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Articles 451 - 480 of 938

Full-Text Articles in Business Administration, Management, and Operations

Functional And Dysfunctional Themes In Successful Peace Agreements Arising From Intractable Conflicts, Sharon Ryan Ryan Jan 2017

Functional And Dysfunctional Themes In Successful Peace Agreements Arising From Intractable Conflicts, Sharon Ryan Ryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An important challenge facing humanity today is to determine how to resolve intractable conflicts. Intractable conflicts are intensely violent conflicts that are difficult to resolve and last at least one generation. The purpose of this study was to explore the themes leaders used in resolving intractable conflicts by writing peace agreements, which achieved at least a ninety percent implementation rating by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. The research questions focused on the distribution of societal themes defined by Bar-Tal as present within societies experiencing an intractable conflict. This study used a multicase …

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Minimizing Nepotistic Practices In Family Owned And Operated Businesses: The Private Sector, Darlene Thomas Thomas Jan 2017

Minimizing Nepotistic Practices In Family Owned And Operated Businesses: The Private Sector, Darlene Thomas Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Owners of family businesses in the private sector must be cognizant of nepotism to reduce skilled employee turnover. Guided by Herzberg two-factor theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by family owned and operated business leaders to minimize nepotistic practices that reduce skilled nonfamily employees' voluntary turnover. The population for this study included 3 family owned and operated funeral establishments in the Midwest region of St. Louis, Missouri. These participants had sustained their family businesses longer than 5 years while minimizing skilled nonfamily employees' voluntary turnover. Data were collected from …

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Impact Of Change Management On Employee Behavior In A University Administrative Office, Kendra M. Turner Jan 2017

Impact Of Change Management On Employee Behavior In A University Administrative Office, Kendra M. Turner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative case study focused on the effect of a system implementation upgrade on employees' job performance within a central administration department of a major research university in the Southern United States. Review of literature revealed a lack of a specific model or process for system implementation upgrades and its impact on employees' performance in a university administrative office. Guided by Kotter's research on change management models, the research questions examined the attitudes and behaviors of employees involved with the business process project. Data collection was through purposeful sampling and face-to-face interviews with 11 employees. Data were analyzed through pattern-matching …

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Evaluating Sociotechnical Factors Associated With Telecom Service Provisioning: A Case Study, Fahad Iqbal Jan 2017

Evaluating Sociotechnical Factors Associated With Telecom Service Provisioning: A Case Study, Fahad Iqbal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Provisioning Internet services remains an area of concern for Internet service providers. Despite investments to improve resources and technology, the understanding of sociotechnical factors that influence the service-provisioning life cycle remains limited. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the influence of sociotechnical factors associated with telecom service provisioning and to explore the critical success and failure factors, specifically in the telecommunication industry of Kuwait. Guided by sociotechnical systems theory, this qualitative exploratory case study approach examined a purposeful sample of 19 participants comprising of managers, engineers, and technicians who had the knowledge and experience of the service-provisioning …

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The Sustainability Management Control System: Factors To Consider In Metric Conceptualization, Corne Mouton Jan 2017

The Sustainability Management Control System: Factors To Consider In Metric Conceptualization, Corne Mouton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The performance metrics embedded in sustainability management control systems (SMCS) provide organizational leaders the ability to affect the implementation and continual improvement of sustainability strategies. Leaders in oil sands companies lacking adequate information on the efficacy of the sustainability performance metrics and their use to enhance their SMCS could be at a competitive disadvantage. Guided by stakeholder theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies Alberta-based oil sands company leaders use for critical planning, developing, and implementing SMCS performance metrics. The target population comprised of 20 oil sands company leaders from an Alberta, Canada, organization who …

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Strategies For Exploring: Acat Iii Requirement Approval Process, Donald E. Schlomer Jan 2017

Strategies For Exploring: Acat Iii Requirement Approval Process, Donald E. Schlomer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States Congress mandated the Secretary of Defense develop a strategy to streamline the joint capabilities integrated development system (JCIDS). The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies that senior U.S. Army Commanders might use to reduce the approval time for an acquisition category (ACAT) III need document in the JCIDS. Data came from historical documents and semistructured interviews of 30 ACAT III requirement writers and senior U.S. Army commanders with expertise in JCIDS. The conceptual framework was Goldratt's theory of constraints. Miles, Huberman, and Saldana's data analysis method was used to identify themes. Six …

