Studien ämnar undersöka hur kvinnliga projektledare inom konsultbranschen hanterar stereotypa könsbaserade förväntningar i sin yrkesroll. Mycket pekar på att denna bransch har formats av manliga värderingar och det kan därför förväntas att kvinnor som är projektledare upplever att de behöver agera på specifika sätt för att hantera detta och öka sin legitimitet som projektledare. Därför var syftet med denna studie att beskriva hur kvinnliga projektledare hanterar könsroller och stereotypisering i sin yrkesroll genom att intervjua fyra kvinnliga projektledare. Från intervjuerna framkom det att kvinnorna upplevde att det fanns vissa fördomar och förväntningar relaterade till kvinnligt ledarskap som de behövde hantera i sitt arbete. Resultatet från intervjuerna användes sedan för att bygga upp en ny modell som förklarar hur kvinnliga projektledare hanterar stereotypisering. Baserat på intervjuerna blev slutsatsen att kvinnorna hanterade könsbaserade förväntningar på tre olika sätt. Genom maktsträvan, påverkan och rollanpassning.

Kvinnligt ledarskap har studerats under årtionden och en av de mest inflytelserika teoriernaom synen på kvinnliga ledare är “Role Congruity Theory”. Enligt detta ramverköverensstämmer inte kvinnliga könsnormer med normen om ledarskap, vilket påverkarkvinnors möjligheter att bli chefer. Eftersom dessa normer verkar ha förändrats över tid, finnsdock möjligheten att de olika normerna har blivit mer överensstämmande på senare tid. Dennastudie undersöker därför kvalitativt förutsättningar och normer om ledarskap som påverkarkvinnors möjligheter att bli chefer i Sverige idag. Studien baseras på kvinnornas personligaerfarenheter och data har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer som har analyseratsgenom induktiv tematisk analys. Denna metod hittar konkreta exempel på hur sådanaförutsättningar och normer kan se ut i praktiken och abstraherar dem till kategorier. Studiensresultat indikerar både för- och nackdelar för kvinnors förutsättningar på arbetsmarknaden,där upplevelsen om stöd från omgivningen och av att ha samma förutsättningar som sinamanliga kollegor identifierats som fördelar. Vissa gamla strukturer som begränsat kvinnorsmöjligheter att bli chefer lever emellertid kvar. Resultatet belyser också att ett skifte verkar haskett i synen på ledarskap där ett mer demokratiskt och mellanmänskligt ledarskap bliviteftertraktat, vilket utifrån tidigare forskning är egenskaper som är förenliga med kvinnligakönsnormer. Eftersom den nya synen på ledarskap är mer förenlig med kvinnliga egenskaper,indikerar resultaten att kvinnliga könsnormer och normer om ledarskap är mer kongruentaidag. Fortsatta studier behövs dock för att uppskatta i vilken grad detta generaliserar till enbredare samhällsnivå. Studien diskuterar både teoretiska och praktiska implikationer.

This research qualitatively investigates the activities that female Bangladeshi entrepreneurs perform to become successful in their ventures with the support of microfinancing. Microfinancing is a loan transfer of a small amount to a small business borrower who lacks access to commercial banking services and has significantly assisted entrepreneurs. Microfinancing has a positive socio-economic impact on those females who do not have access to traditional banking. In-depth research concerning factors affecting the entrepreneurial intention of females remains relatively scarce. This research examined entrepreneurial work characteristics that assist female entrepreneurs in becoming successful. Based on interviews with 34 female entrepreneurs from the five regions (Dhaka, Tangail, Manikganj, Gazipur, and Cumilla) of Bangladesh between the ages of 27 to 70, this study sought to identify the significant categories of start-up companies related to the development of entrepreneurship among the rural women borrowers through microfinancing (microcredit program). Specifically, this study examined obstacles faced by females of Bangladesh and explored how they overcame those barriers and became successful small business entrepreneurs. A grounded theory approach was used to categorize critical obstructions and facilitating factors, and role congruity theory helped inform the nature of the emerging categories. The top five types of businesses found in this study were room renting, retail store, vegetable business, tailoring business, and livestock farm. The following nine themes emerged from analysis as vital factors influencing the nature and outcome of the small business ventures: 1) the amount of microloan fund, 2) changes in business categories, 3) employees, 4) training and business issues, 5) advantages of microfinancing, 6) disadvantages of microfinancing, 7) sholo shiddhanto (16-decisions), 8) potential unique obstacles, and 9) perceived success.Most importantly, a wide range of advantages was documented. From a role congruity theory perspective, this suggests that microfinancing allows the women to operate their small businesses in a manner that will enable them to maintain high congruity or fit with their family roles and other lifestyle requirements. The findings of this study assisted with a further understanding of this new phenomenon of microfinance entrepreneurial work. This study also illustrates areas needing additional review and research by exploring and deciphering how perceptions and conventions interplay with the specific challenges the women entrepreneurs of Bangladesh face. Theoretical and practical implications for how stories about women entrepreneurs can benefit organizational decision making are also discussed.

