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Article
Publication date: 12 July 2013

Robert Funnell and Hien Chi Dao

This paper aims to outline some of the social, cultural, political and economic conditions in which four of only seven women who have become rectors of public universities in…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to outline some of the social, cultural, political and economic conditions in which four of only seven women who have become rectors of public universities in Vietnam. Their experiences are described with a focus on the context of Vietnam in order to focus more clearly on non‐western starting points for theory about career development in higher education in Vietnam and other non‐western settings.

Design/methodology/approach

A combination of historical and personal accounts is used to situate the points of view of Vietnamese women and to argue for the processes of becoming a rector as an important and significant point for understanding how women gain entry to high‐status and previously all‐male domains.

Findings

Findings demonstrate that while family/career relationships are crucial in reporting these women's experiences, too much emphasis on these aspects can divert attention away from the conditions historically blocking the initial journey into high‐status parts of an organisation. These processes in which this is initiated cannot be fully contained within western theory and literature.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size of four is a limitation and the interviews do not extend to colleagues and family members, but the four women represent over half of the total population of Vietnamese women rectors. On balance though, the research contains implicit material that would be of interest to others in the area to build on with further case studies either in Vietnam or other Asian countries.

Practical implications

The experiences of the women rectors could provide examples lacking in Vietnamese society and in literature there. The experiences could be a role model for other women's pursuits of careers in Vietnam.

Social implications

The paper contributes in identifying processes of becoming and their reliance on social conditions from the personal powers can be generated. For this framework to be effective, factors such as management style adopted when women are “at the top” must be separated from conditions that have made the “journeys to the top” possible in the first place.

Originality/value

The paper is the first of its type on women's careers in Vietnam and contributes to the development of further studies into individual women, for women's groups and academic debate in Vietnamese society. The paper could provide some discussion on where strategies might be most appropriately devised and implemented to counter loss of small gains made in women's careers and within the values in Vietnamese society.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2013

Jeff Mike

The purpose of this paper is to share a personal perspective on the 28th Annual European Group on Organizational Studies (EGOS) Colloquium held in Helsinki, Finland in July 2012…

251

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to share a personal perspective on the 28th Annual European Group on Organizational Studies (EGOS) Colloquium held in Helsinki, Finland in July 2012. It explores the author's reflection on his participation in the EGOS Colloquium Subtheme 29 titled “Designing Culturally Sustainable Organizations.”

Design/methodology/approach

The author's reflection was based on his participation from a constructionist perspective.

Findings

The author argued that participating in EGOS provided critical feedback and additional insights on his research regarding the design of culturally sustainable organizations and how this research may apply in the South Asian context.

Originality/value

This paper offers the personal perspective of an American doctoral student and human resources development professional with experience in South Asia on his observations as an attendee of the 28th Annual EGOS Colloquium.

Details

South Asian Journal of Global Business Research, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2045-4457

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 September 2020

Fadhli Zul Fauzi and Bevaola Kusumasari

This paper aims to compare the implementation of public–private partnership (PPP) in Western and non-Western countries by analyzing several predetermined aspects such as…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to compare the implementation of public–private partnership (PPP) in Western and non-Western countries by analyzing several predetermined aspects such as government and political system, PPP’s model of agreement, political commitment and the role of PPP supporting unit.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses comparative case studies to compare the implementation of PPP in seven Western and non-Western countries by using various appropriate data such as frequently used agreements, government systems, political commitments and PPP-supporting units to understand the extent of differences in the success of PPP implementation found in each country.

Findings

The results reveal that the implementation of PPPs in Western and non-Western countries do not significantly differ, except for in the instance of political commitments. Political interventions in PPP implementation still frequently occurred in non-Western countries, which consequently disrupted the implementation of PPP itself.

Originality/value

Previous comparison of PPP studies only focused on the implementation of PPP without analyzing the political context in each country. One of the contributions that this paper will bring to the conversations around PPP is that the implementation of PPP will be analyzed with regard to political contexts.

