Studies reveal a progressive net decrease in the nursing profession across four generations, creating a shortage that poses a critical threat to the health care delivery system and to the health and safety of patients within that system. Research also suggests that generational cohorts reflect social change in attitudes toward work-life balance, organizational commitment, personal-professional relationships, autonomy, focus on career advancement, and actions that represent organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Previous research grounded in theoretical frameworks of organizational behavior, leadership, and social capital indicates that leadership support of workforce diversity and effectiveness in conflict management influence OCB. However, little research explores the links between intergenerational work-values conflict (IWVC), job satisfaction, and OCB. Accordingly, this exploratory correlational study investigated linkages connecting OCB, job satisfaction, and perceptions of leadership effectiveness in the management of IWVC among 89 perioperative registered nurses, who replied to an online adaptation of established survey instruments. Correlation and regression analyses indicated that higher levels of OCB reflected increased job satisfaction and were associated with perceptions of leadership effectiveness in management of IWVC. Findings support study hypotheses that leadership management of IWVC plays an influential role in OCB. This exploratory study extends existing research and presents a model for examining leadership, OCB, and social change in nursing. Increased knowledge and understanding of these relationships may serve as a catalyst for positive social change by improving intergenerational relationships, job satisfaction, nurse retention, and positive patient care outcomes.

Firm's advertising and marketing expenditures do not always translate to measurable financial returns. Understanding brand value appropriation and financial consequences of advertising is important for more focused investments in branding and marketing. This quantitative study sought to understand the joint effects of advertising expenditure and brand value (BV) on firms return on assets (ROA) and on stock return (SR) in the computer industry. The theoretical framework of the study was the resource-based view theory that proposes that the intangible assets of a corporation have a direct relationship to its ability to sustain its competitive advantage. The key research question involved the joint and positive effect of a firm's advertising expenditure and brand value on return on assets and on stock return. The research design was a non randomized cross sectional study. The data consisted of advertising expenditures and brand value of 17 firms listed on the Interbrand annual global brand list from 2000 to 2007, ROA and SR extracted from each firms 10K and Morningstar financial report. The study used panel data modeling and time series of cross section analysis. Results showed positive correlation between ROA and BV, and between AER and BV. The association between brand value and ROA, even after accounting for the effect of advertising expenditure and the interaction effect between brand value and advertising expenditure, was statistically significant. Further research is needed to confirm the findings. Effective marketing increases firms' profitability. Profitable firms contribute more to causes that drive social changes in the areas of education, healthcare and food sustainability.

Even though the current level of communication and information sharing is greater than it has ever been throughout the history of the construction industry, the problem under investigation stems from the results of current research that indicate that many major projects have difficulty in achieving client expectations, resulting in a negative image of the construction industry. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact on the level of trust in the use of information systems between construction firms and their clients. The theoretical foundations of this research were based in interdependence and coordination theories. While information systems enable improved communication processes, coordination and interdependency are central to mutually successful completion of construction projects. However, there is a lack of a prescriptive view present in the literature regarding the role of trust in enhancing client satisfaction through the use of information systems. The research questions that underlay this study were based on discovering the extent and nature of mistrust between contractors and their clients. Through the use of a qualitative methodology, data were collected through responses from a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire. By analyzing consistencies in the responses, the researcher used grounded theory to determine trends and consistencies. The results revealed that while contractors believed trust existed between contractors and clients, clients believed mutual trust was low despite the increased communication through emails and current information systems. By emphasizing the notion of mutual trust in the communication process, contractors can improve the image of the construction industry. The magnitude of social change could result in more successful and timely completion of projects saving millions of dollars.

From 1996 to 2006, the number of Department of Defense (DoD) contract transactions increased, leading to over expenditures and the need for agencies to determine benefit estimation to improve risk management of a project. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to apply a total quality management theory to explore if a standardized versus decentralized benefits framework within the cost benefit analysis process could improve the Department of the Army acquisition selection process. The two central research questions addressed (a) the differences between successful and failed acquisition systems cost benefit analysis, and (b) whether a standardized or decentralized cost benefits framework would best serve contract selection process. Data were collected via interviews with 20 DoD acquisition specialists and analysis of cost benefit analysis cases; NVIVO software was used to examine word frequency and comparative phrases. The data analysis resulted in themes that encompassed how standardization improves product quality, enhances innovation, and accelerates the acquisition procurement process. Other themes included the need to build metrics into the cost benefit assessment to measure risk management controls and cost-reduction initiatives. The DoD might benefit from the results of this study by reviewing and instituting a standardized benefit assessment within its cost benefit analysis framework to protect business stakeholders' from fraud, waste, or abuse. The implications of this doctoral study will promote social change in the form of government spending fiscal stewardship and could serve as a benchmark to improve the budget formulation and management of the American taxpayer's investment in national security.

