BY

My dissertation is, fundamentally, about relationships that enable the successful accomplishment of a business objective. Fittingly, the journey to create this dissertation has been marked by many relationships essential to its completion. My attempt to here acknowledge those who have helped me achieve the dream of an academic career is surely inadequate, yet worth making. I only hope that each person mentioned knows that my gratitude goes well beyond the few words I have dedicated to them. Family Kendra deserves to be recognized first. In almost ten years together (nine married) she‘s only known me as a student. She‘s an eyewitness to the effort, setbacks, and triumphs that led me to this point. But more than a passive observer, she‘s been an active participant in ways too profound and numerous to list. She‘s my biggest fan, my best friend, and the pillar of our family. We came to Minnesota with one child and leave with three plus one soon to arrive. That she did it all on a student budget for so long and without ever complaining is a testament to her cheerfulness, resourcefulness, and equanimity. And she still believes I can hold a job