Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Tailored Information Security Strategies For Financial Services Companies In Nigeria, Kayode Alawonde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some financial institutions in Nigeria have not deployed strategies that mitigate cyber exploitation risks in the financial services industry. Financial institution leaders are concerned because cyber exploitation contributed to the reduction in the adult banking population to a low 38%. Grounded in the integrated systems theory of information security management, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies some financial institution leaders in Nigeria use to prevent cyber exploitations. The participants included 6 chief information security officers of 6 financial institutions. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and company and public documents. A thematic analysis identified themes …

Effects Of Emotional Labor On Philippine Tourism Staff’S Job Burnout, Maria Paz Rosales Alberto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The tourism industry in the Philippines is a significant contributor to the country’s gross domestic product. As members of the service sector, its employees use their labor and skills to yield positive experiences by understanding their target customers so that they can offer them what they need quickly while incurring minimal cost. It is common for service-sector employees to expend emotional labor by hiding their emotions to meet a company’s standards. Unfortunately, the pressure experienced by these employees leads to a higher risk of burnout. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to assess the impact of emotional labor …

Emerging Digital Marketing Strategies Using Mobile Instant Messaging, Philip Earl Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Customer engagement by commercial mobile instant messages (MIMs) is hampered by the high rate of customer irritation of receipt of the message. Increasing customer engagement is essential to marketing managers because MIMs marketing opportunities do not translate into sales unless marketers employ effective strategies for MIMs as a communication channel. Grounded in the technology acceptance model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies marketing managers used to improve customer engagement with MIMs. The participants included 4 marketing managers from 3 organizations in the southeastern region of the United States who utilized MIMs as a marketing …

Subjective Well-Being And Life Satisfaction Among Midlife Former Division Iii Student- Athletes, David Alfred Bayer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

People in midlife, age 35-50, often reach a state of generativity wherein they feel a need to enhance the well-being of younger generations. Although midlifers enjoy the potential for their highest lifetime levels of subjective well-being (SWB) and contributions to the social good, they also often experience decreased SWB and life satisfaction (LS). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to develop an understanding of the lived experiences of SWB and LS among a purposively selected group of 10 midlife former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III collaborative sport student-athletes. Although participants in NCAA Division I athletics have …

Instructor-Initiated Communication And Student Success In Online High-Impact Community College Courses, Tonia J. Benton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study is low student success in online high-impact courses. Researchers have shown that instructor-initiated communication contributes to student satisfaction and success. The purpose of this study was to determine any relationship between instructor-initiated communication and student pass rates in online high-impact courses offered at a community college in the United States. The Community of Inquiry (CoI), which identifies teacher, social, and cognitive guidelines supporting learning experiences for students, was the theoretical foundation of the study. The research question was designed to explore relationships among the percentage of students passing a course with an A, B, …

Influences On Ethical Decision-Making By Nurses Employed In Federal Health Care Facilities, Cecil Dean Blount

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare professionals are tasked with making key decisions involving new and controversial approaches such as organ transplantation and life-prolonging technologies and treatments that raise various ethical issues. Suboptimal ethical choices by nurses can lead to negative patient outcomes and lower the quality of life in federal healthcare facilities. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative correlational study was to identify the factors that influence nurses’ ethical decision-making processes in U.S. federal healthcare facilities. The theoretical framework was based on Beauchamp and Childress’ ethical system of principlism. Three research questions addressed the nature and extent of the relationship between nurses’ Ethical Behavior …

Dispositional Self-Control And Motherhood: An Investigation Into Recidivism, Corliss Crawford-Bayles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The goal of many female offenders when released from prison is reunification with their children. However, resumption of motherhood is a gendered challenge that may increase the risk of recidivism. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether resuming custody of minor children would increase the risk of recidivism or support and maintain desistence. This research is grounded in feminist theory, identity theory, and self-control theory with a quasi-experimental design. The key research question, whether motherhood increased the risk of recidivism, was investigated using a researcher-generated, 18-question research questionnaire. Additionally, the Dispositional Self-Control (DSC) scale consisted of 17 questions …

