Can Business Education Change Management Practices In Non-Western Societies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which students from an American-style Business School in Lebanon expect the managerial behaviors that they are taught in the classroom to actually be applied by managers in the Lebanese workplace. Broadly categorized as accountability, gender equity, religious tolerance, consultation and transparency, the authors found little indication that such expectations existed. Even when they could be identified such as with racial equality, their relative strength was so weak that they were barely above neutral on a 10-point scale. What was perhaps most troubling was that expectation for the elimination of bribery and corruption actually declined as students matriculated through the curriculum. At least for the time being, it appears that Lebanese business students do not anticipate encountering American-style management practices, which have formed the core of the Business courses, when they enter the workforce.