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The Role Of Gender In Hiring Officials' Perceptions Of Chief Information Officer Candidates, Shanna Van Ness Jan 2017

The Role Of Gender In Hiring Officials' Perceptions Of Chief Information Officer Candidates, Shanna Van Ness

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Few women in academia occupy the leadership role of chief information officer (CIO), yet little is known about the underlying causes for gender disparity in this role. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to investigate whether gender stereotypes may impact perceptions about managerial characteristics of CIO candidates in academic settings. The theoretical foundation for this study was Schein's 'Think Manager, Think Male' paradigm and Acker's gendered organization theory. Data were acquired from 48 hiring officials from four-year public, private, and nonprofit colleges, universities, and research institutions in the Northeastern region of the United States who completed the Schein …

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The Role Of An Ombudsman In Mitigating Conflict, Evelyn Addison-Laurie Jan 2017

The Role Of An Ombudsman In Mitigating Conflict, Evelyn Addison-Laurie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying behavior is a contributing factor to hostile work environments, and can cause human consequences that affect morale, performance, and productivity. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to identify the strategies that ombudsmen and human resource managers (HR) use in mitigating workplace conflict. Corporate social performance was the conceptual framework that guided this research. Nine HR managers, an ombudsman representative, and 8 ombudsmen located in New York City and in other states were interviewed based on their experience in conflict mitigation. Data extracted from the participants' shared stories along with position description documents were synthesized thematically and …

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Comparing The Effectiveness Of Masters-Prepared And Non-Masters-Prepared Nurse Leaders, Subha Narasimha Chari Jan 2017

Comparing The Effectiveness Of Masters-Prepared And Non-Masters-Prepared Nurse Leaders, Subha Narasimha Chari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The complex nature of healthcare requires nurse leaders to be skilled in professional practice, communication, teamwork, and problem solving to improve staff satisfaction and patient outcomes. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Institute of Medicine promotes graduate education for nurse leaders to enhance the delivery of quality care to the nation's diverse patient populations. Guided by the diffusion of innovation theory, this project explored the differences in nursing care hours, staff turnover, nurse quality indicators, as well as leadership characteristics on units lead by masters-prepared and non-masters-prepared nurses. Forty-eight nurse leaders completed the impact of graduate education among …

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Effective Strategies Of Military Veteran Small Business Owners, John F. Groves Jan 2017

Effective Strategies Of Military Veteran Small Business Owners, John F. Groves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses owned by military veterans represent a source of new jobs, yet more than half of these businesses fail to survive beyond 5 years. These failures could lead to efforts to identify strategies that owners can use to avoid failure. The conceptual framework applied in this case study was the triple-loop learning theory. The purposive sampling included 7 military veterans who were small business owners who had sustained their small businesses more than 5 years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and organization documents. Yin's 5-step process for data analysis compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding resulted in 4 …

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Stakeholder Influence In Promoting Environmental Sustainability In The Zambian Mining Industry, Helen Mbewe Jan 2017

Stakeholder Influence In Promoting Environmental Sustainability In The Zambian Mining Industry, Helen Mbewe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mining operations often cause environmental and social problems for communities. Efforts by major stakeholders in most developing countries to create and enforce an ethical framework for mining industry operations have been inconsistent. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study, which was based on stakeholder theory, was to explore stakeholders' perspectives on the implementation of environmental policies and mining operations in Zambia. Data collection involved semistructured interviews with a purposeful sample of 24 research participants from a copper mining company operating in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia, the government ministry for mining, energy, and water development, the environmental protection agency, …

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Creating An Ethical Organizational Environment In Banking, Svenja Nitsche Jan 2017