Punctuated equilibrium, a theory of unexpected and sudden change arising out of evolutionary biology and paleontology, has been applied to decision sciences, physics, organizational theory, and group behavior but never to leadership emergence theories. The purpose of the study was to discover how leadership emerges during a period of punctuated equilibrium, a sudden and unexpected change event, using a naturalistic decision making framework. Thus, the research question probed how leadership emergence could be theoretically modeled in a critical event. This grounded theory study was particularly unique because it drew from, and helped unify the four scientific foundations of complexity science, leadership emergence, punctuated equilibrium theory, and naturalistic decision making. Data from 40 retrospective accounts, described in 15 interviews with critical incident intervention specialists, first responders, and wilderness leadership trainers residing in the northeastern region of the U.S. were supplemented by survey and observational data. Initial analyses employed a reflective coding matrix and a concept identification chart. Analysis of synthesized themes identified an event continuum model in which instinct, compassion, and responsibility served as motivating factors for leadership emergence that appeared in close proximity to the change event. Subsequent observable indicators of leadership emergence often included a sense of calm, quick situational assessment, and the tendency of individuals to ignore physical risk. This study found that punctuated equilibrium stimulated leadership emergence in individuals. The most profound implication for social change was that leadership arose in a time of need guided by compassion and a profound sense of responsibility toward one another regardless of formal position in the group.

Inadequate environmental scanning, poor financial strategy, and misaligned customer focus are responsible for 79% of retail profitability losses. The purpose of the qualitative study using a multiple-case study design was to explore the strategies needed to align financial strategy with customer-oriented processes in the retail industry. The research question involved understanding trends and operational risks influencing the establishment of financial alignment strategies. Porter's five forces model of customer influence, Pearce's environmental and economic factors affecting society values, and Albright's strategic planning of environmental influence served as the theoretical foundations for the study. 30 executives, managers, and team leaders in 2 Midwest U.S. organizations completed interviews. Interview data were coded for emergent themes. Themes included advanced strategic planning, improved customer-buying power, enhanced business viability, and reduced business uncertainties as components of a guiding strategy needed to align financial strategy with customer-oriented processes. Implications for positive social change include increased profitability that can result in improved employment opportunities.

Environmental degradation and socioeconomic dilemma continue to stigmatize oil production in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Sustainability programs of oil companies often determine the improvement of living conditions in the region. This explanatory qualitative case study, guided by systems thinking theory and sustainable value framework, explored practitioners' perceptions of sustainability programs to identify its impact on business and the host communities. The research question was designed to address how sustainability efforts of a single oil company in the Niger Delta contributed to the business performance and the livelihood of the local people. Research data were gathered from a sample of 20 experienced sustainability practitioners of the oil company, partnering nonprofit organizations, and community leaders through face-to-face semistructured interviews. Data were segmented and categorized. The data analysis process revealed several themes regarding the challenges and shortfalls of sustainability programs in the region. The oil company's understanding of sustainability as programs and projects focused on preserving resources for future generations was not evident in practice. Findings from the study suggested the need for improved inclusiveness of people in driving sustainability projects. Inclusive sustainability should enhance the oil company's contemplation mechanism to ensure eco-saving thinking and processes, which could result in improved quality of life and business performance in the region. The research findings underscore the need for oil multinational corporations (MNCs) to use a business lens in viewing sustainability to achieve sustainable value.

This thesis addresses a problem at the nexus of operations, strategy, and economics: in concentrated markets, on the one hand firms may need to expand capacity in order to improve their competitive position, and on the other they also seek to avoid industry excess capacity causing poor industry conditions to destroy the intended value creation. These considerations are opposite to each other. Too much capacity leads to underutilized resources and drives costs up. In contrast, too little capacity will limit the operation's capability to serve customers and earn revenues. The literature of the operations management and operations research fields on capacity expansion is concerned with normative perspectives to invoke optimization techniques. In this stream of research, competitive capacity expansion is not extensive. Operations related studies often ignore the effect of oligopolistic competition on investment activities but explicitly model practical operational environments. Conversely, the literature of the industrial organization and business strategy fields on strategic investment focuses on quantity/pricing competition in oligopoly markets, and is concerned with descriptive perspectives to invoke game-theoretic modeling, emphasizing the effect of imperfect competition. There is an extensive literature of economics on a subject of capacity investment in oligopolistic competition environments. However, economics-related studies do not often address the detailed operational environments. The thesis focuses on the following five complicated factors affecting the union of operations, strategy, and economics: existing capacity, economies of scale, realistic production strategy, strategic interaction, and demand uncertainty. We make two main contributions. First, we extend the current game-theoretic models of strategic capacity investment by explicitly considering existing capacity, scale economies, and realistic production rules, which are often considered in the operations literature. Under reasonable conditions, we are able to solve the proposed models in closed form. Our second contribution is to use the type of generic strategy as firms' decision variable rather than quantity, price, or timing, which is often used in oligopoly theory. After analyzing equilibrium behaviors in the proposed models, our findings are supported by many empirical observations.

