Exploring executive views on regulation and deregulation principles in New Jersey

This qualitative study was designed to explore the perceptions of executives in relationship to the functional characteristics of deregulation principles to gain a better understanding of the logical sequence of governing deregulation policy. The study concentrated on obtaining diverse information on deregulation attitudes to ascertain if deregulation is the forefront solution to developing economic policies in New Jersey or should the state return to regulation governing. This phenomenological study focused on researching the lived experiences of executives to capture their views on regulation and deregulation principles and the functional characteristics of this phenomenon as it related to consumer and industry practices in New Jersey. Moustakas' modified version of van Kaam Method was employed to include semi-structured open-ended interviews, hand written observational field notes, and verbatim transcribed interviews to conduct the study. A non-probabilistic sample size of 15 executives provided the research data through the primary semi-structured open-ended interview questions that directed the study. The executive pool consisted of 14 males and 1 female that met the research requirements of having at least twenty years experience with the phenomenon. The research data collected were indentified for significant expressions, searched for textural and keywords, and evaluated for common patterns that developed the study's emerging themes. The study was designed to ascertain whether regulation or deregulation policies were best suited for industries and consumers. Through the analysis process it was found that executives felt that (1) deregulation caused much confusion and provided limited benefits, (2) modified regulation controls vital infrastructure components, (3) external monitoring is required, (4) reregulation would impede development, and (5) administrative iv orders are feasible within a deregulated framework. The information in this research will provide a stable foundation for future planning and have potential value in industry, government, and consumer settings. Future research recommendations include imitating a study within a different state boundary to determine if the results are consistent. Research can be conducted on legislative policymakers' viewpoints of deregulation principles. A study could be developed that could explore the affects of partial deregulation of industries and a commodity driven economic setting.