Many students who are proficient with basic math facts struggle for understanding when it comes to word problems. Teachers time and time again teach and re-teach problem solving strategies in hope that their students will one day acquire all the skills necessary to become proficient in this area. Unfortunately understanding problem solving skills is not the only answer to solving word problems. There has been a significant amount of evidence linking reading comprehension to mathematical reasoning. The development of a website to assist teachers and students who are having difficulties with mathematical word problems is extremely beneficial. The website is designed with links, power points, and examples that enhance reading comprehension within mathematical word problems. Through this project, it has been determined that students who are exposed to an additional mathematical program related to breaking apart word problems show evidence of a greater understanding and mastery of solving mathematical word problems.

In 2010, regulators established new rules for single-family mortgage services that tightened the loan amount consumers could qualify for, restricted fees lenders could charge, and placed numerous financial penalties for improper servicing of loans. Regulatory fee restrictions made it difficult for leaders to offset the compliance costs through the price of services provided. Leaders responsible for mortgage regulatory compliance experienced increased operating costs for single-family mortgage services due to the new regulations, and some leaders found it challenging to comply and remain competitive. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies leaders in the single-family mortgage services industry used to comply with federal regulations and remain competitive. The study population included 5 leaders responsible for single-family mortgage regulatory compliance from the southwestern and northern regions of the United States Porter's 5 forces analysis was the conceptual framework. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analysis of data from a website hosted by government regulators. Data were analyzed using color-coded transcriptions, methodological triangulation, member checking, and coding software. Themes that emerged from data analysis revealed that costs and control methods for regulatory compliance strategies required leaders to change their infrastructure to remain competitive and profitable. The implication of this study for positive social change relates to competitive pricing for single-family mortgage loans for consumers yielding an increase in home ownership.

Some midlevel managers in the China's luxury hotel industry lack leadership strategies for engaging employees to reduce employee turnover. Employee turnover rates in China's hotel industry have reached the 30% mark, affecting hotels' bottom lines. This high employee turnover rate is impacting the hotels' performance, and negatively affecting the industry's profitability. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore employee engagement strategies luxury hotel industry midlevel managers apply to reduce turnover. The conceptual framework for this study was the three levels of leadership model created by Scouller. The participants in this study were 5 midlevel department managers from 3 luxury hotels in China, who demonstrated strong employee engagement leadership strategies to reduce turnover. Data were collected using semistructured interviews as the primary source, and companies' related websites and internal documents about training and talent development. After analysis of the data through qualitative content analysis, 4 themes emerged, including corporate culture-related strategies, talent development-related strategies, leadership-related strategies, and mentorship- and coaching-related strategies. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by improving leadership competencies to strengthen economic output, increase job opportunities, and improve and sustain employment benefiting employees, families, and communities.

Organizational leaders face challenges related to implementing ethical standards, which influence performance, organization sustainability, and culture. The purpose of this single case study was to explore ethics strategies that health care business leaders used to improve employees' ethical conduct. Data were collected through face-to-face, semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of 7 business leaders of a health care organization located in central Georgia and a review of organization documents. The conceptual framework was Brady's Janus-headed model of ethical theory. Using a priori coding during the data analysis process provided 3 thematic categories: policy strategies for the improvement of employee ethical conduct, ethics strategies used to address employee unethical conduct, and strategies to overcome barriers of strategy implementation. Themes that emerged from the data were accountability and responsibility, leadership development, escalating behaviors, and adapting to change. The findings from this study might contribute to social change by providing information about ethical strategies leaders used to improve employee ethical conduct, which can be used to influence individuals' livelihood, stakeholders' comfort level, and the well-being of the community.

Shareholder investments declined in Jordanian pharmaceutical business expansion between 2007 and 2014, which included a reduction in the supply of essential medicines in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective applications of expansion strategies to satisfy demand in the MENA markets among Jordanian generic pharmaceutical companies' managers. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the transformational leadership theory and stakeholders' theory. The purposive sample consisted of 4 chief executive officers and 8 managers from Jordanian pharmaceutical companies who practiced the expansion strategy in the MENA for more than 10 years. The data were triangulated from semi structured interviews and cash flow financial statements. Interpretation summaries of the participants' answers were applied for the member-checking process to bolster the trustworthiness of interpretations. Four themes emerged from the analysis process: leaders' adaptability to change, financial capacity and stability, stakeholders' business awareness, and managers' engagements and knowledge. The findings may provide the generic pharmaceutical business leaders and managers with increased growth capabilities for catalyzing beneficial positive capacity expansion strategies. The subsequent expansion could provide adequate, affordable, and accessible medications for effecting social changes by fighting disease in remote and low-income MENA communities.

When organizational leaders create cultures that foster employee engagement, the leaders experience multiple benefits such as enhanced organizational performance, increased profitability, and improved retention rates. Although small business leaders must create and sustain atmospheres that nurture employee engagement to experience maximized success, 85% of organizational leaders struggle with executing strategies that increase engagement. The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to explore strategies that small business leaders use to increase employee engagement. Servant leadership theory was the conceptual framework chosen for this study. The population included 3 small business leaders of a coffee shop located in Birmingham, AL. A review of company documents, as well as member checking of initial interview transcripts, helped to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the interpretations. The final interpretations consisted of 2 main themes: creating a culture that enhances and sustains employee engagement and demonstrating leadership characteristics that increase employee engagement. Employee engagement increases when leaders use strategies that include effective employee development strategies, incentives and rewards, deliberate hiring practices, effective communication, leading by example, and leveraging employee innovation and ownership. These findings influence positive social change by uncovering strategies necessary to increase employee engagement, because employees who engage in the workplace display stronger forms of attachment to businesses, develop a significant bond within the community, and experience improved family interactions.

