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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Full-Text Articles in Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations

Strategies To Improve Minority Business Enterprises’ Access To Capital For Competitive Positioning And Profitability, Darlene Hill Jan 2022

Strategies To Improve Minority Business Enterprises’ Access To Capital For Competitive Positioning And Profitability, Darlene Hill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some minority business enterprises (MBEs) have limited capital for setting up their businesses, which often leads to business failure. Grounded in entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies MBEs used to access capital to improve their competitive positioning and profitability. The participants were six MBE owners from Alabama who demonstrated success at maintaining and securing working capital to maintain a profitable business for a minimum of 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and reviews of organization documents and websites. Using Yin’s five-step data analysis process, four themes emerged: owner financing, government loans …

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Total Quality Management Strategies To Sustain Business Beyond 5 Years, Nida Guzon Palmore Jan 2022

Total Quality Management Strategies To Sustain Business Beyond 5 Years, Nida Guzon Palmore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some small business leaders lack total quality management strategies to sustain their business beyond 5 years. Small business leaders are concerned that their businesses will not survive beyond 5 years without total quality management strategies. Grounded in the Deming 14 points model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business leaders use to sustain their business beyond 5 years of operation. The participants were five small business leaders from Central Valley, California, who sustained their businesses for more than 5 years. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a review of company documents. Thematic …

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Marketing Strategies For Automotive Dealerships In Grenada, Keith Wayne Hall Jan 2022

Marketing Strategies For Automotive Dealerships In Grenada, Keith Wayne Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSome executive-level automotive dealership managers in Grenada lack successful marketing strategies to sell new U.S. or Japanese vehicles to increase dealership profits. Executive-level automotive dealership managers are concerned about how dealership marketing strategies can negatively impact the business’s bottom line. Grounded in the segmentation, targeting, and positioning model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the successful marketing strategies four executive-level dealership managers used to sell U.S. or Japanese vehicles to increase profit in the southern region of Grenada. Yin’s 5-step thematic analysis of semistructured interviews and company documents derived four themes: customer retention, product branding, media …

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Strategies For Information Technology Small Business Owners To Sustain Beyond The First 5 Years, Edward Alan Rodarte Jan 2022

Strategies For Information Technology Small Business Owners To Sustain Beyond The First 5 Years, Edward Alan Rodarte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses are the foundation of an economy and spawn innovation, but small business owners fail at an alarming rate because they lack strategies to sustain business operations. Since 50% of small businesses fail within the first 5 years, small business sustainability research is critical to support small business owners. Grounded in entrepreneurial theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to identify strategies information technology (IT) small business owners use to sustain operation beyond the first 5 years. The participants included four IT small business owners in the Southwestern United States who sustained operations beyond the first 5 …

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Strategies For Salon Business Owners In The 21st Century, Brenda Streat Jan 2022

Strategies For Salon Business Owners In The 21st Century, Brenda Streat

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses constitute 44% of the U.S. economy, generating roughly two-thirds of new jobs, goods, and services. However, the survival rate of small business owners declines after the first 5 years of operation. Small business failure rates impact every part of business industries. Small salon owners who fail to incorporate financial strategies in their businesses may fail to succeed beyond the first 5 years of operation. Grounded in entrepreneurship theory, this qualitative multiple case study was conducted to explore financial strategies salon business owners use to increase longevity and effectiveness in their business operations. The study’s participants were eight salon …

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Strategies For Achieving Sustainability Of Small Business Restaurants, Tanisha Thomas-Beard Jan 2022

Strategies For Achieving Sustainability Of Small Business Restaurants, Tanisha Thomas-Beard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small business restaurant owners perform unprofitably and fail within 5 years of opening. Small business restaurant owners are concerned about sustainability as approximately 50% of small businesses that start up do not last beyond the fifth year. Grounded in the general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business restaurant owners use to grow and maintain profitability to sustain business beyond 5 years. The participants were five small business restaurant owners in the Southeastern region of the United States who sustained their business beyond 5 years. The data were analyzed using …

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Relationship Between Perceived Quality Of Student Learning Experience, Perceived Quality Of Mentoring, And Student Satisfaction, George Edwin Thorpe Jan 2022

