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The academic literature and motivational theory recognise the positive role of motivation on organisational performance and considers personal development as a key motivational factor. In practice, most organisations employ a personal development review (PDR) process to drive and plan the development of their staff. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interrelation and impact of the PDR process, and its elements, on staff motivation.

The study is based on a case study research approach carried out in two large manufacturing-engineering departments of a world-class manufacturing organisation. A survey questionnaire was designed, validated and distributed to the engineering staff and its results were analysed using descriptive statistics.

The study's results indicate that in most of the cases, a PDR process does not by itself motivate staff. But it argues that a poorly designed and conducted PDR process may make motivation, through personal development, difficult to achieve.

This paper provides manufacturing managers with an opportunity to understand whether a common business process (i.e. PDR), and the elements that comprise it, can be employed as a method to aid in the motivation of their staff.

This research expands the current knowledge on motivational and manufacturing management theory by performing an initial and exploratory study that establishes the impact of the PDR process on staff motivation. It is among the very first investigations that correlate the PDR process and motivation, especially in the manufacturing industry.

This paper aims to describe the approach taken by a staff development committee at a large academic library in New Zealand to reinvigorate professional and personal development. It seeks to examine the processes used, projects carried out and to highlight the outcomes.

To identify training needs, a skills and attributes matrix was developed to which current courses were mapped. Priorities identified in the matrix informed the creation of a programme for which courses were commissioned. An orientation programme for new staff was re‐introduced which included the creation of a new staff development and training web site.

The approach taken by the Library Staff Development Advisory Group created a sustainable process, whereby staff development could periodically be reviewed. A relevant staff development programme could be created to meet the most important current training needs of staff. Reintroducing an orientation programme was successful – it was well attended and favourably received by staff.

An in‐depth needs analysis for specialist tasks to identify specific training needs for those areas could be conducted. Measuring the impact of training on services or behaviour has not yet been attempted.

This paper may be useful to any group deciding to review staff development in any workplace and is not restricted to libraries.

The present study examined possible links between elements of perceived procedural justice, global fairness perception and attitudinal measures in a review/development context. Organizational justice and possible correlates were reviewed resulting in four hypotheses. Data was collected from 132 employees of the UK arm of an international new media agency via a web‐based survey. It was found that a psychometric instrument based on Gilliland's (Gilliland, S.W., “The perceived fairness of selection systems: an organizational justice perspective”, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 18 No. 4, 1993, pp. 694‐734) ten rules of procedural justice proved a valuable framework in a review and development context once condensed to a smaller number of factors. Of these, two factors relating to interpersonal effectiveness and formal system characteristics respectively were found to be of importance in predicting fairness ratings of the development process. The impact of 360‐degree feedback on procedural justice perceptions was also examined in between group comparisons. Implications for further research into development techniques using organizational justice frameworks and recommendations for practice were discussed.

This study investigates how university libraries in Nigeria are staffed and presents staff development opportunities and learning activities that sustain staff.

A survey research design was adopted. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 46 universities and 400 respondents consisting of 46 heads of libraries and 354 professionals from federal, state, and private universities. Content of the instrument was based on literature comprising six questions. The 327 (92.4%) usable responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in simple frequency tables.

The study showed that library workforce in Nigerian universities included different categories of professionals and para-professionals having diversified job opportunities and duties. Most libraries had staff development budget and respondents received various forms of assistance to foster learning. Although all nontransferable skills recorded high mean, respondents accorded less importance to nonlibrary personal skills that can be used to leverage the expectations of recruitment, retention, and sustainability.

The study was limited to practicing professionals but has staffing implications for all libraries across Nigeria.

Many professionals may lack the appropriate multi-skills that would enhance exploring new approaches and breaking out of traditional ways of operation in the different library and outside library settings.

The study contributes to knowledge about sustaining library staff in relation to adopting the recommended skills on a broad scale, and assessing how their acquisition can change the perception of professionals to its immense contributions to sustaining them in the workforce.

