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
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