Abstract:

In a culture where businesses are expected to demonstrate corporate social responsibility and schools are expected to ensure learning is authentic and meaningful, partnerships between schools and businesses are becoming common practice. Successfully approaching businesses to develop these school-business partnerships however is not easy. Evidence of the benefits of such partnerships to the business would greatly advantage this process. In the last decade only a handful of studies have investigated the benefits for schools and students from school-business partnerships whilst there has been even less research into the value for businesses.

What are the benefits for schools and businesses and do these differ depending on the size of the business? This knowledge may prove invaluable for schools who have clear goal in mind for a new school- business partnership. Enabling them to tailor partnerships to suit the size of the business to be approached.

This interpretive research investigated the influence of business size on the support provided to schools. Forty participants from a variety of New Zealand businesses, with established school links, completed an online questionnaire. Findings indicated that size does matter. Interaction with schools, the type of support provided and the perceived benefits gained, varied depending on the size of the business. It is anticipated that these findings will support schools to plan mutually beneficial business partnerships.

Keywords:

School-business partnerships, school-industry partnerships.