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Online training for business plan writing through the World Café method: the roles of leadership and trust

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Abstract

The use of e-learning in training courses has been expanding, particularly in areas related to management. However, no previous studies have examined the applicability of e-learning in training courses aimed at developing new entrepreneurs. This study employed the popular “World Café” forum in a course on the preparation of business plans hosted by the Taiwanese government. The results demonstrate that this approach can have a significant positive effect on the ability of participants to write business plans. In addition, the adoption of a transformational leadership style by table leaders tends to foster a sense of trust within the team and aid in the achievement of goals. It was also discovered that in cases where trust is lacking, transactional leadership tends to be more effective than transformational leadership in the promotion of learning performance. These findings provide a practical reference for the adoption of World Café in establishing training courses, particularly for developing the skills required to write business plans.

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  1. Department of Business Administration, Shih Chien University, No. 70, Dazhi St., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City, 104, Taiwan, ROC

    Wen-Long Chang

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  1. Wen-Long Chang
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Chang, WL. Online training for business plan writing through the World Café method: the roles of leadership and trust. Univ Access Inf Soc 16, 313–324 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-016-0459-y

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