Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Wen-Wen Chien

Abstract

Many small business owners encounter a lack of access to traditional bank funding that limits the owner’s ability to meet working capital shortages to sustain operations. Grounded in the resource-based view, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that small, home health care agency owners use to access working capital lending sources to finance their operations. The participants comprised 3 owners of small home health agencies in Wayne County, Macomb County, and St. Clair County, Michigan, who developed and implemented successful strategies to obtain working capital. Data were collected through semistructured interviews using open-ended questions, and direct observation of financial documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-step process. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three themes emerged: alternative sources of working capital, the use of banking relationships to improve the working capital position, and the sustainability of the business. A key recommendation is that bank owners use alternative forms of working capital to sustain operations in lieu of traditional bank loans. The implications for positive social change include the potential for small business owners to increase job opportunities for residents that can create positive economic viability in the three counties.

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