Perceptions Of Influence Of The Wage Gap On Immigrant Ghanaian Women’S Career Aspirations, Daniel Otoo Kwasi Djan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Wage inequality and gender-based career advancement barriers have plagued immigrant women in the United States since world war II. The Equal Pay Act was enacted to address wage inequalities but did little to fix the concerns of the wage gap and promotional barriers for women in the United States. This generic qualitative study addressed a research gap about perceptions of influence of the wage gap on immigrant women’s career aspirations to address the documented problem of income disparity. The theoretical framework guiding the study consisted of feminist and conflict theories . The main research question concerns immigrant Ghanaian women’s perceptions …

Effects Of Race And Gender On Strengths And Difficulties Questionnaire Scores, Amanda Haas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers can use the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Teacher Form (SDQ-TF) for ages 4 to 10 as a behavioral screening tool to determine the severity of a child’s problematic behaviors; however, SDQ-TF is subject to potential rater biases. Implicit bias refers to people remaining unaware of their biases, which may influence the ways that student behaviors are rated. Therefore, this study was conducted to measure the effect of race and gender congruency on teacher ratings of student problematic behaviors by the total difficulties score using the SDQ-TF 4-10. A nonprobability convenience sample of 98 teachers in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area …

Community-Based Workers’ Treatment And Relationship With African American Men With Dual Diagnosis, André V. Haley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Helping professionals have a role as service providers when working with African American men with dual diagnosis and incarceration histories. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to understand how helping professionals provided community-based treatment and established a helper/helpee relationship with this population of African American men. Hirschi’s social control theory provided the framework for the study. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data from 9 helping professionals who worked with this population in the Northeast United States. Yin’s 5-step model for case studies was used for data analysis and thematic coding. Findings indicated that professionals lacked competency …

Prisoner Reentry And Recidivism: Access To Reentry Programs And Reducing Recidivism For African American, Male Ex-Offenders, Tracee Leigh Harvey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has primarily been centered around the reentry process and programs available to those incarcerated in prison; however, those incarcerated in jails and the reentry programs available has been underrepresented in the field of study. The Jails to Jobs initiative is intended to combat the reentry barriers faced by ex-offenders by offering reentry services while incarcerated as well as transitional services upon release to address the barriers to reentry. However, the problem exists due to the effectiveness of the reentry programs and their ability to provide adequate services that address the needs of African American, male ex-offenders, and, in turn, …

Public Health Care Policies And Their Impact On Patient Satisfaction, Bryan John Henderson, Ph.D.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care is a trillion-dollar industry, but without public policies in place to support a sustainable health care system, life would decline. For instance, health care providers now receive decreased payments from federal agencies if their health facility scores do not meet national benchmarks. The purpose of this retrospective, quantitative, comparative study was to examine the extent to which patient satisfaction was impacted by national public health policies in the United States and Canada. The research questions related to how health care reimbursement policies and patients’ financial responsibility of both the eastern United States and eastern Canada would predict country-specific …

Understanding Impostor Phenomena In Hispanic Students From Three Different Learning Environments, Marie Hernandez-Seltz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic college student retention and dropout rates are regarded as social and economic crises in the United States. Research studies with minority students suggest Hispanic students may feel out of place. Impostor phenomenon (IP) is a psychological pattern involving feeling like a fraud that may explain their experience. Several studies with minority students suggest IP and learning environment (LE) may be correlated. Other minority student studies indicate an association between ethnic identity (EI) and IP. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between IP, EI, and LE in a Hispanic university student population. The theoretical …

Bachelor Of Social Work Students’ Experience Of Moral Reasoning At An Evangelical Christian University, David Scott King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scholars have documented a lack of effective education and training for integrating faith and social work practice. Also, researchers have identified challenges regarding conflicting philosophical paradigms in social work and cultural changes among emerging adults affecting evangelical Christian universities teaching faith integration. However, little information is available regarding the experiences of students and conflicts between social work values and their religious beliefs. This study was an investigation of the experiences of social work students when considering value conflicts between their religious beliefs and social work practice. The research questions examined the moral reasoning of students at an evangelical university considering …

Veterans' Perceptions Of Behavioral Health Services For Posttraumatic Stress, Larence Kirby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Behavioral health services exist for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); yet, untreated diagnoses may lead to the risk of compromised behavioral health. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of OEF/OIF veterans regarding their decision to seek and retain behavioral health services for addressing PTSD. The research focus and questions were employed through the theoretical concepts of Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenological theory, Heider’s attribution theory, and Beck’s cognitive behavioral theory. In-person interviews were conducted to collect data from 8 OEF/OIF veterans who had encounters with behavioral …

