Reviews the key factors influencing small business management education in the United Kingdom, particularly government policies encouraging small business development. Postulates a model based on the career cycle and considers training opportunities for various stages. (SK)

Researchers are finding that older entrepreneurs are an increasing population in many Western countries. It is important to distinguish between entrepreneurs who have simply reached the age of 50 versus those who start up businesses after this age. The latter group is of particular interest because these people have presumably never faced the…

A business incubator is an organization of services designed to nurture new businesses. Services that can be offered include management assistance, access to financing, business or technical support services, and shared office services. In 1997, 550 incubators served more than 13,000 clients, affiliates, and graduates. More than 80 percent of the…

If students learn entrepreneurial skills and attitudes in home economics, they may be more likely to combine homemaking roles with a part-time business. These skills can enable people to create their own jobs and provide an alternative when unemployment is high. (Editor/SK)

The Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, a local development district based in Venango County, focuses on nourishing small business development and entrepreneurship in business incubators owned by local governments. One of the region's resources is the nation's first "teaching factory," which provides job…

Reviews a Japanese study linking practical experience for entrepreneurship students to business start-up. Describes a Danish endeavor to revitalize entrepreneurial culture through educational and industrial development programs. (SK)

Offers guidelines for putting a monetary value on a child care business. Discusses reasons for valuing the business, types of valuations (book, liquidation, and fair market), fair market valuation formulas, the corporate valuation, valuing assets included in a sale, and using experts. Also offers several tips for selling a child care business. (EV)

A survey of 56 small/medium-sized Irish enterprises showed that 46% were highly proficient in electronic commerce, 42% were at the basic level. Media pressure significantly influenced adoption. In 40% of firms, owner-managers were the driving force. E-commerce was not yet business critical and relevant training was not yet a comprehensive…

Examines the case of one small business manager and the value he gave to a mentoring intervention demonstrated by the use of narrative evaluation. Doubts about the efficacy of orthodox approaches to evaluation when applied to management development activities lead to the view that narratives are more appropriate. (Contains 38 references.) (GCP)

Training for small businesses requires an entrepreneurial rather than a conventional approach. Critical trainer competencies include profiling the business, segmenting the market, understanding the business development process, introducing the relevant environment, delivering enterprise skills training, and teaching across the board. (SK)

Includes "Building Home Businesses in Rural Communities" (Loker et al.); "Home-Based Business...A Means to Economic Growth in Rural Areas" (Bastow-Shoop et al.); "Business Not As Usual" (Millar, Mallilo); and "Economic Options for Farm Families" (Williams). (SK)

Discusses how businesses can help improve the effectiveness of schools. Types of involvement include funding projects, establishing endowments, funding scholarships, offering financial aid counseling, establishing job-guarantee programs, and providing opportunities for faculty development. (JOW)

Ball State University's New Venture Creation is a capstone course in which class sessions simulate workshops for understanding and analyzing business plans. Students present the resulting business proposals to a board of consultants and entrepreneurs, which evaluates them for feasibility. (SK)

The author describes a community-based program to assist new business ventures with such tasks as developing a business plan, obtaining funding, and marketing the product. Examples of various small businesses the program has helped are included. (CH)

Examples from Utah, Illinois, and other states illustrate how entrepreneurship is becoming part of the educational structure due to growing recognition of the importance of small businesses to economic growth. (SK)