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In this paper, a theoretical framework for human capital development in Pentecostal Religious Organizations through knowledge sharing is provided. The framework conceptualizes that religious organizations should prioritize launching a knowledge management initiative and appointing a knowledge management team or manager to conduct a knowledge audit and design an appropriate knowledge management plan as explicated. Knowledge management is the process of creating, sharing, using, and managing the knowledge and information of an organization or group. It involves identifying, capturing, organizing, storing, and sharing knowledge and information in a way that allows individuals and teams to access and use it effectively to improve decision-making, problem-solving, and innovation. The knowledge management plan should focus on codifying tacit and explicit knowledge to ensure it can be easily accessed, understood and transferred, and should be connected to the organizational strategy for human capital development in community services by religious organizations. The study has practical implications for religious organizations looking to improve their organizational effectiveness and contribute to the human capital development of its members as well as host communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an area of academic inquiry, organisational learning has matured to such an extent that it can now be described as an institutionalisation of a body of knowledge. Nonetheless, underlying the apparent maturity of this literature lies the proliferation of disciplines that claim aspects of this theoretical territory, each with their own ontological premises and schools of thought resulting in frequently conflicting theories which often reflect a diverse pattern of phenomenological domains, interpretative issues, methodological predilections and conflicting operationalisations. The marketing literature is characteristic in detecting elements in cognate disciplines and introducing them within the guise of mainstream marketing thought. Consequently, it was a matter of time before marketing academicians became interested in exploiting seams of organisational learning research that are relevant to areas of marketing. Consequently, a recent announcement by the Marketing Science Institute finds that market-based organisational learning is now a 'second tier' research priority for 2002-2004, reflecting its developing attraction in organisational, conceptual, theoretical and empirical respects. In this paper, an attempt will be made to address the following: to delineate the organisational learning concept by reviewing multi-disciplinary contributions; to evaluate the intellectual roots to market-based organisational learning by considering its theoretical heritage; to propose a model of the theoretical properties of market-based organisational learning; to consider the extent to which market-based organisational theory satisfies criteria for theory construction in marketing and organisation science; to identify critical gaps in our knowledge of market-based organisational learning; and, to indicate the contextual issues surrounding the development of market-based organisational learning programs in firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to analyze intellectual capital in Serbian fruit companies with respect to size, fruit sector, and certification status. Representatives from 75 companies were interviewed. Survey data were analyzed through 56 items, grouped into three sub-categories of intellectual capital: human capital, structural capital, and relational capital. This study provides insight into how the fruit industry in a developing country perceives intellectual capital and demonstrates the use of developed models from other industries in the food industry. The novelty of this approach was the dimension reduction of intellectual capital factors into two distinct directions, namely, ‘customer quality’ and ‘stakeholder quality’, confirming quality as a dominant basis for both customers and stakeholders. Micro companies and non-certified companies are focused on customers, while medium-sized and certified companies are focused on satisfying requirements from all stakeholders. This study provides insight for engineering managers engaged in using intellectual capital models in the food/fruit industry. The presented model explores the potential of intellectual capital in determining quality improvement opportunities and improving company performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the methodological aspects of training personnel that will allow specialists in the field of human resources development to plan for the results of training, monitor the educational process, and motivate company employees for training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of selected human resource (HR) methods that have implications for the management of ramp-up phases. Based on the specific challenges within production ramp-up, the following six HR methods and corresponding instruments are outlined: knowledge management, competency modeling, reward systems, leadership development, employee selection, and team development. Each method is briefly described and suggestions within the context of ramp-up management are provided. This overview supports ramp-up managers' selection of HR methods that have the higher goal of improving ramp-up performance. However, the practical implications of these HR methods are not clear, because empirical literature about the application of HR methods within the context of production ramp-up is limited. Further empirical research on the effects of specific HR methods on ramp-up performance, as well as detailed descriptions of the respective application and related expenses, are required to understand and evaluate their contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses educational practice as a site for the development of human capital theory. The article considers metaphysical constructions that are broadly