Relationship Between Perceived Quality Of Student Learning Experience, Perceived Quality Of Mentoring, And Student Satisfaction, George Edwin Thorpe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Entrepreneurship education (EEd) is essential to addressing youth unemployment, which reached 30% in Nigeria in 2018. Understanding the role of learning experience and mentoring is vital for EEd leaders to enhance student satisfaction from self-employment after graduation. Grounded in the direct performance-satisfaction link model of the expectancy disconfirmation theory of customer satisfaction and Kram’s mentor role theory, the purpose of the quantitative correlation study was to examine whether the perceived quality of learning experience and mentoring predicted student satisfaction in EEd institutions. The participants were 47 students of two EEd institutions in Lagos who had completed at least 50% of …

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Strategies Small-And Medium-Sized Enterprise Leaders Use For Sustainability Beyond 5 Years In Rivers State, Olawe Alaba Tula Jan 2022

Strategies Small-And Medium-Sized Enterprise Leaders Use For Sustainability Beyond 5 Years In Rivers State, Olawe Alaba Tula

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders lacking sustainability strategies experience high rates of business failure through loss of profit. A high rate of SME failure is linked to a lack of competitive advantage, resulting in decreased productivity and profitability. Grounded in resource-based view theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that three SME leaders in Rivers State used to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and company documents, including employee handbooks and annual reports. The three themes that emerged through thematic analysis were strategic management, stakeholder management strategies, …

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Exploration Of Successful Customer Relationship Management Strategies In Guam Supermarkets, Dolores C, Bordallo Jan 2022

Exploration Of Successful Customer Relationship Management Strategies In Guam Supermarkets, Dolores C, Bordallo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractBusinesses' billions of dollars invested in customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives have often not delivered the anticipated financial returns. Supermarket managers are concerned when CRM initiatives fail to acquire and retain customers. Grounded in Berry’s relationship marketing theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies supermarket managers use to leverage and improve financial returns from CRM investments. The participants were six supermarket managers employed in a supermarket chain of seven stores who implemented strategies to improve financial returns from CRM investments. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of industry documents. Through thematic …

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Strategies To Improve Minority Business Enterprises’ Access To Capital For Competitive Positioning And Profitability, Darlene Hill Jan 2022

Strategies To Improve Minority Business Enterprises’ Access To Capital For Competitive Positioning And Profitability, Darlene Hill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some minority business enterprises (MBEs) have limited capital for setting up their businesses, which often leads to business failure. Grounded in entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies MBEs used to access capital to improve their competitive positioning and profitability. The participants were six MBE owners from Alabama who demonstrated success at maintaining and securing working capital to maintain a profitable business for a minimum of 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and reviews of organization documents and websites. Using Yin’s five-step data analysis process, four themes emerged: owner financing, government loans …

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Leadership Experiences Of Organization Open Innovation In Caribbean Small And Medium Enterprises, Helen Merlyne Bhola-Paul Jan 2022

Leadership Experiences Of Organization Open Innovation In Caribbean Small And Medium Enterprises, Helen Merlyne Bhola-Paul

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caribbean Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) represent 95% of Caribbean businesses and contribute 40% to the region’s GDP; however, they rank lowest at 4% for organization innovation. The general problem addressed in this study was that leaders of SMEs of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean did not have a system in place to lead and promote strategic knowledge sharing to increase open innovation. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the lived experiences of leaders of innovative SMEs in the Windward Islands to manage and lead their organizations to drive organization open innovation in a …

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Survival Strategies For Small And Medium Scale Enterprises In Nigerian Confectionery Industry, Rita Ejelehi Brodie-Mends Jan 2022

Survival Strategies For Small And Medium Scale Enterprises In Nigerian Confectionery Industry, Rita Ejelehi Brodie-Mends

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Incorrect start-up strategies account for the failure of many small-and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in the first 5 years of operation. A lack of business owner entrepreneurial skills and enterprise development contributes to the high mortality rate of SMEs, the failure of which is a significant limitation on global economic growth and job creation. Grounded in the resource-based theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies five SME confectionary business owners in Lagos, Nigeria, used to sustain their businesses beyond the first 5 years of start-up. The participants were owners of SME confectionary businesses who implemented strategies …

