Liquidity (LQ) and asset quality (AQ) management present significant challenges to mortgage bankers in their efforts to improve profitability (PR). When liquidity increases, there is no positive impact on mortgage asset growth; however, this trend indicates that asset management and liquidity positions are not well managed. To run a viable mortgage business, mortgage bankers need to have a good grasp of the association between LQ, AQ, and PR. Anchored in the profit theory paradigm, the purpose of this multiple regression study was to examine the relationship between LQ, AQ, and PR of mortgage banks (MBs) in Nigeria. Archival financial data of 16 randomly sampled MBs covering a period of 8 years from 2009 to 2016 were used. Data were analyzed using multiple panel regression incorporating two PR models, net interest margin (NIM) and return on asset (ROA). The regression result indicated that LQ and AQ constructs significantly predicted PR as measured by NIM because F (8, 80) = 2.061, p = 0.014, p < 0.05, and effect size given by R2 = 0.458, signifying 46% variation in NIM. The model of PR as measured by ROA also indicated that LQ and AQ constructs were significant because F (8, 80) = 4.043, p = 0.000, p < 0.05, with effect size measured by R2 = 0.624, indicating 62% variation in ROA. The findings emphasized the need for optimization of LQ and AQ to maximize PR. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide the business leaders in the mortgage industry with knowledge about optimization of LQ and AQ as drivers of PR. In addition, when business owners achieve increase profitability, they may provide more employment opportunities, better working conditions, better compensation plans, and more access to mortgage finance options.

Employee absenteeism is a significant threat to organizational profitability. Finding solutions to mitigate the adverse effects of employee absenteeism on organizational profitability is critical to the success of organizations. The purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies human resource leaders used to mitigate the adverse effects of employee absenteeism on organizational profitability. The conceptual framework was performance prism theory. Data were gathered from in-depth interviews and publicly available organizational documents, including wellbeing program resources and annual investment presentations and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting documents. Participants included 4 human resource managers and a third party service provider of an Atlanta, Georgia airline industry organization. The organization used in this case study was one of only twenty US companies, as of 2012, that implemented an absenteeism mitigation program at least 3 years prior to this study. The multi-year internal data collected, via interviews, from the human resource management of this 80,000 employee international company specifically about absenteeism mitigation programs, provided a perspective not available from all firms. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to generate emerging themes. Key themes included an emphasis on organizational culture, the wellbeing program, and the cost of absenteeism. Subthemes included executive leadership support, stakeholder identification, and middle management program champions. Findings may help leaders improve organizational productivity and profitability and provide more stability for employees, which may result in thriving communities and other positive social change.

This paper examines the performance of Indian banks by studying the effects of recent reforms and macroeconomic events. Indian banks went through a period of reforms in the past twenty years. The impact of these reforms and major macroeconomic events has been examined using time-series analysis. Event studies offer additional perspective on the short-run effect of the events on different types of Indian banks. Although, the event dates are not all statistically significant in the time-series regressions, the demonetization of 2016 is significant in the event study analysis. Thus, while reforms and events have immediate impact on the performance of Indian banks, the effects did not always persist over the larger time-period.

