Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to increase our understanding of why firms, specifically small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), participate in a programme for competence development and why firms use different strategies for competence development. Design/methodology/approach: A study of 17 SMEs that all received support from the European…

According to survey responses from 201 business owners, although the firms of male business owners were more successful than those of female business owners on frequently used measures of business success (business performance compared to competitors and sales), business owner sex did not predict satisfaction with business success, supporting the…

Community engagement is growing across higher education. Cooperative education and other internships are well established in the literature as pedagogies with links to experiential and connected learning. Cooperative programs combine business, industry, educational providers and students paid on-the-job. Most studies of work-based learning focus…

This account of practice outlines a national programme for current and aspiring leaders in the arts and cultural sector. One of the main constituents of this leadership offer was an intensive six-day action learning facilitator training programme. This account reviews this programme with the help of reflections from two participants, each of whom…

The impact of drought on rural communities in Australia has been the subject of considerable research. Less well understood are the impacts of drought on rural small businesses and the mechanisms they use to adapt or cope through extended dry periods. In this study, strategies these businesses draw upon to manage this adversity are identified and…

During periods of economic turmoil and uncertainty, employment opportunities are often greatly diminished. The Great Recession beginning in 2007 caused such a labor market disruption, hitting new college graduates especially hard. Under such conditions, business ownership may appeal to some as a conceivable substitution to "finding a job." The…

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…

With the emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web, economic conditions and business practices have been fundamentally reshaped. The Internet is believed to promote the rapid internationalization of companies, particularly small and medium enterprises (SME). The purpose of this quantitative study was to study the affect of Electronic…

Many music majors choose to become studio teachers upon graduation from university. But, few realize the difficulties involved in setting up a private studio. What seems to be an easy job at the beginning actually involves many diverse skills that need to be learned, skills that are all too often not part of a university education. Teaching is…

This paper reports on the on-going study of Small and Mid-Size Enterprises (SMEs) in the Central California concerning their use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This research project analyzed data from a sample of 161 SMEs. Specifically, this part of the study is investigating the major barriers to applications of e-learning…

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…

Our complex and intricate economic system is comprised of many different types and sizes of businesses, ranging from big corporations to small individually owned entities. The genre of business is and can be profoundly complex. Independence can vary from small single person mom and pops to consortiums of multiple partners, silent partners and…

The study investigated employee learning strategies in community pharmacies in Australia and the factors that explain differences among pharmacies in the strategies employed. A qualitative methodology was applied, involving semi-structured interviews with owners, managers, or senior employees of 12 pharmacies. The findings revealed learning…

The purpose of this case study is to understand and explain the characteristics of a small business incubator located on the campus of a community college. Business incubation and entrepreneurship programs are increasing in number on community college campuses across the country (Montoya, 2009). As community colleges have traditionally played a…