The demands control support model (R.A. Karasek & T. Theorell, 1990) indicates that job control and social support enable workers to engage in problem-solving. In turn, problem-solving is thought to influence learning and well-being (e.g, anxious affect, activated pleasant affect).Two samples (N = 78, N = 106) provided data up to four times per day for up to five working days. We assessed the extent to which job control was used for problem-solving by measuring the extent to which participants changed aspects of their work activities to solve problems. We assessed the extent to which social support was used to solve problems by measuring the extent to which participants discussed problems to solve problems. Learning mediated the relationship between changing aspects of work activities to solve problems and activated pleasant affect.Learning also mediated the relationship between discussing problems to solve problems and activated pleasant affect. The findings indicated that how individuals use control and support to respond to problem-solving demands is associated with organizational and individual phenomena such as learning and affective well-being. Learning, Control, and Support 3 An Experience Sampling Study of Learning, Affect, and the Demands Control Support Model Karasek and Theorell"s (1990) demands control support model (DCSM) is one of the most influential theories of work design. One central idea is the active learning hypothesis:Control and support used for problem-solving are hypothesized to promote learning and, in turn, learning promotes well-being. Another central idea of the DCSM is the strain hypothesis:Control and support are hypothesized to prevent the accumulation of strain induced by demands.The main contribution of this paper is to provide a direct test of the active learning hypothesis. Therefore, the contributions of this paper are relevant to debates on proactivity and work performance (Griffin, Neal, & Parker, 2007; Parker, Williams, & Turner, 2006;Parker, 2007) and cognitive processes in contemporary work environments (Hodgkinson & Healey, 2008; Morgeson & Humphrey, 2006). The paper also begins to redress the balance of research on the DCSM that has largely left the active learning hypothesis untested (de Lange, Taris, Kompier, Houtman, & Bongers, 2003; van der Doef & Maes, 1999). Karasek and Theorell (1990) indicate that people use job control and social support for specific purposes. However, most tests of the DCSM infer rather than assess directly the purposes for which people use control and support (see de Lange et al., 2003). We used measures that map onto the theoretical processes outlined by Karasek and Theorell. By assessing specific purposes for which people use job control and social support, we were able to overcome theoretical ambiguities inherent within other tests of the active learning hypothesis. To examine the active learning hypothesis, we used measures that assess the extent to which workers change aspects of their work activities to solve problems and...

Small firms contribute significantly to the UK economy, but most research into learning and work features the experience of large organisations. This article focuses on learning and work in small organisations. An interpretive framework relating to organisational learning is derived from the literature. Data on learning in small firms that internationalise are analysed to assess the extent to which models of organisational learning are applicable to the context and challenges they face. The article suggests that the large firm model of learning is inappropriate; the distinctive culture and communication systems of small organisations require different approaches to the acquisition, transmission and interpretation of knowledge. Tacit knowledge, developed through informal learning, is a priority and learning through local business networks is more important than participation in formal programmes. Advocacy of human resource development (HRD) practices based on conventional theories of organisational learning, therefore, may hinder rather than encourage performance in small organisations.

The topic of management training and development (MTD) in small businesses is relatively under‐researched, and an increased understanding of the factors influencing the purchase of MTD by small businesses is needed. Therefore, a survey of 551 small businesses in the Midlands region of the UK sought to: identify influences on MTD investment and preferred MTD activities; and establish whether small businesses perceive a link between investment in MTD and business success. Interviews were also conducted with 12 organisations. Results show that the organisational characteristics of ownership, size, number of managers and family management have a significant influence on MTD investment. Of the sample organisations, 85 per cent considered investment in MTD to be linked to business success and 80 per cent of organisations engaged in some form of MTD. However, promoters of MTD to small businesses need to recognise that organisations in this sector are not homogeneous and desire customised training.

This paper considers the impact of the Investors in People (IIP) Standard upon smallto medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Midlands. The paper describes IIP, then considers the significance of SMEs and the impact of training and development in that sector. The paper then presents an analytical framework, firmly rooted in a literature review, that provides the basis for an examination of the reasons why SMEs might commit (or fail to commit) to IIP, the difficulties encountered and the benefits received. Our empirical findings are discussed in the context of this framework. These findings are based on questionnaire responses from almost 600 SMEs, and interviews with promoters of IIP. Some key responses are broken down according to size-band and/or growth-orientation. In addition, follow-up interviews were conducted with selected firms, ranging from IIP enthusiasts to rejecters. This study therefore combines quantitative data with qualitative input. The attitudes and experiences of the respondents offer fresh insight into the appropriateness of IIP as an organisational development tool for the SME sector. The SME support network in England and Wales is undergoing a critical transition. The role of the Training and Enterprise Councils in promoting IIP to SMEs also comes under scrutiny, and our study has lessons for the promotion of IIP by the new learning and skills councils.

Governments across the globe are increasingly utilizing credit guarantee schemes to support SMEs. This article fills a gap in the academic literature for developing countries by reviewing the effectiveness of the New Principal Guarantee Scheme (NPGS) offered by the Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) in Malaysia. Using a variety of research methods, the authors investigate whether the CGC has achieved its objectives of generating finance and economic additionality without placing its financial resources under undue strain or jeopardizing its relationships with participating financial institutions. It is almost impossible to establish 'definitive' measures of additionality yet our findings provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the CGC is not meeting all of its objectives. The authors put forward an integrated package of measures designed to enhance the effectiveness of the NPGS.KEYWORDS: credit rationing; economic additionality; finance additionality; guarantee schemes; SMEs; sustainability IntroductionSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered to be an engine for growth in both developed and developing countries. The benefits of a vibrant SME sector include: the creation of employment opportunities; the strengthening of industrial linkages; the promotion of flexibility and innovation; and, the generation of export revenues (Harvie and Lee, 2001;Lerner, 2002;Mensah, 1996). In addition, there is growing acceptance of the role that SMEs play in wider social and economic restructuring (Smallbone and Welter, 2001). In order to capture these economic and social benefits, virtually all governments offer soft business support to this sector (Wren and Storey, 2002). There has also been increasing utilization of more traditional forms of hard support, notably credit guarantee schemes (Levitsky, 1997a), whereby financial institutions are encouraged to make loans available to smaller enterprises, on the understanding that a government or quasi-government body will reimburse a percentage of the loan should the firm default.The contribution of SMEs in Malaysia has been acknowledged since the early 1980s (Chee, 1992), and the Government has introduced a variety of agencies and schemes to promote the development of this sector. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNMthe Central Bank) confirmed (BNM, 2001a: 8) that SMEs 'represent a potential source of dynamism and driving force within the economy' and stressed that the Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) forms a vital cog in the nation's SME support network. Despite this high profile, the CGC's operations had never been subject to independent empirical review until the authors conducted a pilot study (Boocock and Mohd Shariff, 1996) that formed the starting point of an ongoing research programme.Meyer and Nagarajan (1997: 2) observed that 'no comprehensive evaluation of loan guarantees in developing countries has been conducted in recent years'. The literature in this field has continued to focus on developed countries, for example: Camino and Cardone (1999) examined t...