In business development, a wide range of ideas and conceptual tools are employed to facilitate understanding and change. Graphical models are commonly used to express and communicate the views of people involved. However, without knowledge of what business modelling means for business development, the efforts can easily be hindered instead of supported. This thesis contributes new insights relevant both for professionals involved in business development, and for researchers exploring information and business. It comprises eleven distinctive chapters, seven of which have been previously published in conference proceedings and edited books. In addition to introduction and integration chapters, the thesis comprises four main parts that deals with theoretical structuring, empirical description, frame development, and frame application, respectively. In the part on theoretical structuring, a conceptual framework of the use of business models in development work is developed. Based on theories of signs, learning, and knowledge paradigms, the framework characterises different model artefacts, model activities, and model assumptions. For the part on empirical description, two cases of business development and the use of graphical models are provided. The first case addresses concerns and challenges for process owners at Ericsson Radio, and the second deals with dilemmas that influence the work on process orientation and business descriptions at Sweden Post. In the third part of the thesis, frame development, a set of business frames in the form of modelling perspectives are elaborated. Three specific frames – value, process, and concept – are detailed in conjunction with three critical areas of exploration within a business: strategy solutions, operations solutions, and information solutions. For the part on frame application, the elaborated set of business frames is used in eleven cases of business analysis in order to explore framing challenges in practice. For overall conclusions, the meaning of business modelling for business development is characterised in four ways: First, it means versatility, in that not only different model artefacts, but also different model activities and model assumptions influence the development work. Second, it means depth-seeing, in that the frames together give extra dimensions to the framing of business. Third, it means delimitation, in that the modelling frames not only comprise specific perspectives on the business, but also imply more or less explicit ideas on what to include and exclude. Finally, business modelling means dual dependencies, in that the models are seen as reliant both on the business itself, and on the people producing and using the models. Table of contents: INTRODUCTION   1. Business Modelling for Business Development PART I: THEORETICAL STRUCTURING   2. The Role of Business Models in Development Work PART II: EMPIRICAL DESCRIPTION   3. Process Ownership in a Rapid Growth Situation  4. Sweden Post’s Exploration of Processes and Descriptions PART III: FRAME DEVELOPMENT   5. Using Business Models in Process Orientation  6. Value Modelling for Exploring Strategy Solutions  7. Process Modelling for Exploring Operations Solutions  8. Concept Modelling for Exploring Information Solutions PART IV: FRAME APPLICATION   9. Challenges in 11 Cases of Business Analysis INTEGRATION   10. What Business Modelling Means for Business Development  11. Implications and Reflections / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2005</p>

This dissertation studies strategies to mitigate the risks associated with operational and strategic decisions of a firm, particularly focusing on project management, product development and procurement decisions. In the first essay we develop two simulation-based methods to evaluate risky capital investment projects that involve managerial flexibility. Many risky projects are characterized by significant demand and operational risks (such as learning curve uncertainty) that are difficult to capture by simple stochastic processes. We propose using system dynamics simulations to estimate the cash flow resulting from these projects and build upon prior work on real options valuation in the decision analysis literature to develop two valuation algorithms. In the second essay we explore the technology investment decisions for platforms in markets that exhibit cross-network effects. We focus on the trade-off firms must make between investing new product development resources to increase a platform's core performance and functionality versus investments designed to leverage the platform's cross-network effects. Abstracting from examples drawn from multiple industries, we use a strategic model to gain intuition about how to make such trade-off decisions under competition. In the third essay, we analyze the optimal procurement strategy of a firm that faces supply and demand risk. In particular, the firm can source from two unreliable suppliers with different delivery characteristics. We study the optimal order allocation policy shaped by the trade-offs between delivery leadtime, reliability and procurement cost. Further, we discuss the value of leadtime flexibility in supply risk mitigation and highlight the role of an inferior supplier in a firm's multi-sourcing strategy. The main contribution of this dissertation to the operations management literature is two-fold. First, it illustrates the role of effective risk mitigation through operational strategies of leadtime flexibility and supply diversification as well as through recognizing managerial flexibility. Second, it highlights the importance of leveraging third-party content development while making technology investment decisions for platforms in two-sided markets. / text