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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of leadership style, whether transactional or transformational, and conflict management mode on the online learning performance of students in a business-planning course. Conflict management was performed using the following five approaches: (1) avoidance, (2) accommodation, (3) competition, (4) collaboration and (5) compromise. The sample used in this study included information from 318 undergraduate students enrolled in a course on business planning. The data were collected using a structured online questionnaire. The participants were asked to answer nine questions adapted from the Multifacet Leadership Questionnaire and 19 questions adapted from the Multifacet Conflict Management Questionnaire. Our results show that both leadership style and conflict management mode have a strong influence on learning performance. They also elucidate the interaction between leadership style and conflict management mode. Finally, transformational leadership is shown to be more effective than transactional leadership when dealing with conflict. This work expands our knowledge of conflict management associated with virtual teams participating in an online course, in which close relationships must be maintained over a relatively long period of time. On a more practical level, experience promotes the acceptance of conflict management as a part of the leaders' responsibility, thereby improving the learning performance of all participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]