Creating An Ethical Organizational Environment In Banking, Svenja Nitsche

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An ethical organizational environment ensures a trustworthy organization. This case study explored strategies that banking managers in the United Arab Emirates used to create an ethical organizational environment, one that emphasized the inclusion of ethical values, moral principles, and commitment to society. The target population included senior managers who created and implemented strategies to ensure employees adopted the ethical values in pursuit of an ethical environment. Ethical climate theory provided the conceptual framework for this study. Interviews with 5 managers and company documentation contributed the data for this research. Data were analyzed following inductive investigation and case description. Connecting corporate …

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Strategies Used By Banking Managers To Reduce Employee Turnover, Amena Shahid Jan 2017

Strategies Used By Banking Managers To Reduce Employee Turnover, Amena Shahid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee retention of an organization's most talented and skilled employees is vital to success. A lack of managerial strategies for motivating teams and a lack of understanding employees' needs adds to an increased rate of employee turnover in banking organizations. Some bank managers do not possess the abilities and strategies required to reduce employee turnover. Grounded by the motivation-hygiene theory; the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore successful strategies some bank managers used to reduce employee turnover. The population consisted of 5 banking managers in 3 banking organizations located in Toronto GTA, Ontario Canada in which successful …

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An Exploratory Study On The Improvement Of The Army Rapid Acquisition Process, Jason F. Tate Jan 2017

An Exploratory Study On The Improvement Of The Army Rapid Acquisition Process, Jason F. Tate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 2001, the Army has spent billions of dollars to develop, test, and procure equipment through the Army Rapid Acquisition Process (ARAP), a process at times used in place of the traditional Army Acquisition Process (AAP) when immediacy and customization are a priority. The ARAP was implemented to increase efficiency in delivering adequate equipment to soldiers. The ARAP has been criticized in the literature for its lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the field. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine ARAP deficiencies through the lens of a broad cross-section of Army acquisition functional area professionals. …

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Multiple Role Conflict And Coping Strategies Of Men In The Aerospace Industry, Lynette Bowden Jan 2017

Multiple Role Conflict And Coping Strategies Of Men In The Aerospace Industry, Lynette Bowden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Work-life balance is a dilemma for both men and women. However, the perspective of men on this issue has not been previous addressed. Work intensification and societal pressures cause men to work longer, harder, and cope with the stressors of multiple role conflicts and work-life imbalance. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore men's lived experience in managing multiple roles regarding work-life conflicts, and identify coping strategies they used to achieve a work-life balance. The research questions were related to the lived experiences, perceived causes, and coping strategies of work-life imbalance for men in the aerospace industry. The …

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Exploring The Performance Of The Financial Service Cooperative Industry In Grenada, Rachael Annette Brown Jan 2017

Exploring The Performance Of The Financial Service Cooperative Industry In Grenada, Rachael Annette Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The 2008 financial crisis impacted the Caribbean financial sector with declining liquidity and profitability, and return on assets falling to 0.7% from 2.6%. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that credit union executives in Grenada used to consistently maintain profitability. The targeted study population consisted of four credit union executives responsible for operations, administration, and regulations in the financial service cooperative industry in Grenada. The social influence of power theory was the conceptual framework that grounded this study. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and document (annual reports and cooperative society laws) review. Data …

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Managers' Emotional Intelligence And Employee Turnover Rates In Quick Service, Dennis V. Burke Jan 2017

Managers' Emotional Intelligence And Employee Turnover Rates In Quick Service, Dennis V. Burke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Turnover rate is a benchmark economic measure and affects the customer service and profitability of organizations. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between general managers' emotional intelligence (EI), operations evaluation scores (OE), and employee turnover rates at Brand X quick service restaurant (QSR) companies using Salovey and Mayer's theoretical framework of EI. Data were collected from a sample of 69 QSR general managers, with at least 6 months of experience, in the Southeastern United States using the EQ-i 2.0 self-assessment instrument. The mean employee turnover rate for the sample (M = 161%), was 157% greater …

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Project Risk Management Strategies For It Project Managers, John Stephen Cabral Jan 2017

