Management Development in the Pacific during the 1990s: How to Survive with Coconuts

Management development programmes (MDPs) are crucial to developing Pacific island countries. Programme designers must understand the region which comprises thousands of islands spread many miles apart. These countries are influenced by their history of colonial occupation and protection by the British, Germans and Americans. Fiji is unique, being an independent republic and the largest, wealthiest and most influential South Pacific country. Native languages are many, but English is commonly used throughout for government and business - except in French Polynesia. The native population is mainly Polynesian and Melanesian, with a significant minority being Micronesian. Each society has distinct customs, languages and behaviours modified by its national affiliation and geographical location. Early MDPs were modelled on western practices. In the 1990s, MDPs conform to the objectives of aid-granting agencies, their content is oriented towards practical application of management skills, and instruction is conducted observing cultural behaviours and norms