Problems of Management in the 21st Century

167-168

Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page, Vol. 9, No. 3, PMC, 2014

170-172

Authors: Luca Bussotti

Political risk is a concept traditionally related, on the one hand, to the rational calculation of risk in economic activities and, on the other, to a particular historical moment in which it has taken on the characteristics of an autonomous research field. Risk calculation and the management of lucrative activities have illustrious precedents. At the beginning of the 20th century, Max Weber pointed out the necessity to forecast all the possible risks that come from non-economic factors (such as bureaucracy, uncertainty of law and administrative procedures, and so on) before carrying out an economic investment leading to profit (Weber, 1968). However, the actual starting point of a science, related to the management of political risk, dates back to the 1960s (Sottilotta, 2013). The historical context in which this shift occurred can be found in the Cold War and the decolonization era. This epoch used to read political risk as the strategic choice of new Asian and African independent states, which could completely reverse the previous decisions on economic policy, introducing nationalization programmes, which were considered very harmful (see the experience of Chile under Allende, or of many African countries, such as all the former Lusophone colonies, Egypt, Ethiopia and others).

183-196

Authors: Maia Araviashvili

After gaining independence in 1991 Georgia adopted the new constitution, received liberal laws and joined international conventions, which formally guarantee gender equality. However, law regulations do not come in accordance with cultural values, and are not shared by society. Consequently, the problems of gender inequality are still vital issues in Georgian society. Traditionally, informal practice of dowry giving protected women and gave them independence in a new family. Nowadays, in Georgia a daughter and a son formally have equal access to their parent’s inheritance, but there are very rare cases when a woman demands her part of it. This is not justified by society to contend for the inheritance with a brother. Formal institutions are not strong to prevent this economic form of domestic violence. The methodology of the research is complex: expert interviews were recorded and analyzed, to study data about the inheritance registration and court records pertaining to inheritance litigations, the method of content analysis was used; apart from this, ethnographic resources and surveys were examined. The findings of the proposed research article provide a complex picture of this really vital problem still affecting the post-soviet Georgian society.

206-212

Authors: Stephen N. M. Nzuve, Solomon Chepsongol Kelwon

The International Labour Organization and all organizations of human rights advocate against any form of negative attitude in employment based on gender, its terms, promotion and relations. Shop floor employees play a very important role in the daily advancement and profitability of an organisation. The purpose of this study was to establish the attitude of shop floor employees toward women managers in fuel depots in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The study adopted a descriptive survey design with the population consisting of one hundred and ninety three (193) shop floor employees. A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. In total one hundred and twenty one (121) shop floor employees responded yielding a response rate of sixty three percent (63%). The findings of this study indicate that a negative attitude toward woman managers is prevalent in the Fuel Depots of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the fuel depots, the number of women working was less than a third of the males. In spite of this, women managers are rated higher in management qualities and are considered to be more honest, diligent, compassionate, creative and intelligent when compared to their male counterparts. The study recommends a culture change among employees in fuel depots in Lubumbashi in order to enable them perceive women as equal partners at the work place.

232

Authors: Editorial Board

End page, Vol. 9, No. 3, 2014, PMC