A federal appeals court decision ruled in favor of three publishers who had sued the owner of a small copy-shop business for copyright infringement in producing custom-made anthologies for college courses. However, a divided court could not determine willful violation of the law, vacating damages awarded in lower court. Debate over fair use…

Responses from 22 automotive/electronics small businesses in Wales were compared with a 1996 survey. Results show that government initiatives such as Modern Apprenticeships had limited impact on small businesses. Barriers to training such as time, cost, and motivation also appeared, suggesting that mere availability of training programs does not…

Alternative types of business entities and their different tax treatments are examined as they relate to campus entertainers. Issues examined include sole proprietorships; partnerships; corporations; office expenses; independent contractors vs. entertainment agency employees; and selecting a tax advisor. Examples of specific situations are…

Ann McLaughlin, a former secretary of labor, discusses her views on the future of the workplace. She feels that to solve the impending problem of educational deficits among the work force, employers will begin their own educational programs, improving both employee loyalty and work force mobility. Includes predictions for future growth fields.…

Offers background on rural entrepreneurship and incubation in the United States, with particular focus on rural incubators at community colleges and regional incubation systems. Explains how incubators, which provide shared services and business/management assistance for tenant companies, differ from other entrepreneurial development strategies.…

Describes the Sicangu Enterprise Center which provides training in business management and small loans to help Rosebud Sioux tribal members join with peers to start small businesses within their communities. Explains the center's innovative revolving loan fund. Highlights the businesses of an automechanic, a seamstress, and a sculptor. (DMM)

Discusses 10 ways in which career counselors can help clients who are affected by consolidations to evaluate and then make the move from corporate America to self-employment. Suggests working in a business before buying, attending small-business programs, enrolling in college courses, and performing a self-appraisal. (MKA)

Directed at the chronically unemployed, poor single parents, and welfare recipients, microenterprise programs provide access to loans and technical training for the express purpose of creating small-scale self-sufficient entrepreneurs no longer dependent on public support. Lessons from international microenterprise programs, federal funding…

This paper examines some of the challenges of implementing design-led technologies, such as computer-aided design (CAD), in the context of small manufacturing companies. The research is based on university-company collaborations in the UK using the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) model, and the paper adopts a case-study approach based on…

External communities of practice are groups formed by company clients and employees based on common interests, commitment, mutual trust and collaboration whose members regularly share knowledge and learning. This paper examines how external communities of practice contribute to the creation of relational capital through an empirical investigation…

In many developing countries, small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) account for a large part of national employment and income. Therefore, governments have used various strategies/policy instruments to develop human resources for SMEs and improve their productivity and national welfare. In the literature, however, there has been little effort…

Continuing policy initiatives at both National and European levels emphasise the need to increase participation in higher education (HE) through more flexible delivery. One of the key elements of flexible delivery is seen to be the use of communication and information technologies (C&IT). These technologies clearly have the potential to reach…

Purpose: The main objective of this paper is to discuss the relationship between obstacles and weaknesses facing the development of MTPs and SMEs. In recent years many management training programmes (MTPs) of an off-the-job nature have been established in Palestine, after the peace agreement, in order to find a solution for apparent lack of…

This paper reports on a locally initiated investigation into the suitability of the Internet in helping to meet the information needs of women in small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the textile industry in Botswana. The background is the stated government policy to encourage the development of SMMEs and the Internet infrastructure. The…

This report presents results of a study that examined local, national, and international interventions and initiatives aimed at promoting education and training for the informal sector. Chapter 1 offers a rationale for the research. Chapter 2 considers how the formal education system currently affects the informal sector and how in future it might…