research included 4 successful retail business owners located in the southeastern region of the United States who have successfully started and managed their business activities for more than 5 years. Data were collected using semistructured face-to-face interviews with successful owners of small retail …

Sustainability Strategies Of Barber Salons, Kouassi Gilles Mevo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many barber salons and other small businesses in the United States fail to succeed beyond the first 5 years. The factors responsible for the low survival rate of salons may include the limited training and education levels mandated by state certification requirements. The purpose of this multiple case study was to identify business strategies successful barber salon owners use to overcome the business management and staffing challenges associated with a small pool of skilled barbers and the high turnover in a low wage profession. The theory of transformational leadership served as the conceptual framework. The data collection included interviews of …

Senior-Level African American Women, Underrepresentation, And Career Decision-Making, Marquita Barron

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2015, 0.2% of African American women were in chief executive officer (CEO) roles and 1.2% were in executive or senior-level roles within a 500 Standard & Poor's (S&P) organization. African American women's lived experiences are underutilized by organizational and human resources (HR) leaders in the development and implementation of recruitment, talent development, diversity and inclusion, and succession planning strategies. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand lived experiences regarding career advancement decision-making strategies for senior-level African American women. The conceptual framework used was social cognitive career theory (SCCT), which addresses the 'what' and 'how' of career …

Work Engagement, Job Satisfaction, And Nurse Turnover Intention, Yolanda Marie Edwards-Dandridge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, the high turnover rate of registered nurses and indications of a future shortage of registered nurses is detrimental to healthcare organizations. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether, in hospitals, work engagement and job satisfaction predicted registered nurse turnover intention. The theoretical framework was Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action. Probability sampling was used to identify 155 participants, all full-time registered nurses with 2 or more years of employment in New York hospitals. Data, obtained from surveys, were analyzed via multiple linear regression. The results revealed that only job satisfaction predicted turnover …

Strategies To Diversify Funding Sources In Nonprofit Organizations, Alan Lee Gunnerson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although nonprofit organization (NPO) leaders play crucial roles in society, financial distress and vulnerability are common for many NPO leaders, with some NPOs closing as a result of these conditions. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore the diversification strategies used by 10 leaders and senior staff of an NPO in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States through the conceptual lens of Markowitz's modern portfolio theory. Data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews and analysis of organizational documents, internal archival data, social media, literature, and online databases. Through thematic analysis, 7 revenue diversification themes emerged: adding revenue …

Strategies To Reduce Risks Associated With Corporate Social Responsibility Lending, Victor Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bank managers have transacted six trillion dollars of new loans in low and moderate income (LMI) communities because of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) mandate. CRA originated mortgages accounted for over 42% of the defaulted loans because of limited risk strategies. Based on the Aguilera conceptual framework, the purpose of this exploratory single case study was to explore the strategies CSR bank managers used to reduce the risks associated with lending in LMI communities. Data were collected and analyzed from semistructured interviews of five bank managers working in one financial organization located within the U.S. Northeast. Data also included the …

Surgical Perioperative Leadership: The Association Between Leadership Style And Team Job Satisfaction, Corey Louise Jamison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The perioperative operating room (OR) is a highly complex, fast-paced environment where countless transactions must be executed with efficiency, speed, and accuracy, and where mistakes of any kind could lead to adverse patient outcome, injury, or death. The surgeon, as leader of the procedure and the OR team, sets the overall climate of the OR and determines how willing (or unwilling) team members are to speak up about potential errors or unsafe patient conditions. This exploration of the relationship between perioperative surgeon leadership style and OR team member job satisfaction fills a gap unaddressed in the literature using items …

Implementation Strategies For Change Initiatives, Justin Legrand Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many change initiatives fail because business leaders often lack the strategies for successful implementation. The inability of business leaders to successfully implement change initiatives can result in missing deadlines, increasing costs, and reduced employee productivity and morale. Grounded by Lewin's change management model and Kotter's 8-step change model, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies aerospace manufacturing managers in the Midwest Region of the United States used to implement successful change initiatives. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews with 3 aerospace manufacturing managers and a review of company documents. Data were analyzed using methodological triangulation, …

Strategies For Using Information And Communication Technologies To Improve Profitability, Rodney Mciver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners in a range of industries continually adapt to take advantage of technological developments in accounting, marketing, and communication. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that small business owners operating in the central region of North Carolina used to implement information and communication technology (ICT). Roger's diffusion of innovation theory grounded the study. Data collection included face-to-face semistructured interviews with 6 owners of small businesses who successfully implemented ICT, field notes from site observations, and reviews of participant websites. Interviews were transcribed and participants were engaged in member checking. Data were analyzed using …

