Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

Cross-Project Knowledge Transfer Succession Planning For Family-Owned Businesses, Kristina L. Mccarthy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When the owners of family-owned businesses leave the workplace, they can transfer ownership to the next generation; however, their knowledge of the business goes with them. There is a gap in the literature regarding effective ways to transfer family business resources and knowledge to subsequent generations. The problem was some small and family-owned businesses do not have detailed plans in place based on the needs of owners and the successor generation, with cross-project knowledge as part of the succession plan. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine the relationships between the subscales of cross-project tacit knowledge transfer and …

An Exploration Of The Causes Of Success And Failure Of Managed Change, Michael Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Change management (CM) and organizational development are mature industries with decades of research and development. Yet, failure rates stated for organizational change initiatives remain high at 70%. This failure rate suggests that 30% of change initiatives were successful, but no reports of these successes were found in the literature. The overarching question considered the experiences of change leaders of successful CM initiatives. The conceptual framework for this research consisted of change models defined by Burke, Kotter, Schein, and others. The primary purpose of this study was to identify the strategies used by successful change leaders. 10 phone interviews with senior …

Leadership Skills To Sustain High-Tech Entrepreneurial Ventures, Zoaib Z. Rangwala

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High-tech (HT) innovation-oriented entrepreneurs start 35% more ventures and create 10% more jobs in the first 5 years of operation than the rest of the private sector and drive significant economic growth across all industries; however, more than 50% of the entrepreneurial HT ventures fail during the first 5 years of operations. Guided by the conceptual framework of transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this multicase study was to explore skills used by successful entrepreneurial leaders to sustain their HT ventures in Silicon Valley, California. Data collection was from 8 participants in semistructured 1-on-1 interviews and 3 participants in a …

Leadership, Organizational Turnarounds, And Gil Hodges's 1969 New York Mets, John Rebecchi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The impact of the 2008 global financial crisis, shifting market demands, and prolonged underperformance has forced organizations to devise and implement turnaround strategies or risk business failure. Researchers have pointed to the importance of leadership in the turnaround process, yet there are a limited number of research studies identifying characteristics of successful turnaround leaders. Using the full range leadership model, the purpose of this nonexperimental, ex post facto study was to examine the leadership style of Gil Hodges, manager during the 1969 New York Mets successful turnaround season and explore the organization's culture and climate. Data were collected using the …

An Exploratory Study Of A Nondenominational Church And Leadership Behaviors, Principles, Strategies, And Practices, Celeste Beatrice Palmer-Atkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership plays a significant role in the advancement of the church, the followers, and the community that the church serves. If the church fails to train leaders, growth within the church becomes hindered, and its mission becomes aborted. The problem researched in this study is the declining support church leaders are receiving from the community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore church leadership effectiveness in meeting the expectations of followers, the local church community, and the church. The target population consisted of 3 nondenominational church leaders located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The conceptual framework for this study was …

Organizational Leadership Activities That Positively Influence Virtual Employee Engagement, Milton Jones Perkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Considering the growing virtual workforce, it is important for people-managers to understand whether traditional management techniques produce increased engagement and greater productivity with a virtual population. Guided by James Heskett, W. Earl Sasser Jr., and Leonard Schlesinger's conceptual Service Profit Chain framework, this study focused on addressing the gap in contemporary literature related to management techniques that influence virtual employee engagement. Much of the current research provides a foundation for managing and engaging traditional office-based employees. To better understand which experientially-based management techniques influenced traditional employee engagement for a group of virtual employees, a qualitative descriptive phenomenological methodology was used …

Patient Satisfaction Management In Office Visits And Telehealth In Health Care Technology, Todd Price

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Telehealth and remote medical treatments have begun to be more commonly used in healthcare systems. Researchers have theorized that providers' abilities to treat patients are not directly tied to the proximity of the patient to the doctor, but by the identification and treatment of the patient's symptoms. Although the treatment and cure rates are being established within individual health systems and professional medical associations, empirical research is lacking regarding patient satisfaction with this remote treatment situation. The purpose of this quantitative study was to address this gap by examining satisfaction ratings of patients between virtual provider visits and face-to-face provider …

A Study Of Groupthink In Project Teams, John Reaves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project teams advance a common goal by working together on projects that require a diverse set of skills and are difficult for 1 person to complete. In this study, there was an exploration of the antecedents to groupthink in project teams from the perspectives of project managers. Many companies use project managers to complete critical objectives; avoiding groupthink is crucial to their success. The purpose of this research was to understand why project teams are susceptible to groupthink and what precautions managers can take to avoid it. The conceptual framework utilized in this study was Janis' concept of groupthink, which …