Project Risk Management Strategies For It Project Managers, John Stephen Cabral

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Utilizing information technology (IT) to enable new organizational capabilities to achieve near-term objectives and long-term sustainability is a top priority for many business leaders seeking to maintain or increase market share. However, organizational leaders face significant challenges to their strategy execution because the percentage of challenged IT projects has remained relatively static for decades. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore risk management strategies used by 7 purposely selected IT project managers (PMs) from a pharmaceutical company located in the northeastern United States who have effectively managed IT project performance by using risk management strategies, leading to …

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Dentists As Clinician Managers: Leadership Influences On Dental Team Empowerment And Engagement, Scott Hinckley Craven Jan 2017

Dentists As Clinician Managers: Leadership Influences On Dental Team Empowerment And Engagement, Scott Hinckley Craven

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership training is virtually nonexistent for dental students, and practicing dentists rarely engage in any form of leadership development, relying primarily on mentoring by senior colleagues and on-the-job experiences. Dentists serve in a hybrid role as clinicians and managers to provide quality dental care and establish a profitable business, respectively. This quantitative study investigated the ways in which the emotional intelligence (EI) and leadership styles of 16 dentist clinician managers (DCMs) affected their dental teams. Specifically, the effects of leadership style and EI of DCMs on individual psychological empowerment (PE), team PE, and employee engagement were explored. Team PE effects …

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

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

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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

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Strategies For Minimizing Defects In Offshore-Outsourced Products, More Layen-Layeni Jan 2017

Strategies For Minimizing Defects In Offshore-Outsourced Products, More Layen-Layeni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders increasingly grapple with longer and more complex supply chain nodes wrought by the globalization of corporate manufacturing processes. The flow of outsourced materials is also more vulnerable to high-profile product-harm crises, sabotage, product defect, and recall problems. The purpose of this single case study was to explore manufacturing strategies used by business leaders of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the United States to minimize the defects in offshore-outsourced products. The sample was 2 OEM business leaders who have successfully reduced the defects in offshore-manufactured products in their Michigan facility. The conceptual framework was agency theory. Data were …

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Strategies In Outsourcing R&D Processes To Maintain Market Competitiveness, Berina Yerkic-Husejnovic Jan 2017

Strategies In Outsourcing R&D Processes To Maintain Market Competitiveness, Berina Yerkic-Husejnovic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the 21st century, managing outsourced research and development (R&D) processes is critical to an organization's success. Guided by the logistic outsourcing theory developed by de Boer, Gaytan, and Arroyo, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies and processes organizational leaders used to manage outsourced R&D to maintain market competitiveness. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 5 purposefully selected business leaders who were responsible for outsourcing R&D in a single Fortune 500 corporation in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Company records were also gathered as data. Yin's 5-step process for a case study and key …

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Challenges Facing Organizational Leaders: A Phenomenological Study Of Nigerian Organizational Leaders, Adesina Olufemi Adegunle Jan 2017

Challenges Facing Organizational Leaders: A Phenomenological Study Of Nigerian Organizational Leaders, Adesina Olufemi Adegunle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the first decade of the 21st century, the number of functioning business organizations in Nigeria decreased by 45%. The high rate of business failures in Nigeria has left many questions about what is needed for creating business success. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the influence of internal and external dynamics on leaders in Nigerian microfinance organizations. Twenty leaders from microfinance institutions participated in face-to-face semistructured interviews. The data analysis process involved the use of Moustakas's modified van Kaam method, which resulted in the emergence of 12 themes. The themes that emerged included: (a) staff …

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Strategies For Improving Labor Productivity In Construction Companies, Lakew G. Buli Jan 2017

Strategies For Improving Labor Productivity In Construction Companies, Lakew G. Buli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even with advanced technology and new project management methodologies, construction company leaders continue to face challenges to improve labor productivity. This multiple case study was an exploration of the strategies that construction company leaders use to improve labor productivity in Doha, Qatar. The case population consisted of 6 construction company leaders operating in Doha, Qatar, who successfully identified and implemented strategies to improve labor productivity. The conceptual framework for this study was the expectancy theory. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and company documentation. Data were compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, reassembled into a sequence of groups, and …

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Effective Strategies For Transformational Teams In The Danish Retail Banking Sector, Dorthe Hã¥Hr Dupont Jan 2017

