Culture and leadership: Comparing Egypt to the GLOBE study of 62 societies

The purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of the western conceptions of leadership in competition with emerging leadership paradigms in non-western societies. We examine the societal culture in Egypt using GLOBE’s nine cultural attributes and dimensions. Paired sample t-tests were used to test for differences in the Egyptian data that was collected. The data was collected from 142 Egyptian middle managers from 19 organizations from 2008 to 2011. It was compared to the data collected as part of the GLOBE research project. The results showed that Egyptians are most interested in reducing the power distance and increasing the future orientation aspects of their societal culture

Sex Stereotyping Managerial Positions

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine how men and women sex stereotype managerial positions and how they view women in managerial roles in Egypt and the USA, in order to provide meaningful cross-cultural comparisons. Design/methodology/approach - The study uses surveys that utilize the Schein descriptive index and the women as managers scale (WAMS) to compare perceptions on women in managerial positions in Egypt and the USA. The sample consists of 553 Egyptian and 324 American management students. Findings - The results show that in the Egyptian sample both males and females held negative views of women managers. However, in the US sample, women held more favourable views of women managers than did their male counterparts. In the Egyptian sample the English section female students had a more positive perception of female managers than their Arabic section counterparts. Research limitations/implications - The sample is limited to management students in Egypt and the USA. The Middle East includes countries with different cultures, such as Israel. About 10 percent of Egypt\u27s population are Christians who do not necessarily share the same cultural beliefs as the country\u27s Muslim majority. Practical implications - The paper helps donor countries better direct their aid programs when it comes to promoting gender equality and championing women\u27s rights in the Middle East. Originality/value - Our contribution was to study the perceptions of female leaders in Egypt, an Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern country. The gender research on countries with conservative cultures, such as Egypt, is an area that remains mostly unexamined. Our study aims to provide researchers and practitioners with a better understanding of the position of Egyptian women in management

How Knowledge Management Implementation Affects the Performance of Egyptian Construction Companies

This study examines the effectiveness of knowledge management systems within the construction industry in Egypt from the perspective of knowledge infrastructure capability (KIC), knowledge process capability (KPC) and their impact on business performance (BP) from the financial, consumer, learning and growth, supplier and internal perspectives. The sample consists of 75 first class Egyptian construction companies. The authors used a questionnaire that was modified from the questionnaire previously used by Gold et al., (2001) and Smith (2006). The authors used one-way ANOVA, t-tests and OLS regressions. The results indicated that both knowledge infrastructure capability (KIC) and knowledge process capability (KPC) have a positive effect on business performance (BP). The results also indicate that organizations with well-developed training and development plans have significantly higher KIC and KPC scores compared to those that do not have such plans

Damage detection via structural model updating using frequency response functions and genetic algorithms

This thesis covers the development of a model updating technique which relies on the introduction of correction factors to the elemental stiffness matrix of a beam Finite Element Model (FEM). A Genetic Algorithm selects the values of correction factors by minimizing the difference between an experimentally measured Frequency Response Function (FRF) and the FRF calculated from the FEM being updated. The model updating technique was employed as a damage detection algorithm. The first phase of damage detection is to use model updating to eliminate experimental and modeling errors between the FRF of a beam measured experimentally and the FRF of the same beam calculated by FEM. The second step of damage detection is to employ the model updating process to match the FRF of a damaged beam measured experimentally to the response of the updated FEM. A damage index based on the change in FEM correction factors during the second phase is applied to locate damage. Three different cost functions were evaluated and tuned against two different damage cases measured experimentally. Later the best cost function was tested against two damage cases with smaller damage magnitude. The damage detection algorithm showed reasonable accuracy in determining the damage location in all cases. Additionally, this thesis covers the adaptation of strain gauges for dynamic measurement and the associated signal processing and filtering

Using Long-Short-Term-Memory Recurrent Neural Networks To Predict Aviation Engine Vibrations

This thesis examines building viable Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) using Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) neurons to predict aircraft engine vibrations. The different networks are trained on a large database of flight data records obtained from an airline containing flights that suffered from excessive vibration. RNNs can provide a more generalizable and robust method for prediction over analytical calculations of engine vibration, as analytical calculations must be solved iteratively based on specific empirical engine parameters, and this database contains multiple types of engines. Further, LSTM RNNs provide a “memory” of the contribution of previous time series data which can further improve predictions of future vibration values. LSTM RNNs were used over traditional RNNs, as those suffer from vanishing/exploding gradients when trained with back propagation. The study managed to predict vibration values for 1, 5, 10, and 20 seconds in the future, with 2.84% 3.3%, 5.51% and 10.19% mean absolute error, respectively. These neural networks provide a promising means for the future development of warning systems so that suitable actions can be taken before the occurrence of excess vibration to avoid unfavorable situations during flight

The Impact of Dynamic Capabilities on Sustainable Competitive Advantage in the Pharmaceutical Sector in Egypt

This study examines the relationship between dynamic capabilities (experience, routine, skills, firm characteristics, knowledge and technology) and competitive advantage sustainability in the Egyptian pharmaceutical sector. The data was collected using primary and secondary data sources. Primary data was collected from questionnaires distributed to 160 top managers in 20 pharmaceutical firms. The secondary data about pharmaceutical firms like rankings, revenues and market share was collected from external sources such as Intercontinental Marketing Service (IMS). The questionnaires examine six independent variables based on a five-scale Likert scale. The methodology used in the study is non-probability sampling (judgmental sampling), Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient and Chi-square tests. The results support the notion that there is a significant relationship between four of the six dynamic capabilities (experience, skills, firm characteristics and knowledge) and the competitive advantage sustainability for pharmaceutical firms in Egypt. Designing the questionnaire and formulating the questions to target the required field was challenging, given that the topic is dynamic and the business scene in Egypt has witnessed drastic political changes since January 2011. The study should assist pharmaceutical companies in Egypt in directing their investments properly and in determining the weaknesses in their dynamic capabilities that need to be addressed

Physical Therapy Management Of A Patient With Chronic Knee Pain: A Case Report

Knee pain affects approximately 25% of adults, and as a result limits functional mobility and may induce participation restrictions. Risk factors may contribute to knee pain, with osteoarthritis (OA) being the most prevalent cause in individuals 50 years and older. The rate of knee replacement surgery among individuals 65 and older has increased by approximately eight fold from 1979-2002. Physical Therapy (PT) is a nonsurgical option that offers individuals relief. The purpose of this case report is to review the PT treatment and management for a patient with chronic knee pain, and use evidence based interventions, such as therapeutic exercises, joint mobilization, application of KT, and a home exercise program (HEP).https://dune.une.edu/pt_studcrposter/1094/thumbnail.jp

Comparing Outgoing Female CEOs With Prior CEO Experience To Outgoing Female CEOs With No Prior CEO Experience

It is difficult for females to climb the corporate ladder to the CEO position. Most of the previous research examines the obstacles that prevent females from reaching top management positions and ultimately the top position of CEO. In this study we examine this issue from the opposite side, i.e., we examine CEO successions were the outgoing CEO is female and the incoming CEO is male. We distinguish between outgoing female CEO successors who have prior CEO experience and those who do not have prior CEO experience. We find that prior CEO experience is positively related to the outgoing female CEO total compensation in the year preceding the succession, positively related to firm performance and negatively related to the probability of firm bankruptcy in the three years preceding the succession. Prior CEO experience is also positively related to the percentage of female and ethnic minority directors on the board in the two years preceding the succession