Hardback. 194 pp. ISBN 0 333 42129 9 £25.00The authors claim throughout this book that many factors have caused women to have problems in pursuing senior managerial positions n their organisations The main factors are identified as sex roles and sex stereotypes The stereotypes are said to produce certan images about what can be viewed as 'male' and'female' occupations The other man factors claimed to impede women's progress are organisational ones It is explaned that organisations and their structures have been dominated by male values It is claimed that social relationships n hierarchical organisations become elitist in nature, and that elitist club is composed of men It follows that women's values and expenences will be ignored as long as these differ from those of men Moreover, it is claimed all through the book that equal opportunities programmes fail to take these factors into account This is due, it is argued, to the fact that these programmes have assumed that the existing organisational systems are mentocratic, with no gender or race discrimination This assumption is built, it is explaned, on the common belief that organisations are rational It follows that these programmes are flawed, because they neglect the effects of some irrational features of our present organisotions Although this book is very enlightening, in relation to the status of women at work n general, and n the top positions n particular, I still fnd it is based upon two questionable assumptions Firstly, that there is a common 'need' for positive action programmes, and secondly that these programmes must operate separately at the orgonisational and individual levels This separation of levels does not appeal to me as it views organisations n a nonholistic, mechanistic manner Though this book has claimed not to be a handbook for change, it seems to me that it is just that EBTIHAJ AL-AALI, CSML, Lancaster WOMAN MANAGERS CHANGING ORGANISATIONAL CULTURES GISELLE ASPLUND John Wiley (Chichester) 1988. Hardback. 196 pp. ISBN 0417 912921 £14·95 The author states that there are many different reasons why there are few women n top managenal positions She explans that women and men have different approaches to work These drfferences are manly based on traditions, norms, and women's and men's attitudes to their official roles Postulatng that the culture of organisations are built upon male norms, the author thinks that changing those cultures will help to improve conditions for women n management

This research examines the roles of auditing firms to spread ethical awareness. Auditing firms' roles can also enhance understanding of business companies regarding ethical consumerism. This can be accomplished by assisting businesses to develop their own ethical programs. The programs can enable companies to achieve profit and maintain desirable reputation in relation to investors, employees, and customers. Qualitative research is employed in this research. Based on snowballing technique, six in-depth interviews and two more telephone interviews were conducted. The findings of the research show that auditing firms are not familiar with the issue of ethical consumerism to promote. Businesses have not approached auditing firms to aid them in developing their own ethical programs. Such aid is not seen by auditing firms however as prohibited non-auditing services.

This paper comprises three major sections. The first section discussesmodem social assumptions concerning the existence of human beings andtheir societies. It also explains the impact of these assumptions on organizationaltheory. The second section explores Islamic assumptions concerningthese same two elements and explains a major attribute of Islamicorganizations. The third section compares the above-mentioned assumptions of modem social science to those of Islam and illustrates thatknowledge-transfer creates its own organizational and social problems.Modern Social Science Assumptions: HumanExistence and SocietyIn reviewing the modem science of human existence and society,Burrell and Morgan (1979) state that the relevant assumptions in this areacan be viewed in the light of two strands of thought: nominalism andrealism. Nominalism indicates that no real world structure exists outsideof the individual’s concepts, ideas, and thoughts. This implies that realityis constructed by individuals and leads them to experience multiple realities(Lincoln and Guba 1985). Societies and external existants to individualsare merely names perceived individually (Taylor and Bodgon1979). Societies, therefore, consist of individuals who have real existenceand, without them, there would be no societies (Behechti and Bahonar1990). According to nominalism, knowledge about multiple realities isgathered from individuals themselves ...

The era of COVID-19 has initiated dramatic and unexpected changes related to all aspects of life. The impact of these changes is unforeseeable. Health services have encountered many challenges, which one country cannot deal with alone. The contagion of the disease requires changes in all walks of life, specifically health services. Psychiatric services have seen an increased demand from mental health patients and many people alike. This is due to unrest, anxiety, stressful, and the ambiguous characteristics of the present situation. This chapter presents reflections of the first author, the psychiatrist, on the major stakeholders for health systems at the present situation. These stakeholders are regulations, patients, pharmacies, society and community, and psychiatrists themselves. Despite all efforts to deal with the impacts of COVID-19, the need for transforming health systems in general and psychiatry in specific still persists. One of the major conclusions is to develop programs enabling psychiatrists and physicians to deal with their own distress.

This research investigates leadership styles. It is an endeavor to point out unique features of leadership in Islamic banks. The research employs qualitative research. Leaders participating in this research are chief executive officers from Islamic banks. Interview is the research method used. The research is argued to enhance the understanding of leadership in Islamic banks. The understanding can shed light on applications of leadership theories in different contexts than the Western contexts. The later contexts are the situations at which theories of leadership have been developed. The research aims to illustrate whether different contexts can initiate leadership to transform or not. This in turn can help to have a better knowledge concerning human behaviour in organizations. The issue of sources of power utilised by interviewees is scrutinised as well. This is to investigate compatibility between leadership styles and sources of power employed.