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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the peculiarities of human resource management (HRM) practices in Kazakh firms and identify the factors that influence them. Attention is paid to analysis of the country-specific environment, which shapes the peculiarities of HRM and provides discussion on the respective Westernization or localization perspectives.

The paper argues that HRM practices are influenced by a number of factors, some of which are rather specific to Kazakhstan and some are common in a Commonwealth of Independent States’ context. The study uses exploratory research which includes the conduction of a survey, consisting of blocks of questions, for data collection.

The results show that despite dynamic economic growth of Kazakhstan’s economy, HRM practices are still in transition from those of Soviet heritage to ones that exist in Western multinational corporations. They cannot fully match the country’s needs for HRM development. Several recommendations for the future development of HRM in Kazakhstan are made.

The study examines the adaptation of HRM practices to the business environment in Kazakhstan.

The objective of this paper is to compare the management style of marketing managers in Australia with the counterparts in the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Based on the differences in cultural dimensions and context, five hypotheses related to management decision‐making styles were developed and tested by questionnaire survey. Sixty seven valid Australia samples and 104 valid Chinese samples were obtained through mail survey and personal interviews, respectively.

Results show that PRC managers have significantly higher scores in the five management style dimensions (namely: information utilization, complexity, group decision‐making, risk acceptance and technology orientation) than their Australian counterparts.

The research is limited by the small sample size. The findings may be limited by measurement equivalence issues and further investigation of management style differences across more countries is clearly needed.

The findings of this study provide useful insights into the differences in the management style of marketing managers in the two countries. It is possible to predict management style differences based on a comparison of cultural differences in a systematic way.

This paper contributes to the literature in international marketing and management. It is imperative for managers to understand how cultures affect the management style of the managers they interact with as well as their own. The study serves as a guideline for studying other cultures, which is especially relevant for companies that are seeking to expand their strategic alliance operations.

Makes clear the distinction between second versus third‐wave management in higher education. The former management school was developed in the industrial age. The latter doctrine has evolved in the information age where universal accountability will be achieved with computer technology. Second‐wave management is associated with an authority structure, referred to as a political system, bureacratic methodology, hierarchical organizations and situations ethics. Third‐wave management includes an authority structure, described as a management system, systems methodology, human‐scale organizations and moral absolutes. The elements of these will be combined in universities to achieve high output through the pedagogical process.

Argues that, in the world of financial services, many managers find the transition from traditionalist to team player a difficult challenge. Yet quality initiatives demand a team‐based approach, and managers need to do more than simply set up new structures, or flatten hierarchies, to initiate change. The threat to existing structures and styles of management has been researched through questionnaires, in‐depth case studies, and company visits, reaching the conclusion that although great strides have been made, much remains to be done.

This article clears the air around the somewhat fuzzy image of empowerment.

While there has been much conjecture as to the implications of TQM for shopfloor workers, there have been relatively few studies that have investigated shopfloor responses to TQM via in‐depth interviews. Focuses on shopfloor workers who might have been expected to conform to the “solidaristic” stereotype in terms of their orientation to work, because they had traditionally used the group as a source of power against the employer. The expectation was that they would resist any involvement in TQM. The initial response was positive and the paper seeks to explore this finding. It suggests that shopfloor orientations to work within the male‐dominated, well‐paid, unionised manufacturing sector may have moved from an emphasis on collective conflict towards “collective instrumentalism”, which encompasses a shift away from overt conflict, towards uneasy patterns of co‐operation.

Discusses the people side of TQM implementation with reference to organisations and organisation development theorists. Argues that a focus on the individual in the organization, and the organization’s social systems, is the key to TQM success. Provides information on the traditional approach to securing employee commitment to quality and looks at the development of the TQM vision. Concludes that a considerable number of Western managers still cling to an outdated traditional approach.

Progressive stages in the evolution of organizations correspond to progressively deeper aspects of the mind. The stage of task‐based management emphasized the more superficial sensorimotor and concrete thinking capacities; this approach of rigid rules and structures is now unsuited for an increasingly knowledge‐based economy. The next stage, process‐based management, makes greater use of the intellect of organizational members to design, implement, and evaluate systemic productivity improvements. A few organizations today demonstrate the lasting success of values‐based organizing, managing on the level of feelings and ego. The new millennium will see organizations that utilize the deepest level of human consciousness, connecting the human mind to the intelligence of natural law which spontaneously organizes for optimal simplicity, synergy, and holistic progress.

The Chinese fashion market is becoming increasingly important in terms of consumption volume and value. A critical aspect of the Chinese fashion market is the role of the fashion retail buyer; however, there exists little literature on their role and their decision-making process. This paper, therefore, explores the role of Chinese fashion retail buyers, their decision-making process as well as the key factors that influence the retail buyer's decision-making process.

Informed by the inductive approach within Sheth's (1981) framework, in-depth interviews with a number of retail buyers in nine leading fashion companies in China were carried out to explore fashion retail buyers' decision-making processes.

The results show that management mentality, type of merchandise and type of decision context were the most influencing factors regarding merchandise requirements (MRs). Fashion retail buyers in China are substantially restricted by the management style of the firm, which also influences the product mix choice. To evaluate merchandise, fashion buyers take into account consumer demand, company position, geographical differences and fashion trends. In regards to supplier selection, production stability coupled with quality and cost factors become paramount. The study also demonstrates that country of origin (COO) is a less significant factor in the fashion buyer's decision-making process.

This is the first study that explores the fashion retail buyer's decision-making processes in the Chinese market. The results show Chinese fashion buyers' decision-making processes differ significantly from other markets. This paper offers guidelines for an efficient and effective fashion retail buying process in China. The findings offer important avenues for further research and provide insights for fashion professionals in the Chinese and other emerging markets contexts.

The white paper Working for Patients introduced fundholding to general practitioners (GPs), quickly followed by “The New Contract” and the “Patient’s Charter”. All have radically changed the way GP practices are run and managed. In response to increasing demands mechanisms are needed which will harness the motivation and commitment of practice staff. This paper reports the findings of an empirical study into GP practices conducted during 1998. The research aims were to establish the impact of the investors in people (IiP) programme on the attitudes and motivation of staff and examine any links with total quality management (TQM). The findings highlight significant differences between IiP and non‐IiP and raise some interesting issues for practice managers. There is strong evidence to suggest that using IiP as a tool to promote a TQM culture can work, but this is influenced and limited by the management style adopted.