Business Commons^™

Strategies To Improve Business Performance With Information From Social Media, Taylor Chan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the past 3 decades, China has experienced rapid economic growth. The China retail market reached renminbi (RMB) 29,651 billion in 2016, up by 10.4% from 2015. Using traditional ways that developed before the Internet era to acquire information regarding customers' changing preferences for products and services in a fast-moving business world is insufficient to support management in the retail industry to make informed strategic decisions. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore successful customer-centric strategies that business leaders used to improve business performance with marketing information acquired from social media. The population comprised business leaders from …

Strategies Small Construction Business Managers Use To Reduce Safety Incidents In Their Organization, Peggy Ann Mcknight

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globally the construction industry struggles to prevent injurious and fatal safety incidents. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies used by construction business managers that had significantly reduced the occurance of safety incidents in a Northwest Ohio construction company. Data were collected from organizational records and interviews with 6 construction managers. The conceptual framework for this research was the concept of safety management systems. Data were compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, grouped, and then interpreted for meaning. Methodological triangulation and member checking were used to enhance reliability and validity. Four themes emerged from the data: …

Strategies To Reduce Employee Turnover, Diane Krzan Merla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Businesses that fail to retain knowledgeable employees risk remaining competitive in the marketplace. Approximately 25 million people quit their jobs in 2016, overall. This single case study explored strategies business managers use to reduce employee turnover. The population for this study was 5 business managers from a business and technical personnel support organization in the information and solutions industry in the state of New Jersey who had experience with strategies to improve employee retention. The conceptual framework used in this study was systems theory. Data were collected from company archival documents and semistructured face-to-face interviews with 5 business managers. Moustakas' …

Strategies For Adopting Additive Manufacturing Technology Into Business Models, Robert Martens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Additive manufacturing (AM), also called 3-dimensional printing (3DP), emerged as a disruptive technology affecting multiple organizations' business models and supply chains and endangering incumbents' financial health, or even rendering them obsolete. The world market for products created by AM has increased more than 25% year over year. Using Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation as a conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the successful strategies that 4 individual managers, 1 at each of 4 different light and high-tech manufacturing companies in the Netherlands, used to adopt AM technology into their business models. Participant firms originated …

Marketing Strategies Of U.S. Small Businesses Led By African Immigrants, Sophia Osei-Sarfo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses play a vital role in the U.S. economy and represent 99.7% of all U.S. businesses. Small business failure rate is 50% within the initial 5 years. Creating and executing a well-formulated marketing strategy is essential to business sustainability. Effective marketing strategy builds small business survival rates and supports long term execution advantages. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies that African immigrant small grocery store owners use to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. The population included 5 successful first-generation African immigrant small business owners located in the Bronx …

The Relationship Between Personality Traits And The Income Of Small Business Owners, Staci Lashawn Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Researchers have found that the Big Five personality trait of conscientiousness correlated consistently with high performance across industries. However, previous research was limited to self-reported data collected based on the opinions of the participants and did not include the subtraits of conscientiousness (achievement and dependability). Previous studies also did not provide data specific to entrepreneurs operating as small business owners and did not compare them to their peers. Thus, the purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore whether or not there was a relationship between the personality traits of achievement and dependability and the income of U.S. …

Copreneurs' Coping Strategies For Work-Family Conflict, Eunice Peregrino-Dartey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Family businesses including copreneurships have a high failure rate. Copreneurs experience work-family conflict (WFC), which can have a negative effect on business sustainability. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that copreneurs used in managing WFC to achieve business sustainability for longer than 10 years. Three copreneurs from 3 copreneurial businesses located in the Greater Accra region of Ghana, who have employed effective strategies to cope with WFC to achieve business sustainability longer than 10 years, participated in the study. The WFC model for business/marriage partners (copreneurs) and the reciprocal coping model served as the …

Effective Hiring Process Background Check Strategies, Christina Diane Waddell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job applicants often falsify information in their application materials. Using the disparate impact theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to identify strategies Human Resource professionals use to complete effective background checks while maintaining compliance with federal regulations. I collected data by interviewing executives of 3 organizations located in the Southwest region of the United States, who had successful strategies for performing background checks to identify falsified information in the application process. I assured the validity and reliability of the data by reviewing organizational documents and member checking of the interpretation of the data. …

