Abstract Vertical integration is a strategy where the firm owns the supply chain activities to gain control over the business operations, increasing the market share, and lowering the transaction costs. The vertically integrated firms tend to make more in-house operations. In the supply chain, vertical integration is performed either upstream or downstream. In the automobile industry, upstream integration is chosen to acquire or increase control over the suppliers by manufacturing goods internally while downstream integration is preferred to gain ownership with the previous distributors and dealers. This thesis work is carried out in the department of New and Strategic Project Markets in Sales and Marketing, Scania. The department New and Strategic Project Markets works with identifying the market potential in a country and future expansion of the sales and service network. A significant part of the Scania business is delivered through the sales and service network, which differentiates Scania from the competitors and provides the basis for profitability. Scania currently has models for identifying market potential and setting up the business in a market. With the future expansion, the establishment of a competitive sales and service network is a core part of the Scania business model. Currently, with changing market dynamics, Scania needs to evaluate the appropriate level of vertical integration to capture market potential, achieve profitability, and manage risk for the sales and service network. This led to the development of a decision model for vertical integration of the sales and service network. The purpose of this research is to develop a structured decision model for performing vertical integration and disintegration in the sales and service business of Scania to maintain or improve profitability by considering the risks. The current state illustrates an overview of the sales and marketing business process in Scania. As a pre-study phase, the thesis project includes reviewing Scania’s current practice for evaluating the market which contains market screening model and distributor development process (market establishment). Adding to that, an empirical study is carried out through interviews to identify the factors, forces, and risks involved in driving captive and non-captive markets. The above-mentioned information will act as a base for performing the analysis on building the decision model. From the acquired information, the analysis is carried out by prioritizing and categorizing the predominant factors and forces of vertical integration. Further, by performing risk analysis the decision model is built into four levels and the appropriate decisions are made to identify the level of vertical integration in the sales and service network. At last, to check the credibility of the decision model, a country is chosen for analysis, and the results are discussed.

In hospitals in the United States, the ratio of nurses to patients is declining, resulting in an increase in work demands for nurses. Consequently, organizations face challenges with nurses' organizational commitment. Studies have revealed generational differences, as determined by birth year, in employee levels of organizational commitment in a number of organizational settings. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the impact of generational cohorts on the organizational commitment of nurses. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional design was to address whether generational cohorts of nurses differed in their levels of organizational commitment, and to investigate whether licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) differed in their levels of organizational commitment. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit 132 nurses in Alabama for this study. A MANOVA was employed to test the mean differences in organizational commitment by generational cohort status and nursing degree. Results revealed that generational cohort status did not have a significant impact on nurses' levels of organizational commitment. However, the findings showed that LPNs had significantly lower levels of affective commitment than RNs. This study provided information that may be of use to hospital administrators and human resource managers in communicating the need for flexible incentive packages to address the needs of a diverse workforce. Results from the study may promote social change by providing information about how nurse credentials are associated with their organization commitment. This association is critical for building organizational stability, organizational effectiveness, and nurse recruitment and retention.

Although few firms can function without an information technology (IT) department, senior executives often consider IT as secondary. Historically, studies have found IT departments to have low influence and power status compared to other departments. Few, if any, studies have investigated what factors contribute to this subservient position. Three research questions that inspired this study regarding the IT department's influence and power included factors that shape the IT influence and power, the consequences for the firm's IT orientation and business performance, and how firm's IT orientation affects business performance. This quantitative study explored the notion that accountability, innovativeness, customer connectedness and partnering with other departments positively affect the IT department's influence and power. A synthesis of resource dependence and strategic contingency theories framed the theoretical basis for the structural equation model analyzed in this study. Responses from a Web panel of 349 anonymous, voluntary senior managers of firms operating in various industry types provided the data. Analysis results showed that accountability, innovativeness, and partnering with other departments positively affect the IT department's influence and power. Also, the firm's IT orientation, more so than IT department's influence and power, positively affects business performance. Results help IT executives to become more influential and enhance their ability to participate in their firm's strategic decisions. From social change perspective, influential IT managers can affect strategic decisions regarding social programs, implement new IT tools to do more with less, and new ways of distributing critical information and resources to enhance the speed of response when and where needed.