typical of educational thought, and shows how they are amenable to economic analysis. Using different Marxist and feminist methods, it discusses pedagogy and the family as kinds of investment. The author questions the underlying assumptions about humanity on which both economics and education are predicated. If Western educators are certain of the historical ends to which modern Western education aims, do they also fully appreciate the implications of their own certainty and confidence for the future? As educators, are we equally confident that we question ourselves about why we uphold the value of education in the way each of us does? To engage educators in a debate about these values, the article employs poststructuralist critique to place words and concepts central to education and economics, e.g. the market, under erasure. It questions the way in which idealizations of teaching and learning are seen as forms of production and exchange. The article contests the notion of 'humanity' advanced within a postindustrial era, and seeks to open a more prescient account of knowledge as a form of wealth, and schooling as a form of commerce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of human capital and leader's knowledge in performance management in three countries from different continents. We contribute to the relevant literatures by examining crucial, hitherto unexamined processes of leveraging human capital, focusing on the conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. The paper also contributes by demonstrating the applicability of these processes and a general strategic human resource management framework to differing cultures. Using data from employee samples in these three countries, this study shows a strong positive impact of managerial human capital on key processes of leveraging such capital such as performance enhancement strategies and critical interactive behaviors, eventually leading to strong perceptions of leadership. These processes seem to be applicable across the three countries studied. These results are discussed in the context of cultural variations, pressures for globalization and associated HRM practices in these contexts. Future directions, limitations and managerial implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Spatial Economic Analysis is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper proposes a conceptual model to test the moderating effect of relational learning on the link between knowledge strategies and innovation. To accomplish this, this study is carried out on healthcare organizations. It has been generally accepted that both explicit and tacit knowledge play a basic role in organizational innovation. However, although there are plenty of research works that study the existing relationship between knowledge management (KM) and the effectiveness of the innovation process, there are certain peculiarities with regard to this link, which have yielded some inconclusive results. This paper revisits this research topic with data on KM, relational learning and innovation outcomes from a sample of Spanish hospitals. The results show that a deep and broad knowledge base leads to better innovation outcomes. In addition, this study found that hospitals and/or units that invest and involve themselves in relational learning mechanisms are more likely to foster innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this article, we analyze how a transaction cost and information economic theoretical analysis of two archetype employment systems can enhance our understanding of a firm's knowledge governance mechanisms and capability development. We especially analyze the question of how two distinctive employment systems – internal labor markets and high-commitment work systems – differently govern the availability and effectiveness of human capital, on the basis of their specific human resource management (HRM) practices (recruitment, training, staffing and rewards), as well as corresponding learning modes. We, therefore, seek to contribute to current research on organizational capabilities in three ways. We aim to foster the integration of a governance perspective and a capabilities-based perspective through our analysis of employment systems as knowledge governance mechanisms for human capital building and capability development. On the basis of a fully ‘macro-micro-macro’ analysis, we explicitly account for disregarded micro-mechanisms of current knowledge constructs and, furthermore, facilitate the link between capabilities-based and (strategic) HRM research for a better understanding of organizational capabilities and human capital pools. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study is to examine the roles of the two important components of intellectual capital, including social relationships and the critical network position in knowledge creation. Two regression models were used to test the hypotheses in a sample of 77 knowledge creation samples. The findings of this study contribute to the theoretical development of a conceptual model for explaining the inter-relationships among the aspects of intellectual capital and knowledge creation performance. The empirical evidence of the Sobel test, in line with Baron and Kenny's procedure, supports the process-oriented view and indicates that the network position would mediate the effects of social relationships on knowledge creation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a 2010 survey which examined how companies identify and access internal knowledge. The three primary areas of focus for the survey are organizational practices, the concept of tacit knowledge and barriers to knowledge transfer. A number of Industrial Research Institute (IRI) member companies participated in this survey. According to the survey, developing new ideas, concepts and innovations is the top strategic priority of companies for knowledge management. It also found that respondents' top tactical objectives include continuous development for high potential employees and gaining access to consumer perspectives.

