A STUDY OF THE ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF SELECTED PUBLIC UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS IN MICHIGAN CONCERNING THE DESIGN FOR A STATEWIDE BUSINESS EXTENSION SERVIC

The purposes of this research were: (1) to collect detailed and factual information that would enable the researcher to assess the feasibility and desirability of establishing a small business development center program that would be administered through the business colleges at Michigan's public, four-year colleges and universities; (2) to secure relevant views and information from the business deans concerning specific issues and operational concerns involved in designing and implementing a small business development center program; (3) to analyze the extent of agreement and disagreement on the issues and concerns examined; and (4) to develop from the interview data a set of normative statements concerning the desirable characteristics of a small business development center program in Michigan.;The specific concerns addressed in this study were: (1) The potential for integrating the small business assistance program with the instructional program of the business colleges/schools. (2) The potential for integrating the small business assistance program with the research activities of the business colleges/schools. (3) The potential for integrating the small business assistance program with the service activities of the business colleges/schools. (4) The type of small business assistance program model that would be most effective in utilizing college and university resources. (5) The types of small businesses that should receive assistance. (6) The resource requirements and funding arrangements needed to initiate a small business assistance program. (7) The most appropriate arrangement for administering and coordinating a statewide program.;The population was composed of all deans of business and/or management schools or colleges at the fifteen public, four-year colleges and universities in Michigan. Two of the fifteen deans were selected for the pilot interviews. The sample was composed of the remaining thirteen deans.;Interviews of the deans were recorded on a cassette tape deck. After each interview, the researcher listened to the cassette tapes with a copy of the interview format as a guide and transcribed the relevant portions of the interviews. Two judges participated in this part of the study for the purpose of reviewing and validating the work of the researcher.;On the basis of the interview data it was concluded that the establishment of a small business development center program in cooperation with business colleges and schools at most of Michigan's public, four-year colleges and universities would be feasible.;It was further concluded that the following normative guidelines should be followed in designing a small business development program for Michigan: (1) The small business assistance program should be integrated with the instructional, research, and service programs of the business colleges and schools that participate in the program. (2) The small business assistance program should be based in universities rather than in the private sector, but the private sector should be directly involved in planning and advisory capacities. (3) The small business assistance program should provide services to all types of small businesses with certain types of businesses receiving higher priority or more in-depth assistance than others. (4) The small business assistance program should be initiated with a very small staff at each participating institution and function as a clearinghouse in matching small business needs with the appropriate resources. (5) The small business assistance program should be funded by the State of Michigan until such time as the program is supported by other sources of funding including an institutional match. (6) A state-funded small business assistance program should be administered through and coordinated by the Office of Economic Development of the Michigan Department of Commerce.