The restaurant industry is the second largest employer in the United States; however, only 33% of restaurant owners sustain profits longer than the first 5 years from inception. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore marketing strategies that owners of small business restaurants use to sustain profitability for longer than the initial 5 years. Aaker's brand equity model was the conceptual framework used to ground this study. Purposeful criterion sampling was used for the study. Participants included 3 owners of small restaurants operating in the southern United States. Data analysis involved using Yin's 5-step data analysis process to identify and code themes. Analysis included data compilation, data disassembly, data reassembly, data interpretation, and data conclusion. Three themes emerged from the analysis of data: social media, word of mouth, and brand differentiation. The implications of this study for positive social change include business development opportunities, opening resource centers for training programs, and free webinars associated with marketing and brand equity strategies. Communities, organizations, and new entrepreneurs may benefit from the increase of social resources, community economic growth, and expanded employment opportunities.

Globally, half of small business owners are unable to sustain business operations beyond first 5 years. Several small microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Ghana collapsed because of the inability of owners to continue operations. Such business failure creates unemployment, subsequently leading to an increase in the poverty rate. The objective of this case study was to explore the strategies that MFI owners use to sustain their businesses for 5 years and beyond in Ghana. The conceptual framework was based on entrepreneurship theory. A purposive sample of 4 MFI owners who sustained their business in Ghana for 5 years, who were identified from a database of microfinance entrepreneurs, participated in semistructured face to face interviews. The owners shared their experiences and views concerning their business. Data from archived documents of participants' companies and interview responses with member checking were analyzed to achieve a methodological triangulation. Four themes emerged from inductive data analysis. These themes focused on education and training, planning, access to finance, and motivation. The findings from this study could lead to positive social change by illuminating the experiences of successful microfinance entrepreneurs. These experiences may inform the work of other small businesses, thereby improving the living standards of families and strengthening community wealth with more tax revenue.

Voluntary employee turnover has several adverse consequences for call center managers, including lowered productivity and decreased profitability. The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to explore strategies used to reduced voluntary employee turnover among 2 call center managers in the southern United States. These managers had been recommended by the human resource directors of the organizations because of their implementation of strategies to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The conceptual framework for this study was Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. Data were collected from semistructured face-to-face interviews and employee handbooks. The data analysis consisted of compiling the data, disassembling the data into common codes, reassembling the data into themes, interpreting the meaning, and reporting the themes. The use of member checking and methodological triangulation increased the trustworthiness of the study. Themes that emerged were job satisfaction, employee compensation, opportunity and advancement, reward and recognition, and employee engagement. Recommendations for action include selecting strategies for reducing voluntary employee turnover and using the strategies to improve the commitment of the workers. The findings from this study may contribute to social change by providing strategies that call center managers can use to reduce voluntary employee turnover, thereby positively improving the standard of living for families, and strengthening community wealth and well-being.

Leaders in manufacturing industries are increasingly concerned with the lack of skills among applicants, emphasizing the gap that exists between employer expectations and skills of employees entering the workforce. Developing successful recruitment strategies is critical for hiring managers seeking to hire skilled workers. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore successful strategies hiring managers used to recruit skilled production workers at a manufacturing company in Southeastern South Carolina. The human capital theory, which represents the knowledge individuals provide to enhance productivity, was the conceptual framework. Data were collected from face-to-face interviews with 3 hiring managers and an exploration of company documents that included the standard of quality and excellence policy, the company handbook, and the company website. Data analysis included assessment of word frequencies, keyword coding, and theme identification. Four themes emerged: provide industry and education partnerships to enhance recruitment efforts, maximize community industry specific recruitment, offer computer numerical controlled training as a recruitment incentive, and provide market competitive compensation. By implementing these strategies, managers may have greater levels of success in hiring skilled workers. Implications for positive social change include the potential for manufacturing hiring managers and other industry hiring managers to recruit and retain skilled workers through training, advancement opportunities, and compensation commensurate with employees' skills. Skilled workers may increase organizational productivity and profitability, which may promote economic prosperity in the local community.

When leaders use an ineffective communication strategy, it leads to decreased employee engagement, and thus increases the potential for lost productivity and profitability. The purpose of this case study was to explore effective communication strategies managers used to improve employee engagement and increase productivity as well as profitability. The motivating language theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. A semistructured interview technique was used to interview 3 purposefully selected managers in the northeastern region of the United States about the successful strategies they generated to improve employee engagement. Two themes emerged from data analysis: creating a culture that generates employee engagement, and effective internal communication to improve employee engagement. The findings of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing business leaders strategies for improving employee engagement. Engaged employees may offer their time and skills to serve the community through volunteer service and events to solve social issues associated with the environment, education, health, and community enhancement.

