In Memoriam

 

Prof. Dov Elizur

 

Professor Dov Elitzur Z”L (1928-2015) was a renowned and highly prominent researcher in industrial psychology and business administration. He passed away at the age of 93 at his home in Motza Illit, outside Jerusalem. Professor Elitzur was actively involved in research activities up until his passing, collaborating keenly with researchers from Israel and abroad. Professor Elitzur was a founding member of the Graduate School of Business Administration at Bar-Ilan University, and over the many years of his academic career, taught and mentored multitudes of graduate students and fostered the careers of generations of researchers. Among his prominent students were Professors Aharon Zinner, Rami Sagi Z”L, Shmuel Stashevsky and Eyal Yaniv.

 

Professor Elitzur's chief area of ​​expertise was job vocational analysis, based upon his doctoral dissertation work at the University of Amsterdam. He subsequently developed methods and interventions for the Civil Service Commission and joined both the Department of Psychology and the Business School at Bar-Ilan University. Dov also served as a visiting researcher at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Amsterdam.

Professor Elitzur founded two international research organizations and served as their president: the Facet Theory Association and the International Society for the Study of Work and Values (ISSWOV). Both associations continue to thrive and regularly hold international scientific conferences. Dov continued to participate in these conferences in far-flung locations around the globe well into his 90’s – playing an active role in their organization and even convening symposia in his areas of research.

Dov expanded his research interests into a number of diverse areas, such as work motivation, work stress, cooperation in organizations, coping with technology change and work values. He was also one of the first scientists to employ scientific methods in the study of the emerging field of entrepreneurship. His research output yielded over 100 scientific articles in international journals and he published more than ten books. On the occasion of his ninetieth birthday, his students edited a book which included dozens of articles written by Dov, spanning the 60 years of his remarkable research output.

Professor Elitzur was one of the most prominent, worldwide experts in Facet Theory - a unique approach for developing theory and conducting systematic analysis, as propounded sociologist Professor Louis Guttman. Dov incorporated this approach extensively in his research and was invited to lecture and present his applications and various studies at prestigious international research institutions.

Dov was born in Czechoslovakia in 1922 and immigrated to Israel – boarding the last ship to leave Europe in 1939. He studied at the Lifshitz Teachers' Seminary and served as a teacher and educator at an elementary school. To this day, his students remember him as a beloved and special teacher. Dov naturally received the same affection and appreciation from his university students. Dov continued to mentor and supervise graduate students until his last days and supported the publishing of their research. He featured posthumously as a co-author of numerous articles. Many students still regard Dov as their spiritual father and life-time teacher.

Those who knew Dov invariably point to his endless curiosity as one of his most striking characteristics. While this trait propelled Dov to become an inspired scientist, his passion to learn and seek carried well beyond his professional world. He traveled extensively, engaged in long country hikes and cared diligently for his magnificent home garden abounding with many fruit trees, shrubs and flowers.

Professor Elitzur is survived by his devoted wife Mika, two daughters and grandchildren.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Asa Birati Z”L (1933 - 2022)

 

Dr. Asa Birati Z”L (1933 - 2022) studied accounting and completed his Master's and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. His dissertation topic was entitled “A Comparative Study: Cost of Capital in the U.S. and EEC Steel Industry”.

 

Dr. Birati was active in numerous roles and served on numerous committees in addition to his academic duties and activities at Bar-Ilan University. He was a founding committee member of the Graduate School of Business, a Faculty Association member and also voluntary consultant on pension issues, the Bar-Ilan Investment Commission, member of the Professors' Committee Advising the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs, the Wolfson Foundation Center in the Department of Economics, and the Product Development Committee. Dr. Birati served as Deputy Head of the Department of Economics and Business Administration (Bar-Ilan) from 1986-1987.

 

His scientific areas of expertise included: finance and organizational behavior, securities markets in the Western world, financial risk diversification, capital structure and various currencies, and national pension systems in the Western world.

 

Dr. Birati was a leading researcher in the fields of accounting, finance and management. One of the important contributions of his research related to his effective applying of research methods from finance and economics to the analysis of organizational behavior and human resources. Dr. Birati contributed immensely to the development of the unique image and culture of the Graduate School of Business. Throughout his many years as a devoted faculty member in the Department of Economics and, later on, in the School of Business, Dr. Birati spearheaded all the Accounting studies. This included the design and development of curricula, and extended to faculty recruitment and development, as well as the formation of School policy.

 

Dr. Birati was a beloved colleague and dear mentor, pleasant and genial, ever-cheerful and inspiring, always happy and ready to offer help and assistance - be it on issues of finance and pensions or other areas in which he could contribute.