These papers explore the interplay among country and company cultures, examine corporate strategy and identify the stage that company and business unit development has reached. The contributors offer a deeper understanding of multinational and global leadership issues.

Part 1 Foundations of global leadership: introduction, P.W. Dorfman; strategic leadership in global business organizations - building trust and social capital, M.A. Hitt et al; issue leadership theory and its implications to global settings, K. Baik; global talentship - toward a decision science connecting talent to strategic business success, J.W. Boudreau et al; competence not competencies, G.P. Hollenbeck, M.W. McCall, Jr. Part 2 Cross cultural perspectives: introduction, P.W. Dorfman; influence tactics across 12 cultures, J.C. Kennedy et al; cultural adaptability and leading across cultures, J.J. Deal et al; leaders' sources of guidance and the challenge of working across cultures, P.B. Smith; the Chinese leadership theory, Wenquan Ling, Liluo Fang; corporate culture and organizational effectiveness - is there a similar pattern around the world?, D.R. Denison et al. Part 3 Processes, practice and developing global leaders: introduction, W.H. Mobley; strategic management of global leadership talent, E.B. Sloan et al; creating and sustaining balance in global businesses - a practitioner view, J. Hofmeister, S. Parker; influence at a distance: leadership in global virtual teams, D.D. Davis, J. Bryant; developing global managers - integrating theory, behavior, data and performance, J.J. Distefano, M.L. Maznevski; leadership development in Asia - a personal view, L.E. Laddin.