Narcissistic transformation leaders have inflicted severe physical, psychological, and financial damage on individuals, institutions, and society. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) has shown promise for early detection of narcissistic leadership tendencies, but selection criteria have not been established. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine if item response theory (IRT) could advance the detection of narcissistic leadership tendencies using an item-level analysis of the 20 transformational leadership items of the MLQ. Three archival samples of subordinates from Israeli corporate and athletic organizations were combined (N = 1,703) to assess IRT data assumptions, comparative fit of competing IRT models, item discrimination and difficulty, and theta reliabilities within the trait range. Compared to the generalized graded unfolding model, the graded response model had slightly more category points within the 95% confidence interval and consistently lower X2/df item fit indices. Items tended to be easier yet more discriminating than average, and five items were identified as candidates for modification. IRT item marginal reliability was .94 (slightly better than classical test theory reliability of .93), and IRT ability prediction had a .96 reliability within a trait range from -1.7 to 1.3 theta. Based on 8 invariant item parameters, selection criteria of category fairly often (3) or above on attributed idealized influence items and sometimes (2) or below on individual consideration items was suggested. A test case demonstrated how narcissistic tendencies could be detected with these criteria. The study can contribute to positive social change by informing improved selection processes that more effectively screen candidates for key leadership roles that directly impact the wellbeing of individuals and organizations.

The worldwide software project failure rate, based on a survey of information technology software manager's view of user satisfaction, product quality, and staff productivity, is estimated to be between 24% and 36% and software project success has not kept pace with the advances in hardware. The problem addressed by this study was the limited information about software managers' experiences with data-driven decision making (DDD) in agile software organizations as a tool to improve software development productivity. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how agile software managers view DDD as a tool to improve software development productivity and to understand how agile software development organizations may use DDD now and in the future to improve software development productivity. Research questions asked about software managers', project managers', and agile coaches' lived experiences with DDD via a set of interview questions. The conceptual framework for the research was based on the 3 critical dimensions of software organization productivity improvement: people, process, and tools, which were defined by the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integrated published in 2010. Organizations focus on processes to align the people, procedures and methods, and tools and equipment to improve productivity. Positive social change could result from a better understanding of DDD in an agile software development environment; this increased understanding of DDD could enable organizations to create more products, offer more jobs, and better compete in a global economy.

The importance of good communications between team members has been well documented. Yet previous studies on communications between team members have neglected to focus on reasons for information withholding between people working on teams. The purpose of this case study of 16 engineers and 6 educators was to understand why team members withhold information when working together. A convenience sample was selected from a software engineering organization. Collective intelligence theory in a modern communications environment was used as the theoretical foundation. This theory posits that the synergy of full group collaboration results in enhanced performance and the spread of new ideas. The exploratory research questions addressed in this study were designed to understand how employees decide what information to withhold when participating on teams; how withholding information is influenced by critical thinking, creativity, positions on a team, and type of employee; and the effects of information withholding. Collected data from online interviews were transcribed and validated via member checks, coded using open and axial coding, and analyzed. Seven themes were found: insecurity, gate keeping, discrimination, personality, creativity, organizational structure, and team management. The results of this study may provide information that can help managers understand employees' experiences with, reactions to, and opinions about information withholding and provide strategies to create an environment in which team members do not withhold information from each other, thus improving or enhancing positive social change in organizations.

