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Looks at the developments in the European Union and their implications for various aspects of business. Examines trends favouring the convergence of European business cultures and contacts them with other changes underpinning cultural diversity. Concludes that the forces leading to uniformity are offset by those extending diversity and that business should continue to respect Europe’s different national and regional cultures.

Initially examines the changing management culture in Germany. Second, it considers the management competencies required within the German organizational environment. Third, it reveals the main changes taking place in the competencies. Finally, it considers whether the changes in competencies are matching those in the culture.

The route into lower and even middle management in West Germany for non‐graduates, all of whom will have completed either a technical or a commercial apprenticeship, is described. The apprenticeship system itself is depicted in brief, but the main body of the article is devoted to the higher vocational qualifications which hold the key to a career in management. It concludes with a discussion on whether or not the holders of these higher vocational qualifications should be regarded as lower or middle managers, and contrasts the upward permeability of West German companies with the situation for similarly‐qualified personnel in France.

The increasingly international character of modern business, together with the entry of the UK into the European Economic Community, have made it virtually imperative for senior managers to command at least one language other than their own. This is true not only for companies “going into Europe” but also for firms in the UK in which European capital has been invested.

The importance of being fluent in another language for success in foreign business has been well documented and highlighted in academic literature. However, so has being fluent in another culture, as far back as the 1950s. What is the current response of organizations operating in the UK to such exigencies? Presents the results of a survey, based on responses from 35 members of the Association of Language Excellence Centres (ALECS) in the UK from both the private and public sector and assesses the level of language and cultural fluency. Indicates that the percentage of British companies carrying out an internal foreign language audit in order to attain fluency in another country′s language is disturbingly low. In addition, those wishing to become culturally fluent are even lower. Concludes by stating that a number of business opportunities are being overlooked, not just for companies but also for training organizations.

Presents an analysis of Austrian top managers and top management teams based on data gathered from Austrian managers in 301 separate organizations. Through the data collected, builds and presents a comprehensive picture of the current state of Austrian management. Also gives a profile of how Austrian managers compare in certain key competence areas with managers from some of the other European countries in which similar research has been conducted. Shows that in general, Austrian management teams have few interpersonal or value‐based interaction difficulties, but that their key problems, and the key development issues facing them, lie in their ability to understand and manage the structure of their organizations, long‐term issues, and the increasingly competitive and global markets and environments into which their companies are entering. Shows that it is these key areas which are the major sources of conflict, sensitivity, and difficulty within Austrian top management teams. Based on these findings, presents some management development recommendations for Austrian managers to assist in broadening their management competences and thus enhancing their personal, organizational, and business success.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the cultural dimensions of corporate political activity (CPA).

The study uses a qualitative research design. Data collected from interviews conducted with the Brussels‐based Government Affairs Managers of French and British firms are analysed to examine the impact of national culture on their objectives and preferred political strategies.

The findings suggest possible relationships between the cultural dimensions elaborated by Hofstede and the different components of corporate political action: uncertainty avoidance can help explain managers' objectives when becoming politically active; the long‐term vs short‐term dimension can account for their general approaches to political activity; their level of participation in the political process can be explained by the individualism vs collectivism dimension; and their choices of specific lobbying tactics and techniques can be explained in terms of power distance.

As firms increasingly interact with foreign rivals when seeking to influence policy outcomes, knowing that corporate political strategies are in part culturally grounded can help Government Affairs Managers to anticipate, respond to and act on the strategies pursued by firms socialised in other national cultures.

While previous mainstream research into CPA is based largely on universal theories, the primary contribution of the paper is to introduce national culture as a variable to explain cross‐country differences in the types and processes of firms' political activities.

In 1997 the Management Charter Initiative (MCI) officially launched the new management NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications), benchmarks which attempted to describe the work performed by British managers. This article is a review of those qualifications. It remembers some of the main problems associated with the original management NVQs and, drawing on some of the best theoretical and empirical accounts of managerial work, argues that the new qualifications have failed to live up to the MCI’s original promise, to assist the development and training of managers.