The author discusses issues faced by career counselors in private practice. These issues include (1) defining the client base; (2) dealing with potential client rejection; (3) making time for others; (4) choosing business partners; (5) taking risks; (6) getting compensated; (7) managing time; and (8) dealing with competition. (CH)

The author reviews six resources for career counselors who are setting up a private practice. Three of the resources focus on organizing and marketing the business venture, while the others are described as useful in counseling and training small business owners. (CH)

The new model of community development focuses on the following: participatory methodologies of research; practical and generalist skills; local-driven revenues in small business and nongovernmental organizations; rethinking all products, processes, and services; international small business trade networks; and the integration of leisure and work.…

Presents a preliminary assessment of the prospects and options for developing income-generation programs in partnership with local small business associations, as suggested by the trend in Peru. (Author)

The Small Company European Analysis Technique is a diagnostic tool that small businesses can use to analyze market opportunities in preparation for 1992. The approach uses small group consensus building as in the Delphi technique and brainstorming to formulate a strategic plan. (SK)

A telephone survey of nearly 2,000 small businesses in Britain showed employers had positive attitudes about training but 85% had not provided any for at least a year. Interviews with 200 cited market position, economic conditions, and lack of training availability as causes. They felt national training policies lacked focus, coherence, and…

Components of a best-practices model for university-industry linkages include sustained university commitment, standardized policy instruments, an entrepreneurial approach, and effective stakeholder network. Strategic issues for implementing the model are as follows: making industry aware of services, making contact, providing flexible delivery,…

A British study of 29 providers of competency-based management training to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and a survey of 591 SMEs revealed that the value of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) was unclear to both groups. Providers felt NVQs lacked relevance to SMEs and were time consuming. Some SMEs participated only because…

Two surveys of new micro-businesses in Devon and Cornwall (n=361) and interviews with owners and trainers showed that support at and after start-up was not adequate. A potential cause is that the Business Link network, intended to help small growing companies, is not sufficiently flexible or pragmatic to meet their needs. (SK)

A study of British business owners and employees who were trained in business applications of the Internet found it raised awareness of information/communication technologies. Connecting the training to National Vocational Qualifications proved unpopular. The need for business centers offering the training was clear and ways to improve the program…

Investigates the feasibility of using LISREL (LInear Structural RELations), a computer program that analyzes covariance structures and describes the relationships among all the variables by a group of linear equations, to determine the impact of information, relative to other factors, on development of the small manufacturing business sector in…

Action research in small companies attempting change used concepts of paradox and metaphor to examine change processes. Findings include the need to (1) discover change in mini-worlds (parts of organizations), (2) appreciate first-order learning, and (3) stabilize change and handle the forces trying to change stability. (Contains 46 references.)…

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)

Presents several aspects of the development of actionable competitive intelligence into SMEs (small and medium enterprises). Describes types of information used in SMEs, economic intelligence in France, suggestions for information management, and various works undertaken through the European Community. (Contains 11 references.) (Author/LRW)

Presents a conceptual model for governments in creating a climate that facilitates the national adoption of e-business. Focuses on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, suggests measures to assess how a country is performing in providing a positive e-business climate, and provides examples from Canada, The Netherlands, Norway, and…