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The relationship between learning theory and training practice continues to attract attention. That theories find their way into concrete practice is clear, but whether individual trainers have a real awareness of the theory or theories which influence their methods is not clear. In this paper schools of learning theory are briefly described, and an attempt is made to establish the ways in which these theories have influenced training methods.

“The destiny of the great majority of this planet's doubled and trebled population might be to live unemployed in shanty towns, subsisting on inadequate dole which would be given grudgingly by the productive minority, who would themselves be living in fear of being massacred by the resentful unemployed majority…”. Toynbee's frightening scenario seems remote from today's reality, but “mass unemployment” is even now seen by our politicians as the nation's most pressing problem. Despite short‐term palliative measures, it seems clear from emerging trends that unemployment, caused by inexorable technological progress and the consequent reduction of the need for human involvement in work processes will double or treble before the end of this century.

While it is impossible to measure with any degree of certainty the efficiency and effectiveness of a national public administration system, there is evidence – empirical and impressionistic – to suggest that in many African countries the situation gives serious cause for concern. It is argued that African administrators face problems of a type and a degree of seriousness not experienced by their counterparts in the wealthy developed nations. These factors should be taken into consideration when judgements about organisational performance are made.

In a previous article I attempted to relate training practices to some theories of learning. I concluded that although trainers may not, for a variety of reasons, consistently base their training methods on particular theories, nevertheless it does seem that theories do influence practice. I believe this reflects the concern for a more professional approach and a growing appreciation among trainers of the practical relevance of theories of learning.

Contends that the vacuum left by the collapse of colonial empires has been filled by new forms of cultural and ideological imperialism conceived largely in the West. Signs of the new imperialism are to be found in many fields including human resource management. Explores this theme, focusing particularly on ideas about leadership. Examines leadership patterns in East Asia and Africa. Suggests that no single model of leadership can accommodate significant variations in societal culture and their influence on organizational behaviour.

Action learning is presented by its originator, Reg Revans, as an ancient idea. But for those who encounter it for the first time it may be difficult to grasp for several reasons. In this article the author describes the reactions to a visit to Sri Lanka by Revans, and identifies several issues which seemed to emerge as he talked about action learning to a variety of managers and management teachers. These issues may be barriers to understanding its concepts and potential. The author makes several suggestions for minimising these barriers.

Reviews the development of systems and techniques in the hospitality industry. Describes the transfer of quality management applications from the manufacturing sector to hospitality and discusses their further development to cope with the diverse, tangible/intangible product mix. Also deals with the repertoire of techniques which have grown up within the industry.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

In the next millennium there will be more large firms in the hospitality industry, and these large firms will get larger. But despite the fact that we have had such chains for nearly 50 years, we know remarkably little about the operational management of chains. This article considers the importance of chain operations and reviews alternative theoretical perspectives on how such chains should be managed. It proposes a new model of multi‐unit management based around six key activities – integration, location, configuration, organisation, implementation and adaptation.

Reconciles the traditional view of hospitality operations based on process analysis, with the more recent output‐based model, by identifying four levels of hospitality operations management. Process analysis is appropriate for understanding operating systems; and output analysis for operational management.