Project Manager Trait Emotional Intelligence And Project Success, Nicholas Aaron Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project success is a measure of both project manager efficacy and stakeholder satisfaction. One of the primary measures of success for construction projects is meeting cost targets and yet recent data indicates up to 9 out of 10 construction projects fail to meet this target. Unsuccessful construction projects can have ramifications that affect project teams, internal stakeholders, customers and the local community. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between project managers' well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability and project success using Petrides and Furnham's theoretical framework of trait emotional intelligence. Using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire …

Organizational Culture And Individuals' Experience Of Workplace Bullying, Luan Zeka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace bullying is an epidemic in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to increase understanding of employees' lived experiences of bullying in an organizational culture. Schein's organizational cultural model provided the conceptual framework for the study. The research question addressed how individuals who were bullied or witnessed bullying in the New York State area perceived their experiences within the organizational culture. Data collection included a researcher's journal and in-depth interviews with 25 participants. Data were analyzed using Moustakas's modified van Kaam method of phenomenological analysis. From the data analysis process, three categories of bullying emerged …

Initiating Factors Affecting Information Systems Project Success, Jonathan Olubunmi Afolabi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information systems (IS) projects are complex and costly, but only a 3rd of IS projects are successful; the Standish Group reported that 32% of IS projects were successful in 2012. Although investments in research have led to improvements in practice, there is a general perception that management failures are responsible for the low rate of IS project success. The effects of initiating factors on project outcome had not been sufficiently explored; few IS researchers have explored the initiation phase. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore project initiation factors, including relational, as well as decision-making aspects, and …

Strategies To Increase Employee Engagement In Long-Term Residential Agencies, Corey Fair

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disengaged employees adversely affect organizational strategies to promote higher standards of care and quality of life for long-term residential patients. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies healthcare leaders use to engage employees. The targeted population for this study was the senior leaders of a long-term residential care agency located in South Carolina who had initiated strategies and practices to engage employees. Kahn's theory of personal engagement and disengagement was the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews with open-ended questions, and the long-term residential agency's employee handbook, training agenda, and incentive …

Relationships Between Transformational Leadership And Organizational Citizenship Behavior In Ghanaian Organizations, Adjoa Randy-Cofie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The recent global financial crisis prompted organizations to search for effective ways to minimize loss of revenue due to settlement of organizational scandals. Transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) are known to affect employees and subsequently organizational productivity. However, little is known about the relationship between transformational leadership and the OCB of employees of multinational corporations (MNCs) in Ghana. The purpose of this quantitative study was to bridge the gap in knowledge by examining the relationships between transformational leadership and the OCB of employees of MNCs in Ghana. The theoretical frameworks for this study were Bass' transformational leadership theory …

Medical Identity Theft And Palm Vein Authentication: The Healthcare Manager's Perspective, Cruz Cerda Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that cyber actors will likely increase cyber intrusions against healthcare systems and their concomitant medical devices because of the mandatory transition from paper to electronic health records, lax cyber security standards, and a higher financial payout for medical records in the deep web. The problem addressed in this quantitative correlational study was uncertainty surrounding the benefits of palm vein authentication adoption relative to the growing crime of medical identity theft. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to understand healthcare managers' and doctors' perceptions of the effectiveness of palm vein authentication technology. The …

Community Public-Private Partnership Leadership Synergy In Tanzania, Hawa Yatera Mshana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the public-private partnership (PPP) concept in health and social health has been politically accepted as the best pathway to improving health outcomes in many developing nations, implementation lacks leadership synergy. Lack of awareness and engagement of community leaders about PPP interventions and their benefits affect accountability and ownership of health and social care interventions. The purpose of this study was to better understand factors that could promote partnership leadership synergy to enhance ownership and accountability for community health and social welfare initiatives in Tanzania. A qualitative empirical case study design was used; diffusion of innovation and the public-private integrated …

