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This paper presents a conceptual analysis of time within a business‐to‐business financial services context. No study has attempted to do this in the financial services sector. We discuss the methodological debate, literature on temporality and multi‐disciplinary conceptualisations of time. Time as it operates in business relationships is also considered. We analyse effect and problems of the present, past and future in business relationships, and evaluate how these critical temporal junctures affect exchange, relationship development, and the internal and external effectiveness of companies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the resolution of the conflicts which arise out of different temporal perceptions and needs, an examination of those conflicts, and managerial applications for effective management of the alignment of time between interacting organisations.

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.

Religion and religious people have been viewed as detrimental to human and social progress. In a now classic case, Edward Gibbon's The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire held the blame for the decline of the Roman Empire squarely upon Christianity. But, among the great variety of denunciations of religion, perhaps the most acerbic criticism came from the pen of Karl Marx. He wrote:

This article is based on the premise that traditional management development activities have failed to give organisations the results they require. It develops the idea that management development will only be successful if it is more closely linked to corporate strategy, and that a thorough understanding of the organisation′s mission, strategy, culture, operations and structure is essential for this to take place. This necessitates a change of emphasis and role for the management development professional, and there are messages for both chief executives and management development professionals as to how these changes might take place.

As the world becomes more of a global market rather than a collection of separate markets it is important for MNEs to develop international managers who can be safely moved between different national, cultural and business environments. It is suggested that involving managers in formulating and implementing international corporate strategy (in this case market entry strategy) contributes directly to the international management development process. This is primarily derived from manager involvement in the solving of problems in cross‐cultural communication, through experiential learning and through being forced to use a high level of imagination and entrepreneurship. It is argued that “hands on” experience in the market entry process is one of the most effective ways to develop this relevant management expertise, but that this can, however, bring about unfortunate results if managers are not prepared properly. A case history shows the benefits and drawbacks associated with this kind of development, and the implications for the development of international managers.

I should like to make a few comments on the successful businessman or woman. I come from the school of thought which says that you learn business by doing it, that management is mainly achieved by wide and diverse management experiences. People are to be judged on their track record — what they actually achieve — rather than by what they have on pieces of paper, or how they display their goods in the shop window.