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A general survey on perceptions of national management style was given to 729 managers representing diverse industries from the five Pacific Rim countries of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Results of a discriminant analysis on eight survey items related to the management of training provided strong support for the divergence perspective in international management - culturally based differences persist that result in distinct management style behaviours among countries. Furthermore, these differences likely translate into distinct differences in expectations and preferences for the optimal delivery of employee training, thus suggesting important reservations about the cross-cultural transferability of commonly recommended training practices. When planning foreign direct investment, international firms, local country officials, and vocational training professionals should consider these differences for optimal labour force preparation, development, and utilisation.