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The effect of wasta on perceived competence and morality in Egypt

The effect of wasta on perceived competence and morality in Egypt Purpose – Wasta is an Arabic word that means the intervention of a patron in favor of a client in attempt to obtain privileges or resources from a third party. In Arab countries, wasta is often used to obtain employment, thus causing unequal opportunity. The purpose of this paper is to study the attributions that people make regarding the competency and morality of wasta users. The main hypothesis is that those that use wasta in obtaining employment will be perceived as less competent and moral than those that do not. Design/methodology/approach – The study is designed as a factorial quasi‐experiment, with three independent variables; wasta , employee qualification and socioeconomic status. The dependent variables are perceived competency and morality. Data were gathered from 421 Egyptian undergraduate business students attending a public and a private university. Findings – In support of the hypotheses, subjects discounted the competency and morality of employees that used wasta to obtain the job. Additionally, subjects from lower socioeconomic groups evaluated wasta users more positively than more affluent subjects. Originality/value – This is the first study that attempts to use attribution theory to examine the effects of wasta on perceptions of competency and morality. The study may be useful in identifying the disadvantages of using wasta , thus reducing its use. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Cross Cultural Management Emerald Publishing

The effect of wasta on perceived competence and morality in Egypt

Ahmed A. Mohamed; Mohamad S. Mohamad
Cross Cultural Management , Volume 18 (4): 14 – Oct 25, 2011
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References (42)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1352-7606
DOI
10.1108/13527601111179492
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – Wasta is an Arabic word that means the intervention of a patron in favor of a client in attempt to obtain privileges or resources from a third party. In Arab countries, wasta is often used to obtain employment, thus causing unequal opportunity. The purpose of this paper is to study the attributions that people make regarding the competency and morality of wasta users. The main hypothesis is that those that use wasta in obtaining employment will be perceived as less competent and moral than those that do not. Design/methodology/approach – The study is designed as a factorial quasi‐experiment, with three independent variables; wasta , employee qualification and socioeconomic status. The dependent variables are perceived competency and morality. Data were gathered from 421 Egyptian undergraduate business students attending a public and a private university. Findings – In support of the hypotheses, subjects discounted the competency and morality of employees that used wasta to obtain the job. Additionally, subjects from lower socioeconomic groups evaluated wasta users more positively than more affluent subjects. Originality/value – This is the first study that attempts to use attribution theory to examine the effects of wasta on perceptions of competency and morality. The study may be useful in identifying the disadvantages of using wasta , thus reducing its use.

Journal

Cross Cultural Management – Emerald Publishing

Published: Oct 25, 2011

Keywords: Egypt; University students; Employment; Human resources; Competences; Business ethics; Wasta; Attribution theory; Human resources in Arab countries

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