The Culturally Responsive Special Education/English as a Second Language (ESL) program was designed to assist students from diverse backgrounds in being academically successful in a large western private university. Utilizing the Cultural Congruity Scale (CCS) and University Environment Scale (UES), this study analyzed the perceptions of 28 students who are ethnically diverse and enrolled in the Culturally Responsive Special Education/ESL Program. The data will be used to evaluate the program's success in addressing the barriers that have historically kept students who are ethnically diverse from succeeding in higher education. Participating students completed CCS and UES surveys questioning their perceptions regarding cultural congruity and how they perceived the university environment. Descriptive data based on responses to survey questions were summarized and examined. Additionally, individual survey items were examined to determine specific areas of student concern. Results from the current sample were compared against the instrument's validating normative sample to find the difference between perceptions of students from a more diverse university setting and this program's ethnically diverse students who are attending a program at a predominately white private institution. Results indicate that the students in the current sample perceive high levels of cultural congruity and positive university environment. Compared with students from a more diverse setting, the current sample perceived similar levels of cultural congruity and significantly greater perceptions of positive university environment.

Women continue to be underrepresented in superintendent roles in public schools. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of women superintendents regarding the professional and personal factors that impacted their ability to be promoted to the position of superintendent in Texas public school districts. I applied role congruity theory (RCT) to participants' shared stories to ascertain how their promotion to the superintendency was affected by gender-related role stereotypes. Based on that lens, my findings revealed that every woman believed both formal and informal mentorship and networking opportunities were critical factors in being promoted to the superintendency and their continued success in that role; they perceived they had control over deciding how to balance family and work-life, they agreed they needed to have a supportive family; they perceived that hard work was directly correlated to promotion to or success in the superintendency, more so than gender. While each of the women may have experienced gender-related issues in their career, none perceived that gender-related issues impacted their ability to be promoted. Most of my participants said the career path they followed was a factor, and suggested that other women should be strategic about which superintendent position they should accept. As a result of my findings, I make recommendations that should be offered to women who want to pursue the superintendency and for future research.

This thesis empirically investigates the impact of an individual’s dominant independent self-construal, interdependent self-construal, cosmopolitan and local orientation on the effect of the four self-congruity types (actual, ideal, social, ideal social) on brand attitude. A widely used practice among marketers focuses on communicating the notion that using their brands will bring consumers closer to how they would like to see themselves, their ideal self-concept (e.g. being a slim person like the models in the ads), instead of how they actually see themselves, their actual self-concept. However, recent research shows that there is no “universality” of a superior self-congruity effect. Specifically, individual-level characteristics (e.g. public self-consciousness) determine whether actual or ideal self-congruity impacts brand perceptions more strongly (Malär et al., 2011). This study extends that research by considering (a) all four self-congruity types and (b) additional individual-level characteristics (independent and interdependent self-construal, cosmopolitan and local orientation), which are valuable for segmenting consumer markets within and across countries. Survey data from a non-student sample were collected in two countries (the US and India). After performing data cleaning procedures, over 800 usable responses in each country were analysed with the use of PLS-SEM. The findings show that, as expected, these individual-level characteristics have an impact in regard to which of the four self-congruity types has the strongest effect on brand attitude. For instance, for individuals with a local orientation or interdependent self-construal, actual self-congruity has the strongest effect on brand attitude. These findings extend self-congruity theory by considering how an individual’s dominant independent and interdependent self-construal, cosmopolitan and local orientation impact the effect of the four self-congruity types on brand attitude. Moreover, the findings offer marketers insights into which self-concept type they should try to match with their brand communications when targeting these specific consumer groups. Details on the contributions as well as managerial implications are presented.

This thesis investigates a generalisable cross-cultural model for brand loyalty by integrating extant theories of personal cultural orientation (of individualism and collectivism), self-congruity (actual, ideal, social, and ideal social self-congurity), customer satisfaction, attitudinal brand loyalty, and behavioural brand loyalty. Creating brand loyalty is a key branding issue in modern marketing. Brands are faced with the challenge of building, maintaining, and increasing their capacity to drive customer loyalty across borders with consumers of different cultures. Notwithstanding the growth of culturally centered brand loyalty research, the focus of research today continues to be on cross-cultural differences, often overlooking the generalisable cross-cultural path to consumer brand loyalty. This study instead addresses this overlooked topic of cross-cultural generalisabilities across nations. To assess the cross-cultural generalisability of the conceptual model, survey data from a non-student sample were collected from middle-class, Generation Y individuals of the relevant nationality who have always lived in China, Singapore, or the United States. After performing data cleaning procedures, 541 usable responses from three countries were analysed with the use of the SEM model. The findings show that the personal cultural orientation of collectivism has a positive effect on behavioural brand loyalty through ideal social self-congruity, customer satisfaction, and attitudinal brand loyalty. These findings extend brand loyalty research by considering how an individual’s personal cultural orientation impacts brand loyalty. Moreover, the findings offer marketers increased insight into consumers’ brand loyalty formation process in cross-cultural contexts. The limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also presented.

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