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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the incentives, options, and obstacles to transfer technology to the Arab Gulf region.

A validated and reliable instrument was used to gather data from former expatriates who were employed by American-based multinational corporations.

The results indicate that the Arab Gulf States possess a wide range of resources and incentives offered to investors which contribute to the Gulf's attractiveness. At the same time, however, industrialization efforts, including transfer of technology to the Gulf region, are hampered by lack of industrial management expertise and technical skills among the relatively small national population and by resistance to new forms of technology by local residents.

Technology transfer cannot be seen as the only resort for attaining growth rates. Education, innovation, and basic science are necessary to achieve economic development. In addition, the Arab Gulf States must address serious demographic challenges.

This exploratory, empirical investigation provides insight into the opportunities and challenges of technology transfer to the Gulf region. It identifies areas that need further investigation.

There is increased interest in online MBA programs across the globe. This paper attempts to review and assess online MBA programs and what lessons other universities and students can learn from them. It attempts to compare between the online and the traditional MBA. In addition, a thorough evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the online MBA is made. The evaluation considers point of views from universities, professors, and students that combined together will assess the future and growth of “global MBAs”.

Outsourcing is the strategic use of outside resources to perform activities that are usually handled by internal staff and resources. By using a well‐managed outsourcing agreement, companies can gain in markets that would otherwise be uneconomical. This study was designed to explore why companies are undertaking outsourcing projects and identifies factors that may facilitate or impede outsourcing projects. In addition, this article examines the relationships between outsourcing strategies and organizational performance. The results show that organizations generally considered themselves successful at outsourcing. However, while they achieved significant improvement in organizational performance, they have not reached the magnitude of improvements ascribed to outsourcing.

This study was undertaken to discover working public thoughts about roles of United States women in leadership positions and to test the relationship between managerial leadership styles and organizational effectiveness. A survey of perceptions of leadership roles and effectiveness distributed 700 randomly selected entities from industries in the United States. Findings suggest approximately 50% of women leaders perceive barriers that prevent women for entering management positions and lower advancement rates for women. This study shows that aspiration in women exists whether or not they take action and motivate themselves to advance for top management positions. However, barriers like discrimination, family-life demands, prejudice, and stereotyping result in fruitlessness in many cases. The majority of women and men felt education and training could increase the preparedness of women for leadership roles. Respondents expressed overwhelming support for a participative leadership style. A positive association existed between participative leadership style and organizational effectiveness.

Addresses the issue of cultural diversity in the workplace. Covers the subjects of gender, multiculturalism and age‐related issues, providing a number of statistics for examples. Looks at the impact of technology in areas such as intranets, e‐mail and Web marketing, customer relationship management, virtual offices, automation and virtual teams. Examines the implications of these relationships for corporate America today and in the future.

Compares the traditional performance appraisal systems with Deming′s philosophy of operating a production system focused on quality for the consumer. W. Edwards Deming has long challenged the effectiveness of traditional performance appraisal systems used by American managers. He criticizes the traditional performance appraisal system of rewarding “win‐lose” results rather than supporting “win‐win” aims, thereby placing so much emphasis on judging and ranking people and using extrinsic motivational means. He recommends replacing the traditional performance systems that encourage win‐lose behaviour with systems that promote co‐operative and supportive behaviour. The Deming approach to performance appraisal involves a complete change of the traditional system to one that concentrates on managers being highly focused on quality and long‐term improvement. The successful implementations of Deming′s management approach in several American organizations were examined as available means of integrating performance appraisals into their quality system. The more successful companies have found remarkable improvement in consumer recognition, sales, market share, operating costs, customer satisfaction, employee morale, and of course quality. Such actions will not only help to strengthen these companies′ market position, but will help to improve the overall global competitiveness of American industry.

According to John Naisbitt, author of Megatrends, the United States is moving from an industrial to an information society. This is evident in the rapidly growing service industry. From 1969 to 1976, ninety percent of the newly created jobs were white collar or service oriented positions. In 1981, almost seventy percent of all jobs were in the service industry. This percentage is expected to increase to near ninety percent by 1990. The Coalition of Service Industries, Inc. estimates that service industries generate two‐thirds of the United States Gross National Product, and service industries employ three out of four working Americans. Another reason for the increase in concern for service quality is the rise of the “get my money's worth” consumer, a value‐seeking shopper who thinks in terms of total use cost rather than just initial acquisition cost.

Focuses on computer‐integrated manufacturing′s macro aspects and its strategic implications. Defines CIM at the macro and micro level and the various factors that strongly call for the implementation of CIM. After going into the advantages, concludes with implications for the future.

Presents a longitudinal field study which compares changes in perceptions of productivity and attendance behaviours for participants in a drug‐testing programme in a manufacturing firm in the mid‐western USA. Employee efficiency, productivity and absenteeism changes related to the implementation of the drug‐testing programme were measured by collecting and analysing actual organizational data. Data for each of the measures were collected for a 42‐month period, ranging from 18‐months prior to the implementation of the programme to 24‐months after the programme began. The attitudinal results provide, at best, circumspect support for the claims of drug‐testing proponents that the programme reduces drug abuse in the workplace and improves overall productivity. The performance results, however, document a positive and substantial impact of drug testing initiative on employee productivity and absenteeism rates.

The overwhelming rise of leadership learning programs and experiences within higher education merits the exploration and identification of best practices, reduction of limiting educational methodologies, and strategies for promoting efficient and effective leadership education has never been greater. This study explores the barriers inherent to leadership learning environments from the learner, environmental, and instructor perspectives. Qualitative interviews of leadership faculty members allowed for naturalistic themes to emerge. The transferable findings suggest that best teaching practices, including positive student-instructor relationships, critical reflection, adaptive leadership application within real-world settings, will have profound implications on the ever-growing field of leadership education and the development of the leadership learner.