Intellectual capital (INCAP) emerged as a topic worthy of academic and practical investigations in the early 1990s while the research and practice of INCAP has not been popular in the hotel industry until recently. Very few measurement frameworks specified the value of INCAP in the hospitality literature. The purpose of this study is to develop a measurement scale (named hereafter the HOINCAP scale) to identify the dimensions and sub-dimensions of INCAP in the hotel industry. The three dimensions of HOINCAP - human, organizational, and customer capital - were verified through a second-order factor model composed of four, five, and six sub-dimensions. The HOINCAP scale shows strong evidence of reliability, convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity. The implications of the scale are discussed for future research and INCAP management in the hotel industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organisations, which decide to initiate a Six Sigma programme, need to acquire and internalise the programme knowledge, in addition to creating, using and sharing the knowledge created through improvements. A methodology, namely Knowledge Focused Six Sigma (KFSS), designed in accordance with critical success factors for Six Sigma deployment and reinforced with knowledge management principles, becomes a necessity for a winning programme. KFSS methodology, designed to enhance the deployment and increase the benefits of the programme, also allows the organisations to assess their Six Sigma Intellectual Capital because with Six Sigma, there are not only financial benefits and number of belts, but also the organisation's intellectual capital increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We model contracting for joint production between workers and shareholders when investment in knowledge is non-verifiable and the resulting specific human capital embedded in the workers is non-tradable. The model explains how the effective cost of human capital services will vary depending on whether the investment in knowledge is financed by the workers or by the shareholders. We apply the results of the modeling to identify which firms are expected to gain and which to lose from posted trends in higher employability and lower empowerment of workers in modern market economies. Finally, we present conditions on the self-interest of current shareholders to empower workers as a way to stimulate their investment in firm-specific human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study promoted self-learning and participatory learning processes in the Lumpaya Community of Thailand to facilitate the development of local public policy to reduce the problem of poverty. The process used action research utilizing practice and learning from that practice. This research serves as an example of how a human resource development (HRD) intervention, knowledge management, can be applied in a context that extends beyond individual organizational boundaries to strengthen the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biotechnology is an industry where human resources embody the knowledge and thereby the competitive strength of the firm. Strategic HRM models have established the importance of resource dependency and institutional perspectives in understanding small biotechnology firms. These models, however, have seldom included the impact of managerial agency, particularly with regard to the role of the founder-scientist. Using three exploratory case studies of biotechnology small and medium enterprises (SMEs), we examine the role of founder-scientists in addressing the requirements of institutional legitimacy and scarce resources (human and capital) in their firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of human and social capital that different archetypes of subsidiary staffing are associated with, and how this influences the management of knowledge stocks and flows within the MNC. We identify four subsidiary staffing archetypes (local-internal, local-external, global-internal, and global-external) and suggest that each of them can be used for different knowledge-related purposes within the organisation. The local-internal archetype may carry a dual role in both exploiting existing knowledge stocks in their local markets and transferring market knowledge to the headquarters, through the co-existence of a high level of market knowledge and external social capital combined with at least some degree of MNC-specific knowledge and social capital. The local-external archetype, in turn, can play a valuable role in the exploration of new non-redundant knowledge. The global-internal archetype serves a key function in transferring knowledge and best practices from the headquarters to the subsidiaries. Lastly, the global-external archetype seems to have limited human- and social-capital related advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that under the influence of neoliberalism the role of schooling has been narrowly redefined as helping students to gain the knowledge and skills to 'get a job'. Drawing on the recent policy pronouncements of the new Rudd Labor Government in Australia, the paper examines how the advocates of human capital theory have effectively articulated the linkage between productivity, education and global competitiveness. The paper problematizes the key assumptions informing these policy discourses, namely, greater emphasis on vocational education and training and the creation of an enterprise culture, will lead to more high tech, high skilled and well paid jobs. The paper concludes by advocating an alternative approach to schooling based on the values of 'human sensibility' and social justice to help guide educational conversations beyond market values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge is a vital component of organizational success embedded within the human resources of a firm (Grant, 1996). Knowledge is lost by organizations when it is not used or when knowledgeable individuals turnover. Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) are designed to help organizations capture, store, distill, and distribute knowledge embedded within their employees. The effectiveness of KMS is dependent on individual learning and individual-specific learning preferences. Furthermore, as the world becomes more globalized and the job candidate pool from which organizations hire becomes more culturally diverse, the extent to which western models of organizational behavior hold becomes less clear. Using a multi-national survey, this study aims to determine to what extent learning preferences are dependent on culture. If learning preferences are dependent on culture, KMS designs that ignore culture may result in incomplete or ineffective knowledge transfer and learning outcomes. Our findings contribute to the KMS literature by suggesting that KMS design should be conducted with the goal of effectively facilitating learning across cultures. Specific KMS design recommendations include incorporating group activities and providing more flexibility, depending on the culturally derived learning preferences of specific users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the discourse on knowledge management, the concept of social capital plays a key role as the mediator of individual know-how or 'human capital' (i.e. individual cognitive or embodied skills and know-how) and structural 'organizational capital', i.e. knowledge embedded in the routines and standard operating procedures of an organization. A study of a Swedish specialist rock construction company, ConCo, demonstrates how the social network acquired by individual site managers is mobilized when unanticipated events occur in day-to-day working life. Rather than using a written or mediated system of knowledge sharing (i.e. Intranets or databases), the site managers relied primarily on verbal communication with their peers. Whenever they encounter a problem, site managers talk to their colleagues or call experts outside the firm in order to get credible and useful advice on how to handle precarious situations. One of the implications of the study is that conceiving of knowledge not as an individual property but as a social accomplishment may enable more detailed understanding of how intellectual resources are used in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to construct and validate a tool that measures the knowledge strategies in software organizations in India. The knowledge strategies discussed in this paper are based on the characteristics of organizational learning typology, which are classified as consolidators, transformers and co-inventors. This tool measures the extent to which the software organizations practice the consolidator strategy, transformer strategy, and co-inventor strategy. Data were collected from 39 software companies in India. The tool was tested for psychometric properties such as unidimensionality, validity, and reliability. These properties of the tool are at a very acceptable level in view of the confirmatory fit index (CFI), Bentler Bonett Coefficient, and Cronbach's alpha, which are above the recommended minimum values. Descriptive statistics were tested to quantify the extent to which knowledge strategies were being practiced across the software companies in India. ANOVA was performed to see the role of organization size and age in view of knowledge strategies. Significant differences were observed in knowledge strategies based on the organization's size and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Important performance outcomes of public management networks are examined, based on a study of 14 intergovernmental networks comprised of administrators and program specialists. The key to performance is based on the application of connective human capital. Collaborative public value is added as network actors pursue those knowledge-building actions related to solving interagency problems. Performance outcomes are examined from individual administrator, partner agency, network process, and tangible results perspectives. Specific project outcomes of each network are illustrated. Finally, the importance of networks as communities of practice for achieving collaborative outcomes is demonstrated as a key public management process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OVERVIEW: The knowledge management process is increasingly seen as a key to organizational creativity and innovation. The evolving global business environment necessitates that organizations shift from a rigid, standardized competitive approach to a more flexible mobilization of human resources located both inside and outside the company. This can be aided by recognizing knowledge worker capabilities as a hierarchy from acquired knowledge to more complex unique and creative knowledge. Competitive advantage can be gained by moving individual and cumulative capabilities higher on this pyramid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been claimed that with product life-cycles shortening and technologies becoming increasingly imitable, organizational knowledge emerges as a major source of competitive advantage. However, as surveyed by KPMG (2003), 80% of the respondents considered knowledge a strategic asset, while 78% believed that they were currently missing out on business opportunities by failing to successfully exploit their available knowledge. To address this issue, this research aims to examine the main questions: how organizational innovativeness can be achieved by knowledge-based resources? What are the underlying mechanisms that transform intangible assets into organizational innovativeness? More specifically, we suggest that organizational innovativeness depends on its human capital, organizational learning and external network resources. Using a two-group comparison method, we surveyed 126 firms in the hardware industry and 43 firms in the software industry in Taiwan. Because these two industries are characterized by different factors, it allows us to compare the specific causal links between the models and draw a broader inference from the results. Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used to test the theoretical model. The findings broadly support the hypotheses and suggest a number of insights about differences between the hardware and software firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the diversity of the Human Resource Development (HRD) research from a European perspective. According to a study, HRD research in Europe suffered from two major weaknesses, the first point concerns the lack of rigor in carefully building a coherent cycle of empirical research and the second point refers to the often-clumsy jump from descriptive studies to prescription. The author has stressed that HRD research projects are isolated from neighboring disciplines, and fragmented in their cycle of sound knowledge development, so that the process of building a consistent theoretical basis for HRD does not make impressive progress.