Using Ecommerce To Improve Product Marketing And Profitability In Nigeria, Olayinka Thomas-Ogboja

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium enterprises in Nigeria rarely use eCommerce, which has led to lagging market shares and profitability compared to firms in other countries that use eCommerce. Approximately 90% of boutique fashion businesses shut down their businesses due to the inability to operate outside their business location. The social exchange theory was used in this multiple case study to explore how some small business owners in the boutique fashion industry use eCommerce to improve product marketing and profitability in Nigeria. The target population for this study was 5 fashion boutique owners based in Lagos State, Nigeria with a significant record …

Pathways To Entrepreneurship Training Towards Addressing Youth Unemployment In Nigeria, Edward Perekebina Agbai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inadequacy of entrepreneurial knowledge among 21-25 year olds in Nigeria with recent undergraduate degrees has led to youth unemployment after graduating from universities. The development of entrepreneurship skills through entrepreneurship education programs for the students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria may bridge the unemployment gap. Guided by the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to gain a robust common understanding of how undergraduates from 21-25 years old can obtain the entrepreneurial knowledge required for self-employment in Nigeria. Data collection involved semistructured interviews, field notes, and archived training documents, with a purposeful sample …

Diversity Management Program Strategies To Support Competitive Advantage And Sustainable Growth, Alex Amegashie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study focuses on key characteristics that affect diversity management (DM) in the United States. Developing effective strategies to support and enhance workforce diversity is a competitive business advantage as diverse workforce economic and social contributions outpace homogeneous workgroups. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that service organization leaders (diversity practitioner-leaders) use to develop DM programs to support competitive business advantage and sustainable growth. The general systems theory and DM framework were the lens that guided the study. Five diversity practitioner-leaders from service organizations with business operations in the northwestern region of United States …

Effect Of Early Exposure To Technology On Student Satisfaction With Online Education, Mohamed Boudalia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. student enrollment in online classes in the higher education sector has grown rapidly since 2001. Researchers have found that student satisfaction often leads to higher student retention, yet more research was needed to understand reasons for student satisfaction with online education. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine the relationship between students' early exposure to technology (i.e., before college) and their satisfaction with online education in college. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology were the theoretical framework. A convenience sample of 103 participants from the population of online students at colleges and universities in …

Obstacles To Economic Growth And Business Attraction In Georgia, Vanessa Cox

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in the study was that Georgia's economic development leadership faced obstacles that challenged the state's growth in attracting new business and developing existing business. The purpose of this case study was to explore the obstacles encountered by a specific agency to attract businesses to generate economic growth. Accessing obstacles that hinder leaders to promote the state of Georgia growth is pertinent, including exploring where the system may be constrained. The theory of constraints guided this study to investigate what obstacles state leaders face in economic development. An embedded case study was conducted using purposeful sampling to select …

A Critical Perspective Of Transformational Leadership And Safety Management Practices, Larry D. Frazier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A troubling trend has developed in the increasing number of commuter rail accidents

causing injuries, fatalities, and safety concerns. The specific problem addressed in this study is that current leadership practices have not achieved success reducing safety violations and rail accidents. The purpose of this qualitative cross-sectional study was to explore the potential influence of perceived leadership styles of 16 frontline rail supervisors and 4 managers on safety management practices within a metro rail system. The conceptual framework was based on Bass's transformational leadership theory and Reason's human error model. The key research question dealt with how leadership style might …

Leaders' Endorsement Of Idiosyncratic Workplace Fun, Organizational Playfulness Climate, And Organizational Creativity, Krasimir Karamfilov

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emotionally disconnected employees, about 70% in the U.S., do not experience positive affect at work, are disengaged, and not creative. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to investigate the effects of leaders' endorsement of idiosyncratic workplace fun (independent variable) and organizational playfulness climate (independent variable) on organizational creativity (dependent variable). Complexity-based theoretical perspectives on organizational creativity framed this quantitative study. Data were collected via three survey instruments at two data points from 7 project teams, divided into two experimental groups, at 6 companies in northwestern United States. One group received an intervention for 1 month. Pearson's correlation analysis …

Compliance Strategies To Reduce The Risks Of Money Laundering And Terrorist Financing, Cassandra Nottage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective compliance programs expose banking and trust companies to increased risk of money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF). Using risk management theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore compliance strategies that Bahamian bank and trust company managers use to reduce ML/TF risks. Study participants comprised 7 senior risk and compliance managers experienced in risk strategy development and implementation. Semistructured interview data were triangulated with data collected from internal policy and procedural documents, publicly available papers of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), and the Central …

