To what extent is American business education “hegemonic” in the Arab world? To answer this, the authors examine whether Lebanese people exposed to American-style business education share the values implicit in their textbooks and teaching resources. Finding evidence for such values among Lebanese business students and working people alike, they argue that American business education is not only externally dominant; it is also internally hegemonic in its influences on local Arab values. The authors examine the problems American hegemony causes in Arab classrooms and discuss how problem-based learning provides an alternative and more relevant learning experience for Arab students.
What do young, business-educated Arab women think about leadership? This study addresses this question by comparing the views of female business students living in four distinct regions: the Arab Levant (Lebanon); the Arabian Gulf (Oman); Northwestern Europe (England) and Southeastern Europe (Romania). Using Weber's ideal types of authority, a comparison of the four groups reveals strong similarities between Omani and Lebanese women's views on leadership, thus supporting the existence of pan-Arab Implicit Leadership Theories (ILT). It is further found that such views on leadership reflect an overlapping of Arab tribal values with the `rational-legal' values associated with mass bureaucratization in the region.
When seeking to understand corruption in its ongoing temporal context, it is useful to consider business students. Because of their high numbers and the kinds of jobs they enter, they have a key role to play in challenging or sustaining corruption in their societies. This exploratory study focuses on these people in three countries in different regions -the USA, Romania and Lebanon -and asks 'How does long-standing corruption in a country shape their attitudes toward bribery?' Using a case-study methodology structured along four theoretical perspectives -universalism, cultural relativism, ethical relativism and consequentialism -the study suggests that, when viewed from a universalist perspective, students in corrupt societies may be more tolerant of corrupt practice than those living in less corrupt countries. Thus, rather depressingly, those who should be part of the solution may actually be part of the problem.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature on Arab women's conceptions of leadership. By comparing women's leadership authority values in three Arab countries, the paper aims to refine existing gender‐neutral research on leadership in the “Arab world”.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved administering a survey, which had been developed based on Weber's work on authority (1978) and contemporary discussions of implicit leadership theories (ILT). The data (n=320) were drawn from female subjects who were enrolled in upper‐division business major classes in three countries, Oman, Lebanon and the UAE The women thus constituted educated entrants to their respective labor markets. The data were subjected to an analysis of group means on each of the questions, using the Scheffe option available in ANOVA.FindingsThe analysis found evidence of common leadership authority values in the Gulf countries (Oman and the UAE). Lebanon, meanwhile, was distinguished by relatively low levels of “traditional” authority, and very high levels of “charismatic” authority. The findings demonstrate important regional similarities and difference in leadership authority values in the “Arab world.”Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited by the number of countries studied. It is thus anticipated that future comparative research will be extended to include other countries (both Arab and non‐Arab), and men.Practical implicationsLeadership training in the Arab region must be sensitized and tailored to address regional and gender‐specific conceptions of leadership.Originality/valueThe paper challenges and refines widespread meta‐notions and analyses of the “Arab world” and “Arab leadership.”
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