In the management literature, authority is generally defined as, or confused with, power (legitimate or otherwise) on the one hand, or (less frequently) attributed to subordinate concession on the other. In short, authority is thought to have two faces. The aim of the present paper is to demonstrate the confusions surrounding the use of authority and to suggest that more attention should be directed to the important differences between authority, power and legitimacy. An analysis of managerial authority is discussed that argues for the crucial relationship, recognised by the ancients, between authority and rhetoric. Authority, it is argued, is not legitimate power but a source of power and is established by effective rhetoric.

Business enterprises worldwide have recognised that linking green objectives to profit goals can be a source of competitive advantage. This paper outlines the forces inducing corporations to adopt proactive stances to environmental strategic postures and the arguments for and against such postures. It presents an expanded concept of efficiency management and a related menu of environmental strategies that corporations can adopt. Empirical evidence of the environmental strategies that are being used and their outcomes is drawn from leading international hotel corporations and from smaller enterprises in this industry and the implications are discussed.

Despite thousands of years of interest, there is no standardised definition of organisational politics. This paper attempts to integrate different accounts of organisational politics through the development of a multi-level definition. A two-stage field study showed that political activities observed in the workplace can be fully captured by defining organisational politics relative to organisational efficiency at the level of the organisation, the group and the individual.

Most international students entering RMIT's MBA program have relatively limited work experience and lack self-presentation skills. Some shortcomings in self-confidence in a western culture, job-seeking skills, networking experience and personal presentation skills are also evident. In these qualities the international students are notably different from the older Australian part-time students with whom they study. This visible diversity provided the catalyst for developing several “internationalising components” to better meet the needs of international students to enable international students to present themselves as informed, capable, culturally aware and desirable graduates. This paper describes how program changes were made with the objectives of building team interaction and problem solving skills, as well as cross-cultural awareness, building self-awareness of “me as a manager in the global marketplace” and exploring cultural diversity in business practices. In addition, the “competencies” stream was modified, with emphasis being placed on students' ability to assess the appropriateness and cultural fit of western models and theories in their own countries.