Approximately 300,000 highly skilled veterans leave military service every year, yet some small business owners lack strategies to recruit these skilled workers. The specific business problem addressed in this multiple case study was that some small information technology business leaders lack strategies to recruit military veterans. The research sample included 3 owners of small businesses serving the information technology industry in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States who developed and implemented successful strategies for recruiting veterans. Data were collected from interviews and review of documents. Data analysis resulted in the identification of 3 major themes: understanding of veterans as a means to determining organizational, job, and environmental fit; targeting veterans for recruitment and hiring; and retaining veterans as members of the small business civilian workforce. The implications for social change included the potential for a reduction of the unemployment rate among veterans and an increase in veterans' purchasing power in support of their local communities.

The piracy of movie products resulted in 72,000 lost jobs and $4.5 billion in lost wages to the United States economy in 2012. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore what strategies movie corporation managers use to inhibit piracy of movie products to achieve profitability. The sample consisted of 6 movie industry managers who managed movie corporations for not less than 5 years in New York City. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the general systems theory. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews. Transcript review and member checking were used to ensure credibility and trustworthiness of the interpretation of participants' responses. The 3 major themes that emerged in the study include the perceived effects of movie industry managers' marketing management strategies, legal management strategies, and customer management strategies for inhibiting product piracy. Findings from this study contribute to social change by indicating strategies that other movie industry managers may use to prevent piracy of product, sustain business, and reduce the negative effects of job loss. The results of this study thus may contribute to the prosperity of movie industry leaders, employees, their families, communities, and the local economy.

Fifty percent of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the United States fail, often resulting in a loss of stakeholder value. A questionnaire study design was used to explore managers' strategies for cultural integration during an M&A. Data were gathered from 94 managers and business leaders in M&A organizations in Texas. Managers' cultural integration strategies, communication, and leadership during M&As were investigated using transformational leadership as the conceptual framework. The study data were gathered from an online questionnaire, formatted into matrices using computer software, and then coded to identify themes. Themes that emerged from the study were that managers used effective strategies during the M&A activity to ameliorate stakeholder anxiety, maintained open communication, and stayed focused on business growth. The study participants indicated how communication and managers' strategies led to successful M&As. This study's findings may contribute to social change by providing business leaders and managers tools to help reduce and prevent future M&A failures. Successful mergers may increase employment opportunities and stabilize communities affected by M&A events.

Over $25 billion have been levied against banks annually in recent years for infractions and noncompliance with cross-border regulations. Huge costs affect banks' performance, and implementing working strategies that reduce significant costs is valuable. This single case study using systems theory was designed to explore strategies that bank leaders with correspondent banking relationships adapt to reduce costs from penalties and fines in cross-border remittances.Through the process of methodological triangulation, data collected from internal policy and procedural documents supplemented data collected from semistructured interviews. Yin's 5-step qualitative data analysis process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding was applied to collected data. Emergent themes included developing distinctive cost-reduction strategies, creating unique local bank strategies for an effective cross-border payment system, and using technology as a vital tool to reduce sanction costs. The study may support positive social change affecting individuals, communities, and society by increasing the success of cross-border payments through reduction in the costs of sanctions. Recipients of cross-border remittances benefit from the inflow of funds to cover basic needs such as medicines, education, and living expenses. Governments also benefit in terms of taxes and banks through commissions. The findings from this study may also assist society by supporting efforts to stop illicit international financial flows and combat the financing of terrorism.

Small businesses represent 99.7% of all employers in the United States and account for 63% of new jobs; however, 50% of small businesses fail within 5 years of operation. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that some small restaurant owners used to succeed in business for longer than 5 years. The sample population for the study was the owners of 3 small restaurants in the northeastern region of the United States who have a minimum of 5 years' experience in operating a successful business. Chaos theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Data collection methods were semistructured interviews and review of company documents and archival records. Member checking of interview transcripts was used to strengthen the credibility, reliability, and trustworthiness of the findings. Based on the methodological triangulation of the data sources and using the van Kaam process, themes emerged. The principal themes that emerged were networking, customer satisfaction, and leadership. The findings from this study may contribute to positive social change by providing strategies that small business owners need to be successful and possibly improve the prosperity of the community and local economy.