Homeowner's Equity, Rental Cash Flow, And Recourse As Predictors Of Default Mortgage Status, William Callian Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, banking executives feared the impact of increased capital reserve requirements for losses from mortgage defaults. One reason was that home price declines during the Great Recession precipitated mortgage defaults, which increased the percentage of foreclosures as well as accelerated negative equity, and default. The purpose of this correlational study, grounded in Fishbein's expectancy of value and Vroom's expectancy theories, was to examine the relationship between the independent variables of homeowner's equity, rental cash flow value, and recourse, and the dependent variable, default mortgage status. Archival data comprised a sample of 408 …

Skills That Small Business Owners Use To Succeed Beyond 5 Years, Shelly Gerig

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses in the United States have a high failure rate, with 50% failing within 5 years. Small businesses also account for 99.7% of U.S. firms and provide 48.0% of employees in the private sector, or 57 million out of 118 million employees. From 1992 to 2013, small firms were responsible for 63% of new jobs generated. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the skills small business owners (SBOs) used to achieve sustainability beyond 5 years in a purposefully selected area of Central Florida. The conceptual framework of human capital theory served to focus this …

Successful Project Management, Tomomi M. Horning

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High project failure rates result in billions of wasted dollars each year. Project failure does not discriminate by type of project or the industry from which they originate. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies that leaders at a health care organization located in Pennsylvania use to manage projects successfully. This population was selected due to the health care organization's reputation for successful project completion. The conceptual framework for this study was Fiedler's contingency theory. Data were collected by conducting semistructured interviews with 9 project leaders and reviewing project documents provided by study participants. Interviews …

Equity Trading Evaluation Strategies In Switzerland After The European Mifid Ii, Linn Kristina Karstadt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Swiss bank traders are affected by technological and regulatory challenges, which may affect their broker voting process and may result in a change of trading and evaluation behavior in 2018. Compounded challenges exist when broker evaluation strategies are not effective or Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) II compliant. This qualitative, single case study, built on efficient capital market hypothesis and innovative disruption theory, was focused on effective broker evaluation strategies after MiFID II in Switzerland. The sample consisted of 4 buy-side traders, who shared their unique perspectives. Methodological triangulation was achieved through semistructured interviews, a review of the institution's …

Amazon – An Infrastructure Service And Its Challenge To Current Antitrust Law, Lina M. Khan

Faculty Scholarship

This chapter maps out facets of Amazon’s power. In particular, it traces the sources of Amazon’s growth and analyzes the potential effects of its dominance. Doing so enables us to make sense of the company’s business strategy and illuminates anticompetitive aspects of its structure and conduct. This analysis reveals that the current framework in antitrust — specifically its equating competition with “consumer welfare,” typically measured through short- term effects on price and output — fails to capture the architecture of market power in the 21st- century marketplace. In other words, the potential harms to competition posed by Amazon’s dominance are …

Naked Open Market Manipulation And Its Effects, Merritt B. Fox, Lawrence R. Glosten, Gabriel Rauterberg

Faculty Scholarship

More than 80 years after US federal law first addressed stock market manipulation, there is still dispute about manipulation law’s foundational principles; this chapter aims to provide clarity by offering an analytical framework for understanding a specific manipulation. There has been a sharp split among the federal circuits concerning manipulation law’s central question: Can trading activity alone ever be considered illegal manipulation? Economists and legal scholars do not agree on whether manipulation is possible in principle, let alone on how to address it properly in practice. The framework offered by this chapter aims to help clarify federal law and may …

Implementing A Healthy Diet In The Intellectual Disability Residential Community, Stephanie Michelle Shelton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was how staff working in a residential agency for individuals with an intellectual disability (IID) make decisions about how to implement a healthy diet. The purpose of this study was to identify the influences on decisions made by staff on the meals they provided to their clients with an IID. The theory of planned was used to study the influences of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control on the meals provided for IID. The key research question explored how staff members make decisions. A qualitative case study design was used. The 12 participants …

Using Marketing Strategies To Advance Millennial Prospects At Credit Unions In Jamaica, Minetta Edwards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Content of marketing strategies not only appeals to consumers based on their demographics and identity but consumers can also respond more positively to marketing strategies that target their purchasing behaviors. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how financial advisors at credit unions in Jamaica are using marketing strategies to advance millennial prospects, in an environment where consumers recognize commercial banks as the dominant institution in the financial industry. The conceptual framework for this study was the sustainability theory, with a direct focus on economic sustainability. The data collection process involved semistructured face-to-face-interviews with 5 financial …

