This study presents a 12‐year (1989–2001) longitudinal comparison of managerial values systems in China, Hong Kong, and the U.S. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, we test the validity of the three competing perspectives – convergence, divergence, and crossvergence – on values system evolution in these three societies. We use the sociocultural influence and business ideology influence typology as the foundation for developing our hypotheses. Additionally, we assess the contribution of the specific values within the values system to the overall system values findings. Our data most strongly support the multicultural crossvergence perspective. During a time period of stability in the U.S. and substantial change in both Hong Kong and China, the values of Hong Kong and China became more similar, while the values of these two Greater China societies became more different from those of the U.S.

The growing impact of women in the workforce has kept the leadership style of women on the research agenda. Reviews some of the current thinking on women and leadership, drawing on general and educational management literature. Particular attention is paid to management in education because of: the continued pressure on the higher educational sector generally to be publicly accountable that indicates a specific need for effective leadership; the fact that at the school level, leadership is a central theme in the literature on organizational improvement and educational reform; and education is a field numerically dominated by women, yet despite some evidence of a growing willingness of women to take up leadership positions in the field, educational leadership is still a male preserve. Concludes with a synopsis of some of the factors that may account for differences in leadership style.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the reasons why the employment of Emirati females in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not currently realizing its potential.Design/methodology/approachA literature‐based study that employs a framework adapted to predict the incidence of the employment of female nationals in the UAE. This gives rise to an analysis of reasons why this employment is not achieving the predicted level.FindingsThe study indicates that cultural factors are largely responsible for inhibiting the level of employment of Emirati females in the UAE.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper presents a focused literature study and does not contain the first‐hand accounts of Emirati females both employed and not employed. It does, however, provide the basis for obtaining such first‐hand accounts in future studies.Practical implicationsThe study indicates that in a rapidly developing economy such as that of the UAE, cultural mores may take some time to catch up with the speed of economic development. Government leaders need to be aware of the need for cultural adaptation to take place before their plans for development can be fully realized using nationals as the driving force for these plans.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the few attempting to assess the effects of culture of the incidence of employment of female nationals in the UAE.

“New leadership” studies often suggest that transformational leadership in particular produces desirable leadership outcomes. However, few studies have demonstrated a direct link between the exercise of a particular type of leadership and organisational effectiveness. Efforts to establish such a link are hampered by the absence of a generally agreed definition of organisational effectiveness. This is particularly true in higher education where attempts to develop models of organisational effectiveness applicable to universities have been sparse despite worldwide calls for universities to demonstrate “value for money” performance. This paper examines the relationship between transformational/transactional leadership and university organisational effectiveness. In the course of the examination, the paper indicates possible modifications to the original conceptualisation of transformational leadership. The paper also argues for university leadership that is self‐reflective and capable of utilising the array of leadership characteristics subsumed under the transformational and transactional leadership notions.

In recent years, the transformational leadership construct has become a popular topic in leadership literature. Generally, the view is held that transformational leadership is superior to the more conventional transactional leadership and produces desirable leadership outcomes. The claims made for transformational leadership have been largely reported outside the instructional context yet the nature of the transformational leadership construct indicates considerable potential in the teaching of management development courses. This paper explores the idea that the enactment of transformational leadership by instructors can enhance the quality of management development instruction