A Discursive Approach to Understanding Women Leaders in Working Life

In this paper, we develop a theoretical framework for understanding women leaders in working life. Our starting point is in statistics and earlier women-in-management literature, which show that women leaders represent a minority of the managerial population. We assume such underlying mechanisms causing discriminatory practices towards women leaders to exist which have become naturalized and invisible. Our concern is that everyone irrespective of gender should have a fair chance in career progression. This is both a moral and also an economic challenge. The framework we develop in this paper is an alternative approach to studying women leaders compared to traditional women-in-management literature. It aims at revealing the "natural and taken-for-granted" cultural mechanisms behind discriminatory practices. Our framework is based on a critical discursive approach, which draws on ideas of how women's leadership becomes symbolically represented and constructed in discursive practices. These symbolic constructions, which are mediated through language, often have an ideological loading which positions women leaders and builds their identities in ways that can help to legitimize unequal relations between the genders. However, our framework emphasizes the possibility of multiple discourses and a dynamic view of culture. The cultural constructions of women leaders are, thus, open to change.     

Women, Management and Globalization in the Middle East

This paper provides new theoretical insights into the interconnections and relationships between women, management and globalization in the Middle East (ME). The discussion is positioned within broader globalization debates about women’s social status in ME economies. Based on case study evidence and the UN datasets, the article critiques social, cultural and economic reasons for women’s limited advancement in the public sphere. These include the prevalence of the patriarchal work contract within public and private institutions, as well as cultural and ethical values which create strongly defined gender roles. The discussion examines the complexities of conceptualizing women’s equality and empowerment in Islamic states. The paper reveals that there have been significant achievements in advancing women in leadership and political roles, but that there are still institutional and cultural barriers embedded in business systems. Linking feminist, development and management theoretical strands a development framework is proposed which is sensitive to the Islamic Shar’ia encompassing government, organization and individual level strategies. It is suggested that scholars should integrate literatures from gender and management, development and Middle East studies, and in particular that critical scholars of gender and organization should consider the interrelations of the national and transnational in critiques of contemporary global capitalism to understand the complexity of women and social change in the ME.     

Issues in the Use of Benchmarking by Church Leaders

ABSTRACT

With church attendance falling, church leaders are searching for methods to reverse that trend. Benchmarking the practices of successful churches offers one such avenue. This article points to issues of internal and external fit which should be considered before those benchmarked best practices are implemented by church leaders.     

国际化实战型物流人才培养模式研究

物流高级管理人才的缺乏已经成为制约我国物流业发展的瓶颈问题,如何培养能够适应业界要求的国际化实战型物流人才已经成为各方面关注的问题。本文创新性的提出了国际化实战型物流人才培养模式的概念。通过对该模式的解析,并且在参考了现实中成功做法的基础上,为这种模式的建立提供了一些参考性的建议。     

E-WoM and 2.0 Opinion Leaders

The arrival of the World Wide Web has intensified word-of-mouth communication. Thanks to consumers, information flows without geographical or temporal boundaries. The influence of the mass media has receded and that of the Web 2.0 has emerged with force. Opinion leaders are individuals who have become points of reference in these social networks. They exert influence and disseminate information, and they are a source of new ideas. This article presents a methodological procedure that combines the research of opinion leader 2.0 features with advances in social network analysis. In addition, some findings, further research, and managerial implications are discussed.     

A blueprint to build women chief executive officers globally

The purpose of this article is to offer a blueprint to build women chief executive officers (CEOs) globally. It outlines essential qualities for women CEOs. It explains CEO acumen and offers tools and techniques for women to excel as CEOs. It draws a blueprint for global organizations to build women CEOs. It differentiates between women and men leaders. It emphasizes women can make better leaders than men. It illustrates with inspiring examples of women leaders including Melinda Gates, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel, Indra Nooyi, Ursula Burns, Meg Whitman, and Sheryl Sandberg. It implores women to seize the opportunities to break the glass ceiling to excel as CEOs. It enlightens the society cannot grow when one sex is denied with opportunities. It calls upon men to empathize with women and extend their hands with a big heart to groom them as CEOs. It advocates gender equality globally. It concludes women leaders must express their ambition in the early stage of their careers and work hard consistently and relentlessly with a focus and vision to excel as CEOs globally.     

World Financial Leaders Met in Beijing

Low levels of Capital flows seen for emerging markets in 2009,but upswing in 2010.Iif leaders hight progress on key best practoces reforms at financial services firms.They also slress risks of protectionism.fragmentation of the global finacial system.     

