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Nationwide, community college administrators are attempting to maintain financial stability amid extreme budget challenges. The problem that was addressed through this study is that some community college administrators at a large Northeastern state lack strategies to sustain financial stability, which threatens the 14 institutions' ability to continue to operate as a viable educational choice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the strategies that community college administrators at multiple institutions of varying financial stability use. The conceptual framework that grounded the study was Porter's five forces framework. Research questions focused on what strategies are used, why these strategies are used, and in what way they support financial stability currently and in the future. For this case study, purposive sampling was used and semi structured interviews with 10 community college administrators were conducted. Data was analyzed by transcribing interviews, participant member checking, and the use of an online tool to identify codes and themes. The themes that emerged are budget control, marketing strategy, industry attractiveness, and competitive environment. These findings led to the development of a policy paper with the following recommendations: develop committees to share best practices on cultivating auxiliary revenue and competitive advantage strategies, adopt new marketing and outreach strategies, and invest in professional development for college administrators related to business strategies. These recommendations provide the potential of positive social change by supporting continued operations of the community colleges not only allowing the faculty and staff to continue their employment but also serving students that depend on community colleges. Educated students, in turn, serve their communities and society. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The following thesis investigates the saturated conditions of the paper goods and gift industry, while addressing how the problem of competition discourages start-up brands. Targeted towards rising creative entrepreneurs with ambition to enter the marketplace, the thesis affirms opportunity for breakthrough created by the Maker Movement and identifies strategies for success through attention to customer experience. Based on the trending demand for experience, suggested strategies highlight the primary areas with opportunity for visual application, including brand, product, packaging, social media, and point of purchase. Scholarly research employs primary and secondary resources, along with case studies of successful brands in a variety of saturated industries, non-exclusive to paper goods and gifts alone. The final visual deliverables exemplify how creative entrepreneurs may increase impact in the five areas of experience, as demonstrated in the development and launch of a start-up paper goods and gift e-commerce brand. In conclusion, the thesis affirms continued opportunity, asserting that entrepreneurs who remain attentive to curating memorable customer experiences will increase brand value and potential for success in the saturated marketplace of paper goods and gifts.

Information technology (IT) has in the recent times dominated all aspect of the business world, and, for this reason, today's business environment is more challenging and more dynamic than in previous years. Therefore, this study focused on examining job satisfaction of Information Technology professionals in the D.C. area, paying particular attention to two of the most important factors of job satisfaction for IT workers: autonomy and the opportunity for advancement. Job satisfaction in the information technology industry is a major concern of IT professionals. This paper reviewed existing literature to find what other researchers have done to ensure that IT professionals get job satisfaction. The paper went further to identify the most pertinent job satisfaction factors as follows: personality trait, values: extrinsic and intrinsic, working condition and social influence. Other pertinent factors are assertiveness, emotional resilience, extraversion, openness, teamwork disposition, customer service orientation, optimism, and work drive. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

IT has permeated to the very roots of organizations and has an ever increasingly important role in the achievement of overall corporate objectives and business strategies. This paper presents an approach for evaluating the impact of existing Enterprise Architecture (EA) implementations. The papers answers questions such as: What are the challenges of achieving high architecture agility and coherence for development of IT initiatives, and how may these capabilities be achieved? How can architecture agility and coherence enable the attainment of IT goals that are aligned with business objectives. How can an existing EA implementation support architecture agility in response to new IT development initiatives while maintaining architecture coherence? This paper also presents the challenges with existing EA implementations to balance the ever increasing demands of new IT requirements against the constraints of having coherent and standardized EA components. The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between the ability of an Enterprise to quickly respond to changing requirements, which is described as Architecture agility while maintaining Architecture Coherence. Industry has experienced increasing demands for both agility and coherence and there is need to successfully manage the tradeoffs between architecture agility and coherence. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This research reports the results of an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach performed to reveal variables and insights to high employee turnover in higher education business office environments. A quantitative and qualitative phase is performed using 30 participants to answer survey questions and interview questions about different aspects of their current job positions. IBM SPSS Statistical Software was utilized to tabulate and analyze all responses received from participants in the study. There is intention at the end of this paper to compare the quantitative data with the qualitative data in order to locate a reconciling factor explaining why employees are vacating their jobs in higher education business office at higher than normal rates. All findings from the study and emerging theories are discussed in detail. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

