Betty Jane Punnett

Exploring career‐life success and family social support of successful women in Canada, Argentina and Mexico

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine career‐life issues of successful women in the Americas.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 30 interviews were conducted with successful women in Canada, Argentina and Mexico. Themes were pulled from the interview transcripts for each country, analyzed and then compared across countries, looking at universalities and differences of experiences.Findings – The women in all three countries conveyed more subjective measures of career success, such as contributing to society and learning in their work, with Canada and Mexico particularly emphasizing receiving recognition as a hallmark of career success.Practical implications – This research provides insight into the experiences of successful women in the Americas, which can inform the career development of women in business.Originality/value – This research contributes to the literature on womens careers, highlighting successful womens experiences across cultures and in an under‐researched area: Latin Ame...

Career success and satisfaction: a comparative study in nine countries

Purpose – This project aims to examine levels of career and life satisfaction among successful women in nine countries in the Americas.Design/methodology/approach – A structured survey and in‐depth interviews were used, and a variety of occupations, demographics, and personality characteristics assessed – 1,146 successful women from nine countries in the USA responded the survey: 105 from Argentina, 210 from Brazil, 199 from Canada, 84 from Chile, 232 from Mexico, 126 from the USA, and 190 from three countries in the West Indies (Barbados, Jamaica, SVG).Findings – Results show no differences in satisfaction based on occupation or country and most demographic variables investigated did not have a significant relationship with satisfaction. Age had a small, significant, relationship, with satisfaction increasing with age; married women were significantly more satisfied than single women. Higher scores on self efficacy and need for achievement, and a greater internal locus of control were all related to high...

Successful women of the Americas: the same or different?

Purpose – The intent of this cross‐national research is to study the personal and cultural characteristics of successful professional women. High‐achieving women may share certain personal characteristics, beliefs, and experiences, regardless of the countries in which they live. However, every individual is socialized within a particular national culture, and may be expected to share certain values and expectations with other members of that culture.Design/methodology/approach – Over 1,100 professionally “successful women” (including high‐level managers, entrepreneurs, academics, government personnel, and professionals) and 531 undergraduate business students in nine countries – Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the USA and the West Indies (Barbados, Jamaica, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines) completed surveys containing two sets of variables: national/cultural (collectivism/individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance) and personal (self‐efficacy, locus of control, need for achievement).Fi...

Cross-national diversity: implications for international expansion decisions

This project examined the relationship of national diversity in team makeup on an international expansion decision. Decisions of homogeneous and nationally diverse teams were compared in an experimental study. Nationally diverse teams took significantly longer to reach decisions, and considered significantly more options than did homogeneous groups. Homogeneous, Canadian teams ranked home expansion options significantly more attractive than did nationally diverse teams. The results of the study suggest that it is important for firms to understand and use cross-national diversity when considering international expansion.

Mentoring experiences of successful women across the Americas

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare womens mentoring experience in nine countries within the Americas, and to explore linkages between personal characteristics, mentoring practices, mentoring functions, and consequences of being mentee.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 1,146 successful women are questioned about their mentoring experiences as a mentee: 105 from Argentina, 210 from Brazil, 199 from Canada, 84 from Chile, 232 from Mexico, 126 from the USA, and 190 from three countries in the West Indies (Barbados, Jamaica, and St Vincent).Findings – Most of the women have more than one mentor. Across all countries mentoring practices are more strongly linked to career mentoring function while the age and gender of the mentor are more strongly linked to psychosocial mentoring. Mentoring from the perspective of mentee has the same directional relationship with situational and individual variables, but the significance of those relationships vary by country. A possible cultural difference...

