Helen J. Muller

Mexican women managers: An emerging profile

There is a striking absence of information on women managers in Latin America despite the fact that, in the past decade, studies of women managers in non-English speaking countries have proliferated. This study offers a preliminary analysis of Mexican women managers. Our exploratory study locates women managers within the context of gender relations and managerial ideology in Mexico and analyzes several factors that enable a select group of senior-level Mexican women to hold influential positions. The findings suggest that women have a nontraditional Mexican management style and successfully manage the work–family interface. Nevertheless, women still encounter obstacles to their advancement such as discrimination and stereotyping.

Attitudes of Hispanics and Anglos Surrounding a Workforce Diversity Intervention

Organizations increasingly make use of diversity training programs to develop a climate of acceptance and cooperation, yet the effectiveness of these interventions is unclear. This study examines changes in attitudes of Hispanic and Anglo men and women before and after an intervention that focused on diversity competency. Results reveal that attitudes toward diversity differ by racioethnic gender group at the start of the intervention and that attitudes change differentially by racioethnic gender group. Anglo women’s attitudes, in general, moved in a positive direction more so than other groups’, whereas Hispanic women consistently seemed to be the most tolerant of others. Anglo males appeared to be the least tolerant of others. Implications of the results are explored with regard to diversity intervention and future research.

Women in power: New leadership in the health industry

The health industry may be the prototype for changing gender roles among managers. Already women dominate mid‐level management positions. Meager data exist on senior health executives. In this exploratory study we examine the professional experiences of nationally prominent women leaders in Washington, D.C., who have recently been at the forefront of changing national health policy. Their career development, management styles, and influence in national health policy are discussed and analyzed. The leadership style of these women differs from the traditional male style, and they experienced role conflicts in their rise to power. The women in this study may be foreshadowing the roles of new leaders in the health industry in the 1990s.

Integrating Workforce Diversity into the Business School Curriculum: An Experiment.

The authors analyze an experiment to integrate the subject of workforce diversity into the business curriculum at a major southwestern university. Through regular group meetings, instructors designed a diversity-organizational behavior course that is required for all undergraduates. The article explains the factors that inspired the authors to embark on the experiment, the course design, the conceptual foundations, and the student and instructor assessments. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this experiment. The authors believe that it represents one part of a colleges effort to value peoples differences. This study intends to provoke debate about relevant approaches to teach this important topic.

The Invasion of the Mind Snatchers: The Business of Business Education.

Abstract Corporations and universities are engaged in a wide variety of cooperative exchanges, activities, and research with both positive and negative effects. Increasingly, both parties are embracing attitudes and practices typically associated with the other. There is evidence that some of the fundamental value differences that distinguish business from education have become blurred. In this article, we explore some of these value differences, and we argue that the developing interrelationships have both problematic and positive implications. If business education is to continue to develop tomorrows business leaders, universities and their business schools need to retain a meaningful degree of autonomy and provide a place where orthodox and unorthodox ideas can be freely discussed.

It takes a community to create an american indian business and management course

Management and business curricula have rarely addressed the subject of American Indian business and management. In response to our American Indian students, the broader American Indian community in the region, and to this neglected topic, a small group of faculty members and Native American students embarked on an experimental course at a major Southwestern university. The courses existence illustrates the intersection of culture, business, and organization. The course can be considered a postcolonial bridge between the business college and the American Indian community. This article focuses on the course context including recent tribal economic developments and the subject of culture and business. It then examines the rationale and design of the course including the content and process, participants, and the case study development format. Some course outcomes are reviewed and the implications for management education are drawn out.

Graduate Management education in Europe: The view from America

Provides an American perspective on European management education. Describes how, in Europe, management education, without rigid US accreditation standards, is conceptualized differently and is developing in innovative directions. Uses two examples from UK business schools and comments on the implications for US management education. Concludes that the US should take a lead from recent management education developments in Europe.

Women in Urban Burma: Social issues and political dilemmas

Abstract Successive military governments since 1962 have suppressed foreign influences and resisted Burmas integration into the world economy. Moreover, recent state repression means that citizens have no guarantee of freedom of speech or other civil liberties. Research efforts internally and by international scholars have been stalled since the 1960s. Decades of patriarchical authoritarianism have diminished official respect for Burmese customary laws and the national constitution. These provided a framework of sexual egalitarianism in social and economic affairs that may be unique in the Southeast Asian region. This study examines the social and political factors affecting the current status of Burmese women in urban areas in particular, and it assesses the effects of continued military rule on womens political and economic opportunities. The authors field observations of social and economic conditions in Burma, and her discussions with women in several urban areas provide new perspectives on womens status and raise issues that can be investigated further when travel and scholarship restrictions are relaxed.

Staying Competitive in Automobile Production: Mexico's World Class Plant Revisited

ABSTRACT Since its inception in the mid-1980s, the Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly plant has received widespread acclaim as a world-class, innovative, lean manufacturing plant. Recent comparative performance reports indicate that product quality and productivity differ significantly from previous years. With many automotive design and workforce changes occurring at the turn of the century, this leading Mexican learning laboratory is searching for strategies to regain a competitive advantage. This study examines continuous improvement initiatives including team rebuilding, workforce diversity, and supply chain issues, and it assesses challenges and future issues for workers and the regional economy amidst the increasingly competitive automobile industry. RESUMEN. Desde su puesta en marcha a mediados de los años 80, la planta de estampado y montaje de Hermosillo ha recibido amplio reconocimiento como una planta fabril innovadora y productiva de clase mundial. Los recientes informes de su desempeño indican que la calidad del producto y su productividad han cambiado significativamente, en comparación a los años anteriores. Con los numerosos cambios en el proyecto automotriz y en la mano de obra que se han implantado desde comienzos del siglo, este laboratorio de enseñanza mejicano por excelencia, está buscando estrategias que le permitan recuperar su ventaja competitiva. Este estudio examina las distintas iniciativas de mejoraría, incluso la formación de un nuevo equipo, diversidad de la fuerza laboral, y asuntos relacionados a la cadena de abastecimiento. Además, también evalúa los retos y futuros asuntos inherentes a los trabajadores y a la economía regional en el ámbito de una industria automotriz cada vez más competitiva. RESUMO. A Hermosillo, fábrica de Montagem e Estamparia, desde o seu início, nos anos 80, foi amplamente aclamada como uma fábrica de manufatura enxuta, inovadora e de alta qualidade. Relatórios comparativos recentes de desempenho mostram que a qualidade do produto e a produtividade diferem de forma significativa dos anos anteriores. A partir das diversas mudanças nos projetos automotivos e na força de trabalho, na virada do século, este principal laboratório mexicano de aprendizado tem buscado estratégias que retomem a vantagem competitiva. Este estudo investiga as contínuas iniciativas de aperfeiçoamento, incluindo a reformulação de equipes, a diversidade da força de trabalho e os elementos dacadeia de suprimento, e avalia os desafios e os futuros elementos que afetarão os trabalhadores e a economia regional na indústria automobilística, cada vez mais competitiva.