Aspects of management attitudes, beliefs, and business culture on the West Bank

Abuznaid, Samir Ahmad Othman (1990) Aspects of management attitudes, beliefs, and business culture on the West Bank. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This study is designed to explore and examine the various aspects of
management attitudes, beliefs, and business culture on the West Bank. It
investigates top managers personal, organisational and societal background.
Within this general framework, the study aims to investigate the various
aspects such as: managers characteristics, exogenous and endogenous
pressures facing managers, attributes expected of managers, managers way
of obtaining their present jobs. Their decision making styles, ways of
handling functional problems, managers view of an ideal employee,
managers nervousness, managers attitudes towards time, life insurance,
mediation, nepotism, bribes, the employment of women, customs and
traditions, an increase in business automation and technology, and attitudes
towards jobs and various managerial functions and themes. Moreover, this
study aims to explore the role of women as managers in the West Bank as
well as to examine respondents needs and need satisfaction. A comparison
of the major findings with other findings of relevant research will also be
drawn in this study.
It is believed that in order to understand managers attitudes, beliefs and
behaviour, one should first understand the background which created such
attitudes and beliefs. As a result the researcher opened this study with a
general overview of the West Bank environment. The opening includes a
discussion of the population and the geographical, historical, political,
social, educational and economic environment in that region.
The data for the research were gathered by interviewing a sample of l77 top
Arab managers from 177 organisations in the West Bank. The average
interviewing time was 40 minutes.
All statistical analysis were perfonned using the statistical package for social
sciences (SPSSx). The Chi-square test of association (X2)was perfonned so as to search for association between the various variables and questions.
The Multivariate Discriminant Analysis (MDA) was also used for the
attitudes and beliefs sections.
Some of the outcomes emerging from the analysis include:
1. West Bank managers on average are highly educated
2. West Bank managers are working under enormous pressures and as a
result over half of them sometimes feel nervous at work.
3. The majority of West Bank managers obtained their jobs through normal
job placement methods.
4. The consultative style of decision making is the most pervasive style in
the West Bank.
S. Although the vast majority of West Bank managers believe that
mediation, nepotism, and bribes are widely used in the West Bank, the
vast majority of managers are against the use of such practices.
6. West Bank managers have a high appreciation of time and they also put
a great deal of emphasis on communication and the importance of good
relationships with employees. Yet the findings indicate that West Bank
managers are not pro planning and forecasting.
7. As for women managers surveyed it was found that their major role in
society is national and patriotic. 8. The majority of West Bank managers are pro change. They would like
to see an increase in the number of working women, an increase in
freedom from cultural customs and traditions and in increase in business
automation and technology.
9. Although social need was considered the managers most important
need, it was also found to be their most satisfied one.
Finally, the study includes fruitful suggestions and recommendations for
future research. All suggestions are aimed at enhancing the knowledge of
West Bank management in particular and of human behaviour in the Arab
and the business world in general.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School
• Supervisor's Name: Weir, Prof. David T.H.
• Date of Award: 1990
• Depositing User: Miss Louise Annan
• Unique ID: glathesis:1990-4977
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 20 Feb 2014 10:00
• Last Modified: 20 Feb 2014 15:19
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/4977