African American College Students’ Attitudes Toward Help Seeking For Mental Health Illness, Sylvia Krow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research has shown that African Americans are less likely to seek treatment for mental health illness compared to individuals in other ethnic groups. Research has also revealed that African American college students’ attitudes, perceptions, and stigmas against mental illness impacts their willingness to seek treatment for mental illness. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, correlational study was to investigate the predictive relationships between ethnic identity, perceptions of mental illness, stigma and attitudes toward seeking professional help for mental illness among African American college students attending Historically Black colleges and universities. The research question addressed the predictive relationships between ethnic …

Social Media Technologies In Policy Communication: A Case Study Of Ghana’S Information Services Department, Winnifred Nafisa Mahama

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is an informational gap in demand and supply of real-time policy information confronting Ghana’s Information Services Department. This problem of a gap in demand and supply impacts the productivity of individuals, groups, as well as public and private institutions. The aim of this qualitative case study was to explore how the government could integrate social media technologies in its policy communications to bridge the informational gap. The narrative policy framework provided the theoretical framework for the study. Research questions focused on how the government uses social media technologies in engaging citizens to generate input for policy decision making as …

Organizational Climate And Employee Engagement, Romie Mejalli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although research shows that disengaged employees contribute to increased health and hiring costs in for-profit organizations, there is a gap in the literature concerning the relationship between organizational climate (OC) and employee engagement (EE) in nonprofit organizations (NPOs). In this study, it was hypothesized that employee answers to the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-17 (UWES-17) and OC surveys (for example, of management styles and innovation) would predict EE in a NPO. The study further addressed the question of whether age or the division in which the employees worked influenced the relationship between OC and EE. Kahn’s engagement theory served as the …

Examining Barriers Impacting Women’S Promotion Into C-Suite Positions In Higher Education, Lynette Johnson Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States Department of Labor indicated that women represent 46.8% and men represent 53.2% of the United States’ 16 years and older civilian labor force. An estimated 52% of adult women compared to 48% of men participating in the civilian labor force held a bachelor’s degree or higher, and women represented 47% of the management and professional sector’s positions. Women occupy 25% of C-suite positions in the Standard & Poor 500 companies. In higher education, 30% of college presidents are women. Women continue to face several barriers as they try to move into senior executive leadership positions. The specific …

Religious Tolerance And Government Collaboration With Faith-Based Organizations, Sheree Rose Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaboration between faith-based organizations and local governments provides an opportunity for projects to be fulfilled when budgets fall short of meeting all of a community's demands. Concerns arise, however, regarding the working relationships of government entities and faith-based organizations, when cosponsoring organizations include participants of various belief systems. The purpose of this case study was to explore participants' perceptions of toleration levels regarding their spiritual beliefs while working within a collaborative setting of mixed faiths. The conceptual framework consisted of Gajda's collaboration theory that states that collaboration is an imperative; is known by many names; is a journey, not a …

Completing City Streets, Christopher Alan Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a city in Tennessee continues to expand and the population continues to grow, citizens are concerned with safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. In this study, citizen comments and concerns for the city planning department were collected. A case study design was used for this study because it allowed for a focus on one setting and gathering data from a specific set of key stakeholders in the community. Data represented the thoughts and experiences of community pedestrians and were collected through surveys and 1-on-1, semistructured interviews with select participants that reflect the citizens of this community. The survey …

Roles Of Nephrology Social Workers In Health Literacy, Tiffena Gail Pierce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health literacy is vital for hemodialysis patients because they need to undergo routine treatments 3 days per week and adhere to medication regimens requiring them to understand complicated health information. The questions for this study focused on a social work practice of their roles when assessing and promoting health literacy in dialysis patients. Nephrology social workers are vital in helping dialysis patients understand their medical information so that they can make better-informed decisions about their healthcare. This study also includes an exploration of the strategies nephrology social workers use to increase health literacy in patients with chronic kidney disease. An …

Exploring The Use Of Familismo To Manage Depression Among Elderly Latino Women, Denise Ramos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the elderly population continues to increase in the United States, so does the concern of major depressive disorder. Despite the need to forcefully recognize and address depression among this age group, efforts have been docile and passive; many elderly individuals continue to go undiagnosed. With the increase of Latino population within the past and upcoming decades and with studies showing that elderly Latinos appear to live longer than non-Latinos, it is critical that differences in treatment interventions be explored. This study aimed to explore the use of familismo (intense importance and attachment the Latino culture places on nuclear and …