Knowledge loss, or organizational forgetting, is often overlooked in knowledge management frameworks, yet it costs organizations money, personnel, efficiency, and customer service. The purpose of this mixed model case study was to understand, using a model of forgetting as the conceptual framework, where and why loss occurred and to examine performance implications. An inbound telephone contact center was studied because of prolific changes in that industry regarding knowledge complexity and performance. The researcher interviewed 20 participants, observed 63 calls, and reviewed 3 months of performance data including average handle time, first call resolution percentages, and time spent on after call work. Key research questions addressed areas of loss, contributing factors, and operational impacts. Using theme-based coding and chi-square goodness of fit analyses for the qualitative data coupled with descriptive analyses and frequency distributions for the quantitative data, results showed that loss occurred because of attitudinal resistance to change, unlearning, and lack of organizational standards. Average handle time and first call resolution metrics were negatively impacted. Contributing factors included culture, leadership support, and limited follow-through from lessons learned. Recommendations include establishing a formal disposal process to remove outdated knowledge from knowledge management tools and establishing incentives to encourage employees to contribute knowledge, which can lead to higher staff engagement of those tools and improved customer service. The social change significance is that addressing knowledge loss can promote fiscal sustainability and revenue generation, thereby preventing layoffs or organizational closures.

The problem addressed in this study is that little action is taken to create the social aspects and social value of knowledge-sharing culture within organizations. There is a need for increased understanding of the behavioral side of knowledge management. The purpose of this study was to focus on knowledge sharing from a behavioral perspective. Knowledge management is defined as the accumulation, protection, and leverage of knowledge. This research study investigated the relationship between knowledge sharing and competitiveness and approached the field of knowledge management from the organizational, cultural, and behavioral perspectives. The research questions examined how knowledge workers described the parameters and conditions of knowledge sharing, as well as the relationship between knowledge sharing and competitiveness of professional service firms. The overall research design employed three focus groups and individual interviews of a selected professional service firm. Similarity and commonalities of data from interviews were color coded and labeled. Field notes, handouts, and a qualitative research computer program were used to triangulate data. Results of the study generated and established five specific categories. The categories of spiritual essence of business, believability and openness, and ethical responsibility present the mind and spiritual connection to enhance the value of knowledge sharing as a factor for competitiveness. In addition, the categories of whole brain learning and connectivity are context for creating a learning organization. The implications for social change include a clearer understanding of knowledge sharing which can increase organizational competitiveness. The effect of the added competitiveness of professional service firms can result in enhancing economic and social value of their key stakeholders.

Non acceptance of technology may result in serious damages to organizations. For example, non acceptance of simulation technology cost Merrill Lynch Bank over {dollar}50 billion in 2008, while statistics in 2 separate studies showed that non acceptance of technology was responsible for a 57% decrease in performance level for physicians practicing in public tertiary hospitals in Hong Kong, and a 39% decrease in productivity for hotel workers in Seoul, Korea. The problem addressed in this research was non acceptance of simulation technology by project managers. This research investigated the correlation among personal innovativeness, organizational innovativeness, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to use simulation techniques by members of the Project Management Institute (PMI). The theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) served as the theoretical foundations for the study. In this quantitative, correlational survey study, data were obtained from a random sample of the PMI membership. Simple regression analysis was used to address research questions. Results indicate significant correlations of moderate strength among usefulness, innovativeness, ease of use, and intention to use simulation technology. The study contributes to positive social change by identifying factors that help companies to improve their business processes, generate more profits, create jobs, and make positive contributions to the communities in which they are located.

Two dominant research views addressing disappointing success rates for information technology (IT) projects suggest project success may depend on the presence of a large number of critical success factors or advocate for agile project management as an alternative to traditional practice. However, after two decades of research, success rates remain low, and the role of critical success factors or project management approach remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to use views of experienced project managers to explore the contribution of success factors and management approach to project success. Applying organizational, coordination, and contingency theories, the research questions examined IT project manager perceptions about success factors, how those success factors interrelate, and the role of management approach in project success. A Q methodology mixed method design was used to analyze subjective insights of project managers about the important critical success factors for IT projects. Two critical success factors emerged as important: a sustained commitment from upper management to the project and clear, measurable project goals and objectives. Three composite factors also surfaced representing the importance of people-project interactions, user/client involvement, and traditional project management tasks. The analyses found no broad support for agile project management and could not confirm principles of organizational or coordination theories as critical for project success. However, a contingent relationship might exist between some critical success factors and merits further investigation. Helping the project management community understand IT project success factors could improve project execution and reduce failure rates leading to sizeable savings for project clients.