The fourth edition of this text for first-year undergraduate students of principles of management has an increased emphasis on skills and applications. A strong international focus, reflected in the integrative case studies and "practising manager" profiles, combined with discussions on new and emerging concepts, aims to prepare students for the realities of management in the 1990s. Many real-world examples are integrated throughout the text, which explores the contemporary issues of global operations, managerial ethics, social responsibility and technological innovation, and stresses the challenges that face managers in the years ahead. Theoretical concepts of management are related and applied to the actual practice of management in a broad range of organizational settings.