Readiness Of Stakeholders To Adopt Community Paramedicine Programs In Tennessee, Roger Lloyd Ritchie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Community paramedicine is an emerging model of care that promulgates EMS in a more community-based and integrated role within the broader health care system. A hallmark characteristic of community paramedicine is that programs are designed to meet the specific needs of a given community, rendering programs unique but perplexing. A need for research aimed at exploring possible barriers that may impede the adoption and implementation of community paramedicine programs has been identified by the National EMS Advisory Board, the North Central EMS Institute, and the Joint Committee on Rural Emergency Care. The purpose of this study was to explore …

Coalition Sustainability After Federal Funding Is Expended: A Case Study, Shawnee Marie Seese

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community coalition sustainability has been a focus of scholars as community coalitions deliver vital programs and services for communities in need. Despite the value coalitions bring to U.S. communities, they often become vulnerable after federal funding is expended. Researchers acknowledge the need to build understanding of coalition sustainability and have identified factors that contribute to the sustainability of programs, but studies on the topic remain quite limited. Federal funding requirements are more stringent than in previous years, requiring evidence of sustainability planning, which increases the urgency to identify those elements that ensure sustainability. The purpose of this study was to …

Treatment Interventions For Tobacco Cessation At An Inpatient Mental Health Facility, Stephanie Marie Stansell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 36.5% of adults with any mental illness use tobacco compared to 25.3% of adults without a mental illness; however, there are limited data to determine the best approaches for tobacco cessation among the mentally ill. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to investigate the differences among 1-on-1 counseling versus group counseling in tobacco cessation rates among psychiatric patients aged 18 years old and older who were identified as a tobacco user upon admission to …

Social Workers' Experiences With Pregnant And Parenting Teens In Alabama, Luanne Londria Washington-Woods

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Among western industrialized countries, the United States has the highest teen birth rate; Alabama ranks 9th in the nation. Teen pregnancy and parenting often lead to financial, social, and health problems. The purpose of this action research project was to capture the experiences of social workers who work with pregnant or parenting teens in Alabama, including perceptions of Alabama’s opt-out policy for sexual education and strategies used to address teen’s beliefs, attitudes, and values about sexual behavior. Social learning theory was the theoretical framework. Data were collected through a focus group of 12 social workers with practice experience working with …

Offender Participation In Multiple Rehabilitation Programs To Reduce Recidivism, Jonathan Michael Yearwood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rehabilitation programs are critical for reducing recidivism rates and reintegrating offenders into the community. Despite the recognition that offenders face many challenges, few scholars have investigated the relationship between prisoners who receive more than 1 rehabilitation program and recidivism. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational cross-sectional study using archival data from a correctional facility in Barbados was to assess the relationship between age, education, employment, and multiple rehabilitation programs on recidivism. The conceptual framework of this study was grounded in the lifecycle theory, the social learning theory, the social cognitive theory, and the social disintegration theory. The primary research question …

Successful Strategies To Address Disruptive Innovation Technologies In The Digital-Media Industry, Latronya M. Acevedo-Berry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Digital media executives lack strategic solutions for the preparation and response to changing media innovation technology. The lack of innovative technological strategies threatens digital-media corporations’ ability to maintain marketplace sustainability for addressing disruptive innovation technologies. Grounded in Christensen’s disruptive innovation theory and Roger’s diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore innovative technological strategies some executives of digital-media corporations used to maintain marketplace sustainability for addressing disruptive innovation technologies. The participants were 7 digital-media executives in New York and California, who used effective strategies to innovate technology and maintain marketplace sustainability. Data were …

Skin Bleaching Among Female University Students, Adegboyega Abayomi Adewoyin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Nigeria, skin bleaching, a practice that can create significant health problems, represents a persistent social issue. The behavior has become widespread due to unfettered access to various brands of bleaching creams. The purpose of this study was to gather data to (a) seek an understanding of the deeper motivations underlying the decision to engage in skin bleaching or skin whitening among female tertiary students and (b) examine the awareness among such students of public policy on skin bleaching creams. The case study qualitative research design was employed to enable skin bleaching cream users to share their motivations and experiences. …