In discussing the intersection between business and politics, Robert Dahl claimed that there is "no dearth of important and even urgent questions." This dissertation tackles one such question: How do economic firm intervention in the development of the state influence modern outcomes? I argue that when institutions are in transition, firms and state actors both face uncertainty, and as a result, they enter an arrangement in which the state actor consistently provides the firm with public resources in return for patronage. I define this as state capture. Across my three papers, I find that when we focus on the role of firms in political development, there are widespread and long-term consequences for the state and local populations when the state is captured. Across all three of these papers, I explore these ramifications in Appalachia Kentucky.State capture is not a novel concept, but its usage is uneven and unclear, and there is no cohesive intellectual conversation. The first paper ameliorates this by taking this literature and synthesizing a concept from which we can derive clearer implications. I use Kentucky and the Appalachian coal region to explore this concept. I collect archival data to test one observable implication of the concept---lack of democratic commitment and non-competitive elections. I find the inverse of what I expect to observe, elections in Appalachia Kentucky, for the locally elected sheriff and tax commissioner are more competitive than my theory predicts. I discuss this finding considering my concept and argue that this represents a need for understanding how economic firms can influence political outcomes.The second paper applies the conceptualization of state capture more deeply to the case of Appalachia Kentucky, to create a model to better understand the region's persistent economic underdevelopment. I argue that compared to previous Appalachian development models, understanding the region's local politics as captured is empirically useful in creating observable implications and testable hypotheses. Using data from a Kentucky Department of Revenue audit of the county Property Valuation Administrator, I show that more historical coal production is associated with more inequitably assessed properties decades later. I argue that we find this dynamic due to the coal industry's incentives in skirting property taxation and that we can trace this modern trend to historical accounts of the region that claim the coal industry's capture of the property valuation administrator position.The third paper explores the impact of coal industry control beyond political institutions. When resource extracting firms enter new geographies, they often need to create novel community institutions around extraction areas to increase production efficiency. I argue that some firms take advantage of this institutional creation to formulate a set of identities centered on resource extraction. As a result, local populations become invested in resource extraction in the long term despite its negative externalities. To test this claim, I use the case of Appalachia Kentucky, measuring the level of coal interference in counties, and trace this to the exhibition of an Appalachian identity using place-based business names, which were collected via Google Places API.

The library of McDonald and Company Securities is important to the success of the business and its employees. This study assesses the needs and expectations of the library users, and analyzes how well the current library services are meeting those needs and expectations. A questionnaire was distributed to a large random sample of the firm's employees. The results were compiled, and a statistical analysis was performed to analyze the relationships that existed among various items evaluated on the questionnaire. The questionnaire evaluated: frequency of library use; method of requesting library services--phone, fax, e-mail, interoffice mail, or visiting the library; method of receiving information; length of time the library takes to answer user's request; frequency of use of specific services; ability of librarians to find the information sought and reason if librarians are unable to; importance of specific library services; importance of the library for job performance; the degree of value the library adds to presentations to clients and colleagues; overall level of satisfaction with the library; user's position in company and branch location; and a write-in section for additional comments. The survey achieved a response rate of 66% (n=258). Of the respondents, 69% indicated that they had used the library. Overall, the survey revealed that employees are very satisfied with the current performance of the library. The librarians must continue to work to ensure that employees are aware of what information is available, and that the information is accessible quickly and efficiently. The cover letter and questionnaire are appended. (Contains 26 references.) (SWC)

