Purpose: This study aims to explore the impact of management training on organizational performance in the small business context to evaluate whether formal management learning interventions bring organizational benefits to small enterprises. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was adopted consisting of 100 interviews with small…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to argue that action learning (AL) may provide a means of successfully developing small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach: The literature around SME learning suggests a number of processes are important for SME learning which similarity, it is argued, are encompassed in AL. AL may…

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…

This paper assesses the contribution of management training and development programmes (MTPs) to the development of managerial skills in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Different sets of variables were used to explore the managers' skills development by dividing the managerial skills into three main categories: self, people, and task-related…

A study ascertained training, retraining, consulting, and technical support needs of small manufacturing companies in Ohio. Data were obtained from nine service areas of Ohio's two-year educational institutions to determine what human, technical, and physical assets campuses should make available. A survey instrument was designed to provide…

This document on Italy is one of a series of five published by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. The document includes a preface, two major parts, and two appendices. Part 1, the Italian context, includes three chapters. The first chapter describes small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and craft firms in the…

This document on Spain is one of a series of five published by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. The document includes five chapters, three appendices, descriptive form sheets for five distance learning projects, and a summary. Chapter 1 provides the introduction to the report. Chapter 2 describes small and…

A research project in the Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Tanzania evaluated the cost effectiveness of management training seminars for women entrepreneurs in the informal sector. Women, a large and growing part of entrepreneurs, had less access to needed resources, skills, and information than men. Reasons for failure to study the cost effectiveness and…

This document on France is one of a series of five published by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP). The document includes a general introduction, two major parts, and seven appendices. Part 1 includes two chapters. The first chapter describes the small business sector and employment in France and the…

This document contains 71 papers and 11 workshop presentations on distance teaching and learning from a conference on educational research. The following are among the papers included: "Bridging Distances and Differences" (Nancy Anderson); "The Role of Site Directors in Faculty and Student Success" (Edith M. Barnett, Jeanie P.…