This dissertation explores the effects of factors such as industrial policy and listing on the stock market on manufacturing firms’ profitability and productivity. The second chapter investigates the effect of industrial policies on misallocation using a rich data-set of Chinese firms. Using a difference-in-difference approach, I provide evidence that government policies (i.e. the 10th Five Year Plan) favoring particular industries lead to increased misallocation (i.e., an increase in the dispersion of revenue productivity across firms in four-digit industries). Moreover, the differential changes between industries supported and not supported by the 10th Five Year Plan are quantitatively large and indicative of a substantial negative impact on aggregate TFP. Using a changes-in-changes model, I find evidence that the Five Year Plan had a positive and significant effect for most of the TFPR distribution while the effect was negative for the lowest quintile of TFPQ and positive for the highest TFPQ quintile. The results suggest increased misallocation is related to the way in which the Chinese government doled out support through the increase of subsidies and the improvement of credit conditions for a subset of firms. In the third chapter, I study the heterogeneous effects of an industrial policy -the 10th Five Year Plan on misallocation, profitability and real technology in Chinese provinces with different mix of supported intensities. I find that the 10th Five Year Plan increased misallocation, profitability and technology of supported industries in provinces with higher supporting intensities. After controlling the effects of China’s state-owned enterprise (SOE) reforms and joining into World Trade Organization (WTO), the results are still robust and consistent. In the fourth chapter, I investigate the effects of listing on the stock market on firm’s profitability and technology. Using Chinese firm level data, I identify listing firms, and compute revenue productivity and physical productivity to measure profitability and technology, respectively. To deal with the endogenous problem of listing, I use the number of investment banks as instrument variable. With a difference-in-difference model, I find that listing increases firm’s profitability and technology. Empirical findings also reveal that listing changes characteristics of firms, such as asset, liability and capital structure.

The costs attributed to prescription errors negatively affect the profits of retail pharmacy businesses. The U.S. prescription error rate since 2010 was 0.1%, yet with more than 3.5 billion prescriptions filled annually in the United States, the outcome is more than 3.5 million prescription-dispensing errors and an annual cost of more than $16 billion. Using the performance prism theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies retail pharmacy managers used to increase profit by reducing prescription errors. Using purposeful sampling, 5 retail pharmacy managers in Miami, Florida, were selected as participants because they had implemented strategies to reduce prescription errors. Data were collected using semistructured, face-to-face interviews with 5 pharmacy managers, and company records consisting of quality improvement incident reports, income statements, and balance sheets. Data analysis occurred using methodological triangulation and following Yin's 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding the data. The 3 emergent themes were prescription error reducing strategy, profitability improvement strategy through reduced prescription errors, and technology strategy for reducing prescription error. The findings indicated that prescription error reducing strategies are essential for pharmacy managers to increase profits. The implications for positive social change include the potential for retail pharmacy managers to reduce the cost of health care in their communities, prevent prescription error-related hospitalizations and deaths, and improve employment conditions and economic activity in their communities.

Nonbank financial institutions (NBFIs), of which credit unions comprise, constitute an important part of the financial sector because of their contribution to economic development, particularly in developing economies. This multiple case study explored strategies for maintaining credit union profitability against the backdrop of numerous closures in the past decade. The conceptual framework for this study was agency theory. Data were collected from 6 purposefully selected managers or directors representing individual credit unions in Grenada. Data were also collected from publicly available sources and used to conduct methodological triangulation. The interview data were coded using a computer-aided software package, and the interpretations of the data subjected to member checking. The emergent themes from both sources were then aggregated into 6 major strategies for maintaining credit union profitability, namely credit risk management, portfolio growth and development, operational efficiency, advertising and promotion, performance metrics, and strategy review. Agency problems exist in the credit union environment and influence the strategies leaders of credit unions in Grenada employ to maintain profitability. Findings from this study represent a corollary against the participants' position that agency theory is not applicable in the credit union environment because of the existence of the common bond. Implications for social change include safeguarding the financial wellbeing of credit union members by contributing to the soundness of Grenada's NBFIs. This is social implication is an important consideration given the mission of the credit union sector to serving the disenfranchised and to the growth and stability of developing economies.

Volatile crude oil prices significantly affect the profitability of crude oil firms. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies some crude oil and gas business leaders used to remain profitable during periods of crude oil price volatility. The target population comprised 8 crude oil and gas business leaders located in Calgary, Canada, whose company remained profitable despite crude oil price volatility. The transformational leadership theory formed the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected through the use of semistructured face-to-face interviews, company reports, and field notes. Data analysis involved a modified Van Kamm method, which included descriptive coding, a sequential review of the interview transcripts, and member checking. Based on methodological triangulation and thematic analysis, 5 themes emerged from the study, including communication and engagement; motivation and empowerment; measurement, monitoring, and control; self-awareness and humility; and efficiency and optimization. The implications for social change include the potential for crude oil and gas companies in Calgary, Canada to manage production costs, ensure earnings and profitability, and thus improve the socioeconomic well-being of Calgary indigenes through improved employment opportunities.

