Purpose: This paper's primary purpose is to emphasize the importance of entrepreneur training regarding creativity and innovation. Their significance and the importance of the latter regarding the development of business and training needs are the research questions of a survey conducted in northern Greece. Design/methodology/approach: The survey,…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify and define dimensions of organizational learning and the way it affects small- or medium-size enterprise (SME) performance. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical research is carried out in Polish SMEs (the sample size is 211 enterprises). In order to test the constructed hypotheses we use…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which the small firm's external relationships influence its approach to formal training and training providers. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with senior managers, in 25 small firms in South Wales. These interviews…

Purpose: The primary purpose of this literature review paper is to address the question why it is difficult to define entrepreneurship despite the amount of research that has taken place in the field. In addition, the paper also aims to demonstrate how the struggle to define entrepreneurship has impacted on entrepreneurial careers in Kenya.…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to highlight the main factors that affect the management of the WGs' Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in Kakamega District and Africa in general. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a descriptive research design. This is because the study was concerned about a univariate question in which the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the relationships among the workplace as a learning environment, strategies for competence development used by SMEs and learning outcomes. Specifically, there is a focus on a distinction between formal and integrated strategies for competence development, the conditions under which…

Purpose: The paper sets out to suggest that knowledge in the SME enterprise is embodied as evident in such notions as tacit knowing and learning, and embedded grounded in the situated social historic contexts of individual lives and work. This supports the view that the nature of knowledge is inherently indeterminate and continually evolving.…

Purpose: The implementation of e-learning can help SMEs to develop skills to cope with their operational environments, but current literature suggests they are not effectively engaged, partly due to a lack of understanding and mistrust of vendors. This paper considers the potential for a more effective transfer of marketing knowledge to firms…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to deal with the design of small-business training programs and focuses on women business owners, their real needs and the supply of adequate training. How and to what extent are client selection and support needs influenced by the gender system? Design/methodology/approach: An in-depth study of an ambitious…

Purpose: The primary purpose of the study was to determine the type of relationships that existed among organizational learning dimensions studied. In addition, the study sought to establish whether the correlations were statistically significant at 0.05 and 0.01 levels. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a correlational quantitative…

A case study of training for small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at a university found that the following factors influenced SME participation: preliminary consultation with SMEs on design and delivery, free half-day workshops in repeated cycles, individual pacing of learning, and business focus. (Contains 14 references.) (JOW)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study human resource development (HRD) and organisational learning issues in a small expert organisation. Design/methodology/approach: This is a qualitative single case study conducted in one Finnish SME. It is part of an ongoing study. It is descriptive in nature and the aim is to find out whether the…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between four independent variables educational level, longevity, type of enterprise, and gender and the dependent variable culture, as a dimension that explains organizational learning readiness in seven small-size business enterprises. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory…

A survey of 77 educational institutions in the United Kingdom showed that they provide small business courses for people wishing to start their own businesses, for owners of existing small firms, and for students of entrepreneurship. The survey also revealed barriers to small business administration education and the potential for substantial…

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…