The employee development initiatives in three retail banks are the focus of this paper. The discussion draws on recent empirical findings to examine the motives and expectations that underpin employee development initiatives, and the underlying assumptions which shape how such initiatives are implemented in practice. The perspective of the organisation in relation to employee development is further enhanced with findings from the perspective of the individual employee. These findings show the impact of employee development initiatives on individuals’ willingness to learn and take personal responsibility for their development. The analysis highlights the nature of the interaction between individual and organisational priorities within development and draws attention to some of the challenges that underpin employee development initiatives. The implications of these challenges for the way organisations design employee development initiatives in the future, and the way we think and research employee development are discussed at the end of the paper.

Reviews some of the key issues and strategies associated with current thinking on management development, starting from the perspective that appropriate management development is a prerequisite to economic success in the 1990s. Since information professionals may be located in a variety of different organizations and in the duration of a career may make several career moves between different organizations and types of employment status, it is important that they share responsibility for their own personal development strategy with that of their employing or contracting organization. Where appropriate, this personal development plan must include management development. Organizations, on the other hand, need to establish appropriate management development programmes to support the development of management skills in all of their managers. Both parties need then, to be committed to management development and need to meet to agree shared objectives for specific time periods. This meeting is often part of an appraisal system. Management development programmes need to take account of national initiatives such as IIP and MCI and may make use of a range of different approaches including mentoring, self‐development, action learning and outdoor development. Concludes with action plans for both individuals and organizations which demonstrate the shared focus but differing perspectives.

BUSINESS SCHOOL GRAFFITI is a highly personal and revealing account of the first ten years (1965–1975) at Britain’s University Business Schools. The progress achieved is documented in a whimsical fashion that makes it highly readable. Gordon Wills has been on the inside throughout the decade and has played a leading role in two of the major Schools. Rather than presuming to present anything as pompous as a complete history of what has happened, he recalls his reactions to problems, issues and events as they confronted him and his colleagues. Lord Franks lit a fuse which set a score of Universities and even more Polytechnics alight. There was to be a bold attempt to produce the management talent that the pundits of the mid‐sixties so clearly felt was needed. Buildings, books, teachers who could teach it all, and students to listen and learn were all required for the boom to happen. The decade saw great progress, but also a rapid decline in the relevancy ethic. It saw a rapid withering of interest by many businessmen more accustomed to and certainly desirous of quick results. University Vice Chancellors, theologians and engineers all had to learn to live with the new and often wealthier if less scholarly faculty members who arrived on campus. The Research Councils had to decide how much cake to allow the Business Schools to eat. Most importantly, the author describes the process of search he went through as an individual in evolving a definition of his own subject and how it can best be forwarded in a University environment. It was a process that carried him from Technical College student in Slough to a position as one of the authorities on his subject today.

Utilising data from 18 in‐depth case studies, this study seeks to explore training, development and human resource development (HRD) practices in European call centres. It aims to argue that the complexity and diversity of training, development and HRD practices is best understood by studying the multilayered contexts within which call centres operate. Call centres operate as open systems and training, development and HRD practices are influenced by environmental, strategic, organisational and temporal conditions.

The study utilised a range of research methods, including in‐depth interviews with multiple stakeholders, documentary analysis and observation. The study was conducted over a two‐year period.

The results indicate that normative models of HRD are not particularly valuable and that training, development and HRD in call centres is emergent and highly complex.

This study represents one of the first studies to investigate training and development and HRD practices and systems in European call centres.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the empirical body of knowledge regarding the role of universities today. In addition, it aims to investigate the topic of personal development planning (PDP) programs, under a different perspective borrowed from marketing theory, namely, the “self‐brand orientation” approach.

The study focused on investigating the core research topics and parameters perceived to be important to students. The theoretical perspectives of PDPs and brand orientation served as conceptual bases, and both have been operationalised through the empirical study conducted.

The study findings reveal a “gap” between today's student needs and what the universities offer. “self‐brand oriented” management, seems to support the development of PDPs in a promising way, since the majority of the students claim that they are willing to participate in such a program.

Because of sample limitations, the findings of the study are not generally applicable. Besides, the topics of PDPs remain unknown to the particular students, since they never had the opportunity to participate in such a program in the past.

This paper can be seen as a guiding work to new means of delivery of PDPs. It contributes to the dialogue under progress regarding the role of the Universities today and the ways by which PDPs will increase their future possibilities.

The contribution of the paper is twofold: it meets students' needs as well as society's requests and allows marketing to make an ethical contribution to higher education.