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Extensive literature exists into discrimination in selection in the fields of psychology, social psychology and sociology. This research focuses mainly on domestic appointments and does not consider the nature of selection for international appointments. Discusses the findings of a study into potential gender bias in international manager selection systems. In particular, it discusses the use of repertory grid technique to elicit the personal constructs of selectors for international appointments and to assess how these might influence the numbers of women entering international management positions.

Reviews the literature on the issues confronting female international managers. Considers first the changing role of management, international selection procedures and career development issues. Secondly, examines barriers to women in management within home country environments, showing how phenomena such as occupational segregation and perceptual differences can affect women′s opportunities for entry into international assignments. Specific factors operating at international level include host country cultural sanctions and dual career problems. Recent research evidence, however, questions the assumption that women are unsuited to international management by stressing women′s superior interpersonal skills and increased visibility as significant advantages. In addition, a new commitment to resolving dual‐career issues is apparent as a result of an increasing reluctance to move by potential male expatriates. Is the problem, therefore, more a case of home country corporate culture determining access to, and subsequent success in, international assignments for women?

This paper argues that both the impact of gender and work‐family conflict itself are likely to increase in international working scenarios, which may involve the physical relocation of the entire family. In such cases, the boundaries between work and home become blurred due to the involvement of the whole family and there is often disruption of traditional family roles, causing increasing stress. Work demands are also likely to increase for the female expatriate due to the combined effect of role and culture novelty, thus enhancing the possibility of work‐family conflict. The impact of gender role theory is apparent in three key areas: work, partner and family.

Recent research findings have indicated that host country cultural sanctions and dual‐career couple restrictions may not be such powerful determinants of women′s participation in international management as previously thought. Examines the complex dynamics between formal and informal organizational policies and practices and their impact on women′s perceptions of probable success in obtaining international management positions. Suggests that home country organizations may play a critical role in determining the level of participation. Points to a need for further research in this area.

The article builds upon recent developments in feminist theories as they were adopted in organization studies to review the state of research into women in MNCs and to offer new directions for the study of MNCs as “gendering organizations,” both as they are shaped by gender relations and are active agents in constructing gender categories, division of labor, images, and inequalities. Juxtaposing insights from gender studies and International Business and Management, the article offers a new agenda for the studies of corporate internationalization and its social consequences.

This article deals with the importance of managing cultural differences in developing countries for twenty‐first century organisations. With increasing business globalisation and different cultures we have in this world, maintaining and managing cultural differences becomes a challenge for managers and supervisors in the twenty‐first century. Thus, managing cultural differences is an essential skill all managers must master if they are to be successful in the global marketplace. This article also addresses how lack of understanding of cultural differences can cause serious mis‐communication, which can hinder the growth and the productivity of an organisation or company. It looks at how one’s own culture plays an important role in the way one manages, one must strive to learn, not only about the different culture which exists in the country where one wants to do business, but also, how to see one’s own culture in an objective manner. Finally, the article concludes by stressing why organisational leadership in a developing country requires a strong commitment to a high standard of conduct and being able to design and implement a bottom‐up management system which includes a two‐way exchange of ideas, values innovation and creativity that nurtures flexibility and offers members the freedom to experiment.

Accompanying the growing use of teams in the workplace, Belbin’s diagnostic instrument for team role self‐perception is now widely used for a variety of practical management development purposes, including putting together “balanced” teams. Despite the claims of some purists that Belbin’s instrument lacks a strong theoretical underpinning, it fills an apparent void in practical teamworking literature, even though its applicability is not well understood. This study uses data from 43 teams of MBA students performing a project management simulation exercise, and finds no significant relationship between team role balance and team performance. Nevertheless, the study shows that the presence or absence of some individual roles can have a positive or negative effect on performance.

Examines the issues involved in providing relevant cross‐cultural training to MBA students, the epitome of the “new” international manager. In particular, it addresses the pedagogical challenges of moving students away from a reliance on “hard” skills to a facility with “soft” skills.