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The concept of management fashion has become increasingly common in studies of management knowledge diffusion, although rarely applied outside of Western economic settings. In this article we examine the activities of one group of management fashion setters, global management consultancies, and their role in the restructuring of Korean industry following the 1997 economic crisis. We find that large Korean companies made significant use of Western consultancies in the aftermath of the 1997 crisis. However, while the engagement of Western management experts provided an impression of reform, the adoption of consultant-directed change has been variable and consultants faced considerable client resistance to the adoption of new practice. The article explores the reasons underlying the limited embrace of Western consulting expertise in Korea and highlights the implications of the Korean case for management fashion theory.

This paper examines the privatisation of Sydney Airport and the regime of ‘light-handed’ monitoring of service quality and airport charges that followed the sale in 2002. The arguments for privatisation are reviewed, in particular the need for increased competition and/or appropriate regulation where a former public monopoly, such as Sydney Airport, is sold. The aftermath of the privatisation of the airport has led to complaints by the major airlines and consumers of ever increasing charges for use of the airfield and for car parking and other services. This highlights that the ‘light-handed’ monitoring regime has not constrained the airport's ability to charge monopoly rents. The aftermath of privatisation has resulted in labour shedding, outsourcing and a focus on cost minimisation by the airport's management.

The paper examines the interactions between the state, the chaebol and independent trade unions in South Korea from 1945 to 1999 within a political economy framework. It explores four propositions. First, that a more contingent approach is needed to understand the diversity and dynamic nature of environmental forces affecting South Korean industrial relations than the conventional emphasis on rapid industrialisation, Confucian values and anti-communist ideology. Second, that the role of the state has altered since 1987 from one of repression of labour militancy to one of playing a less interventionist role in industrial relations, although the state remains more supportive of the interests of employers. Tbird, that employers, especially familyowned conglomerates or chaebol, play an increasingly central role in industrial relations. Fourth, that economic, social structural and political factors aided the re-emergence of independent trade unions, in particular the development of large-scale heavy and chemical industries in regional industrial estates as part of the process of rapid industrialisation and the movement towards democratic political rule in 1987.