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Small business leaders continually face challenges due to limited resources and lack of employees' engagement. Only 78% of new small businesses survive 1 year after establishment, and half of those fail within the next 4 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies small business leaders used to increase employees' overall job satisfaction in Alberta, Canada. The conceptual framework for the study was transformational leadership theory. The targeted population was 10 purposefully sampled leaders of small businesses from different industries located in Alberta. Member checking and methodological triangulation were used to validate the data gathered through face-to-face semistructured interviews, a review of organizational policy documents, yearly reports, websites, and company marketing brochures. Data were analyzed using inductive coding of phrases and word frequency searches. Using thematic analysis, 3 themes emerged: the importance of supportive leadership that addressed individualized needs, necessity of financial rewards, and prominence of nonfinancial rewards to improve job satisfaction. The implications of this study for positive social change include providing leaders of small businesses with strategies that might enforce the sense of social responsibility and induce them to give back to the community by training new and existing employees and supporting communities through fostering self-development and self-support along with engendering pride in creativity.

In this paper, I analyze how firm attributes such as their age, industry, nature of industry, spinoff status and debt ratio influence venture-capital financing decision. I look at a sample of 280 firms that went public in the United States between 2015- 2019. This paper finds that firm age and debt are negatively related to the likelihood of being venture-capital backed. It also finds that firms in technology and biotechnology industries are more likely to be backed by a venture-capitalist.

A failure of a small business has a negative impact on the economic health of the community where the small business operates. Small businesses are significant entities in economies around the world, but small businesses have a high failure rate. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore what financial strategies small business manufacturing leaders use to increase productivity and profitability to sustain the business for longer than 5 years. The population for this study was three small manufacturing business owners in Pennsylvania who have been in business over 5 years and have used financial strategies to increase productivity and profitability. The theory of planned behavior was the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and direct observation. Methodological triangulation was used to analyze the data. Four themes emerged after the data was coded in NVivo: the importance of company data, planning for a sustainable future using capital expenditures, cash flow management, and owner/employee collaboration in decision-making. The potential for positive social change includes increasing the survival rates of small businesses. The increase in small business survivals may potentially contribute to increases in employment rates in the community of small manufacturing businesses, leading to increased family incomes and improved overall economic health of the community.

African Americans are among the fastest growing entrepreneurial minority group in the United States, but they continue to struggle with sustaining these new business ventures. Evidence suggests that African American business entrepreneurs experience an increased failure rate with a 4-year business survival rate of 39%. Reducing the failure rate would significantly add to the U.S. economy (an estimated $2.5 trillion) and create nearly 12 million more jobs. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies and behaviors of an award-winning African American entrepreneur in Miami Dade County who has remained in business over 20 years. The conceptual framework for this study was entrepreneurship theory. The data were collected through a semistructured interview with the participant, a review of published news media data, and a review of financial and marketing documents. Member checking was completed with the participant to strengthen credibility and trustworthiness of interpretations. The findings revealed several qualities about this entrepreneur, including innovativeness, internal locus of control, and self-efficacy attributed to business success. The participant also leveraged education and family networks as social capital to reach firm sustainability, as well as bootstrapping to mitigate the lack of financial capital. The information learned from these findings may contribute to social change by providing insight into the necessary strategies and behaviors required by African American entrepreneurs to stay in business beyond 4 years.

Small businesses miss out on federal contracting opportunities because of the strategies they lack. Both large and small businesses provide supplies and services through contract awards to the U.S. government while spending over $300 billion annually. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies of small business owners in the Clarksville, Tennessee and Hopkinsville, Kentucky region who have won federal contracts. Porter's competitive advantage theory grounded this study as the conceptual framework. The data collection process involved face-to-face, semistructured interviews and member checking with 3 small business owners to enhance credibility of data interpretation. Themes that emerged from the study included contractual knowledge, access to resources, measures of success, and sustainability. The study findings may apply directly or indirectly to individuals, organizations, and society. The positive social implications of applying the findings include increased business opportunities for small business owners, which could promote job creation to benefit the federal government and society.

Many family-owned businesses lack strategies regarding succession planning. Succession planning is a company's way of embracing the future. The majority of U.S.-based family-owned businesses do not survive to the second generation, and only 3% of family-owned businesses make it past a third generation. This descriptive case study explored strategies that 4 leaders of a family-owned financial business in the Washington, DC area use to prepare future generations to assume leadership roles in their company. The theory of family systems and the theory of organizational and business development were the conceptual frameworks for this study. In-depth interviews with purposively selected members of the small family-owned business were supplemented with a review of documentation from archival records. Yin's 5-step analysis guided the coding process of participants' response, capturing essential elements using the participants' own language. Member checking was used to validate the transcribed data. The major themes of the study revealed the owners' strategies relating to comprehensive business development, examining the family systems, strengthening retention of all employees, examining organizational theory, planning for the future with contingency strategies, strengthening team building, training and support, and understanding leadership knowledge and leadership competency. This study may benefit small businesses by providing lessons learned on ensuring organizational sustainability. This study's implications for social change include contributing to social stability and continuing economic growth.

The oil and gas multinational companies (MNCs) in the Niger Delta continue to face numerous challenges operating in the region, especially concerning the loss of revenue. Based on the resource dependence theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between oil theft, pipeline vandalism, security costs, and revenue. Eighty-eight mid- to high-level managers of oil and gas completed the Factors That Affect Company Revenue instrument. The results of the multiple linear regression analyses indicated the model was able to significantly predict revenue, F(3,88) = 947,279.44, p < .001, R2 = 1.000. All 3 predictors contributed significantly to the model, with pipeline vandalism recording the highest beta value (Ã? = .553, p = .000), the oil theft predictor with the next highest beta weight (Ã? = .451, p = .000), and the security costs predictor with the next highest beta weight (Ã? = .387, p = .000). The leaders of the oil and gas MNCs could use the outcome of this study in creating strategies and policies that guide their operations in the region, which would improve the relationship with host communities and mitigate their efforts in reducing the loss of revenue. Improved relations would result in a reduction of oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and security costs, thereby reducing revenue losses. The implication of positive social change includes implementation of more corporate social responsibility strategies and improving the economy of the region and the livelihood of the host communities.

Some small business leaders lack strategies to develop effective teams. Lack of team development affects the ability of restaurant small business owners to remain profitable for longer than 5 years. The focus of this multiple case study was an exploration of the role team development plays in business profitability. The population for this study was 3 experienced owners of restaurants in New Jersey that remained open for longer than 5 years. The conceptual framework was based on the Tuckman model of team development to highlight the connection between the model and how small business owners use team development to remain profitable for longer than 5 years. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews and review of business documents provided by 2 of the participants. Through thematic analysis of the data, the following themes emerged: the number of years in business and the training program; well-developed, skillful teams are key to business success; committed teams lead to sustainability; and team development and sustainability. Studying the team development strategies used in small business restaurants may help other business owners stay profitable for longer than 5 years. The findings of the study may provide valuable information for individuals wanting to start a business or for owners of small businesses who want to learn how to make their businesses profitable. Profitable businesses can create positive social change in communities by providing jobs and an influx of capital to community neighborhoods.

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