A survey of 250 British science and technology students showed that 84% had not considered employment in small/medium-sized businesses, partly due to the influence of university career services and the perception that salaries and advancement prospects are lower. Better information on small business opportunities is needed to improve their use of…

Purpose: To report on an investigation amongst small firm owner-managers in the service sector into potential demand for an MBA. Design/methodology/approach: Relevant recent literature is critiqued concerning small firms and learning, and MBAs and small firms. A description is given of the research methods employed involving a mail questionnaire…

Technology and knowledge transfer from universities to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is seen as one way to strengthen a region's innovation capability. But what if SMEs do not want to play along? Looking back at some 10 years' experience of supporting SMEs, the authors describe in detail the 'Active Knowledge Transfer' programme, which…

Purpose: This article proposes the development of a conceptual model to help understand the nature of management learning in the micro business context and to inform research and policy discourse. Design/Methodology/Approach: The model is developed on the basis of a literature search and review of academic and grey literature. Findings: The…

Purpose: To report on the progress of Digital Media U, a tailor-made portal, learning environment and management system. Design/methodology/approach: Discusses the design of the learning content domains, acquisition of the content and the systems for managing the curriculum in the future, including the application of a new model of accreditation.…

Purpose: This paper examines the way social class influences the relationship between business mentors and small business owner-managers. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on the author's experience of mentoring businesses with The Prince's Trust. Three businesses were selected as cases. The methodological approach involved…

Perceived as important contributors to economic growth, network and cluster groups are currently receiving much attention. The same may be said of SMEs. But practical and theoretical perspectives indicate that SMEs, and particularly the owner-managers, place little value on networks and have only limited networking resources. Consequently, they do…

Today, the virtual presentation is catching on rapidly in small, medium, and large businesses alike. A virtual presentation is one delivered live from a desktop or laptop computer to an audience anywhere in the world where there is Internet access. These new Web-based technologies are easy to use and inexpensive, making them readily accessible for…

Community leaders and rural development specialists must decide which economic development strategies will provide the greatest benefit to the local labor force and the community. To aid in the evaluation of the small business approach to rural development, this report analyzes the effects of employer size on wages and employee benefits. A survey…

The New Youth Entrepreneur curriculum is a series of 12 youth-oriented educational modules containing instructional materials, learning activities, and checkup exercises designed to teach students key elements of entrepreneurship. This document is the sixth module, and discusses basic considerations of business administration, such as business…

The New Youth Entrepreneur curriculum is a series of 12 youth-oriented educational modules containing instructional materials, learning activities, and checkup exercises designed to teach students key elements of entrepreneurship. This document is the ninth module, and introduces students to recordkeeping and bookkeeping strategies essential for…

This paper describes a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) located at the Central Arizona College. Schools are responsible for assisting economic development in the small business and business community since industry spends $22 billion per year in retraining high school graduates and dropouts in basic education. In Pinal County, Arizona,…

The world of mass communications has been hard hit by the decline in advertising revenues in print and electronic media, resulting in very few internships for undergraduates and making these students much less attractive as candidates for entry level jobs in advertising. Consequently, advertising faculty should reassess their programs to better…

Santeria is a religion which originated in West Africa and evolved from the syncretism of the culture of the Yoruba people with Catholicism in Cuba. Juanita, who was born in Puerto Rico and taught herself how to read and write, owns a "botanica," a retail shop specializing in Santeria paraphernalia. Juanita is a santera (priestess) in…

A seminar disseminated and discussed the findings of a study carried out on the problems of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in accessing training and the support strategies applied in the 12 member states of European Community. Input was solicited from experts regarding the priorities of 11 strategies. Organizers used this information to…