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Show moreThe present study examined employees' work related behavior at four compnaies with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). The study's three hypotheses were: if a worker perceived he/she had a substantial economic interest in the firm through the ESOP, as the employee approached retirement age, or as the employee's years of service increased; then the employee's work related behavior would be positively affected. Companies participating in the study were small (annual revenues of $55 million or less), profitable (in at least four of the last five years), privately owned (no company shares traded in public markets), operated in the manufacturing sector, and had an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP owned at least 30 percent of the company and had been in place for at least four years). Data was gathered from the four participating companies by interviewing company officials and by administering questionnaires to all ESOP participants who met the study guidelines. Approximately 65 percent of the individuals receiving questionnaires or 301 participants returned them. Rather than having the participants self-report their attitudes or motivations, the participants self-reported their work related behavior. The method of measuring work related behavior should be refined. When the data from the four companies are considered as a single unit, the present study supported earlier research studies that suggested the effects of the Extrinsic Satisfaction Model (financial return) and the Instrumental Satisfactor Model (employee participation) on work related behavior were positive. Additionally, a positive relationship between work related behavior and annual pay was noted. No relationship between work related behavior and age and seniority were found. Results among the individual companies varied. at three of the companies, employee participation (Instrumental Satisfaction Model) had a significant effect on work related behavior and at one company the perceived financial value of the individual's ESOP account (Extrinsic Satisfaction Model) had a significant effect on work related behavior. Each company's financial health also had an influence on whicvh of the Models were significant. research results may be lost unless the size of the ESOP companies, the reason for the ESOP's formantion, and each company's economic fortunes are considered. Even if the same types of companies are grouped for study, important research results may be lost in aggregating the data.
Doctorate of Management Programs
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Show moreThis study explores the experience of disruptive, midlife transition among mid-career leaders. The genesis of life cycle theory, over the past fifty years provides an important foundation to the exploration of midlife transition. While theses theories offer an explanation of the types, expected timing and frequency of transitions in life, they do not address the core competencies that the mid-career leader leverages to achieve success through disruptive periods of transition. The central hypothesis of this research is that there are four independent variables or competencies within leaders that affect the outcome of their experience and management of disruptive life transitions. These independent variables are self-awareness, self-management, hope and resilience. A secondary hypothesis of this research is that the distinction among outcomes of disruptive life transition appears when major life transitions are viewed as turning points and opportunities for growth, thus stimulating intentional change toward positive goal pursuits. Not all life transitions are growth-producing and not all mid-career leaders are inclined to develop in this way. This research posits that there are four primary variables that distinguish leaders in their approach to major life transitions and three secondary variables that mediate the outcomes they experience. The secondary variables are the leader’s social capital, financial capital and prior experience with life transition.
Doctorate of Management Programs
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Show moreSucceeding in a business-to-business context requires sellers to clearly articulate the business value of their relationships to their customers. To achieve this, salespeople often have to overcome the internal shortcomings of their organization. This research proposes to study how salespeople handle business opportunities and develop proposals that bridge an organization’s offerings to their customers’ expectations. The goal of the research is to develop insights into how salespeople vary their work processes to overcome any organizational challenges they may face. The research suggests sales opportunity crafting, which is an extension of the job crafting concept applied to the marketing domain, allows salespeople to selectively employ pre-established routines or improvise a task by reconfiguring its boundaries- physically, cognitively, and relationally. This research posits that the improvisation levels used by salespeople are determined collectively by their cognitive assumptions about the customer’s needs and their interaction levels with the customer.
Doctorate of Management Programs
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