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Flying the flag

Our business schools export their talent – and thrive. We look at why our professional development is world class

LEARNING TO GO GLOBAL

As with any business development, when it comes to international success, knowledge is power

WHY THERE'S MORE THAN ONE MILKY WAY

Businesses miss out when they limit thier graduate milk rounds to top universities, argues Julie Newlan

BUSINESS EDUCATION

How should you 20 improve your leadership skills in these challenging times? We look at the latest ideas on training and development

MENTORING MATTERS

Research shows small businesses with mentors are more likely to survive. But why do SMEs need a guiding hand and why would anyone want to become a mentor?

Learning for a new era

The world of work is changing faster now than at any point in history. And executive education needs to develop at exactly the same dizzy pace to keep up

Small space, big savings

Make the most of your office space and boost the balance sheet

Ask Sahar

I work for a big corporation and my team is never short of ideas. We research and create presentations, but executing our plans is often difficult. How do I make sure our creativity is not wasted?

No more heroes

The age of the rock star leader is over. Business schools are now shaping leadership education for executives who put teamwork before ego

ask Sahar

I essentially work for the pay cheque. I'm a bit traditional and never associate work with fun necessarily. For me, work and play are opposite words. Do you think my views are outdated?

ask Sahar

I'm curious about how entrepreneurs approach risk-taking. Whenever I want to do something, I weigh up the options and always get scared off by the negatives. How do you deal with doubts and fears?

Vital connections

Devora Zack, president of Only Connect Consulting, offers her top 10 tips for sharpening your networking skills

Learning the hard way

Fewer MBA students, training providers under pressure and cautious spending... it's been a tough year for business education. A modest recovery is underway but employers are more demanding, calling for courses linked to commercial goals

Degree of uncertainty

The downturn has had an ongoing impact on student numbers for MBAs

Filling the skills gap

How business is shaping tomorrow's entrepreneurs

Greening the MBA

Business schools are gradually taking the environment more seriously in their curricula

Somebody's watching me

Mentors are highly valued by entrepreneurs. With a track record of commercial success, they're well placed to pass on vital skills. Director met three businesspeople and their guiding lights to ask why two brains are better than one

Why should we pick you?

Your behaviour at a job interview can offer a fresh start after a business has failed or you've been made redundant. Five experts spell out the golden rules

Learning curve

Do we need to teach a new kind of leadership for these straitened times, and if so, how are business courses changing to reflect this demand?

Smooth talk

Paul Jackson, who teaches presentation skills, offers 10 tips for getting your message across in public

Enlightenment rules

Our thirst for knowledge and new skills has remained consistent through this recession, as UK business schools report a healthy interest in their courses. What has changed is the content, and what business leaders choose to do with it

Location, location

Students at international business schools see the bigger picture

Taking leadership

Sustainability and "green" thinking are business education trends

view from here

Cranfield School of Management's Professor Frank Horwitz gives some advice on how to survive the downturn

follow the leader

Successful companies tell Director why they're still investing in business education during a recession

helping hands

With women half as likely as men to start a business, the popularity of mentoring for aspiring female entrepreneurs is growing. But what are the lessons they hope to learn?

Classroom at the top

Directors are faced with a vast array of business education choices, from 'quick fix' courses to full-blown MBAs. With so much on offer, how should they choose the right professional development for them?

Ian Robertson

The founding CEO of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship talks to Amy Duff

Peter Laybourn

The programme director for the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) talks about the environmental and economic benefits to all businesses involved

The tender trap

Politicians want more public-sector contracts to go to small businesses. But small businesses are often reluctant to submit public-sector tenders. What's the solution? Peter Bartram finds out

Stephen Hughes

The director of northern Europe for Enterprise Ireland helps companies grow sales through international markets. But with consumer confidence starting to dip, he's in for a tough year

Joe Goasdoué

The chief executive of the British Quality Foundation believes excellence is about making your company stand out from the crowd

Philip Greenish

The chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering is striving to put the industry closer to the centre of society

The top skills contenders

Last month in Japan, hundreds of highly trained, super-skilled young people from across the globe gathered for the WorldSkills competition—a battle between 48 countries to determine who has the most skilled workforce

David Marlow

The chief executive of the East of England Development Agency

Leadership training gets personal

Director development is about more than skills; increasingly, it is about behaviour, finds Sarah Hanson

Rebecca Eastmond

The director of the Prince of Wales Arts & Kids Foundation

Dr Khalid Hafeez

The founding director of the Centre for Ethnic Entrepreneurship and Management

Alastair Wilson

The chief executive of the School for Social Entrepreneurs

Peter Reid

The chief executive of London Technology Network

Joan Richards

The youth business adviser at Business Connect, Neath Port Talbot

Sean Tompkins

The chief operating officer of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

Why directors should be taken to task

Project management training for SMEs

Naina Patel

The chief executive of the Policy Research Institute on Ageing and Ethnicity

Fred Hasson

The chief executive of the Independent Games Development Association

Annika Small

The chief executive of not-for-profit organisation Futurelab

Kane Kramer

The co-founder of the British Inventors Society and the inventor of Monicall

David Kingham

The chief operating officer of Oxford Innovation

Terry Ryall

The chief executive of the new youth volunteering charity V