"Fortune" Global 500 Corporations understand that achieving alignment between information and communication technology and enterprise is a major issue. There is much evidence that supports the notion that strategic alignment of information and communication technology (ICT) and enterprise are drivers of economic growth. Addressing information and communication technology and enterprise alignment issues for competitive advantages is critical for "Fortune" Global 500 Corporations. Enterprises are finding ways to benefit from obtaining ICT/enterprise alignment. Prior studies indicate that there is an association between achieving ICT/enterprise alignment and the firm's ability to compete. The purpose of the quantitative method study was to assess the key performance indicator (KPI) technology factors as a potential influencer of ICT/enterprise strategic alignment. In addition, correlate the maturity level associated with each KPI technology factor and ICT/enterprise strategic alignment from ICT and enterprise leaders in "Fortune" Global 500 Corporations. The KPI technology factors consist of consist of financial, reliability, computer-based applications, security, and state-of-the-art information and communication technology. Relating KPI technology factor maturity to ICT/enterprise strategic alignment could contribute to the creation of smarter systems that are more reliable, secure, predictable and cost-effective. This dissertation addresses the lack of ICT/enterprise strategic alignment. The study described in this paper attempted to fill the research void through a quantitative study. First, the author assessed the KPI technology factors as a potential influencer of ICT/enterprise strategic alignment. Second, the author compared the relationship between the maturity level associated with each KPI technology factor and ICT/enterprise strategic alignment. Third, the author performed a series of statistical analyses to examine the relationship between KPI technology factors and ICT/enterprise alignment. In order to leverage the relative importance of KPI technology factors and ICT/enterprise strategic alignment, regression analyses were performed to obtain a further understanding of the relationship. To stay competitive, "Fortune" Global 500 Corporations in energy, hi-tech, health & wellness, and pharmaceutical industries will need to understand ICT/enterprise alignment. Further research involving the relationship between KPI technology factors and ICT/enterprise alignment in other industries should be considered. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this research is to explore the business strategies of a firm seeking to develop and profitably market a mobile smartphone application to understand how small, digital entrepreneurships may build sustainable business models given substantial market barriers. Through a detailed examination of one firm's process to try to commercialize their mobile app, we identify various business model decisions and marketing strategy approaches that hindered the company's efforts. The case study describes two distinctly different business models adopted in succession, as well as the various adjustments the firm makes to its target market, distribution and pricing approach that led to their current strategy. This research looks closely at business-to-business-to-consumer distribution arrangement for mobile apps and in doing so challenges the rising positive bias that exists for the app store as the dominant actor in the mobile value chain. For practice, this paper suggests unanticipated hurdles small digital entrepreneurs may face if they rely heavily on mobile advertising and the app store to launch and sustain their business. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This systematic literature review of current scholarship on business intelligence, individual decision-making behavior, strategy as practice, and strategic planning offers a roadmap for firms seeking to increase their competitive advantage through data driven decision-making. Planning, deciding, and using information is a single phenomenon where individuals make joint decisions. Corporate managers control critical tangible and intangible assets by integrating information and decision-making processes to sustainable competitive advantages. This paper builds on scholarly research and current practice methods to show how complex interactions form organizational cognition. Existing scholarship offers various methods of strategic planning and how individuals make sense of information. Business Intelligence (BI) is a suite of business practices and tools used in organizing corporate information. The three topics of strategic planning, sensemaking, and BI come together in two maturity models of strategic decision-making. Each maturity model has five levels that depend on subordinate levels in both models. Components in the BI maturity model, chiefly tangible assets, include data warehousing and data mining. The Social Interaction model is chiefly intangible assets, such as visioning and expression of diverse thoughts. Due to the interaction between components, a company's organizational cognition is not a sum of its maturity in the two models, but instead is the product of the two scales. Thus, a balanced approach to advancing through the maturity levels amplifies organizational cognition to its greatest extent. A company's assessment in both maturity models can lead to a roadmap for greater effectiveness in organizational cognition and sustainable competitive advantages. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]