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Relationship Between Intrinsic Job Satisfaction, Extrinsic Job Satisfaction, And Employee Turnover Intentions, Taran Pawan Bhagwandeen Jan 2021

Relationship Between Intrinsic Job Satisfaction, Extrinsic Job Satisfaction, And Employee Turnover Intentions, Taran Pawan Bhagwandeen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover can cost business owners up to 200% of an employee’s annual salary to recruit, hire, and train a replacement in the insurance industry. Understanding employee intent to leave is vital for insurance leaders to help reduce turnover. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between intrinsic job satisfaction, extrinsic job satisfaction, and employee turnover intentions of casualty insurance professionals in the southeast region of the United States. The study was grounded in Herzberg’s 2-factor theory. Data were collected from 83 participants using an online survey with questions from the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire and …

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Funding Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Ayokunle O. Iyanda Jan 2021

Funding Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Ayokunle O. Iyanda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

About 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years of operation, lacking access to capital being a contributing factor. The high failure rate is of great concern to the business owners; their livelihood and employees are jeopardized. Through the pecking order theory lens, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business owners use to access capital to sustain the business past the first five years. Eight small business owners who successfully operated for more than five years in Georgia and Illinois participated in the semistructured interviews. Through thematic data analysis, four themes …

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Key Strategies For Small Business Information Technology Consulting With Sustainability Beyond 5 Years, Christopher Lassiter Jan 2021

Key Strategies For Small Business Information Technology Consulting With Sustainability Beyond 5 Years, Christopher Lassiter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSmall business information technology consulting owners lack strategies to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years financially. Small business owners are concerned with sustaining their businesses, as their livelihood and employees are at stake. Grounded in Porter’s five forces theory, the resource-based view model, and Hax and Wilde’s delta model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business information technology (IT) consulting owners used to achieve financial sustainability beyond 5 years. Data were collected by semistructured interviews from 5 small business information technology consulting owners. Performance and financial success documents augmented the data collection of …

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Strategies For Ethiopian Small Retailers Businesses To Succeed Beyond 3 Years, Samson Negash Gebrehiwot Jan 2021

Strategies For Ethiopian Small Retailers Businesses To Succeed Beyond 3 Years, Samson Negash Gebrehiwot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Ethiopia, some small retail business owners (SRBOs) embark on initiatives without adequate preparation, which results in a risk of failure within the first three years. Grounded in the conceptual frameworks of resource-based views, dynamic-capabilities views, and relational views, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used by SRBOs leaders to survive and grow beyond three years. The participants were four SRBOs from Ethiopia who succeeded in business for more than three years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, company documents, observations, notes from data sources and analyzed using Yin’s 5-step data analysis process. Six …

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Small And Medium Enterprises Strategies For Winning Mining Contracts For Profitability And Sustainability, Patrick Sipopa Akayombokwa Jan 2021

Small And Medium Enterprises Strategies For Winning Mining Contracts For Profitability And Sustainability, Patrick Sipopa Akayombokwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia experience annual failure rates of 20%. SME survival is essential for improving national economic development and social benefits. Grounded in a resource-based view and Freeman’s stakeholder theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies supply and contracting SME owners used to avoid failure. Data were collected through semistructured interviews from four successful SME owners in Zambia and a review of company documents. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: competitive quality products, interactive marketing and financial strategies, and resource acquisition and effective utilization. The key recommendations …

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How Saudi Small Business Managers Increase Retail Electronic Commerce Sales, Ghasan Abdulaziz Almoamen Jan 2021

How Saudi Small Business Managers Increase Retail Electronic Commerce Sales, Ghasan Abdulaziz Almoamen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSaudi policymakers developed short-and long-term plans supporting the electronic commerce of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to increase sales. Saudi SME managers who do not take advantage of these plans to increase sales may lose profits. Grounded in Rogers’s diffusion of innovations theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies SME business managers use to increase retail electronic commerce sales. The participants comprised 5 Saudi SME managers from 5 different local retail companies who effectively used strategies to increase retail electronic commerce sales. Data were collected through semistructured audio-visual interviews, company websites, and financial documents. …

