Due to the small size of their businesses, small business owners often face a high failure rate. Within the first 7 years since opening, more than half of small businesses seek to close its operation. The author of this qualitative multi-case study examines the factors contributing to the success of small ethnic restaurants owners to remain operable beyond 7 years. The owners of three small ethnic restaurants that have been operating for more than 7 years in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada were selected for this study. The author interviewed the owners and conducted an examination of available physical artifacts including locations, premises, websites and social media pages. Five factors were identified: hard work, passion, family support, location and quality of food and services. Those factors determine the success of small business. The findings of this paper will help current and future small ethnic restaurant business owners to improve their business performance and survival rate.

The purpose of this study was to explore strategies for hospital managers to improve customer services. The target population consisted of five hospital managers who implement customer services strategies within hospitals. The conceptual framework for the study was the expectation-confirmation theory. Using methodological triangulation, the data derived from included semistructured interviews, hospital policy and procedure documents, and qualitative data from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Hospital Compare website. The three major themes were to improve interpersonal communication, address issues in the hospital environment, and provide employee training. The findings reveal that exploring employee training relates to the conceptual framework of the expectation-confirmation theory. The participants described multiple attempts to alter operations within the hospital based on customer expectations for satisfaction and to confirm customer satisfaction for the hospital system. The expectation confirmation theory by Joo, Park, and Shin (2017) [1] was the framework of this study. Hospital managers performed actions for example, hiring the right people, using customer feedback for improvement, and using the HCAHPS qualitative data to create strategies that would meet customer expectations for satisfaction and loyalty.

Gentrification changes the landscape and the cultural makeup of a city by increasing property values and changing consumption patterns. Since the late 1980s, gentrification has challenged the residential and small business community of Harlem, New York. Guided by the rent gap theory and the consumption-side theory, the purpose of this case study was to explore how small business leaders can compete with demographical changes brought by gentrification. A purposive sample of 20 Harlem small business owners operating during the city's gentrification participated in interviews. Interview interpretations were triangulated with government documents and periodicals to bolster the trustworthiness of the final report. These findings may contribute to positive social change by informing the strategies employed by small business owners who are currently facing gentrification.

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