Examined relationships among work-family tension and work conditions. Hypothesized that links between work-family tension and work conditions would be stronger in small than in large workplaces. Results indicated that some perceptions of work conditions differed between small and large workplaces, and that connections between work-family tension…

Explores the self of individuals involved, family business system, and societal context as three interacting, mutually impactful levels of unit to be addressed in family business consultation by family psychologists/therapists. Articulates some major premises about family businesses and presents case vignette to illustrate dynamics and functioning…

Notes four challenges faced by every family-owned day care center: keeping the business from consuming family time; sharing responsibility among family members; involving the next generation; and planning the future of the business. Provides tips based on insights from 18 day care center owners (husbands and wives) on dealing with these…

Four small business owners recommend making the crucial departments the best, providing opportunities from within, involving senior managers in training, offering tuition assistance, having workers train each other, fostering trust between employers and employees, allowing the free flow of information, and using total quality management or quality…

A survey of 1,224 small Illinois manufacturers received 220 responses uncovering the following issues: (1) workers and management were the chief causes of quality problems; (2) better training and management commitment would improve quality; (3) most used inhouse training but were only somewhat satisfied with it; and (4) most used only the…

Describes a small capitalist venture owned and run by women in the village of Mochudi in southeastern Botswana. The women produce tin work from recycled materials and learn marketable skills. (LZ)

About half of all private sector workers are employed in small businesses with fewer than 100 workers. Work hours, compensation, and other working conditions differ between these employees and their counterparts in larger establishments. (Author)

A survey of 22 Hispanic women who owned small businesses in a western state found that most were located in metropolitan areas, were new to business ownership, had started the business themselves, engaged in "miscellaneous services," and generated lower than average revenues. Respondents were similar to nonminority owners in educational…

Case studies of four British entrepreneurial organizations reveal the dimensions of learning in small organizations: ability to network, assimilate experience and opportunities, reflect on strategies and mistakes, and assess resources. Results suggest that existing organizational learning theories are more appropriate for large firms than…

Guidelines for assessing small business skill needs include paying attention to internal resistance, limiting analysis to a small area, considering all stakeholders' perspectives and interests, using action-research methods, and understanding needs assessment as a continual learning process. (SK)

Looks at four models of training demand: (1) probability of attending training in the near future; (2) probability of having attended training in the past; (3) probability of being willing to follow multimedia and correspondence courses; and (4) probability of repeating the experience of attending another training course in the near future.…

Case studies of three small and medium-sized enterprises in England examined how characteristics of small organizations influence their human resource development (HRD) policies and practices. Three models emerged, based on differences in planning, doing, and evaluating HRD activities. (SK)

A profile of small businesses in the Irish hotel industry shows that all claim to believe in human resource development but few practice it. Small hotels favor informal, specific job training focused on solution of immediate problems rather than long-term development. (Contains 119 references.) (SK)

This paper examines the case of multiple business ownership in the Norwegian farming sector, focusing on the extent of resource transfer between farms and their newly created ventures and the subsequent effects on the performance of these new ventures. The results demonstrate that substantial resource transfer takes place, mediated both by the…

Community college presidents face an uphill struggle in preparing their institutions for the rapidly changing technological learning environment. Visionary presidents in rural community colleges are presented with yet another challenge: that of finding themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide. This article describes how presidents of 12…