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Gives an overview of the contents of entrepreneurship and small enterprise training in general as well as the specific objectives of these interventions in the South African situation. Briefly covers the problems found and highlighted by researchers in the 1990s and assesses whether the problems or deficiencies of the past are being addressed. Concludes that the training emphasis of small, medium and micro‐enterprise service providers in South Africa still seem to be more on conventional training than entrepreneurial training. Also concludes that entrepreneurship and business training are confused as being similar. It is recommended that training interventions should be monitored to determine those that are the most successful and appropriate for the South African situation.

Newspapers provide the context to how the public understands the role of race and gender in America. Both are portrayed commonly as having lost their power. Taking an intersectional approach, here I examine the role race and gender play in black newspaper coverage of Michelle Obama from August 2008 through July 2009. Analyzing 31 papers, gathered from Ethnic NewsWatch, I examine 175 articles, notes, and editorials that addressed the first lady in some capacity. Most narratives highlighted traditional first lady duties, her “family” values and fashion. Female reporters were focused on Obama's values and duties before the election, but emphasized her duties and looks after. Although from December, their reporting was more diffuse, having no particular focus, male reporters also focused on her duties pre-election, but values and looks were relatively unimportant. Race remained an important element in many narratives, especially for male reporters. It was mostly invoked in ways that were ceremonial and abstract, with little attention to the specific plight of black communities. In contrast, female reporters made the intersection of race and gender important (both before and after the election), and Obama's looks (particularly after). Overall, these papers were supportive; and they almost appear in awe of a black family in the White House. As a result, little attention was given to exploring how “change you can count on” would affect black America particularly.

To enhance the understanding of entrepreneurial communication strategies in the start-up phase of the business, a resource dependence perspective is presented. Resources can be categorized in several ways. Penrose (1959), one of the pioneers in the resource-based view, and the subsequent work of, for example, Wernerfelt (1984) and Barney (1991), have brought the individual, the entrepreneur and especially resources within the business into focus. The process school of the resource-based view focuses on processes and activities and internal strategic capabilities (Tucker, Meyer, & Westerman, 1996). Furthermore, capabilities are based on developing, carrying and exchanging information through the business's human capital (Tucker et al., 1996). Grant (1991, p. 122) defined such capabilities as ‘complex patterns of coordination and cooperation between people, and between people and (tangible) resources’. Baum, Locke, and Smith (2001) and Lee, Lee, and Pennings (2001) found that new businesses’ internal capabilities are the primary determinants of the businesses’ performance. One of the intangible resources could be a business reputation (Deephouse, 2000). A positive reputation creates advantages in order to obtain, for example, financial capital.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges facing the higher education system in Egypt particularly in the area of education quality. It builds upon several existing studies conducted in Egypt to make the case for improving education outcomes while analyzing the social, political, and economic ramifications of the current higher education system.

Samples were drawn from existing studies conducted in Egypt by experts in the education field.

Results suggest that the higher education admissions process should become more competitive thereby limiting the number of enrollments. More resources should be devoted towards higher education with a particular emphasis on workforce development and Egypt should seek the help of donor agencies and experts to advise and reform the system.

The findings were based on existing literature and were not conducted in Egypt which somewhat limited qualitative analysis.

A contribution is made to the literature as the research reinforces the view that the lack of quality in the higher education system fails to prepare graduates to the workforce and impacts on the social stability of Egypt. By questioning aspects of the current higher education system and calling for more freedom of research and expression, the research raises interesting questions about the impact of closed societies on education systems.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the recent social welfare performance of old and new members of the European Union, and to establish whether a specific East‐European social model (ESM) is emerging.

The concept of social model is explored in the context of the historical development of economic and social policy integration in the European Union, with emphasis on reform measures and the EU enlargement process post‐1990. Guided by Sapir's typology of ESMs, the performance of 15 West‐European countries is analysed and compared with that of ten East‐European countries, relative to key economic and social indicators. The results are then used to determine whether a typology of East‐ESMs could be produced.

Social welfare performance in the new EU members indicates two different patterns and levels of development, which at this stage separate East‐European countries into two distinct groups. While two divergent trends may be emerging, it is perhaps too soon to conclude that any specific East‐ESM is taking shape. Results so far suggest that, in Eastern Europe, the influence of a welfarist social model appears more beneficial than that of market liberalism.

