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Managers spend much time in counselling employees. Examines this process, which demands careful use of a manager’s performance counselling, namely, disciplinary counselling, grievance counselling and performance appraisal counselling.

The purpose of this paper is to apply the theory of guided preparation to investigate the relative impact of outside counseling assistance and entrepreneurship courses on new venture creation and performance.

To attain a sample of nascent entrepreneurs who had been impacted by entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial counseling, 256 individuals who received counseling from the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center in 1996 or 1998 were surveyed. The authors ran a logistic regression model using venture start‐up as the categorical dependent variable to investigate whether entrepreneurial education and counseling had an influence on the creation of new ventures. To test whether entrepreneurial education or counseling had a long‐term impact on the growth of new ventures, hierarchical regression analyses were run using employment in 2003 as the dependent variable. Various control variables were used for both sets of analyses.

Findings indicate that counseling has a significant impact on venture performance but entrepreneurship courses do not. In contrast, entrepreneurship courses are related to venture creation while counseling is not.

Consistent with theory, the results suggest that counseling programs allow entrepreneurs to develop context‐specific tacit knowledge about their ventures and are best delivered immediately prior to venture start‐up. Entrepreneurship courses appear to indirectly influence new venture performance by increasing the odds of start up.

This comparative test of the theory of guided preparation contributes to the understanding of the effects of education and counseling on the creation and long‐term performance of new ventures, informing how the delivery of such programs can be improved.

Increasingly, attempts to improve the relative status of salespeople are being undertaken by both practitioners and academicians. These attempts have included changes in the ways in which sales personnel are described and changes in the salesperson′s job description and training. Frequently, sales representatives are referred to as sales consultants, sales advisors, and sales counselors; and their job descriptions have been changed to emphasize the consulting, advising, and counseling roles. The research question addressed examines whether effective counseling behavior is related positively and significantly to effective sales performance. Counseling behaviors of 113 automobile sales representatives were measured and their relationship to sales performance assessed. The results indicate that sales performance is positively and significantly related to the sales representative′s congruity, but unrelated to other measures of counseling behavior.

Examines aspects of career development functions, one component of mentoring relationships, as they relate to employee development. Describes the experiences of over 1,200 professional and managerial women and men with their firm’s performance appraisal and counselling procedures. Data were collected in a single large professional services firm using anonymously completed questionnaires. The performance appraisal and counselling practices of this firm produced mixed results. Although three‐quarters of these employees reported discussions of written performance evaluations, several concerns about procedures were indicated. Offers suggestions for improving organization practice in these areas to develop talent more effectively.

Stress damages us and our performance. It is a real part of most manager's experience and can be said to occur when significant demands exceed perceived management responsibilities and routines. Stress can be the essence of working life, and certainly need not always be damaging to us. But when it becomes excessive, it is something unwanted.

Performance counselling is a powerful motivational tool and can be defined as a formal discussion between a manager and a subordinate for the purpose of discussing the subordinate's current job performance, determining why the performance is at its current level (whether acceptable or not), and outlining ways in which the subordinate can perform better in the future — to the ultimate benefit of all: the subordinate, the manager and the organisation. They key is to focus on the future. The challenge to the manager is to provide a climate in which employee growth is actively encouraged.

Examines the role of appraisals as a way of improving productivity and effectiveness within successful organizations. Identifies ways in which appraisals help both employers and employees. Suggests that there is room for improvement in most performance appraisals and discusses various ideas. Computer software is one of the ways in which performance appraisals can be dealt with more proficiently. This article evaluates the three leading software programs available currently and provides a comparison of the features. Concludes that the products do not solve all the problems encountered in performance appraisals, but do give structure to the process and make this sort of appraisal easier to conduct.

Describes an ongoing research project to monitor performance appraisal reports (PARs) of staff working at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India. Presents major shortcomings of the PAR mechanism as observed while analysing the data. Suggests ways in which the existing appraisal mechanism could be improved in order to introduce and maintain a performance‐oriented work culture.

Using the backdrop of an (apparently) extended visit to the West Indies, analogies with key concerns of internal audit are drawn. An unusual and refreshing way of exploring the main themes ‐ a discussion between Bill and Jack on tour in the islands ‐ forms the debate. Explores the concepts of control, necessary procedures, fraud and corruption, supporting systems, creativity and chaos, and building a corporate control facility.