The Grassroots Gender Empowerment Movement in Sierra Leone is a gender-focused program of small enterprise development and revolving loans that has brought a degree of economic independence, community development, gender awareness, improved living conditions, and empowerment to the women involved. (JOW)

A survey of 29 employees at a real estate office revealed that one-third still felt incompetent with computers despite generally positive attitudes toward them. A correlation appears to exist between frustration with computers and job satisfaction, although negative attitudes toward computers and job performance appear unrelated to organizational…

Surveys chief executive officers in small companies regarding employment interviews. Discusses their views on appearances of job applicants, beginnings of job interviews, contents of interviews, and closings of interviews. (SR)

The Screening Battery of the Adult Basic Learning Examination and a demographic questionnaire were completed by 65 employees in small manufacturing firms in Oklahoma City. Despite overall educational attainment of 11.5 years, grade equivalents of scores were 7.6 for reading comprehension, 8.9 for problem solving; 21.5% were classified as…

According to a survey of 148 small business employers, schools should teach youngsters basic math, reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills, along with specialized skills needed for technology, business, public service, personal service, health, and consumer occupations. Schools should also teach good grooming, healthy habits, and the…

Presents personal accounts of Hispanic entrepreneurs who have successfully established small businesses. Young Hispanic entrepreneurs frequently experience age discrimination and have difficulty securing financing. The Small Business Administration can provide technical assistance, training, and development. (KS)

Among 540 successful small businesses in New England, female-owned businesses had lower sales volumes and produced lower incomes than male-owned businesses. The smaller size of women's businesses was the major explanatory factor, followed by women's lack of experience and concentration in less profitable industries. Contains 66 references. (SV)

Interviews with career center directors identified ways in which career centers in postsecondary institutions could better serve small organizations. Successful practices related to career or job fairs focused on academic or occupational areas; resume referrals; job listings, bulletins, and hotlines; promotion of career center for temporary work…

Explains how business owners can determine when to involve employees and when to make decisions alone. Reviews problem-solving and decision-making methods, obstacles to overcome, and meeting management techniques. (SK)

Compares differences in market approach, risk perception, and personnel selection between large companies and small firms with family of origin ties to other countries. Uses these differences to develop a substantially altered model for cross-cultural training in expatriate firms. (SK)

Electronic Commerce Resource Centers focus on transferring emerging technologies to small businesses through university/industry partnerships. Successful implementation hinges on a strategic operating plan, creation of measurable value for customers, investment in customer-targeted training, and measurement of performance outputs. (SK)

In Sierra Leone, two church-sponsored programs are focused on sustainable development. The Wesleyan Development Education and Awareness Programme trains people to initiate community projects. Women's Loan Scheme encourages development of small-scale enterprises. (SK)

A study of 372 companies examined the cooperation between small-to-medium-sized businesses and external providers of training in Austria. New forms of cooperation such as integrated training and consulting programs, process consultation of in-house projects, and support of cooperation are needed. (JOW)

Small businesses employ slightly more than half of the private sector work force. In many ways, such as education, race, origin, age, and part-time status, the small business work force differs from that of larger enterprises (Author)

Presents results from a study examining approaches developed by seven governments to foster competitive intelligence practice in SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and compares them with the approach taken by the government of Quebec. Suggests a need for a better understanding of information needs and uses in SMEs. (Contains 22 references.)…