Colette Dumas

Women's Pathways to Participation and Leadership in the Family-Owned Firm:

A study of 702 women in family-owned firms in Canada has identified paths to participation and leadership taken by women in family-owned firms. Some of the key factors contributing to participation and leadership are presented in a descriptive framework. Implications of this study for practice and research are presented.

Sex differences in the perceived importance of mentoring functions

Purpose – To be the first study to consider the difference between mens and womens perceptions of most important mentoring functions. Design/methodology/approach – Survey recipients identified the three most important things that mentors can do for their proteges. Two independent coders categorized the behaviors listed by the 637 respondents. Findings – There was little difference between mens and womens perceptions of important mentoring behaviors. Women more than men reported championing and acceptance and confirmation behaviors to be in what they consider the top three for importance. Additionally, the lists respondents generated under‐represented the mentoring behaviors commonly identified in the extant literature, whereas some of the behaviors most frequently identified are not well represented in the mentoring literature. Research limitations/implications – Respondents were graduates of a top‐tier MBA program, although from multiple years. Future research should examine perceptions of mentoring behaviors by employees with different educational backgrounds and across cultures, particularly to explore perceptions of mentoring behaviors where cultural and gender stereotypes are present. Practical implications – The design of mentoring programs and fostering of cross‐sex mentoring are discussed in lieu of managing protege expectations and educating mentors about actual expectations versus the expectations they might associate with the other sex. Originality/value – The findings here extend existing research by first asking men and women to generate a list of what they perceive to be the three most important mentoring behaviors and then showing that, for MBAs at least, there is little difference across the sexes.

Community-Based Service-Learning: Does It Have a Role in Management Education?

Community based service-learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs, together with structured opportunities designed to promote student learning and development. Can it be effectively applied to address the current struggles of management education? Management education is facing a gap between traditional curricular content and societys needs for new competencies. The Academy is also faced with the challenge of more effectively relating to societys social, economic and civic problems. The results of this analysis indicate that service-learning offers a means of closing the gap by helping to prepare students who are lifelong learners and active, caring participants in their communities. Service-learning appears to be a promising means of developing such managerial skills as leadership, critical thinking, teamwork, and cooperation. The limitations of service-learning for management education are addressed as well.

Articulating Values to Inform Decision Making: Lessons from Family Firms Around the World

Both the popular and the academic press stress that management grounded in values is fundamental to decision-making. High performance companies know that clarity about values is key to getting the job done. However, many family-owned firms do not adequately articulate their core values into a workable orientation for the business. As a result, they are in danger of seriously impairing their decision-making. The authors analyzed family business mission statements from around the world to identify the core values expressed therein. The authors also analyzed how efficiently these values were articulated. They propose that family businesses can make their decision making more effective by identifying and including their core values in the businesss mission statement.

Micro Enterprise Training for Low-Income Women: the Case of the Community Entrepreneurs Programme:

This article on the Centre for Women and Enterprise Community Entrepreneurs Programme (CEP) demonstrates the use of a case study as a research method. The CEP is an entrepreneurship training and education programme designed to help low- income women start their own businesses. This case analysis is an attempt to deter mine the initial outcomes of the community entrepreneurship programme. Evaluation results indicate that training provided to low-income women has indeed accom plished its goals—to help participants launch their own businesses, to empower them to achieve self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship and to advance the economic health of Bostons inner city neighbourhoods through micro enterprise and job cre ation. The evaluation findings suggest several implications for future practice and research on micro enterprise training and education programmes.

Revitalizing the MBA for the New Millennium: A Collaborative Action Research Approach

Business schools are facing increased competition due to information technology innovations and customer dissatisfaction. In response, business schools are turning to a variety of solutions, such as team teaching, integrated curricula, and distance learning. This article presents the results of a collaborative action research project initiated by one business school faced with the need to revitalize its MBA program. The faculty engaged in this project learned much about the challenges of teaching an integrative course and the constancy of change. We share our conclusions and recommendations about an integrated curriculum, distance learning, adult learning, team teaching, revisions in program duration and structure, as well as advice on the necessary administrative support and compensation for business schools contemplating such changes.

Succession and Governance Across Generations: A Comparative Study of the United States and Italy

This comparative study of American and Italian family-owned firms focuses on two key aspects of family business management: succession and governance. This study also explored the impact of generation on these variables.