The American Management Association (AMA) is a nonprofit educational institution whose fundamental purpose is the improvement of managerial performance. This is achieved through a variety of educational and training programmes, research and development in the practice of management, and publications. The AMA is a membership organisation whose 80,000 members are practising managers in a variety of companies and organisations. It is governed by a Board of Trustees elected by the membership. A series of Councils, each composed of members with expertise in such areas as marketing, human resources and finance, advise the staff members of appropriate directions for development.