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The Asia‐Pacific region today is swept by an unprecedented rate of change, complexity, interconnectedness, and uncertainty. Now perhaps more than at any other time since World War II, the region is becoming acutely aware of its ethnic diversity, its ideological jumble, and its political mélange – all of which increase its vulnerability in the emerging world order. There is also a simultaneous need for recognition of the areas of commonalty and of the potential of the Asia Pacific region for organizing itself into a legitimate counterweight to the two trading communities from the West – the European Community (EC) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Against this background, this article examines some of the common features in quality management for global competitiveness and relates them to themes such as the management practices and metaphysical belief systems of the Asia Pacific region. Implications for the future are discussed.

Is leadership theory ready for a major reappraisal? Theories of leadership are explored through underlying sets of assumptions (basic frameworks or paradigms). The result is a convenient way of negotiating a vast body of literature. This meta‐analysis offers scope for further research, and linkages between theory and practice. For example, charismatic theory is identified as being ripe for paradigm shift.

This paper aims to present a professional and personal tribute to Professor Jerry Hunt, one of the distinguished scholars in leadership and organization studies and to offer glimpses of many of his distinctly eminent qualities as a scholar, a teacher, and as a mentor.

This paper draws on the author's personal experiences and observations to present a commentary on Professor Hunt's style of work and his approach to mentoring doctoral students and resolving complex problems. Set against the backdrop of the evolution of the field over the last three decades, the paper addresses some of the human, cultural, and collegial aspects of life in academia.

Professor Hunt's dedication infused a new lease of life to the field of leadership at a time of declining interest in the field as an area of scholarly inquiry. His lifetime contributions as an editor, scholar, and mentor are as enduring as they deserve to be commended.

The paper serves to illustrate the role of commitment, humility, objectivity, and a sense of humor in the shaping of a distinguished academic career.

An intensely personal account of the human and professional attributes of a world‐renowned scholar is offered. Some broad‐brush strokes of life in academia and of the course of evolution of leadership as a field of inquiry should be useful for potential new entrants as well as established players in the field.

China and India, increasingly referred to as the world's emerging giants among emerging economies, represent the second and fourth largest economies in the world, respectively. This paper seeks to provide a comparative assessment of these two countries on selected measures on economic growth and social development.

The paper's approach is a discussion, providing a brief introduction to the approach taken by India and China in pursuing economic growth and social welfare measures. The discussion then focuses on the relationship between economic liberalization and social development against a backdrop of relevant concepts and arguments from the literature. Comparative profiles of India and China on select dimensions using data from World Economic Indicators and other sources are provided.

The paper finds that it is clear that there are areas where India can learn from China and vice versa.

The paper illustrates that these two countries offer a potentially rich and useful canvas for exploring the social implications of free market capitalism.

The centralized, command models emphasized social welfare and equity, whereas in free market conditions, the market participants are primarily governed by the demand and supply factors and their objective of wealth maximization. The tension between these two approaches is most evident in the structure and organization of financial markets. This paper presents an analysis and examination of the feasibility of the commonweal principle in free market environments and offers a preliminary empirical approach to investigate this issue further.

Attempts to position TQM in relation to well‐established theoretical and conceptual constructs in management theory literature. Argues that this needs to be done to prevent TQM from sharing the same fate as other management fads that have, over the years, come, reigned at the height of their glory, and finally disappeared into oblivion. Towards this end, a dialectic analysis of TQM is presented by relating it to four well‐established dichotomies in management theory: co‐operative versus conflict ethic; organic versus mechanistic structure; universal versus contingent orientation; and theory versus practice focus. Presents implications and agenda for the future.

The mechanical properties of FRP composites have a remarkable scatter, even when the specimens are prepared and tested under identical conditions. Proposes a new computerized method for estimating accurately the parameters (X₀, α, β) of Weibull distribution function. Calculates the safe design of fatigue life data of glass fibre (ER 1150 F‐183) reinforced polyester (Q 8520 A) pultruded composite rods using the time to first failure (TTFF) concept. The shape parameter of a two‐parameter Weibull distribution function is the major limiting factor for the reliability analysis by this method. Shows that the penalty paid to gain a certain reliability and confidence level for static strength and fatigue life was decreased by increasing fibre volume fractions of GFRP composite rods. Indicates that the area under the curves of master diagrams were decreased by increasing the value of reliability (probability of survivability) of GFRP composite rods.