Date of Conferral

5-22-2024

Date of Award

May 2024

Degree

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

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Janet Booker

Abstract

Many small restaurant business owners in the United States industry lack effective leadership strategies to sustain their business operations. For small restaurant businesses, the survival rate from 1994-2018 was 15 years. One-third of all small businesses are sustainable to 10 years without successful business sustainable leadership strategies. Grounded in authentic leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore sustainable leadership strategies five small restaurant business owners use to sustain their business for 5 years and longer. The participants were five small business restaurant owners in Arkansas and Tennessee. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, member checking, and business brochures and websites. The following themes emerged from the thematic analysis: leading with passion, purpose, honest communication, integrity and trust, self-discipline, and positive values. The key recommendation for small restaurant business owners is to develop sustainability leadership strategies for a positive working environment and support workers’ well-being, develop high daily moral principles and professionalism for their employees, have positive convictions with passionate leadership, and develop positive values and meaningful working relationships with employees for business sustainability. The implications for social change are additional investment operations, such as job creation and opportunities for families and community citizens, increased local government tax revenues for schools, and better roads and business longevity in the community.

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