Retention issues have been a challenge for human resources (HR) leaders for years. Organization HR leaders face employee retention challenges that lead to the loss of talented employees and a decline in the organization's quality of service, which negatively affects profitability. Based on Schultz's human capital theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies HR leaders used to retain employees. Data collection included company archival documentation review and face-to-face semistructured interviews with 11 purposefully selected HR leaders from 3 banks in the northern region of St. Lucia. Data analysis included using Yin's 5-step method, coding the transcribed interviews to identify relevant themes, member checking to strengthen the reliability and validity of the interpretations of participants' responses, and review of company documents. The 5 main themes revealed were strategies of employee retention, human capital development, culture of engagement, succession planning, and leader-member exchange, which affects employees' commitment and organizational profitability. Human resources leaders in organizations may use the findings of this study to develop effective strategies to retain employees, which could lead to individual achievement. Social change implications include the importance of investing in human capital that may lead to succession planning to promote business sustainability and economic growth in St. Lucia and other countries.

Ghanaian banks struggle to maintain sufficient capital after the Bank of Ghana increased the minimum capital requirement as a buffer against the 2008 financial crisis. Grounded in the efficient structure theory (EST), the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationships between efficiency, size, risk, and ownership structure on banks' performance when minimum capital requirement increases. Archival data were collected from PricewaterhouseCoopers website covering all Ghanaian banks with available data for the 5-year period ending 2013. Initial one tail paired sample t tests revealed significant increases over time for efficiency, t(21) = 3.849, p -?¤ .001, net interest margin (NIM), t(21) = 5.201, p -?¤ .001, return on equity (ROE), t(21) = 1.833, p -?¤ .041, and risk t(21) = 3.614, p -?¤ .001. The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated the EST models could significantly predict bank performance for the 5-year period ending 2013. X-efficiency model could predict NIM F(8, 123) = 6.94, p =.00, R2 = .288, efficiency and ownership type were statistically significant with efficiency (t = 6.09, p -?¤ .001) denoting higher to the model than foreign banks (t = 2.96, p -?¤ .004). While, scale efficiency model could predict ROE, F(8, 123) = 5.18, p =.00, R2 = .133, ownership type and size were statistically significant with State banks (t = -2.26, p -?¤ .025) denoting more to the model than size (t = 2.00, p -?¤ .047). Society can benefit from the results of this doctoral study because investors, bank of Ghana, and bank managers could better predict the banks' performance based on the information from the study, which may lead to a higher families' confidence in the positive contribution of banks in their communities.

Zimbabwe's catastrophic economic decline resulted in a high unemployment rate (95%), declining socioeconomic indicators, pharmacy stores' unprofitability and lower sustainability. Profitable pharmacy stores play a fundamental role in ensuring public access to medication. Lack of pharmacy profitability leads to poor healthcare delivery, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. A healthy population is panacea to economic growth and prosperity and enhances human dignity, social cohesion, and the quality of life. In this qualitative, descriptive multicase study design, using Porter's business strategies theory and the Deming process of quality assurance as conceptual frameworks, data from 11 pharmacy stores leaders in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe were collected during interviews with open-ended questions. Participants were assumed to have influence, knowledge, and a personal stake in the pharmacy sector and that their views and experiences could address the research question of lack of pharmacy profitability and sustainability. Data were explored, categorized, and tabulated to assist drawing empirical findings and conclusions that could answer the research question. Using software the data were analyzed and themes such as the centrality of strategy in running profitable pharmacies, customer care, reimbursements by medical insurance firms, the role of the legal and regulatory frameworks on pharmacies, and mergers of single-owner pharmacies emerged. Findings from the results might provide strategies for those in the pharmacy retail sector and individuals who intend to explore the sector. Individuals who read results of the study might be influenced to lobby government on behalf of the sector to relax prohibitive regulations.