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Employee involvement in the design and implementation of industrial training programs often reflects the culture, language and specific managerial interests of those designing the program, as opposed to learner‐employees outside the boundaries of the design team. This article provides insight into how some organisations view this issue and what specific tools some are championing to launch programs that will have greater impact and success.

Sweeping changes in the attitude of senior managers at leading corporations towards the educational needs of employee children are evident. In just the past two years, hundreds of corporate‐ sponsored day care centres have opened throughout Western Europe and North America, and several multinational corporations have launched innovative programmes aimed at ensuring that employees children will be able to attend the high schools and universities of their choice.

The process of aging has been called many things, but almost never is it referred to as pleasant. In large measure this is because the process of growing older is disproportionately shaped by three factors regardless of citizenship:

South Korea is set to become the “next giant of Asia”. A strong industrial base, driven workforce and widespread government subsidies have allowed major chaebols (conglomerates) to make significant gains in the global arena, but at some expense. Labour unrest is sporadic but serious, environmental abuses are generating consumer outrage, and smaller Korean businesses are concerned about concentrated wealth and power in companies such as Hyundai, Samsung and Lucky‐Gold Star. Discusses the evolution of the Korean economic miracle and offers insight as to potential hurdles in the years ahead if that momentum is to be sustained.

Analyses the psychological harm to employees in the aftermath of workplace trauma and the comparative responses of managers at two large corporations where workers were traumatized. Notes that individual responses to acute trauma vary considerably; some employees deny symptoms of anxiety which are manifest after a troublesome event, while others openly seek counselling. Similarly, the responses of executives towards the management of workplace trauma also differ. Points out that with US worker compensation claims increasing by 100 per cent in the past six years there is a clarion need for management to examine how well they have prepared their entire staff for the potentiality that a traumatic event could cause chaos for all levels of the organization.

Despite a global shift towards democracy, terrorism targeting corporations continues at an alarming rate. British, American and Japanese corporations in particular have been the victims of an increasing number of bombings, kidnappings, cases of extortion and other serious criminal acts. Unfortunately, many managers lack the formal training necessary to launch a proactive programme which protects assets and personnel against a potential terrorist. Analyses the motivations which prompt industrial terrorism and presents a model that details how managers can assess the organizational security measures which are needed.

At no time is professional training more important for employees than during difficult economic periods. With smaller budgets and a reduced workforce, management can introduce professional training programmes as a means of increasing staff morale while concurrently communicating a message that management does care. Profiles a major hotel/casino in Las Vegas, Nevade (USA) in a detailed case study; a survey indicates that managers perceive a significant need for communication training.

In February 1990, French‐based Perrier voluntarily recalled 70 million bottles of water products after detecting abnormal traces of benzene. In addition to management problems associated with regulators, a scrutinising press and the consuming public, this industrial crisis led to at least $40 million in lost sales. The stock value of Perrier also declined markedly due to the recall. Company officials acted quickly to contain the damage by launching a public relations campaign; however, residual damage in retail and restaurant sales persist.

The systematic stealing of patents, copyright ownership and industrial secrets remain a complex and costly dilemma for corporate interests worldwide. Analyses the role which organizations in the Pacific Region have played, both in the cause and control of these abuses. Western manufacturers, artists and writers have charged that interests in Japan, Korea, Singapore and other nations have repeatedly copied software, musical compositions, patents and other intellectual products and that government punishment against perpetrators of these acts has been virtually non‐existent. Further, industrial spying remains a serious threat to the viability of numerous emerging companies lacking sophisticated preventive measures. These companies are vulnerable to legal manoeuvres which have effectively negated any attempt to protect one′s own creations. Concludes with the identification of typologies of these violations so that readers can implement strategic, preventive measures.

For decades, managers around the globe assumed that “crisis management” referred to the sudden appearance of a television reporter enquiring about an impropriety at company headquarters. The decade now ending has witnessed a broader definition of crisis management, as public expectations of corporate behaviour on each continent has given rise to the need for proactive crisis management planning, an attribute some companies have sought too late and others too hurriedly. “Rules” of crisis management have little scholarly value, but some suggestions are offered.