Details

Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction , vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-4387

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1995

Brian Quinn

Canons have been of interest to librarians dating back to the days when Robert Maynard Hutchins instituted the Great Books program at the University of Chicago. Hutchins did so at…

Abstract

Canons have been of interest to librarians dating back to the days when Robert Maynard Hutchins instituted the Great Books program at the University of Chicago. Hutchins did so at the suggestion of the popular philosopher, Mortimer Adler. When Adler later helped to popularize the program with the public, public libraries around the country became the sites for meetings of Great Books discussion groups.

Details

Collection Building, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0160-4953

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2017

C. Muhammad Siddique

This paper aims to examine the concept of learning organization (LO) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its objective is to provide initial insight into the potential impact of…

1904

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the concept of learning organization (LO) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its objective is to provide initial insight into the potential impact of cultural context on how business managers perceive and interpret the LO theory and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted in two phases; the first phase involved a focus group review and discussion of the LO concept and major LO models. With insights gained from the focus group discussions, the second phase of the study developed a number of hypotheses on the potential impact of national cultural orientations on the LO concept, which were tested with managerial responses to a survey.

Findings

While UAE managers viewed and interpreted the LO concept in several different ways, most qualitative comments emphasized the following four aspects of an LO: workplace learning, organizational learning, learning climate and learning structure. Both sets of data revealed strong linkages between dimensions of national culture and the LO concept. Organizational culture partially mediated the relationship between national cultural orientations and aspects of an LO. Potential barriers to the implementation of the LO concept as perceived by respondents were largely related to national cultural value orientations and organizational cultures. The findings suggested that Western LO models and measurement instruments do not fully capture the socio-cultural reality of UAE-based organizations and the manner in which they view and interpret the LO concept and practices in their specific context.

Research limitations

Being a preliminary and largely reflective in nature, the present study has relied more heavily upon the qualitative data than the survey data.

Practical implications

The findings of this study document the value of culture-specific criteria to monitor the performance of companies in their LO journey rather than using a standardized LO assessment model.

Originality/value

The study represents an initial attempt at enhancing the understanding of the impact of national culture on the development and application of the LO concept and the challenges it faces in the UAE context.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 40 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 4 December 2020

Glenn Martin

The content of ethics education courses is still generally shaped around the presentation of the traditional ethical theories of Western moral philosophy, complemented by case

Abstract

The content of ethics education courses is still generally shaped around the presentation of the traditional ethical theories of Western moral philosophy, complemented by case studies and discussion of ethical decision-making models. The purpose of courses is still largely geared towards the development of skills in ethical reasoning. Yet developments in surrounding fields, from psychology to learning and leadership development, raise numerous questions about the traditional curriculum. Ethics courses need to be more responsive to psychological factors and to the social realities of workplace contexts, and cognisant of a wider spectrum of ethical concepts. The perspective of virtue ethics remains pertinent, as the broader agenda of ethics courses is to enable students to develop a personal ethical outlook. But ethics courses should also be exploring and incorporating concepts from non-Western philosophies, and incorporating developments in fields such as leadership development.

Book part
Publication date: 23 August 2021

Eugenie A. Samier, Eman ElKaleh and Waheed Hammad

This chapter provides a critical and comprehensive review of the internationalisation literature. It starts with a brief discussion of the main factors and features that need to…

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical and comprehensive review of the internationalisation literature. It starts with a brief discussion of the main factors and features that need to be considered when internationalising the educational administration and leadership field. This is followed by a critique of the internationalisation of education and the many challenges that hinder the achievement of proper internationalisation. The third section provides an overview of the internationalisation models and practices in different disciplines such as psychology, sociology and political science, which is followed by a discussion on the internationalisation of education organisations in different countries with some examples from Arab and non-Western countries. The final section presents a critical review of literature on internationalising the curriculum and how culture competency and knowledge acquisition are key factors in achieving effective internationalisation. The chapter concludes with an overview of the book collection and the main ideas and concepts discussed in each chapter.

Article
Publication date: 17 May 2013

Kala S. Retna and Deborah Jones

The purpose of this paper is to explore practitioner and post‐colonial perspectives on the implementation of learning organisation theory and practice in a non‐Western setting.