Women Workers, Industrialization, Global Supply Chains and Corporate Codes of Conduct

The restructured globalized economy has provided women with employment opportunities. Globalisation has also meant a shift towards self-regulation of multinationals as part of the restructuring of the world economy that increases among others things, flexible employment practices, worsening of labour conditions and lower wages for many women workers around the world. In this context, as part of the global trend emphasising Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the 1980s, one important development has been the growth of voluntary Corporate Codes of Conduct to improve labour conditions. This article reviews from a feminist interdisciplinary perspective the broad academic literature on women workers, covering the more classical debate on women workers in the industrialization process and entering into women workers in the global supply chains and women workers and corporate codes of conduct. The main argument is that this research on women workers is crucial to frame the issues of business ethics and in particular CSR and Codes of Conduct in the context of women in the global political economy. When this crucial knowledge is ignored, then the ethical policies of the companies also ignore the real situation of the women workers at the bottom of their supply chains. This article is based on my PhD on Nicaraguan women workers in factories (maquilas) and banana plantations and corporate codes of conduct (Prieto, 2006, unpublished).     

差绩效中层领导在不同组织承诺下的素质差异

本文以差绩效中层领导为研究对象,选择组织承诺为情境变量,利用统计软件对已建立的数据库进行方差分析、多重比较检验等统计分析,结果发现导致领导绩效差的素质特征存在显著差异,高承诺情境中差绩效领导者的“感觉/直觉型”行为倾向最低,而理智型组织承诺情境中差绩效领导者的“感觉/直觉型”行为倾向最高。     

Ewom and 2.0 Opinion Leaders in the Food Context: A Study with a Sample of Spanish Food-Related Weblogs

There is no doubt that the arrival of the internet has modified dramatically the way and rhythm of our lives which it reflects directly on our consumption patterns and the way in which individuals interact and search for information. Online platforms, generally known as web 2.0, are usual websites where consumers read reviews from other consumers before making a final decision. In turn, opinion leaders emerge preponderantly within this context exerting an unequal amount of influence on the decision of others. The food sector is not apart from this scenario. This study dives into web 2.0 and ewom with reference to food topics in the Spanish arena. For that purpose, a group of opinion leaders in regard to food aspects is selected. Afterwards, the content of the ewom they emit is determined by means of a cluster analysis. This information is of great importance for businesses and professionals in marketing. Discussion and further lines of research are also included in order to guide interesting future studies.     

论网络口传中意见领袖作用的内在机理及其危机公关

网络时代,网络口碑传播已从众多的传统营销模式中脱颖而出,成为企业和广告商青睐有加的营销手段。越来越多的人利用网络这个平台,公开发表自己对于某种社会现象或社会问题的见解并提出意见,网络意见领袖应势而生。在网络环境下,意见领袖作用的内在机制表现在作用层面、作用平台和作用表现三个方面。对于网络口传中的负面影响,要充分发挥意见领袖的作用,做出适当的危机公关。企业应正确认识和对待网络意见领袖的作用机制、影响力及危机公关,为网络口碑营销开拓新路。     

转型期地方大学领导矛盾角色浅析

正确认识地方大学领导的矛盾角色,有利于他们提高自身的洞察力、内省力和行动的技巧,从而提高领导效能.运用角色理论和对立价值框架分析地方大学领导在转型期的矛盾角色得出:地方大学领导转型期的矛盾角色是一种客观现实;地方大学领导应积极地面对矛盾角色的挑战而不是非此即彼或者极力回避实际存在的矛盾角色;地方大学领导扮演好错综复杂的矛盾角色是推进我国高等教育大众化顺利发展的关键.     

Changing facets of leadership in East Asia: globalization,innovation and performance in Japan,South Korea and China

ABSTRACT

Japan, South Korea and China are the three juggernauts of the East Asian economy. In gross domestic product terms, China is the world’s second largest economy, Japan the third and South Korea the eleventh. Also, Japan and South Korea are the only two of the OECD’s prestigious Development Assistance Committee members from Asia, providing a large combined annual budget to developing countries, and the only two Asian countries of the seven-member 50–20 Club with members with a population of 50 million or more and a per capita GDP of US$20,000 or more. Many studies have offered explanations of this Asian economic and corporate success, although few have attempted to explain the leadership styles in these three countries. Globalization has also changed these economies enormously, leading to the possible convergence with universalism forces and commensurate globalization of their leadership styles. This collection, therefore, presents some of the most recent findings of leadership studies on Japan, South Korea and China in light of this.     

