The Impact of Culture on Globalisation and Role of Women in Management: The case of the Iranian Hotel Industry

Globalisation manifests in three main dimensions; economic, cultural and political (Martin and Shademan Pajouh, 2011). It has become a contentious political and economic issue changing the way people live and work (Martin, 2013). Whilst it is true that „globalisation‟ is „everywhere‟ the extent of its impact varies between countries, and Iran is a good example of a country which has generally been less exposed to the globalisation process. Globalisation naturally affects some industries more than others and one aspect of Iran exposed to globalisation is its tourist industry. Although Iran has tremendous heritage, its tourism sector has not fully benefitted as such, due to Iran‟s relationship with the West, its location in a region of ongoing tension and conflict, as well as negative media coverage of the country. There is almost no literature on the impact of globalisation in Iran (Pawan, 2001; Namazie, 2007), but it seems wholly unlikely that a country like Iran, could be unaffected by globalisation (Dastmalchian, 2001).This study considers the role of women in senior management in the Iranian hotel sector against the backdrop of globalisation.