A key ingredient in the knowledge economy is the development of people's careers. Companies approach career development in a variety of ways. To better understand how these approaches fit together and how they are used to address different situations, the authors surveyed 194 United Kingdom companies and identified five groups of practices. These groups were associated with certain organizational characteristics. Drawing on concepts from the careers literature, the authors suggest a two-dimensional model to explore how these groups of practices can be systematically understood and applied.

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E ducation is a key element in achieving individual development and life success. The Master in Business Adminis tration (MBA) degree is a widely accepted quali® cation in business management, recognised around the globe. As such, it is expected to lead to enhanced managerial success, though this is not universally accepted. The aim of this article is to examine the impact of an MBA degree on manageria l performance and career success.Though there have been investigations into the effects of MBA studies, most published reports have focused on the MBA graduates alone. We know of no work published to date that has compared a population of MBAs with their colleagues who lack simila r qualifications. This study was undertaken to fill that gap, in order to more accurately quantify the effect of an MBA on job performance.The MBA degree arose, in part, to create a base for managerial professionalism and to provide a conduit for disseminating scienti® c advances resulting from inquiry into the ® eld. Management is a relatively new academic discipline, with some still questioning whether it is an academic discipline at all, and management as a profession is in many ways different from any other. Where there are many vocationally chartered professions such as the law, medicine and accountancy, the de® nition of the term `manager' is less clear and there is no formal or necessary chartered quali® cation in management.Having an MBA is perceived by many as a passport to senior managerial roles and a `fast track' career. Prospective students are typically concerned with acquiring managerial competencies quickly and ef® ciently, and thus `leapfrogging' peers and improving career prospects. Ascher (1984) studied graduates of four leading UK business schools in the early 1980s: Aston, Bradford, London Business School (LBS) and Manchester Business School (MBS). In that study, the reasons most frequently cited by candidates for undertaking the MBA course were: improved job opportunities, followed by a wish to change career direction, obtain general business knowledge, experience intellectual stimulation, improve earnings and increase self-con® dence. Similar possible motivations are cited by Carnall (1992): MBA degrees are perceived as a `ticket' to increased salary, enhanced career progress, advanced knowledge and skills, and sometimes even as a pre-requisite for joining upper managerial ranks. Luker, Bowers and Powers (1989) have also cited attaining longer-term career objectives, including opportunities for advancement and remaining competitive in the labour market, as important motivations.Increase in salary can be another important motivating element (MacErlean, 1993). Forrester (1986), in a study of 1,127 LBS graduates, reported substantial increases in salaries post-MBA, ranging from 24-45 per cent above pre-MBA salaries. More recent surveys, mainly of managers undertaking part-time MBA programmes, conducted by the UK Association of MBAs (Scho® eld, 1996) found that within 18 months, half of MBA graduates were promoted and h...

In this article we present expatriate management policies and practices of 136 large multinational companies (MNCs) based in four different countries: Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The fi ndings we focus on include staffi ng, selection, training, and success. By analyzing our own results as well as comparing them to previous fi ndings, we examine the changes in expatriate practices over time. In the managerial and research implications sections, we share additional fi ndings and our thoughts about future issues and trends in expatriation.

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