From Ordinary To Extraordinary: A Framework Of Experience Types, Mat D. Duerden, Neil R. Lundberg, Peter Ward, Stacy T. Taniguchi, Brian Hill, Mark A. Widmer, Ramon Zabriskie

Faculty Publications

Understanding the nature of, and how to design, structured experiences has become an increasingly salient topic for academics and professionals over the past two decades. Despite the rise in interest in experiences, the related academic literature is fragmented and often atheoretical. To address this situation, this article presents a framework of experiences—including construct definitions and propositions— to help guide the research and design experiences. The framework considers the realm of all possible experiences from subconscious to conscious and subdivides conscious experiences into ordinary and extraordinary dimensions. The framework further classifies extraordinary experiences as memorable, meaningful, and transformational. The distinction between …

Turkish Family Life: A Study Of Family Leisure, Family Functioning, And Family Satisfaction, Ramon Zabriskie, Nese Aslan, Mikale Williamson

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of family leisure involvement and family leisure satisfaction to the explanation of variance in family functioning and satisfaction with family life among Turkish families using the core and balance framework. The sample (n D 509) consisted of families (parents and youth ages 11–16 years) from Izmir, Turkey. Findings indicate significant positive relationships between family leisure variables and all family functioning and satisfaction variables from both the parent and youth perspectives. These findings are similar to those from family samples in other Western/industrialized countries, emphasizing the significant role of family leisure …

Measurement Of Deep Structured Experiences As A Binary Phenomenon, Gary D. Ellis, Patti A. Freeman, Jingxian Jiang, Andrew Lacanienta

Faculty Publications

We developed a procedure for measuring ‘deep structured experiences’ based on a conceptualization of such experiences being binary (i.e. present or absent at a given moment) rather than continuous. Deep structured experiences are heightened states of attention and motivation that may occur during a distinct period of activity. This binary approach is consistent with definitions of similar concepts, such as Maslow’s [1962. “Lessons from the Peak-Experiences.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology 2 (1): 9–18] description of ecstasy, Csikszentmihalyi’s [1975. Beyond Boredom and Anxiety. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass] description of flow, and Ackerman’s [1999. Deep Play. New York: Vintage Books] description of deep …

Mitigating Advocacy Bias: The Effect Of The Reviewer Role On Tax Professional Judgment, Mary E. Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

Prior literature finds tax professionals exhibit advocacy bias, a threat to tax professionals’ objectivity, which can expose accounting firms and their clients to penalties for overly aggressive tax reporting decisions. Mitigating this bias has been the topic of several prior studies; however, research thus far has focused on how reviewers identify bias within tax research memorandums (e.g., stylized writing or other obvious cues). In an experiment administered to seventy-five tax professionals, this study isolates the effect of the reviewer role and compares professionals’ evidence evaluation and conclusions by role (i.e., reviewer or preparer). I find professionals who occupy the reviewer …

Investor Reactions To Complex Financial Accounting Disclosures: Experimental Evidence From The Tax Disclosure Of Permanently Reinvested Earnings, Laura N. Feustel

Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates how increasing the transparency of complex financial accounting disclosures affects investor judgments. The income tax disclosure of permanently reinvested earnings is the context of this investigation as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is currently evaluating income tax disclosures and has specifically identified the disclosure of permanently reinvested earnings as an area to be reevaluated. Current standards allow corporations flexibility in their disclosures that can lead investors to be surprised by changes in a corporation’s assertions regarding the reinvestment of foreign earnings. My study suggests that increasing the transparency of complex disclosures through the explicit reporting of …

Special Issue : Neutrosophic Multi-Criteria Decision Making, Florentin Smarandache, Jun Ye, Yan Hui Guo

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The notion of a neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCI-number is considered in the first article (“Neutrosophic Quadruple BCK/BCI-Algebras”, by Young Bae Jun, Seok-Zun Song, Florentin Smarandache, and Hashem Bordbar), and a neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCI-algebra, which consists of neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCI-numbers, is constructed. Several properties are investigated, and a (positive implicative) ideal in a neutrosophic quadruple BCK-algebra and a closed ideal in a neutrosophic quadruple BCI-algebra are studied. Given subsets A and B of a BCK/BCI-algebra, the set NQ(A,B), which consists of neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCInumbers with a condition, is established. Conditions for the set NQ(A,B) to be a (positive implicative) ideal of a …

Notions Of Rough Neutrosophic Digraphs, Florentin Smarandache, Nabeela Ishfaq, Sidra Sayed, Muhammad Akram

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Graph theory has numerous applications in various disciplines, including computer networks, neural networks, expert systems, cluster analysis, and image capturing. Rough neutrosophic set (NS) theory is a hybrid tool for handling uncertain information that exists in real life. In this research paper, we apply the concept of rough NS theory to graphs and present a new kind of graph structure, rough neutrosophic digraphs. We present certain operations, including lexicographic products, strong products, rejection and tensor products on rough neutrosophic digraphs. We investigate some of their properties. We also present an application of a rough neutrosophic digraph in decision-making.

