Education + Training: Volume 42 Issue 4/5

Organisational learning in small learning organisations: an empirical overview

Much has been written, in recent years, on the subject of learning organisations and knowledge‐based businesses. Most research in this area, however, focuses upon large…

Learning to “think global and act local”: experiences from the small business sector

Examines how entrepreneurs learn from the experience of conducting international business and how they “draw upon” that knowledge when “thinking globally” and enacting…

Using a life‐story approach in researching entrepreneurial learning: the development of a conceptual model and its implications in the design of learning experiences

Summarises the conclusions from research which explores how people learn to start and grow high performing businesses. Seeks to understand better the ways in which individuals…

Making connections: innovation and collective learning in small businesses

Investigates the learning process in innovation and, in particular, the collective learning which underlines different types of innovation within the context of small‐ to…

Transactional learning relationships: developing management competencies for effective small firm‐stakeholder interactions

It has been argued that a critical issue pertaining to small firm success is the ability to manage and develop a network of interdependent relationships with a wide and diverse…

Management competence development for professional service SMEs: the case of community pharmacy

Over the last two decades there has been a substantial increase in the number and range of service sector SMEs. The management competence of the owner‐manager and/or senior staff…

Reconnecting education, development and training through learning: a holographic perspective

At the levels of both the national economy and organisations, learning is linked to competitiveness and it is frequently promoted as an all‐encompassing solution to the…

“Graduateness” – who cares? Graduate identity in small hospitality firms

Discusses the second phase of a project on graduate employment in small hospitality firms. It explores the data from the first phase of the project using the concept of graduate…

The Shell technology enterprise programme: student outcomes

Assesses the contribution of the 1994 Shell technology enterprise programme (STEP) which subsidised the employment of students in SMEs in the UK. A key issue is whether STEP…

Developing entrepreneurial graduates: an action‐learning approach

Earlier this year, the University of Glamorgan Business School launched a conceptually new postgraduate programme, the Diploma in Entrepreneurial practice (DEP). This is a…

Making the connection: the effectiveness of Internet training in small businesses

Aims to provide an analysis of the introduction of Internet‐based skills into small firms. Seeks to contribute to the wider debate on the content and style of training most…

The implications of new technology for the skill and training needs of small‐ and medium‐sized printing firms

Investigates the implications of digital technology for the skill and training needs of small printing firms. The picture that emerges is one where the emphasis is on re‐training…

Face‐to‐face or distance training: two different approaches to motivate SMEs to learn

In the past, too many government sponsored initiatives have presented valuable learning resources which have been wasted because the target small business audience have failed to…

Executive learning in entrepreneurial firms and the role of external directors

Provides an analysis of the role of “external” or non‐executive directors and their relationship with executive entrepreneurs in small but entrepreneurial (growing) companies…

Improving the numbers and performance of women‐owned businesses: some implications for training and advisory services

The importance of women as a largely untapped pool of entrepreneurs has been widely recognised by economic development agencies. However, despite a number of initiatives designed…

Training and ethnic minority firms: the case of the independent restaurant sector

Through the medium of a case study of Birmingham’s ethnic minority‐owned independent restaurant sector, the nature of training in the firms, the reasons for informal training, and…

Vocational education and training in small businesses: setting a research agenda for the twenty-first century