<p> Construction companies are able to show an increased bottom line by developing strategies to retain employees. However, the cost to develop and implement strategies that can decrease employee turnover is a substantial investment. As costs continue to rise in most business functions, strategies to facilitate cost savings must be identified and implemented to become or remain profitable. The Herzberg Two-Factor Theory served as the conceptual framework was chosen for this study and provided a baseline for developing retention strategies within the construction industry. The purpose of this single quantitative exploratory case study was to identify the retention factors that provided the greatest impact to retain construction employees. There was a sample of 68 individuals selected for this study, consisting of laborers within the U.S. construction industry. An online survey was used to collect the data, and the findings are intended to add to the current body of knowledge by identifying the impact that job satisfaction factors in the construction industry. A correlational analysis as well as a multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to reveal the relationships between job satisfaction and employee turnover intention. The findings of this study results revealed a moderate negative relationship between job satisfaction, both intrinsic and extrinsic and employee turnover intention. Additionally, the study found that by implementing developed retention strategies using factors of job satisfaction, organizational leadership can understand the drivers for employee retention, and increase overall job satisfaction, profitability, and productivity. The study limitations, implication, recommendations for practice and future research are also discussed in detail. Lastly, the study shows that the nature of the association between job satisfaction and employee turnover intention is significant to industrial psychological practices.</p><p>

<p> Online business in Saudi Arabia is almost certain to grow because a large proportion of the population is younger than 25, tech perceptive, and global in their perspectives toward product buying in their everyday lives. The purpose of this research was to suggest leadership theories, tactics, and techniques that Saudi Arabian business owners can utilize to pursue online business strategies of growth and success today and in the future. An online instrument surveyed 142 Saudi Arabian citizens to identify factors affecting online business in Saudi Arabia and to identify the necessary skill sets a leader must have to lead an online business in Saudi Arabia. An important limitation of this study was that the history of Saudi Arabian online business was difficult to research and find. Another limitation is that clarifying problems in the Saudi Arabian social, economic, legal, and political environments were a very sensitive, touchy undertaking for certain facts and information. After getting the approval from this study's committee and getting approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Pepperdine University, findings from 142 participants (Saudi Arabian citizens) who took the online survey were analyzed, and based on these findings, the researcher generated implications and recommendations. Some of the findings were that the majority of the respondents preferred responding in Arabic. Most of the respondents were male (75.4%). Only a small percentage was younger than 21 and older than 50. The majority were people with bachelor's and master's degrees. Business owners accounted only 44.4% of the total number of respondents. The growth of online business was attributed to passage of time and likelihood of young people using more online services. The respondents thought that the government did not provide enough infrastructure support for online businesses. According to the findings, the most important leadership traits a leader must have to lead an online business in Saudi Arabia are honesty and integrity.</p>

<p> The current qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore small and medium enterprise (SME) business leaders&rsquo; lived experiences with e-commerce practices. The central research question for the current study was as follows: What is the lived experience of SME leaders who have used e-commerce practices within their business with regard to the effect and critical success factors (CSFs) of e-commerce in the SMEs&rsquo; success? The findings of this study offer insights into how the adoption of e-commerce practices might help SMEs in Puerto Rico to achieve competitive advantage and contribute to their success or survival. The study served to define the knowledge and skills required for leaders to manage e-commerce operations. Research findings indicated that e-commerce helps to generate revenue and profitability for a business. A key negative aspect of e-commerce that leaders must consider is distrust in terms of security risks and identity fraud, among others. The study findings indicate that SME leaders in Puerto Rico are using e-commerce practices such as media advertising and promotion based on electronic marketing media, and cutting-edge technology through more interactive websites, among others. Other key factors for e-commerce success were the knowledge and skills that the SME leaders possessed, which included knowledge of technology like Web programming, and know how to create and use different tools based on computer systems, among others. The findings of the current study can serve as a roadmap to those considering adopting e-commerce, and lead future research related to the use e-commerce practices in SMEs.</p>

<p> There is a limited knowledge on the meanings, experiences, and perceptions of organizational members regarding performance appraisal and how the various experiences and perceptions are perceived to bear on organizational outcomes. With this qualitative study, I explored the experiences and perceptions of organizational personnel regarding performance appraisal systems and how these are perceived to bear on work outcomes. Using case study as research design, a detailed analysis of semi-structured interview involving organizational personnel (leaders, managers, and frontline employees) who lived in northeastern New York, and working in various disciplines and professions was conducted and recorded. NVivo software was used in generating the major thematic links and invariant constituents of the study. Results of the study revealed five significant themes: (a) essential descriptions of performance appraisal, (b) perceived rewards of performance appraisal, (c) differences and similarities of performance appraisal systems across different organizations, (d) perceived association of performance appraisal systems and work outcomes, and (e) recommended changes in performance appraisal systems. Employees who have positive experiences with the system associate performance appraisal with something equally beneficial to employees&rsquo; improvement and the operational performance of the organization. These employees reported experiences of motivation, loyalty, commitment, and productivity as they received their feedback. The study identified human resource development activities that could further achieve the real and genuine objectives of performance appraisal system.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Lehigh University, 2008. / Adviser: Steven L. Goldman.

This thesis addresses the significance of the concept of study success in higher education from the perspective of students at five university programs; Business Administration and Economics, Engineering Physics, Medical Education, Social Work and Teacher Education for Upper Secondary Level. The thesis is based on data from three studies conducted between, spring 1993 and autumn 1996. A questionnaire was distributed to all the students enrolled in autumn 1992 to the five programs, regarding students' paths to the university, how they perceived their university studies, and their plans for the future. Fifty-nine of the students were then selected from the five university programs and interviewed on two different occasions. The first interview, conducted mainly during the autumn term of 1993, focused on the respondent's path to the university studies and on different aspects of their lives as students. For a majority of the students, the second interview was conducted about one year later. This interview focused on how the students perceived study success: what was considered to be a good study result, and the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful students. The students were also asked to describe an occasion when they felt successful and unsuccessful, respectively. The results indicate that there is little congruence between the students' perception of study success and that expressed in many public reforms and policies in Sweden. Furthermore, there are both similarities and differences in students' views across the programs. The students at the five programs seemed to relate study success mainly to aspects of Achievement, Process/Strategy, and Comprehension, while aspects related to Personal Growth or Future/Occupation were rarely mentioned. When comparing students' views in the five university programs, the results indicate that an Achievement oriented view dominated among the students in Business Administration and Economics, and Engineering Physics. The students in Engineering Physics and Social Work were more oriented towards Process or Strategy aspects of study success than the students in the other programs. Personal Growth was emphasised as an important aspect only by the Social Work students. Furthermore, students in Social Work and Medical Education were more oriented towards Comprehension than the others. The students in Medical Education and Teacher Education related study success to Future/Occupation to a higher degree that the others. The views on study success seem mainly to be related to aspects in the learning environment, in particular the way the university studies are organised, the examination and grading system, and the contact with the profession. Different recruitment patterns, and the impact of upper secondary education may also be of importance. Influences from the students' prior experiences and their life outside their studies cannot be excluded. Furthermore, the results indicate gender differences. The women seem to view study success in terms of Comprehension, while the men are more oriented towards Achievement. An additional analysis within the categories indicated that the male students seemed to be more self-confident and self-reliant while the female students expressed a more pessimistic view. Furthermore, while the male students view an unsuccessful student only in relation to the individual in question, the female students' view involved the negative consequences of the student's behaviour for other people. / digitalisering@umu