Effective Strategies For Transformational Teams In The Danish Retail Banking Sector, Dorthe Hã¥Hr Dupont

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Successful transformation projects in the retail banking industry focusing on improving customer experiences have yielded a verified increase in earnings per employee. The purpose of this single case study was to reveal the strategies used by transformational team managers to ensure improved customer experiences. The stakeholder theory was used as the theoretical framework to analyze the interplay between the project team and the base organization during the process of improving customer experiences. The population consisted of 6 managers of transformational teams in the Danish retail banking sector who were successfully delivering on assigned goals of improving customer services. The data …

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Organizational Politics And Employee Behavior: A Comparison Between The U.S. And Lebanon, Yara A. Elkhalil Jan 2017

Organizational Politics And Employee Behavior: A Comparison Between The U.S. And Lebanon, Yara A. Elkhalil

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational politics (OP) is describe by many researchers as actions which affect activities, behaviors, and most importantly decision making through the use of power. Guided by Hofstede's cultural dimension theory and Mallol's, Holtom's and Lee's job embeddedness theory, the aim of this study was to examine employees' reactions toward OP regarding the substantially different cultures of the U.S. and Lebanon. These specific two countries were selected due to a gap in published research on culture and value differences. Research questions examined the extent to which cultural values differed and how employees respond differently facing OP. A survey-based research design included …

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The Effects Of Organizational Restructuring And Acceptance Of Change On Employees' Motivation, Eve Maria Fleming Jan 2017

The Effects Of Organizational Restructuring And Acceptance Of Change On Employees' Motivation, Eve Maria Fleming

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Numerous internal and external factors drive decisions to undertake organizational restructuring; according to senior management, restructuring is part of a strategic change. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory, case study was to examine the effects of organizational restructuring on university employees' behavior towards restructuring and change in the effectiveness of the institution. The conceptual framework drew on the social change theory, a primary triad model, and a congruence model for organization problems to frame the guiding questions: how does restructuring impact employees' motivation and acceptance of change and how does the employees' acceptance of change affect the institution's effectiveness? From …

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Effective Leadership And Nonprofit Sustainability, Vaughn Orsborne Gleaves Jan 2017

Effective Leadership And Nonprofit Sustainability, Vaughn Orsborne Gleaves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A sustainability plan of an organization is useless without effective leadership in its design and execution. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies that church leaders having at least 7 continuous years of organizational fiscal sustainability and leadership used to ensure fiscal sustainability. The study included 8 face-to-face and 2 phone interviews with 4 senior pastors, 3 associate pastors, a treasurer, a finance committee chair, and a certified public accountant who lived in the Akron, Ohio area along with a review of documents including a leadership meeting agenda and financial committee meeting agenda, provided by study participants. …

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Strategies For Catalyzing Workforce Engagement In Warehouse Operations, Jeannette Jackson-Martin Jan 2017

Strategies For Catalyzing Workforce Engagement In Warehouse Operations, Jeannette Jackson-Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2014, approximately 30% of the global workers viewed experiences in the workplace as positive and fulfilling, which results in increased productivity in the workplace. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that some warehouse service center managers used to engage employees to higher levels of productivity. The population comprised of 7 warehouse service center managers in 2 companies located in the Riverport area in Louisville, KY. The conceptual framework for this study encompassed Kahn's employee engagement theory. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, organizational procedure handbooks, and direct observation to prompt detailed information about participants' …

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Strategies For Retaining A Multigenerational Workforce, Laurita M. Jones Jan 2017

Strategies For Retaining A Multigenerational Workforce, Laurita M. Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As organizations become more age diverse, some business leaders face challenges managing a multigenerational workforce. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that leaders at a university in Northwest Florida implemented to retain their age-diverse workforce. The targeted population was higher education business managers who had success with retaining an age-diverse staff. The conceptual framework of the study was Herzberg's 2-factor theory of motivation. A significant tenet of this theory is that employees explain satisfying and dissatisfying experiences based on intrinsic and extrinsic factors related to their job functions. The data collection process included face-to-face interviews …

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