General systems theory offers one perspective for defining and understanding the problems that organisations face. The author presents a set of systems problem‐solving principles, and offers a procedure which might be useful when conventional problem‐solving has not been totally successful....

A light‐hearted and humorous look at fad labelling is presented in this article. A fad is a “transient enthusiasm”. When used as a protective measure, fads can help kill bad ideas early. However, ew and creative good ideas are also at risk of becoming fads. In order to gain acceptance, new...

Possible responses to a changing world are looked at in terms of an amusing case study and analysed from the viewpoints first of total quality management (statistical process control, variables and attributes analyses, very important people) and then of marketing strategy (quality as competitive...

In the person of Emperor Ch’in Shihuang China had one of the greatest managers of all time. In spite of its history, however, today China is in serious need of management reform. The article highlights communication and co‐ordination problems in Chinese service organisations. The present...

The role of the adviser to management is a crucial one in introducing change to a business. The six main approaches by which advisers approach clients, individual, interpersonal, structural, socio‐technical, conflict and information developments, are outlined and explained.

A management summary of the theory and propositions with regard to the engineering of vision and culture in “corporate entities” is provided. It has been based on a book of the same title by the author, published in 1989 by Heinemann in the United Kingdom. In addition, a number of...

Presents the theory of learned helplessness as a framework for diagnosing problems and planning remedial action in organizations. Discusses the elements of a successful change strategy and focuses attention on interventions designed to disconfirm expectations of on‐contingency between response...

Change should not occur in a vacuum, but should be part of the strategic management process of an organization. In other words, change should be directed towards the achievement of an organization′s objectives. Examines some of the variables involved in implementing strategic change.

Over the last few years, governments, the public and private sectors, and international trading partners, have and are enforcing “ISO certification” and other similar quality standards as a requirement for doing business and often demand ISO 9000 accreditation as a prerequisite in their...

Throughout the growth period of Japanese manufactured exports, from the 1960s to the late 1980s, cultural arguments abounded to explain the influence of Japanese management practices and their role in Japan’s competitiveness. The conclusions drawn were that Japanese organisations and...