Rough Neutrosophic Digraphs With Application, Florentin Smarandache, Sidra Sayed, Nabeela Ishfaq, Muhammad Akram

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

A rough neutrosophic set model is a hybrid model which deals with vagueness by using the lower and upper approximation spaces. In this research paper, we apply the concept of rough neutrosophic sets to graphs. We introduce rough neutrosophic digraphs and describe methods of their construction. Moreover, we present the concept of self complementary rough neutrosophic digraphs. Finally, we consider an application of rough neutrosophic digraphs in decision-making.

Why People Play At Work: A Theoretical Examination Of Leisure-At-Work, Mat D. Duerden, Stephen H. Courtright, Mark A. Widmer

Faculty Publications

Postmodern perspectives on work and leisure acknowledge the interwoven nature of these domains, an example being the increasing number of organizations intentionally incorporating leisure into the employee experience. Existing research, however, provides no specific theoretical guidance regarding the potential impacts of strategically integrating recreation activities into the work domain. Thus, based on positive organizational scholarship and leisure science theories, we build an individual level model describing the phenomenon of leisureat- work (LAW). We propose LAW activities have the ability to produce feelings of personal expressiveness at work as moderated by employees’perceptions of the activities. Personal expressiveness then mediates LAW activities’ …

Development And Validation Of The Outdoor Activity Profile (Oap): A Research Note, Andrew Lacanienta, Mat Duerden, Peter Ward, Ramon Zabriskie

Faculty Publications

This study sought to design and validate the Outdoor Activity Profile (OAP), which was based on the Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP; Zabriskie & McCormick, 2001). The OAP was designed to measure and categorize involvement as opposed to time in outdoor activities. Data were collected from undergraduate students on two occasions separated by four weeks. Significant correlations existed between all time one and time two involvement scores, thereby supporting the OAP’s test-retest reliability. Descriptive data is presented outlining involvement, satisfaction, and whom respondents were with during activity categories. One-way ANOVA results describe differences between male and female outdoor activity involvement …

Examining The Impact And Influence Of The Leisure Science Literature, Mat D. Duerden, Michael B. Edwards, Michael C. Goates, Justin Dyer

Faculty Publications

This study explored the impact and influence of the leisure sciences literature through an analysis of highly cited articles. Discriminant function analysis identified whether articles had more exclusive impact inside or outside the field. Research themes and methodologies were examined based on these classifications. Results indicate articles with the greatest impact within the leisure literature tended to be quantitative studies drawing upon survey data and non-experimental designs focused on general leisure and outdoor/forest recreation. Articles with the greatest impact outside the leisure literature were more recent and focused on place attachment, psychological motivation, or community parks and recreation and used …

The Process Of Adoption Of Disruptive Innovations In Local Health Care Agencies Delivering Primary Care, Aurora Aguirre Polanco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current state of the U.S. health care system is complex and limit access to care to many consumers, thus compromising their health outcomes. The problems of limited access and questionable quality can be addressed by focusing on enhancing the primary health care field. Improvements in both the access and performance of primary health care agencies, derive in better health outcomes and cost savings to the system in the long-term. Disruptive innovations, that make products and services simpler and more affordable, are adopted in agencies and potentially improve access and performance measures. However, the adoption of disruptive innovations in local …

Human-Intelligence And Machine-Intelligence Decision Governance Formal Ontology, Faisal Mahmud

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Since the beginning of the human race, decision making and rational thinking played a pivotal role for mankind to either exist and succeed or fail and become extinct. Self-awareness, cognitive thinking, creativity, and emotional magnitude allowed us to advance civilization and to take further steps toward achieving previously unreachable goals. From the invention of wheels to rockets and telegraph to satellite, all technological ventures went through many upgrades and updates. Recently, increasing computer CPU power and memory capacity contributed to smarter and faster computing appliances that, in turn, have accelerated the integration into and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in …

The Impact Of Work Experience On Commitment To The Healthcare Administration Profession, Caroline Sweny

Honors Theses and Capstones

This research study analyses the relationships between career commitment and gender, career status, and career satisfaction. Results indicated three major findings. First, men are more likely to be committed to the healthcare administration profession. Second, commitment to the healthcare administration profession decreases as individuals advance further into their career. Third, commitment to the healthcare administration profession decreases the more satisfied an individual is with the progress they have made toward meeting their overall career goals. Further research is needed to understand the implications behind these findings.