Factors Contributing To Job Stress of Garments Sector Manager in Bangladesh

Stress is a part of life. Employers today are critically analyzing organizational stress management issues which contribute to lower job performance. A manager working in the garments sector, which is the largest  (18 percent ) contributor of GDP in Bangladesh, is under a great deal of stress in their work due to physical, psychological and financial imbalances (Ashraf and Strumpell, 2011). This study assumes that these stresses ultimately have an economic implication for their organization. The purpose of this study is to identify the work related stress factors and it effects on the task performance of the managers, working in this sector. A survey was conducted in 869 garment factories in two sub-district of Dhaka. The primary data were collected from 284 respondents from those selected factories through self-interviews using structured questionnaires. A factor analysis is conducted to identify the factors related with job stress and it indentified the factors such as job uncertainty, long working hour, less time for family, lack of administrative support and work overload are significantly related with job stresses. Then a regression analysis was carried out that reveals the extent of contribution of different factors on job stress of the garment sector managers in Bangladesh. Findings from the regression analyses showed that job uncertainty, long working hour, less time for family and lack of administrative support are significantly and positively related and increased job stress for managers. On the other hand, the findings of the study revealed that work overload does not have any significant effect on stress. Keywords: Job stress, Job Performance, Stress related factors, Regression analysis, Garment sector manager, Factor analysis

The impact of gender differences on the conflict management styles of managers in Bangladesh: an analysis

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Macquarie University, Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology, Interdisciplinary Women's Studies, Gender and Sexuality Program, 2011.Bibliography: pages 251-292.1. Introduction -- 2. Research issues -- 3. Conceptual framework -- 4. Research methodology -- 5. Preliminary findings of the questionnaire survey -- 6. Analysis of quantitative data: hypothesis testing -- 7. Findings of the qualitative data -- 8. Summary and conclusions -- AppendicesConflict is a common occurrence in organisations, and with the advent of women in the managerial realm researchers have become interested in the question of whether women and men vary significantly in their choices of conflict management styles. This interest has encouraged many researchers to investigate the issue of gender differences and conflict management mixed-method research underlying causes; and in Bangladesh, there none. To fill this gap, a cross sectional field study was undertaken Dhaka, Bangladesh incorporating both quantitative and qualitative analyses. -- The aim of this thesis is to explore the influence of contextual factors, including the present socio-cultural and economic changes taking place in the country, on the choice of conflict management styles of managers in Bangladesh and the factors that might create gender differences in managerial style. Earlier researchers have studied the issue using biological sex, age, education, managerial hierarchy, and gender role orientation as predictors and yet not organisational environment. The present research differs from all previous studies by linking managers' choice to organisational environment, which refers to day-to-day practices in organisations permeated with individuals' socio-cultural expectations and general economic conditions of the country. -- The findings of the present study suggest that exhibiting socially expected roles and using conflict management modes do not occur in vacuums. Both of them influenced by socio-cultural expectations governed by a rigid patriarchal system, organisational processes, and the magnitude of individuals' unsatisfied needs. All these factors in various combination affect the managerial styles of managers, and female managers emulate the well-accepted male managerial styles as a survival mechanism in the workplace. This results in no apparent gender differences in the preference of conflict management styles among managers, though the reasons for choosing a particular style may vary between females and males. -- An in-depth qualitative analysis reveals that socially prescribed gender congruent roles are not fixed but fluid. Men and women both are adopting either task oriented (dominating) or relationship oriented (obliging) managerial styles in response to situations and organisational demands. This trend is more pronounced in the NGO sector pursuing welfare goals and in other sectors, at senior managerial levels especially among senior level female managers. The latter group is more at liberty to use relationship orientation since they already have established themselves 'as effective as men'. However, it is encouraging that there is an undercurrent of change in organisations in terms of managerial styles and steadily, organisations are recognising that a synthesis of feminine and masculine styles can achieve better results in organisations.Mode of access: World Wide Web.1 online resource (vi, 316 pages) illustration