4307

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore practitioner and post‐colonial perspectives on the implementation of learning organisation theory and practice in a non‐Western setting.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative interpretive study, using in‐depth interviews and participant observation, was conducted in two public organisations in Singapore. The study looked at relationships between the concepts of the learning organisation and of Singapore national culture, as the members of the organisations saw them. This study is presented and then discussed in commentaries from two different perspectives, i.e. the “insider” perspective of a Singaporean practitioner, and the “outsider” perspective of a New Zealand academic using a post‐colonial critique.

Findings

The findings indicate that Western LO practitioners need to pay specific attention to the cultural values expressed by non‐Western organisational members, and to their own cultural limitations and biases which may be embedded in the implementation of LO programmes. This process requires an active dialogue between both parties.

Practical implications

The findings indicate that practitioners need to pay specific attention to the cultural values of employees, and to the cultural assumptions of new management programmes, when adopting Western concepts of management to non‐Western organisations.

Originality/value

This is an empirical study that reveals the particular tensions experienced in two specific non‐Western organisations when LO practice was introduced without explicit exploration of its Western cultural underpinnings. The paper argues that the development of an LO discourse of organisational post‐colonialism can provide a valuable critical framework to examine the global mobilisation of LO concepts.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. 20 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1984

Oladimeji I. Alo

Of all the challenges facing scholars in the 3rd world today none is as serious as the need to harness their knowledge and skills for the task of nation‐building. There is a…

199

Abstract

Of all the challenges facing scholars in the 3rd world today none is as serious as the need to harness their knowledge and skills for the task of nation‐building. There is a demand on the scholars to make their teaching and research activities relevant to the problems of their societies. For the social scientists the pressure is even greater since they claim as their domain the study of man in society. In meeting this challenge, many of these scholars have come up against formidable odds created by the historical background of their discipline; the dominant intellectual orientation that informed their training; and academic colonisalism that urges them to conform to walls of the “ivory towers”. Ironically, this situation is not helped by an awareness among an increasing number that knowledge is socially determined and that in every human community men strive to make sense of their social reality. This awareness only created different camps divided on what form the contribution of the sociologists should take in the development of theories needed in understanding their society. This article attempts to discuss these issues in the context of the debate on universalism and indigenisation in social theory. The debate is on the extent to which theories developed within a particular social context might be expected to hold in all others. This debate is fundamental as it not only touches on the popular identity of sociology as a science it also bears on the role of the non‐Western sociologist in studying his own society. To give focus to the theoretical and methodological issues involved in the debate‐which is discussed in the first part of this article, the second part highlights the developments one major area of sociological interest and shows in concrete terms (1) how the dominant trend has hindered our understanding of social issues and (2) how the sociological enterprise can benefit from an approach which is flexible enough to integrate a people's thought system into an explanation of their social reality.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Article
Publication date: 15 May 2017

Nida ul Habib Bajwa and Cornelius J. König

For a long time, researchers across the world have called for more generalizable frameworks in management research, which can be used to better understand local contexts and to…

Abstract

Purpose

For a long time, researchers across the world have called for more generalizable frameworks in management research, which can be used to better understand local contexts and to extend established theories in Western countries. However, research from non-Western countries is barely visible in high-impact management journals. Although most researchers have tried to understand this lacking visibility from a more technological perspective, this study aims to analyze the extent to which group psychological processes influence the selection of international publication strategies by non-Western researchers in this study.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses were based on social identity theory. In total, 169 management researchers from India were surveyed and their social identities and the international publication strategy were assessed.

Findings

It could be confirmed that higher identification with non-Western researchers is negatively related to the intention to publish internationally.

Social implications

The findings suggest that current approaches to increasing the low visibility of non-Western research require a general revision.

Originality/value

This study adds a new angle to the center–periphery debate by incorporating the influence of social identities on the selection of an international publication strategy. Research socialization in the periphery seems to increase the likelihood of choosing local publication outlets rather than aiming for international publications. Therefore, it is necessary to implement strategies that aim at the psychological inclusion of peripheral researchers to increase their visibility in international journals and on international platforms.

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