The work environment in organizations has been associated with a number of factors that contribute to both their success and sustainability. Many researchers have identified the role, influence or the connection between the work environment and these factors such as productivity and creativity. However, it seems that business owners do not take their organization’s work environment into consideration when making major business decisions such as acquiring external funding. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of acquiring external funding on the different social factors influencing the work environment for self-funded firms. We have conducted a multiple case study in which we collected data through conducting interviews with eight employees from five different organizations located in the Middle East region. We analyzed the gathered data based on a theoretical model that connects eleven work environment dimensions with three aspects that are accompanied by acquiring external funding, which are: the changes in management and goals, financial resources and new networks and contacts. As a result, we concluded that the changes in management and goals have the most complex effect on work environment when compared to the other two aspects. In addition, we explored how would these aspects affect the work environment, either directly or indirectly, and found that the individual level changes in the work environment are mostly affected indirectly since the employees do not tend to attribute such changes to external funding directly. Finally, according to our results, it doesn’t seem that having the same funding type would trigger similar changes in the work environment. On the other hand, having a similar funding objective by the financing party would trigger more similarities especially when it comes to the changes in management and goals.

The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to indicate a better understanding of factors that motivate faculty at a 4-year public institution of higher education to pursue external funding. The study is focused on examining the relationship between characteristics of individual faculty members, productivity related to external funding, and faculty perception of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors related to pursuing external funding. External funding is a major source of support for research at institutions of higher education. For universities to increase external funding for research along with increasing research productivity, it is essential that university faculty members are motivated to engage in research and seeking funding to support it (Chval & Nossaman, 2014). In order to provide adequate support universities need a clearer understanding of factors that may contribute to faculty’s motivation to pursue external funding. This study was conducted at a 4-year public university in the Southeastern region of the United States. One hundred sixty-seven full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty participated in the study using the web-based anonymous Motivating Factors to Pursuing External Funding Faculty Survey developed by the researcher. The quantitative data were analyzed using a series of single sample t-test, independent t-test, and chi-squared test. This study revealed that the gender and tenure status of full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty at the participating institution does not significantly affect their productivity as it relates to grant submissions or awards. The findings also indicated that the full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty perceive autonomy and self-actualization as significant intrinsic positive motivators and financial rewards as a significant extrinsic positive motivator to pursuing external funding. Additionally, the study found that the full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty did not perceive institutional support services as an extrinsic motivator to pursuing external funding.

Grantsmanship; seeking external funding for research, personnel preparation, systems change efforts, conference attendance; “Centers” versus projects; early career funding.

External and internal funding is a way that nurse scholars can support research and scholarship activities. Often, programs are supported by a combination of internal and external funding to support projects. External funding through competitive grants is a valuable way to fund initiatives and to expand services. However, these applications commonly require a detailed and complete budget that will provide a framework to fiscally plan for program activities – which can be daunting to novice grant seekers. There is a scarcity of information in the literature on the framework for the development of a program budget or how to begin, which can be a challenge to those new to this process. A well-prepared and developed budget supports the success of an external funding application and serves as the framework to fiscally support and optimize activities. The purpose of this presentation is to provide nurses the basic information on how to develop a budget for external and internal funding applications.