This manual was developed to help Peace Corps volunteers assist local craftspeople in developing nations in initiating and operating small businesses to produce and market their products. The manual is organized in eight chapters that cover the following topics: the crafts environment, common problems and solutions for a crafts business,…

Small businesses can participate in a variety of partnerships with the educational community that can result in benefits to all partners. Examples of successful school-business partnerships in Arizona include the Aquafria Foundation in Evandale; the partnership among the University of Arizona, Pueblo High School, and the Puma County-State Bar…

This study was conducted to assess how the Hartford Area Vocational Center could work with area employers to increase the occupational skill readiness of currently employed workers. A total of 1,381 employers in Vermont and New Hampshire were surveyed through a mailed questionnaire, with a return rate of 518 employers (38 percent). Most employed…

This report contains findings and recommendations of a project to identify problems in California's policies and in the administration of its laws regarding small businesses and to examine alternative solutions to those problems. Part 1 consists of the findings of five statewide Task Forces that concentrated on these aspects of operating a small…

Examines 18 areas that serve as an effective approach to a comprehensive entrepreneurship education program, including understanding the nature of small business, determining your potential as an entrepreneur, developing the business plan, obtaining technical assistance, choosing the type of ownership, planning the marketing strategy, locating the…

If small businesses are the engines of our economy, then entrepreneurs are the sparks that ignite those engines. This research report will explain how entrepreneurship education programs can help students create and establish their own business. The paper defines entrepreneurship education, outlines the major components of entrepreneurship…

A combined outreach and research initiative addressed the participation of Native American business owners in electronic commerce. E-commerce can provide many benefits to producers and consumers but does not ensure unmitigated economic success. It is only one part of a development process leading to achievement of tribes' broader social goals,…

This report focuses on approaches designed to strengthen the state-federal vocational rehabilitation partnership with private sector employers. Chapter 1, "Successful Partnerships: The Employer Speaks," is written by business people (businesses listed at the end of the chapter) and addresses the needs of the private sector employers, the structure…

Support by the larger business community can help minority businesses succeed. Minority businesses need adequate capital, management and technical experience, and experience with large capital. These can be gained in partnership with large corporations committed to promoting minority enterprise. One such program is discussed. (IS)

Businesses with limited resources to invest can successfully carry out programs that promote healthful behavior in their employees. The design and implementation of such a program, which encourages exercise, healthful eating, weight management, nonsmoking, and stress management, is described. (PP)

Presents recent data on 2,700 manufacturing plants that employ fewer than 500 employees. Suggests that low-road shops (i.e., those that are not very systematic, modern, or distinctive) outperform high-road shops. Argues that community colleges currently provide training geared toward low-road plants, but that they should shift their focus toward…

Presents Edna Bonacich's views on the social costs of Korean immigrant entrepreneurship in Los Angeles (California), for both the immigrants and society. Discusses the inadequacies of her arguments concerning these negative consequences. Considers the policy implications of Bonacich's interpretation for immigrants. (JS)

As a group, entrepreneurs and small business managers require training which is specific to their skills gaps, and takes into account that they are geographically dispersed with limited time available for such activities. They also require training which is integrated with their business activities and sufficiently flexible to incorporate into…

Two major initiatives are in place in Wales that aim to create a strong and internationally competitive small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. These are the Technology Exploitation Programme (TEP) and the Centres of Excellence for Technology and Industrial Collaboration (CETIC) programme. The Materials Centre of Excellence at the…

It is widely accepted that employees in small business suffer from a lack of knowledge and skills. This lack of skills means that small companies will miss out on new business opportunities. This is even more evident with respect to the adoption of Internet marketing in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This paper reports a pilot research…