ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to map the variety of forms such strategic learning initiatives commonly take. As with many apparently novel managerial initiatives, the roots of the contemporary corporate university (CU) movement can be traced through the course of industrial society. The chapter illustrates the very range and variety of initiatives flying the CU flag in its diverse symbolic, organizational and managerial aspects. The factors that have led to the emergence of CUs in the private sector have in several respects been mirrored in the public sector too. The governance and management processes may be different, but many of the imperatives are seen to be similar: keeping pace in a knowledge-based society, the frequent reform and restructuring of institutions, the commitment to an e-society and the increased concern for demonstrable quality improvement in education. The chapter points out a number of formative decisions concerning the function, the form and the funding of CUs through which CU is located, shaped and oriented.