Success Factors For Minority Small Business Sustainability, Tawny Barnes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority small business owners significantly contribute to national and local economies. Only 50% of small firm owners sustain their businesses longer than 5 years. The purpose of the multiple case study was to explore the management strategies that minority small business owners used to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. The study's population consisted of 4 minority small business owners in the midwestern region of the United States to explore management strategies necessary for maintaining minority small firm operations. The conceptual framework for the study was general system theory. Data sources included semistructured interviews, social media information, company …

An Aging Workforce And The Technology Gap: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study, Julie Sulene Francis-Pettway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A gap exists in the literature on the actual experiences of older workers with information and communication technology adoption in technology-infused workplaces. To inform organizations on how to more effectively support this employee group's adoption of technology, the purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was designed to gain a deeper understanding of the daily experiences of older workers when adopting and adapting to information and communication technologies in a technology-infused workplace. This study is framed by, first, the selection-optimization-compensation framework for successful aging and, second, the age-inclusive training design framework. Semistructured interviews with 8 participants, observational field notes, …

Leaders' Perceptions Of The Sexual Misconduct Reporting System In The Military, Catherine Elaine Mincey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is an unwarranted number of men and women that experience an unwanted sexual contact occurrence while on active duty, that is not reported through the military's sexual harassment or sexual assault system channels. A reporting system that is cumbersome and ineffective may hinder a leader's perception in implementing effective sexual harassment and sexual assault policies and procedures. The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to explore the ways a reporting system influenced the decision making processes of leaders and the importance of a fluent information flow through communication channels regarding the reporting system for sexual misconduct within …

Building Meaningful Gender Diversity On Boards, Center For Executive Succession

Research Briefs

For every additional female senior executive, companies are nearly two times more likely to appoint another female board member, while companies with a female director on the nominating committee are four times more likely to appoint another female director. • These effects are more pronounced for boards with a lower average age of board members.

Board Independence And Corporate Misconduct, Center For Executive Succession

Research Briefs

Board independence, audit committee independence, and CEO-board chair separation reduce the likelihood of corporate misconduct. • Audit committee independence is twice as effective as overall board independence in reducing misconduct. • Board independence and CEO-board chair separation are more effective where corruption is less common but less effective in more corrupt countries.

Ceo Sensitivity To Negative Media Coverage, Center For Executive Succession

Research Briefs

CEOs’ individual psychology influences firm responses to stakeholder resistance, shaping future strategic actions. • CEOs respond differently to negative press coverage of acquisitions based on their tendency to focus on the past or the future - CEOs with a strong past focus spend less on future acquisitions after negative accounts. • CEOs respond more consistently to investor reactions to acquisition announcements, regardless of temporal focus.

Female Cfos And Financial Misreporting, Center For Executive Succession

Research Briefs

Firms with female CFOs are less likely to misreport their financial earnings than those with male CFOs. • Male CFOs misreport more frequently when external oversight from analysts, investors, or auditors is weak. • Female CFOs are generally consistent regardless of oversight, suggesting they are less opportunistic in their reporting than male CFOs.

Founder Ceo Succession, Center For Executive Succession

Research Briefs

Length of time that the firm was private prior to an IPO will decrease the likelihood that the CEO will voluntarily resign. • Those who were CEOs during the firm’s founding are less likely to voluntarily resign than those who became CEO later. • However, if the CEO had entrepreneurial experience prior to the current firm, the CEO is more likely to voluntarily resign.

Friendship Ties On Boards, Center For Executive Succession

Research Briefs

Although board interlock ties between close competitors are illegal, many firms appoint “friends” of competitor’s CEOs to create “boardfriendship” ties. • Firms that appoint a friend of a rival firm’s CEO reduce competition and increase financial performance.

Internal Labor Markets Or Designations?, Center For Executive Succession

Research Briefs

Internal hires who enter the job through a competitive process perform better than internal hires who receive the job primarily through managerial relationships. • Internal hires who enter the job through a competitive process are less likely to exit the firm than internal hires who receive the job primarily through managerial relationships • Internal hires who enter the job through a competitive process earn more than internal hires who receive the job primarily through managerial relationships.

New Ceo Social Influence During Transitions, Center For Executive Succession

Research Briefs

Of 440 CEO succession events in the S&P 500 between 2001 and 2012, 59 involved predecessor CEOs who remained as board chair with a specific departure plan; 169 predecessor CEOs remained as board chair with no announced plan, and 212 predecessors departed immediately. • A CEO dismissal within three years is 2.42 times more likely if the predecessor CEO remains as board chair. • A new CEO’s public praise of the predecessor diminishes the negative effect of the predecessor remaining as board chair.

Subgroup Effects In Executive Leadership Teams, Center For Executive Succession

Research Briefs

Executive leadership teams can fracture into subgroups based on employee demographic characteristics (e.g., age). • Executive leadership teams can fracture into subgroups based on task related characteristics (e.g., functional background). • Demographic based subgroups hinder cohesion, harming the ability to enact strategic change, whereas task based subgroups facilitate inter-group knowledge sharing, enhancing the ability to enact strategic change.

