As a result of the many changes which have taken place in the field of management development since the 1960s, a scenario presenting the probable appearance of the discipline in the year 2000 is presented, with evidence from the past and present to support it.

Increasingly, on‐the‐job experiences are being recognised as the most significant source for learning how to perform complex jobs. To accelerate the development of engineers worldwide and to counter the lengthier and less predictable results of “business as usual,” Mobile Oil has taken a...

Four key areas of management development are considered as opportunities for improving performance. These involve the study of colleagues, managers, customers and competitors in a systematic way. Much can be learnt by observing and recording what others do and this knowledge can be applied in...

How to make university‐based executive programmes more effective by making certain design and delivery changes is discussed. It is argued that the programmes can be made more effective by being more practical, learner centred and developmental. Three areas are focused on: programme design, the...

Nominal Group Technique (NGT) minimises many problems associated with conventional interactive group problem solving; however, its verbal inputting feature is unnecessarily limiting. By utilising cards, the Improved Nominal Group Technique (INGT) assures contributor anonymity, adds productive...

As a result of its “stakeholder” approach, human resource development strategies were developed and successfully implemented to serve a most important stakeholder group – the employees – by an international computer corporation. Information about the company and its history is presented,...

It is argued that training programmes about strategic decision making tend to take an analytic approach. In doing so, they simply overlook the surprises and chaos that often characterises strategic discussions; they imply they are not important. Yet it is this discussion process itself that may...

Training, it is claimed, has many meanings. Through examining its goals, its special interpretations are best appreciated. Training with different goals is referred to as different types of training, divided into administrative, professional‐technical, mechanical‐technical and interpersonal....

A nation′s capacity to compete in international markets is influenced by a number of factors including R&D expenditures, radical innovation, productivity, machine tool production and patents. The United States′ declining capacity to dominate selected markets is related to reductions in these...

While most people agree that the inculcation of ethical awareness is desirable, the means of stimulating this awareness vary among companies, industries and cultures. The fundamental question surrounding the difference between social responsibility and ethics is addressed. Guidelines for...