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Strategies Worker-Owned Cooperatives Use To Remain Profitable During Economic Downturns, Termaine Davis Jan 2021

Strategies Worker-Owned Cooperatives Use To Remain Profitable During Economic Downturns, Termaine Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

New managers of worker-owned cooperatives who fail to adapt to changing conditions can threaten the organization’s viability. Some new managers of worker-owned cooperatives may lack the strategies they need to maintain consistent employment levels during economic downturns. Grounded in the expected utility theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by managers of worker-owned cooperatives to maintain consistent employment levels during sustained periods of low revenue. Participants comprised seven managers of worker-owned cooperatives with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the Midwest of the United States managing cooperatives during sustained periods of …

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Alternative Finance Strategies For Small Business Sustainability And Growth, Kim Hyde Jan 2021

Alternative Finance Strategies For Small Business Sustainability And Growth, Kim Hyde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small business leaders lack alternative financing strategies to sustain and grow their businesses. Small business leaders are concerned with accessing financial capital to ensure sustainability. Grounded in Donaldson’s pecking order theory (POT), the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore alternative finance strategies some small business leaders use to sustain and grow their businesses. Participants comprised five small business leaders in Oakland, California, with successful experiences using alternative financing strategies to raise financial capital for their businesses. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, archival organizational documentation, and physical artifacts. Yin’s 5-step analysis process guided the data …

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Nonprofit Strategies For Alternative Revenue Generation And Sustainability, Aretha Lepearl Day Jan 2021

Nonprofit Strategies For Alternative Revenue Generation And Sustainability, Aretha Lepearl Day

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn the post-2008 Great Recession era of a highly volatile global business environment of increased competitiveness, diminishing predictable revenues, and depleting philanthropy, many nonprofit leaders struggle to sustain their organizations. Volatility is important to nonprofit leaders because such fluctuations create unpredictability, which threatens their organizations' financial stability for short-term survivability and long-term sustainability. Grounded in Elkington's triple bottom line conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore nonprofit leaders' strategies for short-term survivability and long-term sustainability. The participants comprised 3 senior leaders in a nonprofit located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States who …

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Strategies For Small Business Entrepreneur Sustainability For 5 Years And Beyond, Ralph A. Heath Iii Jan 2021

Strategies For Small Business Entrepreneur Sustainability For 5 Years And Beyond, Ralph A. Heath Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSmall business failures impede entrepreneurs' sustainability in localities, the state, and the U.S. economy. Small business entrepreneurs are concerned about strategies to target and minimize obstacles from business inception for business survival because the failure rate increases as the business develop. Grounded in the entrepreneurial theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies for small business entrepreneur sustainability beyond five years. Participants comprised three small business owners in Southeast Virginia who effectively used strategies to sustain their business beyond five years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, analysis of participants’ business documentation, and research of …

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Insider Ownership And The Performance Effects Of Firm Diversification In Nigeria, Ibeawuchi Ibekwe Jan 2021

Insider Ownership And The Performance Effects Of Firm Diversification In Nigeria, Ibeawuchi Ibekwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the preponderance of diversified firms, the diversification–performance (D–P) relationship and how insider ownership moderates it in Nigeria remains unclear and a concern for decision makers interested in the survival of firms and their contributions to society. This quantitative study was conducted to examine the D–P relationship and how it is associated with insider ownership in Nigeria. Agency theory and institution-based theory formed the theoretical foundation of this study. Four research questions that focused on how diversification is related to firm performance and how insider ownership moderates this relationship were answered using the panel design variant of correlational research. Data …

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Talent Management Practices Of Small And Medium-Size Businesses In The Cayman Islands, Annette Murphy Jan 2021

Talent Management Practices Of Small And Medium-Size Businesses In The Cayman Islands, Annette Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Talent management strategies to acquire, develop, and retain employees are essential, as 73% of business leaders in the United States identified that good human resources practices favorably impact the efficiency and effectiveness of business operations. Based on the people capability maturity model and transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies that small and medium-size business (SMB) leaders used to acquire, develop, and retain employees in the Cayman Islands. The participants comprised five SMB leaders in the Cayman Islands who successfully used talent management strategies to acquire, develop, and retain employees for …