Although predictions for the supply of registered nurses (RNs) is projected to increase to 3,849,000 by 2025, the demand for RNs is projected to grow to 3,509,000. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies some recruiters in a nonprofit health care facility used to recruit RNs. The conceptual lens used for this study was general systems theory. Through a purposeful sample of 3 recruiters at a nonprofit health care facility located in New York, data collection occurred through semistructured interviews, reviewing job boards and the company website, and taking field notes the day of the interviews. Data analysis involved a process of organizing, coding, arranging data into common themes relevant to the research question, and interpreting the data. Member checking was used to enhance the credibility and validity of the data. Through thematic analysis, 4 themes emerged: partnering with colleges, strategies in recruiting RNs, partnering with professional organizations to recruit RNs, and updating the website. Using multiple job boards to promote available RN positions was also identified as a strategy to recruit RNs. Identifying strategies to recruit RNs may assist human resource leaders in a challenging business environment in which the supply of qualified RNs is low. The study findings have implications for positive social change for recruiters in a nonprofit health care facility and in the community. Recruiters in a nonprofit health care facility that recruit qualified RNs may assist with improving the nonprofit mission, identifying sickness or disease, and assisting with proper treatment for patients.

Inadequate use of international knowledge by SME (small- and medium-sized enterprises) leaders is a prime contributing factor to failed internationalization efforts in the U.K. affecting firms' growth and survivability. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies U.K. SME leaders use to expand business internationally for sustainable growth. The Uppsala internationalization process model (UIPM) served as the conceptual framework for this study. Participants consisted of 4 senior leaders and 3 international operations employees who demonstrated effective use of strategies in the operation of the SME internationalization activities. Data collection occurred through semistructured interviews and review of an archival document, complemented by member checking to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. Four themes emerged through thematic data analysis: applying home and foreign market knowledge, capitalization of firm characteristics, selecting psychically close markets, and conducting sequential internationalizing activities for successful and sustainable SME internationalization efforts. The conclusion is that to achieve sustainable growth, SME leaders need to understand all factors pertaining to the internationalization initiatives of the firm, inclusive of market research and data collection, using experiential knowledge, assessing firm-specific advantages, capitalizing on limited resources, and leveraging networks in international markets. Subsequent positive social change may include an increase in sustainable SME in the United Kingdom offering innovative and competitive products and services, increasing employment opportunities, contributing to the citizens' financial stability, and contributing to the community's economic prosperity.

The number of medication errors associated with preventable deaths in healthcare facilities remains at a high rate for healthcare leaders. Practices of medication delivery remain similar to those 10 years ago. Hospitals that have implemented barcoding medication administration systems have reported a decrease in medication errors ranging from 60% to as high as 93%. Despite this utility of barcoding, only 50% of U.S. hospitals have implemented barcode medication administration. This comparative case study explored the strategies hospital leaders used to implement barcode medication administration systems, utilizing the sociotechnical theory for a conceptual framework. Face-to-face, semistructured interviews were used to identify experiences from a purposive sample of 20 hospital leaders from Minnesota and Iowa. The research question guiding this study addressed strategies hospital leaders used to implement barcode medication systems to reduce preventable medical errors. After analyzing the interview transcripts using inductive analyses, 4 themes emerged. These themes include the strategic organizational communication, technology and end user support, hands-on training, and application of audit reports. Hospital leaders might benefit from the study findings when developing strategies to implement barcode medication systems. The implication for positive social change includes the potential of decreasing patient medication errors and reducing loss of life caused by medication errors with hospital leaders accelerating the adoption of barcode medication systems in hospitals. Other health care providers may explore how the findings might help reduce medication errors in their facilities.

The nursing profession is facing a potentially devastating shortage of nurses by the year 2020. Contributing to the shortage is the retirement of experienced nurses who are over the age of 45, and an aging baby boomer population. The loss will place a considerable strain on the overloaded health systems. As a result, it is important to identify successful strategies for addressing the problem of experienced nurse retention. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to conduct a systematic review of literature to answer the question of what retention strategies have been used to prevent the loss of the experienced nurse who is approaching retirement age. The systematic review, guided by Benner's theory of novice to expert and Kanter's empowerment theory, included quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies published between 2007 and 2017. Studies published in the United States and Canada were 8studies selected for detailed review, were graded using the Joanna Briggs Institute grading criteria. The themes identified in this study included five key indicators: nurse autonomy and empowerment (75%), stress and burnout (62%), workplace engagement (68%), leadership commitment (56%), and training/career development action plans (56%). The key indicators may provide the basis for recommendations for managers and leaders in promoting experienced nurse retention in their work settings. Positive social change is possible when management takes into consideration the value of the key indicators above in experienced nurse retention efforts. By retaining experienced nurses, the nursing profession can promote positive patient outcomes and a mentoring plan for nurses approaching retirement age.