Internationalization Strategies For Sustainable Growth Of Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Hanan El Basha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate use of international knowledge by SME (small- and medium-sized enterprises) leaders is a prime contributing factor to failed internationalization efforts in the U.K. affecting firms' growth and survivability. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies U.K. SME leaders use to expand business internationally for sustainable growth. The Uppsala internationalization process model (UIPM) served as the conceptual framework for this study. Participants consisted of 4 senior leaders and 3 international operations employees who demonstrated effective use of strategies in the operation of the SME internationalization activities. Data collection occurred through semistructured interviews and review of …

Strategies For Virtual Sales Leaders To Increase Productivity Of Remote Employees, Tamera Monai Gaines

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An employee's contributions toward the success of organizational results and objectives are essential to how virtual sales leaders implement strategies to improve productivity. In 2014, 21% of virtual leaders received formal training to manage remote employees, and 17% of remote employees received formal training on how to work productively. The purpose of this single qualitative case study was to explore strategies virtual sales leaders used to improve remote sales employees' productivity. The population included 6 virtual sales leaders in 1 staffing organization located in Michigan. The conceptual framework for this study included the job demands-resources model. Data were collected through …

Indirect Procurement Strategies For Supply Chain Sustainability, Paul Akida Jilani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Indirect procurement is becoming one of the most challenging function in food processing organizations, which need strategies to enhance supply chain sustainability. Food processing organizations could expect more than 50% maverick indirect costs out of the 80% procurement cost from total annual costs. The focus of the research question was on strategies procurement managers responsible for food processing indirect procurement could use to enhance supply chain sustainability. The conceptual framework for this study was resource dependency theory, and the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies some procurement managers responsible for food processing indirect procurement could use …

Strategies For Immigrant Minority Small Business Sustainability, Abdulkadir Bede

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigrant entrepreneurs play a significant role in the economic development of the United States. However, some small business immigrant entrepreneurs are less successful than nonimmigrant entrepreneurs. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies that immigrant small business owners use to grow and sustain their businesses longer than 4 years. Using a purposeful sampling technique, the population for this study consisted of 4 small business immigrant entrepreneurs who have sustained and grown businesses for a minimum of 4 years in Minnesota. The conceptual framework for this study was the bureaucratic management theory. Data collection consisted …

Characteristics Of Stocks And Individual Investor Herd Behavior: A Causal-Comparative Study, Tze Sun Wong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some individual investors follow institutional investors in trading, a phenomenon called herding, that leads to excess market volatility and mispriced stocks. Individual investors who herded suffered from inferior investment performances and monetary losses, and the impact is broader in an individual investor dominant market such as Taiwan. Behavioral finance is the theoretical base of herd behavior. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine individual investor herd behavior as related to characteristics of stocks in the Taiwan stock market. The research questions addressed what differences in individual investor herd behavior, if any, existed by market capitalization, price-to-book (P/B) ratio, …

Leadership Satisfaction And Turnover Intention Among Public Sector Employees, Marcia Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The changing demographics of the federal workforce require managers to understand generational differences in experiences, values, and leadership preferences that can negatively impact an agency's ability to fulfill its mission. There is a gap in the literature regarding generational cohort perceptions of employee satisfaction with leadership and turnover intention in the Small Business Administration (SBA). The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to examine the generational perceptions of SBA employees regarding leadership satisfaction and intent to leave the organization within the next year. Strauss and Howe's generational theory served as the theoretical framework. This non-experimental quantitative study used the …

Leadership Strategies To Reduce Employees' Occupational Stress, Ransford George Davidson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job-related aspects of the work environment, such as work pressure, workload, leadership, and management support cause occupational stress and increase costs to organizations. Grounded in the job demands-resources model theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies some bank managers use to reduce employees' occupational stress. The interview process included 5 managers employed at a bank in the Caribbean who successfully implemented strategies that reduced employees' occupational stress. The data collection and analysis process involved face-to-face, semistructured interviews and analysis of organizational documentation. Using the exploratory approach in data analysis, data were systematically integrated, evaluated, and …