nment, stress may be especially debilitating when it affects managerial personnel (Naylor, Pritchard, and Ilgen, 1990). When adverse stress related outcomes occur with respect to managerial personnel, negative effects tend to be more widespread within an organization than is the case when other employee groups are affected (Levitt, 1991). Typically, this situation occurs because managers influence a wider span of organizational activities than do other employee groups. With other employee groups, stress outcomes for the organization are more likely to be restricted to specific task areas or to narrow ranges of organizational activity (Levitt, 1991).
Taiwan, Its Economy, and Managerial Stress
Taiwan is one of the world's most rapidly developing economies (The World Bank, 1990). Taiwan pursued economic growth in the 1970s and 1980s primarily through the development of its export trade, and the country continues this approach in the early 1990s (Paxton, 1990). While Taiwan sought external capital for its economic development during this time period, the country typically dissuaded direct foreign investment (Anderson, 1990). In addition to dissuading direct foreign investment, Taiwan also, to a great extent, closed its domestic markets to foreign manufacturers (Boyd, 1990). The dissuading of direct foreign investment, the relatively closed domestic markets, and the growth of the Taiwanese economy combined to create a capital problem for the country, as available loan capital was insufficient to meet the demands of the rapidly growing economy, while the country's protectionist policies discouraged foreign investment. Capital scarcity, thus, threatened the continued rapid development of the Taiwanese economy (Rabushka, 1987).
The combination of the factors described above creates stressful environments for many Taiwanese business managers. On the one hand, the Taiwanese government pressures them to expand to promote growth ...