This paper is limited to the comparative analysis of social welfare performance in six country groups. To obtain a full picture of the current development of social models in the European Union, it should be complemented by a separate examination of deliberate efforts by national governments towards in integrating economic and social policies in normative social models. The analysis itself could be expanded to include other significant social indicators, such as the level of employment protection or the Human Development Index.

While deliberate policy efforts are not always necessary for a social model to emerge, public awareness of cultural and regional trends in social welfare performance, analysed through the filter of social model typology, can significantly inform future social and cultural practices, as well as national government policies, directed towards improving national welfare.

This analysis can provide a theoretical basis for the integration of national economic and social policies in a coherent philosophy of multi‐dimensional development in Eastern Europe.

The paper selects historically relevant indicators of economic and social performance, undertakes a comparative analysis of six European country groups, draws conclusions on the current state of social welfare in East‐European countries relative to their Western counterparts and makes recommendations regarding the development of social model conceptions in Eastern Europe.

The sociology and history of sport have neglected Pacific swimming cultures and their impact on global recreational and sporting cultures. This chapter explores the potential for deeper analysis of Pacific contributions to aquatic recreational practices via Solomon Islands swimming. The focus is on the contributions and representations of Alick Wickham (1886–1967), a Solomon Islander who lived in Australia during the first three decades of the 20th century. Wickham, who was a champion swimmer and diver recognised nationally and internationally for his abilities, is popularly credited with introducing the crawl, or freestyle, stroke to swimming competition. While some commentators acknowledge that Wickham's crawl stroke was a practice called tapatapala in his home, Roviana, on New Georgia in the western Solomons, and that some of his other techniques and styles had Solomon Islands origins, little attention is paid to these Pacific cultural antecedents. This chapter examines Wickham's styles, reflects on their Roviana influences, and asks why these Pacific dimensions of his aquatic practices were, and continue to be, overlooked. This marginalisation of Pacific swimming cultures is analysed through the lenses of prevailing racial hierarchies and whiteness as a dominant discourse that continues to privilege white Australia development of the crawl stroke over its Solomons origins and elides other water practices that influenced Wickham.

This paper explores how consulting can contribute to the success of virtual teamwork. Based on an introduction to the concept of virtual teams, the potential of virtual teamwork for consultants and clients is outlined. Central questions are: “For which reasons do virtual teams deserve additional attention by business leaders?” and “What kind of services can be offered by consultants that cannot be performed by the client organisation itself?”. The paper finishes with a discussion of the qualifications and resources consultants should possess if they wish to consult on virtual teamwork, highlighting the broad range of requirements and the need to accumulate extensive experience.

From the perspective of value chains, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the organization of stabilization and reconstruction operations, most notably in Afghanistan, with the intention to improve the way the beneficiaries are involved.

Case study: the paper first develops a theoretical framework that draws upon value chain literature. To gather empirical data fieldwork was done within the Dutch provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Afghanistan. Methods that were used include interviews, participatory observation and desk study.

In the value chain process six steps are identified: early warning, file and analysis, appraisal/qualification, assignment/management, execution and evaluation. Different categories of personnel (military, reservists, civilians) bring with them different backgrounds. This led to different opinions on who can be considered as the customer of the value chain. Moreover, personnel received different signals in the early warning step as to what needed to be done. From there on, different values and perspectives developed during the sequence of the various stages in the value chain that were not easily aligned. The formal structure of the work activities in the PRT was clear but did not match with the everyday reality. This showed another, much more fuzzy picture. Many mutual contacts were needed to overcome the coordination problems, but that required considerable additional efforts.

The paper applies value chain literature to stabilization and reconstruction operations and focuses on the customers. It uses unique data and demonstrates the usefulness of a multidisciplinary approach.

This chapter examines the training of indigenous Mayan catechists by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico, and their subsequent role in the establishment and growth of the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) in the period prior to the Zapatistas' 1994 uprising. It considers the adequacy of Timothy Wickham-Crowley's model of guerrilla insurgencies in Latin America in explaining the Zapatista case. It finds, contrary to Wickham-Crowley's model of the relations between urban university leadership groups and peasant support bases, that the catechists constituted a stratum of “organic indigenous-campesino intellectuals” that radically undermined their communities’ traditional intellectual dependence on outsiders and enabled them to constitute themselves as a new collective political subject.