THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH OF SMALL BUSINESS LEADERS ON CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY OUTCOMES IN THE USA

Religious theorists indicated that religious faith of small business leaders was a crucial factor to be considered in order to lead organizations during difficult times such as is the case during reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. The purpose of this mixed research was to examine the extent to which the religious faith of small business leaders was correlated with the outcome of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. The study investigated the relationship between the independent variables of direct cost, management skills, leadership skills, Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and time, and religious faith, with the outcome of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. The results indicated that the religious faith of small business leaders played a significant role in the outcome of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. The aspect of religious faith that made a difference was the quality of relationship one has with a higher power and acts of practicing one’s faith. Small business leaders who reported having a strong relationship with a higher power and who practiced the teachings of their faith experienced high level of success
with the Chapter 11 bankruptcy outcome when compared to business leaders who did not report a strong relationship with a higher power.