Small Firms and the University for Industry: An appraisal

The University for Industry (UfI) is set to become the chief vehicle and change mechanism for the government's new policies for vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning. A principal target and priority for the UfI will be the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector, which has traditionally had a poor record of investment in education and training. We examine the chances of success for the UfI in this important sector of VET activity against the background of our recent national survey of firms, which specifically addressed the views of SME owner-managers, in particular, in terms of awareness of attitudes to and expectations of the new organisation. Given that the UfI is still in its pilot stage-with the official national launch not due until the year 2000-the general 54% awareness amongst the 6000 firms contacted may be described as modestly optimistic. We conclude by offering a number of general recommendations based on the emerging picture and on the basis of matching owner-manager expectations against UfI priorities and strategies.     

Locus of control: A review of cross-cultural research

This paper reviews some 70 reports of cross-cultural research in locus of control done prior to 1981. Findings of cross-cultural and cross-ethnic similarities and differences are generally inconsistent and inconclusive. Neither do studies of antecedents, correlates, and consequents of the construct enhance our faith in its universal generality. Issues such as cross-cultural conceptual and functional equivalence, dimensionality, appropriateness of measuring instruments, modes of cross-cultural comparison, and theoretical contribution are raised. Potential fruitfulness of research on the control dimension is asserted, given that we attain some modifications in our methodology.