Demographic Effects on the Use of Vertical Sources of Guidance by Managers in Widely Differing Cultural Contexts

Data provided by 7380 middle managers from 60 nations are used to determine whether demographic variables are correlated with managers’ reliance on vertical sources of guidance in different nations and whether these correlations differ depending on national culture characteristics. Significant effects of Hofstede’s national culture scores, age, gender, organization ownership and department function are found. After these main effects have been discounted, significant although weak interactions are found, indicating that demographic effects are stronger in individualist, low power distance nations than elsewhere. Significant non-predicted interaction effects of uncertainty avoidance and masculinity-femininity are also obtained. The implications for theory and practice of the use of demographic attributes in understanding effective management procedures in various parts of the world are discussed.

Niche Markets and Small Caribbean Producers: A Match Made in Heaven?

Abstract This paper is based on an action research project which examined opportunities for small Caribbean firms to access high value-added, specialty niche markets in Canada and the USA. The project was conceived in the context of the Caribbean’s need to compete in globalized markets, and the results are intended to provide practical guidance for small business managers. The paper provides examples of niche markets, develops a model of the producer/market link, and discusses the role of various players in the market side of the model. Based on the results, recommendations are made for business owners and managers, and for public policy, to enhance the process of assessing and accessing high margin niche markets.

Assigned goals and task performance in a Caribbean context

Purpose – The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of goal setting in improving performance in an emerging economy, Barbados.Design/methodology/approach – There is a substantial body of literature which has shown that goal setting improves performance in the developed world, but there is relatively little research examining these relationships in emerging economies. This experimental study sought to extend understanding of the impact of goal setting by testing goals in a carefully controlled environment in an emerging economy. The study considered assigned goals and performance, as well as the moderating impact of personal and cultural characteristics.Findings – Results supported the hypothesis that specific, difficult goals improve performance. Personal characteristics did not moderate the relationship, but the cultural characteristics of individualism and uncertainty avoidance (UA) did.Research limitations/implications – The results of this study are limited because of the experimen...

Women in the Workforce: A Global Snapshot

This chapter looks at women in the workforce around the world. It provides global information as well as information on specific countries and regions. The literature, and statistics, presented suggest that women are improving their status in the workplace, but that they continue to face major challenges in all countries. The glass (or brick/cement in some countries) ceilings, walls and cliffs are found everywhere, and these affect women negatively in the workplace. Interestingly, the literature suggests that the challenges facing women in varying locations differ in degree, but not in kind – stereotypes are common and women’s role is seen primarily as caring for the family. A major concern for women seems to be work-family balance, and having a supportive family is often mentioned as critical to a successful career. The chapter provides suggestions for improving the workplace globally for women, as well as suggestions for needed research.

Leadership in Africa and the diaspora

Introduction Terri R. Lituchy, Betty Jane Punnett, and Bill Buenar Puplampu 1. Management Research in Africa: Past, Present and Future David Zoogah and Stella Nkomo 2. Internationalization and Economic Growth John Kuada 3. Corporate Governance Practices Lemayon L. Melyoki 4. Green Management David Zoogah 5. Corporate Social Responsibility Judy N. Muthuri 6. Challenges of Ethics O.J.K. Ogundele and A.R. Hassan 7. Work Effort and Development Bill B. Puplampu 8. Portfolio Entrepreneurs in Wealth Creation Waswa Balunywa, Samuel Sejjaaka and Diana Nandagire Ntamu 9. Strategic Human Resources and Citizenship Behavior Emmanuel Seidu, Samuel Aryee, and Fred Walumbwa 10. Management Control Systems, Competitive Strategy and Performance Moses Acquaah 11. Women in Management and Leadership Stella Nkomo and Hellicy Ngambi 12. National and Sub-national Cultures and Preferred Leader Behavior Romie Littrell, Nai Wu, Stella Nkomo, Isaac Wanasika, Jon Howell, and Peter Dorfman 13. Leadership in Africa and the Diaspora David L. Ford, Jr., Terri R. Lituchy, Betty Jane Punnett, Bill B. Puplampu, and Samuel Sejjaaka 14. Employee Motivation Bill B. Puplampu 15. Human Factors, Organizational Support and Effectiveness Moses Acquaah and Eddy K. Tukamushaba