Enhancing the Competitive Advantage of U.S. Corporations by Incorporating a Foreign Trade Zones Strategy

Enhancing the Competitive Advantage of U.S. Corporations by Incorporating a Foreign Trade Zones Strategy by Dino Adolfo Scott MS, American Public University, 2013 BS, University of Phoenix, 2012 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University March 2019 Abstract Some leaders of U.S. companies fail to implement proper decision-making strategies to enact and execute strategies to realize the benefits provided by a foreign trade zone (FTZ). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and to identify the proper decision-making strategies used in successfully implementing a FTZ. The target population consisted of 5 leaders, including a senior leader, a supply chain manager, and 3 department managers of a company located in the midwestern region of the United States that successfully implemented a FTZ. Porter’s competitive advantage theory was the conceptual framework used for the study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the 5 participants; company documents served as additional sources of data. Triangulation and member checking were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the data interpretation. Three themes (import and export, training, and new processes) emerged from the analysis. The findings of this study could contribute to social change by presenting leaders with information about how to enhance decision-making skills when considering the application of a FTZ to enable the capacity for improvement of social infrastructure that includes telecommunications, electricity, water, and roads.Some leaders of U.S. companies fail to implement proper decision-making strategies to enact and execute strategies to realize the benefits provided by a foreign trade zone (FTZ). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and to identify the proper decision-making strategies used in successfully implementing a FTZ. The target population consisted of 5 leaders, including a senior leader, a supply chain manager, and 3 department managers of a company located in the midwestern region of the United States that successfully implemented a FTZ. Porter’s competitive advantage theory was the conceptual framework used for the study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the 5 participants; company documents served as additional sources of data. Triangulation and member checking were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the data interpretation. Three themes (import and export, training, and new processes) emerged from the analysis. The findings of this study could contribute to social change by presenting leaders with information about how to enhance decision-making skills when considering the application of a FTZ to enable the capacity for improvement of social infrastructure that includes telecommunications, electricity, water, and roads. Enhancing the Competitive Advantage of U.S. Corporations by Incorporating a Foreign Trade Zones Strategy by Dino Adolfo Scott MS, American Public University, 2013 BS, University of Phoenix, 2012 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University March 2019 Dedication I dedicate my dissertation to grandparents, my parents, my brothers, my sister, my daughter, my nieces, my nephew, and my wife: my maternal grandparents, Adolfo Enrique Masdeu (Ecuador) and Armanda Mosquera de Masdeu (Colombia); my paternal grandparents, James Scott (United States) and Julia Barahona Scott (Honduras); my parents, Efrain Scott (United States) and Francelina Masdeu (Panama); my brothers, Danilo Enrique Scott and Efrain Scott; my sister, Darcilyn C. Scott; my daughter, Leandra Kaye Scott; my nieces, Darcilyn A. Scott Curry, Damaris E. Scott Patxot, and Danielle E. Scott Patxot; and my nephew, Danilo E. Scott Patxot. My wife, Nubia del Carmen Zamora Cita-Scott, carries a special dedication because she had to sustain the long hours I spent writing, rewriting, correcting, and editing this document. My grandparents did not have the opportunity to complete higher educational degrees. My parents completed some higher education degree but, because of family responsibilities, were unable to achieve their full potential. The dissertation is dedicated to the ScottMasdeu family generation that was unable to meet their educational dreams and to current and future generations who should realize that their educational goals can become true through hard work and dedication. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge my chair, coworkers, and stepchildren, who provided the assistance that permitted me to complete this academic achievement. Dr. Jill Murray, my chair, deserves a great acknowledgment because of her ability to endure my impatience and constant questioning of the process. I need to recognize Mike and Jackie Brown, owners of M&J Liquor, where I worked part-time and spent countless hours working on this dissertation as I stocked the shelves, as well as my coworkers at M&J, Stan Pippen and Steven Wright, who helped me by encouraging me to complete the task. Camilo A. Mesa and Alicia V. Mesa, my stepchildren, who also supported me with great enthusiasm during this process, require my acknowledgment.