Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Alexandre Y. Lazo
Abstract
Ineffective cybersecurity strategies can detrimentally impact business profits. Small business owners who face challenges in remaining profitable because of increased cyberattacks on their business are at risk of failure. Grounded in general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies some small business owners in the retail industry used to reduce cyberattacks to remain profitable. The participants consisted of 5 small retail business owners in the central region of Alabama, who implemented successful strategies to reduce cyberattacks and maintain profitability. Based on the methodological triangulation of the data sources, and analyzing the data using Yin’s 5-phase process, 3 themes emerged: business cybersecurity strategy, network security, and systems user access management. A key recommendation is to have a business cybersecurity strategy coupled with antivirus technology to negate small business cyberattacks. The findings may contribute to social change by providing small retail business owners strategies to mitigate the cybertheft of personally identifiable information. In turn, subsequently increasing consumer confidence and improving the financial stability of small retail businesses to create economic growth in local communities.
Recommended Citation
Phillips, Ira Johnson, "Maintaining Small Retail Business Profitability by Reducing Cyberattacks" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 8972.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/8972
