The Impact of Educational Programs for Managers by Community Banks: The case of a program by Kanazawa Shinkin Bank (Japanese)

This paper examines educational programs intended for business managers by regional financial institutions. Research has shown that managers and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises neither had sufficient experience nor were trained prior to obtaining their current positions. As a result, the community banks which have to build closer relationships between the small businesses should provide them with relevant training programs. However, the effectiveness of such programs has not been validated in Japan. I evaluated a seminar conducted for entrepreneurs and managers by Kanazawa Shinkin Bank (called " Kinshin Keieijuku ") with a questionnaire. The major results of this survey are as follows. first, the program has a significant positive effect on the dimension of human resource management. Second, the businesses tend to have a medium-term management plan. finally, the participants aim to grow their businesses either by expansion of their markets or through new projects. These results indicate that a community bank-conducted training program for managers and entrepreneurs could improve the quality of employment, and promote the sustainability and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises in the rural economies.