Cedefop's report "Learning while working: success stories on workplace learning in Europe" presents an overview of key trends in adult learning in the workplace. It takes stock of previous research carried out by Cedefop between 2003 and 2010 on key topics for adult learning: governance and the learning regions; social partner roles in…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine employees' perception of the dimension of culture toward organizational learning readiness. The study also seeks to compare employees' work experience (longevity), work shifts and their perception toward the dimension of culture in enhancing organizational learning readiness.…

In an attempt to diversify the economy and stimulate private enterprise development, government agencies and private institutions in many countries have emphasized the importance of setting up and developing small and medium-size enterprises and promoting entrepreneurship. An important question confronting policy makers, however, is how they can…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore, through a survey and two short case studies, the issues smaller firms face with the adoption of new technologies. Design/methodology/approach: A survey of the pressures to adopt new technologies and the existence of specialist technology skills was conducted of small ICT oriented firms in the West…

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 brief definition of some fundamentals of microcomputers and of the ways they may be used in small businesses can help potential buyers make informed purchases. Hardware (the mechanical devices from which computers are made) described here are the video display, keyboard, central processing unit, "random access" and "read only" memories, cassette…

The text of a Senate Committee on Small Business hearing on the cost and availability of liability insurance for small business is presented in this document. The crisis faced by small business with skyrocketing insurance rates is described in statements by Senators Lowell Weicker, Jr., Robert Kasten, Jr., Dale Bumpers, Paul Trible, Jr., James…

Given the statistic that 97 percent of all new businesses fail, it is unwise to enter into a new small business venture. Many aspiring entrepreneurs lack the characteristics and background they need to survive and instead display several common characteristics which predispose them to failure, such as being non-aggressive and casual, failing to…

Analyzes data from the 1984 Survey of Income and Program Participation concerning business owners as distinct from the self-employed. Findings indicate that 11.9 percent of nonagricultural workers are business owners and that 70.8 percent of businesses are sole proprietorships. (CH)

Describes activities at Ohio State University and Oklahoma State University as well as the U.S. Department of Education's Task Force initiatives on entrepreneurship education. (SK)

Examines the involvement of college faculty in small business activities, indicating that university administrators have become decidedly more supportive of such ventures in recent years. A list of 14 start-up companies (showing type of services) founded recently by university analytical chemists is included. (JN)

Describes: (1) the Small Business Institute (SBI); (2) SBI in the Engineering Management Department at the University of Missouri-Rolla; (3) student engineering design projects with the small businesses; and (4) benefits of the program and lessons learned. (JN)

Argues for an institutional approach to theory and research on situated learning, which would allow for a different frame of reference than the concept of economic rationality as the objective of workplace learning. (SK)

A literature review shows that few fundamental differences between men and women business owners have been substantiated. Primary reasons for self-employment are not gender specific, and research on psychological differences is inconclusive. (SK)

Five small engineering businesses identified influences on their use of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) for worker training: (1) NVQs' separation of knowledge and competence is an obstacle; (2) NVQs must have relevance and value to the company; (3) they are most useful with entry workers; and (4) lack of an assessment and verification…