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The corporate virtual university model outlined in this paper embraces the workplace learning paradigm, but not in an exclusive sense. It seeks to understand the roles of academic and professional institutions as external forces in developing rigorous models of virtual corporate universities that meet the learning needs of individuals and organizations. This approach is enhanced by our ability to support knowledge creation and disseminate knowledge using electronic communications infrastructure.

Uses a literature‐based review to frame the questions for tomorrow’s learning organization (the review is contained in section 2 of Teare et al., The Virtual University: An Action Paradigm and Process for Workplace Learning, Cassell, London, 1998, 351pp.) and some of the applications are related to the pioneering work conducted by the global lodging organization, Marriott International during 1998/1999, in partnership with International Management Centres. The contention is that the multi‐faceted challenges of service leadership, competitiveness, profitability and return on investment, require a highly responsive and supportive learning community. This delivers on the challenges and derives benefits in the form of rapid access and reduced cost, by utilizing a “virtual” network or university design. Depicts a sequence of “change factors”, “enablers” and “impacts” that provide a reference point framework for learning and for focusing on business outcomes. If these are the key deliverables, what kind of learning process is needed to ensure that managerial and organizational activity is properly aligned? It is proposed that work‐based “action learning” is the only sustainable means of building the intellectual capital and competence of the organization so as to achieve its service leadership and business goals.

Explores the changing nature of managerial and organizational work in relation to the opportunities that this affords for learning from change. Examines some of the “drivers” and the sources of “resistance” to change, together with a series of practical steps that might be used to foster a more supportive learning culture in the midst of change. Argues that the logical next step is to create an internal template for learning that mirrors the business challenges and realities and that this first step can be used as a basis for affirming the company’s own agenda for learning via an internal business school structure.

Describes the approach to management development used by the University for Industry (Hospitality Industry ‐ worldwide). This is based on the use of Internet publishing and communications resources to support managers.

At any given time 86 per cent of Buckman Laboratories’ 1,300 employees are out of the office working with customers located in 102 countries. This diverse and dispersed workforce presents special problems for the creation and management of the company’s intellectual capital. Faced with these challenges and the need to bring new knowledge and skills to its employees in a cost effective manner, Buckman Laboratories has created an online, multi‐lingual learning centre.

This paper examines learning‐on‐demand (LOD) ‐ the knowledge‐based learning model; forces for change; early adopters and implementation barriers. According to the authors, LOD reduces knowledge acquisition time, cuts travel costs for both students and teachers, lowers off‐the‐job related expenses, reduces classroom overheads and lowers materials expenses. Through LOD higher‐quality learning improves organizational performance and increases employees’ breadth of knowledge and ability to deploy skills in the service of strategic objectives.

The Internet is becoming increasingly important in our daily lives. So, too, is the ease of communication by means of television. The power of these two technological tools in education has been combined in so‐called ‘flexible learning’. This study investigates the experience of students in a master’s degree programme in taxation, which is presented by means of flexible learning. In general, students experience this mode of learning very positively and would advise others to enrol for the same course. They acknowledge that the benefits of flexible learning far exceed any possible drawbacks.

Describes the evolution of an Internet‐driven dynamic quality assurance system for action learning programmes across the world. It replaced a relatively inefficient paper‐based process and was preceded initially by Bulletin Board/ electronic data interchange procedures. Its success was imperative for a global Business School to comprehend how Sets were proceeding while avoiding “controlling” processes that contradict the action learning paradigm. This was further reinforced in the joint venture between International Management Centres and the University of Surrey, as both were required to meet quality assurance monitoring requirements of disparate agencies globally. When the procedures gained ISO 9002‐accredited status, there was an upsurge in concern to improve further the patterns of Faculty induction and continuous training and development for their facilitation skills through Faculty development scholarships and delivery effectiveness workshops. The approach is now operative for North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, Australasia and Europe.

In establishing an Enterprise School of Management (ESM), an organization needs to utilize its own learning resources and “internalize” the structures, processes, experience and knowledge needed to run its own virtual university (VU) in partnership with the University of Action Learning and other educational and training providers. The aim here is to model the “critical path” in terms of the stages of internalization and key activities involved.