- Thompson, Joseph (x)
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Show morePurpose: This paper aims to critically examine the relationship between Fun at Work, Manager Job Satisfaction, and Employee Job Satisfaction and their Independent variables Role Model, Selflessness, Personal Fulfillment and Joy of Training. Approach: This paper is based on quantitative research into Fun at Work. A total of 338 Managers and Employees of advertising, marketing and sales professionals in the Albany, NY/Capital Region Market was used in this sample. The study was separated into two parts: Managers and Employees, and examined the role of Mentoring, with particular attention to such factors as Selflessness, Manager as a Role Model, Fulfilling Work and the Joy of Training. Findings: The data revealed several interesting findings, especially with regards to training employees. It seems that the amount of Job Satisfaction a Manager has while training an Employee is directly affected by the amount of Fun they are having in the process. And, if a manager is not having Fun while training employees, his degree of Job Satisfaction is significantly diminished. We also discovered that the importance of being a Role Model was less significant for employees’ Job Satisfaction—both directly and indirectly—than previously believed. This study contributes to the Fun at Work literature by providing new data on the effect that Mentoring has on the Mentor—an area that is rarely studied, and has very little academic literature. Practical Implications: Fun at Work is not accomplished by throwing luncheons, picnics or parties. It is accomplished when organizations create a culture where Managers and Employees are engaged in Meaningful and Challenging Work, and where they can contribute, and feel Empowered to make decisions. This leads to increased Job Satisfaction which leads to higher Productivity. Keywords: fun; mentor; role model; selflessness; joy of training; personal fulfillment
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Show moreThe most current U.S. census data reveals that there are approximately 1.9 million African-American businesses (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010) in the United States. Only 1% of these African-American businesses are considered high performing firms, defined by the United States Census Bureau as those that have annual receipts of over $1 million. These high performing firms are responsible for 61% of all jobs created by African-American firms (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Current data also indicates that African-American owned business start-ups occur more frequently than any other group; however, they also tend to be the least successful of all minority groups. It is important to our communities, labor force and the economy that African-American owned businesses grow, scale and stay sustainable. This research project reveals the barriers that are faced by successful high performing African-American and women-owned businesses and how they overcome those barriers. Keywords: African American; high performing firms; minority business enterprise; diversity; minority entrepreneurship; women-owned business
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Show moreDespite the enormous investment made annually in mergers and acquisitions the failure rate is at least 50%. Acquired executives responsible for leading the changes required for successful post merger integration leave their new firms in numbers far exceeding corporate norms. There is relatively little research that addresses the actual motivations that encourage acquired executives to stay and contribute to successful change, or leave prior to achieving the long-?term objectives. This qualitative study employs grounded theory methodology to explore the experience of acquired executives and what influences their decisions to stay or leave the new firm. We interviewed 32 key executives from multiple corporations in diverse sectors whose combined experiences included 76 separate acquisitions. What we discovered is that most executives will stay through the period of their formal contractual obligation despite making the decision to leave early in the transition process. This is important to both academicians and practitioners who seek to understand this phenomenon and improve the success rate of mergers and acquisitions. Key words: Post Merger Integration, Executive Turnover, Acquisition Management, Agency, Stewardship, and Psychological Contract
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Show moreThis study investigated factors influencing community college student academic retention, specifically a student’s commitment to learn. Data was obtained from two local community colleges, and the study’s proposed model was evaluated using structural equation modelling. Student Identity Capital and Relational Climate functioned as mediating factors influencing academic retention as they relate to supportive faculty behaviors. Direct effects of supportive bonding faculty behaviors on academic retention were also considered. Results supported mediation from student identity capital to academic retention, and relational climate was found to be insignificant. Finally, supportive faculty behaviors proved to be a significant factor overall in the evaluation of the model’s relationships. Overall, the results suggest that supportive bonding faculty behaviors is a primary, significant factor when addressing a student’s academic commitment to learn. Suggestions for future research and recommendations for practice are provided. Key words: Bonding Faculty Behaviors, Empathy, Care, Humanness, Identity Capital, Academic Retention, Commitment to Learn, Relational Climate, Shared Vision, Compassion, Relational Energy, Community College
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Show moreWomen occupy only 15.8 percent of the private and public positions occupied by Saudi nationals, according to statistics from the Central Department of Statistics and Information 2015. The Saudi government has highlighted the need to support women’s higher education and combat sociopolitical barriers to their employment. Despite facing substantial challenges to entering the labor market, females have made gains in Saudi society; these include higher literacy rates, greater employment, and moderate rates of entry into both positions of leadership and nontraditional careers. Qualitative research was based on semi-structured interviews with 30 women, 18 of whom had nontraditional careers and 12 of whom had left these for traditional careers. This research was motivated by the scarcity of literature about women’s employment in Saudi Arabia. Findings should be of interest to public policy makers, as I believe that public discourse that supports women’s economic participation and career development may influence patriarchal traditional attitudes towards women. Furthermore, I believe that stating the experiences of these women will provide inspirational role models for the next generation. Keywords: women, nontraditional careers, barriers, Saudi Arabia
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Show moreMuch has been written on the topic of leadership development however little on the development of top executives, and virtually nothing on the most efficient ways of developing executives. With succession pipelines to executive jobs weak across S&P 500 firms, executive succession weakness poses a real financial, continuity and governance risk to systems globally. To address this phenomenological gap, the authors conducted a qualitative inquiry involving semi-structured interviews with managers in a single S&P 50 global firm that operates across three industries. By probing into the "lived worlds" of these executive successors and high performing non-successors, new insight has been gained into the organizational factors that accelerate and impede executive readiness. Key Words: executive development, succession management, corporate governance, business continuity, executive effectiveness, global leadership, leadership development
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Show moreIn academic literature, brands have been categorized as either global or local, driven primarily by the distance their businesses reach beyond their national borders. This difference is evaporating with the advent of digital marketing and ecommerce. Academics clearly recognize this changing landscape and have researched the impacts to consumer perceptions and identities, but literature has provided less strategic direction for global and local brand leaders as they compete head-to-head in the fast-paced global marketplace. This qualitative study of fifty executives in the global/local sports product industry reveals distinctly different paths taken by global brands toward local authenticity and local brands to becoming globally accepted. This research offers a new framework called the Omni-Brand Orientation. This construct suggests ways to help guide global brands toward local authenticity by focusing on local insights, multi-cultural teams, learning organization, social networking and positive affect while showing local brands a path to gain global acceptance through design innovation, originality, brand power and performance. The Omni-Brand Orientation framework suggests a new construct for further academic research as well as guidance for both global and local brand leaders as they grow their businesses internationally. Keywords: Global Brand, Local Brand, Omni-Brand Orientation, local authenticity, global acceptance, multi-cultural teams, originality, learning organization, social networking, positive affect, design innovation ?
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