Impostors Masquerading as Leaders: Can the Contagion be Contained?

Corporate scandals have assumed epidemic proportions. All around the globe, even renowned organizations have been felled from their high pedestals by the misdeeds of their leaders. This raises an intriguing question: How do such resourceful organizations end up with crass ?impostors’ as leaders in the first place? The answer perhaps lies in the misplaced emphasis on certain qualities we associate with leadership. True leadership requires a balance among three elemental pre-requisites: Energy, Expertise and Integrity. When they are synchronized, they unleash the latent potential in any organization. Out of these three interacting gears of leadership, it is Integrity that ensures that an organization is run in the right direction – with a view towards collective good rather than selfish motives. Therefore, it is the most non-negotiable of the three elements. Henceforth, leaders ought not to be selected on the basis of the superficial qualities that have blinded us in the past. They must first pass the acid test of Integrity. This article suggests a ?decision tree’ and a ?checklist’ to help in the selection process.     

Examining Female Entrepreneurs' Management Style: An Application of a Relational Frame

This paper reports the results of a qualitative analysis of female entrepreneurs' accounts of their role in their organizations using Relational Theory as the analytical frame. Content analysis of focus group comments indicated that the women used a relational approach in working with employees and clients. Relational skills included preserving, mutual empowering, achieving, and creating team. Findings demonstrate that Relational Theory is a useful frame for identifying and explicating women entrepreneurs' interactive style in their own businesses. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.     

中国女商人闪亮美国商场

18年前，嫁到美国仅仅两周，丈夫就提出离婚，她顿时陷入了走投无路的困境。如今，她成为曼哈顿商界的一个知名女性。命运之神拜倒在她脚下。     

Leaders,Values, and Organizational Climate: Examining Leadership Strategies for Establishing an Organizational Climate Regarding Ethics

This paper examines the critical role that organizational leaders play in establishing a values based climate. We discuss seven mechanisms by which leaders convey the importance of ethical values to members, and establish the expectations regarding ethical conduct that become engrained in the organizations climate. We also suggest that leaders at different organizational levels rely on different mechanisms to transmit values and expectations. These mechanisms then influence members practices and expectations, further increase the salience of ethical values and result in the shared perceptions that form the organizations climate. The paper is organized in three parts. Part onebegins with a brief discussion of climates regarding ethics and the critical role of values. Part two provides discussion on the mechanisms by which leaders and members transmit values and create climates related to ethics. Part three provides a discussion of these concepts with implications for theory, research, and practice.     

The Relationship Between Psychic and Cultural Distance and Business Ethicality Attitudinal Values of Future Business Leaders

ABSTRACT

Psychic distance and cultural distance between countries are phenomena that can affect a company's entry strategy into foreign markets, as can differences in levels of business ethicality. The author examines the use of three measures of psychic and/or cultural distance (Brewer, 2007; Ellis, 2008; Fletcher & Bohn, 1998) and assesses the extent to which they are related to business ethicality values. A two-stage sampling design was used to survey undergraduate business students in 23 countries regarding their business-related ethics attitudes. This study had 13 countries in common with the Brewer (2007) and Fletcher and Bohn (1998) studies and 12 countries in common with Ellis (2008). Comparisons were made between the index values of the countries and their average scores on a scale of business ethicality by correlation analysis. Correlations were not statistically significant. The results suggest that none of the measures of distance examined is a good indicator of business ethicality and vice versa. Thus, one cannot assume a priori that a country that is culturally or psychically close to one's own country will have similar business ethicality values.     

A Global MBA for Tomorrow's Global Business Leaders

Abstract

Traditional IB programs have received mixed reviews from the corporate world. With this in mind, the Suffolk GMBA was benchmarked against the leading international business programs. The Suffolk GMBA was designed to be different and to ascertain the global environment in which business operates. A unique feature of the GMBA curriculum detailed in this article is the combination of Boston's international business locational advantage with functional integration of the many disciplines that make international business unique. Borrowing components from the fields of economics, government and politics, finance, marketing, ethics, and law, a curriculum matrix was developed identifying and sequencing the key topics to be taught. The authors also explain potential pitfalls and outline a model which can be successfully implemented in other graduate international business programs. This program is shaping the thoughts and actions of tomorrow's global business leaders through its integrative decision-making framework of global perspectives and competencies.