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Building on the work of Berlew and Hall (1966),who found significant positive relationships between the difficulty of first jobs and later managerial success, this study of graduating seniors in business administration explores the attitudes of business graduates toward difficult training characterized by qualified trainee failures. Murkison (1986) reported positive relationships between training in which high attrition rates occured and later success in administrative positions, but no work has been found that determines the willingness of recent college graduates to undergo such training experiences. It appears that we need an answer to this question since there are now articles appearing in the popular (Black 1988) and business press (Phalon 1987) having to do with difficult managerial training. The ever‐present Japanese seem to have a head start here according to Waldman (1988).A successful effort to develop a reliable scale to measure predisposition toward difficult training is reported. Results of this study indicate that willingness levels are higher for males, persons with higher grades in college, and for those whose hometowns are very small or very large. Directions for future research are proposed.

A survey of three organizations that had been recently acquired was conducted. The three firms were different in size and purpose. Based on the method of carrying out the acquisitions, there were significantly differing results in levels of job satisfaction, reported staying and leaving behavior, and post‐merger productivity. Recommendations concerning Management and, specifically, Human Resources Department interventions are made.

This exploratory study describes an empirical comparison of organization citizenship behavior (OCB) between samples from the United States and Romania. The economic and work environment distance between the U.S. and Romania was theorized to result in a dissimilar structure and strength of good citizenship behaviors and differential contributions of OCB to productivity. Data from Romania produced a unique factor structure with lower factor scores than those of the comparable organization in the United States. The citizenship behaviors in both countries were positively related to productivity, but links were stronger in the U.S. There were significant differences in the individual citizenship behaviors and productivity between the U.S. and Romania. National and organizational cultures appear to be significant determinants of OCB. The results are interpreted with respect to the stage of development, histories, and economies of the two countries.

A field study was conducted to investigate the methods used by subordinate managers to influence superiors. Unlike previous upward influence studies, the investigation provides a detailed picture of upward influence approaches, addresses the issue of how managers combine influence tactics, and examines both the short‐ and long‐term outcomes of successful and unsuccessful influence episodes. Successful influence attempts were found to enhance long‐term influence, to encourage managers to become more active in trying to influence superiors, and to be associated with increased earnings, advancement, and improved confidence.