Successful Strategies For Implementing Health Information Technology In Primary Care Practice, Samuel O. Otoo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health information technology (HIT) owner-practitioners who adopt effective strategies for HIT implementation can improve primary facility care delivery and profitability. However, some HIT owner-practitioners have ineffective implementation strategies, so they have not realized the total revenue increases of more than 8%. Grounded in general systems theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore successful strategies primary care practitioners (PCPs) use to implement HIT to improve primary facility care delivery and profitability. The participants included 6 owner-practitioners located in Queens County, NY, who successfully implemented HIT to improve facility care delivery and profitability. Data were collected through face-to-face …

Strategies Middle Managers Of Nonprofit Health Care Organizations Use To Motivate Their Administrative Workforce, Chastidy Elliott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the awareness of employee motivation among scholars and business leaders, many American workers attest to being unmotivated. A lack of employee motivation can lead to negative business outcomes. Therefore, middle managers may experience challenges in identifying strategies to motivate their staff. Grounded in the path-goal theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore nonprofit health care organization middle managers' motivational strategies for the administrative workforce. The participants were comprised of 13 middle managers in the United States who supervised administrative teams of 4 or more members for over 2 years and effectively implemented motivational strategies. …

Causes And Prevention Of Electric Power Industry Accidents: A Delphi Study, Ganesh Narine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The electric power industry is very complex, dangerous, and challenging. The number of workplace accidents declined over the last decade, but worker injuries and fatalities continue to occur. The purpose of this Delphi study was to gain consensus regarding the most feasible and desirable methods to prevent accidents and deaths. The research question focused on gaining consensus from a panel of experts regarding the most desirable and feasible solutions to fatal and serious workplace accidents in the United States. The Bolman and Deal 4-frame model proved useful for understanding challenges within the electric industry and how workers and leaders can …

Medical Marijuana Policy Conflicts Within The District Of Columbia Private Workplace, Robert B. Kennedy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The District of Colombia poses a unique challenge to private employers because the passage of a local medical marijuana policy was instituted in a federalized district that is obligated to abide by federal Schedule 1 narcotic laws. Using punctuated equilibrium as the theoretical foundation, the purpose of this case study was to understand how managers maintain compliance and address the conflict between different levels of government. Data were collected from interviews with 8 private industry hiring personnel who operate within the District of Columbia. These interviews were transcribed, inductively coded using a 2 cycle coding procedure, and then subjected to …

Enterprise Risk Management Strategies For Organizational Sustainability, Kaleb Matthew Wyma

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single case study was to explore enterprise risk management strategies that nonprofit business leaders used to maintain and improve organizational sustainability. The study population included 3 executive leaders from a rehabilitation and social services nonprofit agency located in the northeastern United States. The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations integrated enterprise risk management framework was the conceptual lens used in this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with the 3 executive leaders of the client organization and review of internal, external, and publicly available documents. Data and information from documents and interviews were manually coded. Findings were …

Do Socially Conscious Etfs Match Their Active Counterparts?, Ryan Cultice

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Over the past decade, Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) has grown at a rapid pace and, by some estimates, now represents a quarter of the $48 trillion in assets under professional management in the United States. At the same time, investors have broadly shifted from active to passive investing strategies. While there is significant research in each of these respective areas, we believe that we are the first to examine whether a socially conscious investor can employ a passive approach or if the constrained nature of SRI necessitates active management. As such, we examine the performance of socially conscious ETFs versus …

Maximizing Wins Or Profit: Designated Players In Major League Soccer, Zachary Willis

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This paper seeks to add to the existing literature regarding sports teams and whether they follow a win-maximizing or profit-maximizing strategy. Specifically, this paper seeks to analyze Designated Players (DPs) in Major League Soccer (MLS) and see if DPs contribute more toward a team’s on-field success, measured as win percentage, or overall revenue. Prior studies have analyzed soccer leagues across Europe and found that most teams follow win-maximizing strategies over profit-maximizing strategies. This analysis has not yet been carried over to MLS, which is not the most prevalent sports league in its home country and features a unique DP structure. …

Solving A Whale Of A Problem: Introducing The Four Functions Of Management In A Management Principles Course., Rachel Dolechek, Thomas Lippert, Edward Vengrouskie, Robert Lloyd

Applied Business Faculty Publications

This paper introduces an experiential exercise that exposes students in a management principles course to the four managerial functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. The exercise combines the powerful benefits of visual media and humor in a situational scenario designed to enhance the learning opportunities for students to grasp the fundamentals of management education. By connecting experiential learning with the four functions of management in a humorous situational case, students will be better able to develop a grasp of the management functions and understand how they are related. Learning applications allow students to develop a deeper conceptual understanding of …