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Sustainability Strategies For Small Business Organizations, Tajudeen O. Olatunji Jan 2021

Sustainability Strategies For Small Business Organizations, Tajudeen O. Olatunji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are essential to every nation’s economic growth, including the United States, but more than 67% of SMEs fail within the first 10 years. When SMEs implement long term business sustainability strategies, they continue to generate business and remain profitable, enabling SMEs to remain viable and contribute to local community employment opportunities. Using entrepreneurship theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by 3 SME owners in the northeastern region of the United States to sustain their businesses beyond 10 years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews …

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Strategies Women Business Owners Use To Sustain Their Enterprises Beyond 5 Years, Alyce Herndon Jan 2021

Strategies Women Business Owners Use To Sustain Their Enterprises Beyond 5 Years, Alyce Herndon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women business owners lacking adequate business knowledge often fail within the first 5 years. Business knowledge is a critical competency for women to compete, grow, and survive in business for more than 5 years. Grounded in the organizational life cycle model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies that women business owners used to sustain their enterprises for more than 5 years. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 7 women business owners in Missouri, member checking, and a review of company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-step process: compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, …

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Key Strategies For Small Business Information Technology Consulting With Sustainability Beyond 5 Years, Christopher Lassiter Jan 2021

Key Strategies For Small Business Information Technology Consulting With Sustainability Beyond 5 Years, Christopher Lassiter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSmall business information technology consulting owners lack strategies to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years financially. Small business owners are concerned with sustaining their businesses, as their livelihood and employees are at stake. Grounded in Porter’s five forces theory, the resource-based view model, and Hax and Wilde’s delta model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business information technology (IT) consulting owners used to achieve financial sustainability beyond 5 years. Data were collected by semistructured interviews from 5 small business information technology consulting owners. Performance and financial success documents augmented the data collection of …

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Relationship Between Leadership Style And Innovation Performance In Small-To-Medium-Scale Enterprises In Nigeria, Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ossai Jan 2021

Relationship Between Leadership Style And Innovation Performance In Small-To-Medium-Scale Enterprises In Nigeria, Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ossai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe Global Innovation Index recently indicated that Nigeria lags several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in innovation inputs and outputs. It is uncertain whether leadership style in place in Nigerian enterprises is a factor in this situation. Innovation performance is the contribution of product and process innovations to profits and growth in an enterprise. The purpose of this correlational, cross-sectional, survey study was to understand the relationship between leadership style and innovation performance in small-to-medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. The SME sector was selected because it is the engine of growth of the economy and the highest employer of labor, but …

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Entrepreneurial Strategic Sensemaking For Growth And Employment In Nigerian Small And Medium Enterprises, Ishaq Abdulrahman Balogun Jan 2021

Entrepreneurial Strategic Sensemaking For Growth And Employment In Nigerian Small And Medium Enterprises, Ishaq Abdulrahman Balogun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractOnly 20% of Nigerian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) survive 5 years. The specific management problem was that SME leaders were faced with strategic sensemaking challenges in dealing with external stakeholders while growing their businesses. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was to understand the strategic sensemaking lived experiences of eight SME entrepreneurs for growing their businesses. The conceptual framework grounding this study was embedded in the four sensemaking leadership functions, strategic decisions-making, dynamics of business environments, and performance. The research question asked what is the strategic sensemaking lived experiences of entrepreneurs in SME entrepreneurship ecosystem while growing …

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Family- Owned Business Leader Succession Planning Strategies, Gary Michael Williamson Jan 2021

Family- Owned Business Leader Succession Planning Strategies, Gary Michael Williamson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSome business leaders in family-owned businesses lack leadership succession planning strategies. Family-owned businesses that lack succession planning strategies decrease the likelihood of business sustainability after the transition from founder to the successor. Grounded in the socioemotional wealth theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore succession planning strategies first-generation family-owned business leaders in the metro Atlanta, Georgia area used to transfer leadership and ownership to the second generation. Data collected for this study consisted of semistructured interviews via teleconferences, company website information, press releases, and internal company documents. Yin’s 5 step process was used to analyze …

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