The Development and Marketing of Business Seminars by Universities: Participant Format Preferences

Institutions of higher education are becoming increasingly dependent on external seminars to corporate employees as a means of meeting a growing number of business needs. As the variety of seminars expands, questions concerning the optimal seminar format must be addressed. The current, empirical study investigates seminar format preferences based on survey respondents' managerial level. Input is analyzed from three levels of manager: executives, mid-level managers, and supervisors. The results of the study indicate that there are certain strong preferences which managers at all levels share in regard to seminar format. In addition, several significant differences exist between the preferences of managers at the three organizational levels. Recommendations are given as to how universities can best develop and market seminars to the business public.