introduction(1)

There is a world-wide trend to introduce virtual managementcourses (2). Transnational companies, often global players, expectan increased effectiveness of their virtual management training, bydelivering more training to more students on more subjects, in amore cost-effective way (3). The information society providesmultimedia tools to take on this challenge. (e.g. interactive CDROM's). Increasingly, telelearning resources are produced in thewestern world and, subsequently, ported to other parts of theworld. Global companies face the 'portability problem ': howto transfer telelearning materials to different (training)cultures.

This contribution illustrates by some cases the complexrelationship between virtual management training and culture in aglobal environment, from the perspective of the teacher, thestudent and the portability issue (4).

the teacher's perspective

Most teachers have no experience in the delivery of onlineteaching courses. Or the teachers major focus is on the technologyof the delivery, while neglecting the instructional needs of thestudent. The remote student feels as if he is listening to a'talking head and gets isolated from the real teaching (Schilders,1999, p.98). Due to the differences in teaching styles acrosscultures, miscommunication, loss of quality and inaccuracies mayoccur.

Case China
 "Teaching in China means teaching by authority and evidence,not through doubts and experimentation. I had a package of nice CDROMs and presented them in Shanghai to PhD students. However, theydid not like the interactive presentation. Scientific knowledgeshould be presented without disturbance, like "listening to aclassical concert". (P.Kommers, lecturer Twente University).

the student's perspective

The use of western software in various parts of the world isputting different constraints on students. The western style oftelelearning is based on self-directed learning.

ITC case
 The International Institute for Aerospace Survey and EarthSciences (ITC, Enschede) offers Master and MSc courses to studentsfrom 70 developing countries. In ITC`s multicultural classroomcrucial frictions occur between the teaching style of the countryof origin and The Netherlands (5). Teachers in developing countrieshave a higher status and a formal relationship with the students.The students are not familiar with the teachers role offacilitator. They are not used to…