Relevance of Small Business Courses to Management Needs

摘要: RELEVANCE OF SMALL BUSINESS COURSES TO MANAGEMENT NEEDS Colleges and universities are an important source of training for small businesses, interest in business courses is growing rapidly. One the goals collegiate curricula to provide students with understanding how manage various functions firm order help them compete workplace. The purpose this article assess "real world" relevance these curricula. way survey owner/managers about perceived practical importance activities, then compare findings current topical emphasis leading texts. In we can evaluate actual activities owner/manager. study lies its potential providing information that will enable us revise seminars correspond more closely needs perceptions owner/managers. Two key assumptions underlie study. First, a "representative sample" textbooks assumed; it consists ten management texts listed table 1. average percentage total pages devoted topics presented tables follow. These data used comparative purposes. text selection based on best-selling as reported by publishers. Second, amount space, measured allotted individual topic, assumed reflect level course placed topic. Textbook coverage proxy may not always educational practices, but was least ambiguous, most complete, convenient measure available. A syllabi and/or interviews instructors would be better proxies, time budget considerations dictated choice textbook sufficiently reliable substitute. three parts. discussion each part ties space related contrast academic emphasis. first section describes method respondents. second presents results respondents four categories several sub-activities within major category. final summary conclusions. SAMPLE AND METHOD May 1986, questionnaire mailed owner, partner, or manager 800 businesses annual sales between $200,000 $4,000,000 fairly equal representation types. mailing list obtained from Seattle Chamber Commerce represents Pacific Northwest. Because were guaranteed anonymity, respondent firms could identified name. Included 19 closed-end questions. Five questions sought profile both firm. remaining 14 relative This similar utilized Gitman Maxwell. hundred seventy-eight usable responses received; 22 percent response rate. nearly evenly divided among different types (manufacturing, retail/wholesale, service). Respondents performing specialized function (e.g., manager, comptroller) eliminated sample. responding employ 21 full-time people have been 12 years. RESULTS DISCUSSION respondents' opinion activities--selling marketing, production, finance accounting, management--were activities. …