This article outlines how a community of practice can be designed within management education for effective leadership development. Through a qualitative study of a cohort of 25 owner-managers of small businesses, we explore how a program community of practice (PCoP) acts as a pedagogical device for focusing on the development of leadership…

The last generation in management education identified and addressed two perceived gaps in standard degree curricula: global business and corporate ethics. The Association for Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has been instrumental in assuring these topics receive due attention. Given the current state of management education…

This account describes action learning in a small to medium-size enterprise (SME) that operates as a local power utility on an established market that is currently going through a process of radical transformation. The task of the action learning set was to improve the flow of information to employees about the evolving framework in which the…

This is an account the work of NetworkNorthWest, a [pound]1m project at the University of Salford that ran between 2004 and 2007 and was developed to address the issues relating to poor take up of traditional business support by small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and low levels of engagement of the business community with Institutes of…

Two projects attempted to assess and meet small and medium-sized enterprises' training needs. Britain's Learning support for Small Businesses delivery methods included paper, CD-ROM, and the Internet. The University of Limerick, Ireland, offered face-to-face learning for microenterprises. (SK)

Small business owner-managers were grouped in networks in a collaborative approach to management learning. Establishment of these communities of trust helped overcome lack of time and resources for reflection, lack of peer contact, and the expectation that small business managers must be omniscient. (Contains 27 references and 12 additional…

This article explores the characteristics involved when higher education institutions (HEIs) engage in management training in smaller firms. Building on previous research on how smaller firms and small firm managers learn and how these learning characteristics relate to the dominating culture in HEIs, the article suggests a tentative framework…

States that formal management development is absent from the majority of Chinese family businesses, but an alternative set of processes produces a high level of managerial talent geared to this particular kind of organization. Describes this alternative system and comments on strengths and weaknesses. (Author/CH)

Purpose: This article proposes the development of a conceptual model to help understand the nature of management learning in the micro business context and to inform research and policy discourse. Design/Methodology/Approach: The model is developed on the basis of a literature search and review of academic and grey literature. Findings: The…

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training's (CEDEFOP) activities and research relating to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have focused on three areas of action: (1) development of training for SMEs; (2) information on the training provision available in the member states; and (3) promotion of the exchange and…

Describes five demonstration projects intended to stimulate innovative community approaches to developing entrepreneurial activities for Native American youth. Each of the projects is charged with meeting the community's need to train young persons with relevant entrepreneurial orientations and management skills to improve economic development.…

Describes the Productivity Group, created by the Oklahoma State Department of Vocational and Technical Education. The Group boosts small businesses by making available quality management development programs and human resource consulting services. The article discusses program management, costs, and the business community's response. (CT)

In developing countries, the informal sector with its modest but resourceful trading activities is increasingly expanding. Broadly speaking, management is weak in this sector, and basic management training is needed. To make management training valid in the informal sector, time planning, the active participation of the beneficiaries in the needs…

These proceedings contain 3 speaker presentations and 17 workshop papers from a conference of experts who are involved in creating environments that encourage people to be creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial. The speaker presentations are "Creative Public-Private Sector Ventures--'The Success Series'" (Bettianne Welch), "Just Do It" (Wally…

Describes a week-long program sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission that brought together over 500 participants from middle-level management of small and mid-sized businesses, local governments, and public and nonprofit service agencies located in Appalachia. Participants were offered courses in total quality management, leadership…