AS PART OF THE EVALUATION OF A MULTI-MEDIA COURSE FOR MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL ON PROBLEM-SOLVING DISCUSSIONS, A SPECIAL CASE WAS DEVELOPED TO TEST TRAINEES' APPLICATION OF THEIR SKILLS IN A NEW SETTING. THE CASE PLACED EACH SUBJECT IN THE ROLE OF A PLANT MANAGER WITH A PROBLEM TO SOLVE, WITH TWO SUBORDINATES AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION. THE ROLES OF THE SUBORDINATES WERE CAREFULLY STRUCTURED, AND THE PEOPLE PLAYING THESE ROLES WERE NOT INFORMED AS TO THE NATURE OF THE EXPERIMENT. A TOTAL OF 30 SALES MANAGERS FROM TWO COMPANIES TOOK PART. FOURTEEN HAD BEEN TRAINED THREE MONTHS PREVIOUSLY, AND 16 WERE CONTROLS. EACH SUBJECT WAS GIVEN BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND THEN PLAYED THE CASE OVER THE TELEPHONE AT AN APPOINTED HOUR. THE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM WERE GRADED ON THE BASIS OF A PREESTABLISHED SCALE. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT MANAGERS WITH TRAINING REACHED BETTER SOLUTIONS AND REACHED THEM FASTER THAN MANAGERS WITHOUT TRAINING. THE USE OF THE TELEPHONE, DICTATED BY THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISPERSION OF THE SUBJECTS, PROVED FEASIBLE, THUS SUGGESTING APPLICATIONS IN TRAINING AND RESEARCH, PARTICULARLY WHERE VERBAL INTERACTION IS BEING STUDIED. THIS DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE WITHOUT COST FROM XEROX CORPORATION, 600 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10022. 10 PAGES. (AUTHOR/RT)