Abstract
Lister Vickery is affiliate professor at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, responsible for entrepreneurship and small business. This paper describes the results of a study carried out in the spring of 1982 on the level of higher education and the frequency and type of further education of managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMSEs) in France. The study covered 722 managers in 467 firms. The popular image of antithesis between higher education and small business is questioned. The results of the study suggest that SMSEs are increasingly requiring higher education qualifications when recruiting managers and are becoming more selective about these qualifications. The major r6le of the engineering and undergraduate business schools is underlined. As regards further education, the study confirmed the low level of activity although a positive relationship was found between initial and further education. The paper concludes with recommendations for institutions of higher education on their role in educating SMSE managers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.