How can we manage knowledge, human and intellectual resources, cognitive and behavioral dynamics at their best within the corporations? The main challenge is to use the missing knowledge, often incomplete and contradictory, owned by a single man and globally not available to anyone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the well-established presence of the global marketplace, the need for managers who are globally competent and have knowledge about global business practices, cultures and networks is increasing. Researchers have shown that firms can acquire such knowledge through their human resources, particularly by building a cadre of repatriate managers who have been on international assignments. While it may seem obvious to assert that firms must retain these repatriates if they are to be an important internal resource for remaining globally competitive, prior studies have shown that most firms do not effectively reintegrate their repatriates, who then become dissatisfied and often leave, taking their human capital with them. Researchers have also suggested that such dissatisfaction often stems from both limited employee self-adjustment capabilities and inadequate HR practices that could otherwise help repatriates adjust and find a good fit with the firm when they return home. However, much of the research in this area has been anecdotal or based on simplistic empirical research. Consequently, this study strives to present a more rigorous look at the effect of a firn's HR practices and the repatriates' self-adjustment on their job satisfaction and job attachment. Results confirmed our hypotheses that both HR practices and the level of repatriate self-adjustment are positively associated with satisfaction and attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature on Japanese transplant manufacturing firms in the automotive sector often emphasise the importance placed on attitude as opposed to skills in the hiring decisions for line workers. In this paper, a case study of one second-tier components supplier for a major Japanese automotive assembler in the Midwestern United States provides the opinions of senior managers and human resource associates regarding recruitment and selection practices. In-depth interviews, carried out over a two-week period in August 2000, are used to develop an understanding of the recruitment and selection process for line workers as well as to investigate the desired skills and value of previous Japanese experience. Results of the case study analysis are compared with two models from the literature: (1) a model of recruitment and selection at Japanese automotive-related firms in Japan and (2) a model of recruitment and selection at Japanese transplant automotive-related firms abroad. Deviations from the two models point not to a new paradigm of "second-generation" Japanese transplants - those that have moved into regions quite familiar with Japanese firms and related management and production methods - but rather to overall weaknesses in the stereotypical models. Managerial opinions within the case study firm place limited value on familiarity with a Japanese environment, considering such experience secondary to attitudes and work ethics that are in line with the philosophy of the case study firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are different dimensions to the role played by universities in regional innovation. One perspective is to examine the different forms of knowledge and knowledge transfer in the form of commodified knowledge, human capital and social capital. A second perspective is to look at different governance and policy contexts and consider national systems of higher education, national programmes for regional innovation as well as regionally specific interactions. Examples of university engagement in Europe across these different scales are presented. Overall, there is a need for integration and joining up of policies at the regional scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationships between knowledge flows and subsidiaries' performance in the perspective of human capital. Our empirical study of 130 Taiwanese multinational companies' (MNCs') subsidiaries show that outflow of knowledge can enhance performance; however, the inflow of knowledge can facilitate performance only in the case of high investment of human capital in subsidiaries. Additionally, the effects of knowledge inflow on subsidiary's performance are found significant only in its earlier stage of establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resource-based view and the knowledge-based view are important developments in strategic management theory, and 'knowledge management' has exploded in the popular management literature. There is, however, little empirical literature that explores the connections between firms' attempts at knowledge management and their HR strategies. In this paper, we focus particularly on links between knowledge management and staffing practices. High-technology manufacturing was selected as the site of our research, as high-technology firms rely on highly skilled employees to innovate and develop new products and are therefore an ideal environment for exploring the strategies employed for both managing knowledge, and recruiting and retaining employees. Drawing particularly on the work of Hansen et al. (1999), this paper identifies and explores two fits between knowledge management and HR strategy or what we call KM-HR configurations: 'personalization-retention' and 'codification-recruitment'. We argue that there is no one way to manage knowledge and its links to HRM and build a simple framework of potential KM-HR configurations with propositions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the debates about the nature of strategic HRM in international companies. It builds on a substantial research programme using questionnaires and detailed case studies to argue that the international HRM field is changing significantly and rapidly and that there is a need for better understanding of these developments. Five distinct, but linked, organizational drivers of international HRM are identified and discussed: efficiency orientation, global service provision, information exchange, core business processes and localization of decision-making. These factors are creating a new set of pressures on HRM specialists. Three distinct, but linked, enablers of high-performance international HRM arc being developed by multinational enterprises: HR affordability, central HR philosophy and HR excellence and knowledge transfer. A series of different strategic recipes combining these drivers and enablers are identified. These recipes in turn are delivered through a series of important HR processes: talent management and employer branding, global leadership through international assignments, managing an international workforce and evaluation of HR contribution. A tentative model of the relationships between these drivers, enablers and processes is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although strategic human resource management began to emerge as a domain of study around 1980, many of the field's major theoretical and empirical strides have occurred during the last decade or so. By and large these have emanated from communities of scholars operating within specific countries or, in some cases, regions of the world. The next generation of contributions, however, is beginning to emerge on a global basis. This special issue fosters the broader development of our field by bringing together a set of papers written by a cadre of scholars from various spots around the world who recently gathered at Cornell University to share thoughts and perspectives. While viewpoints vary, overall the collection offers a wealth of specific insights and suggestions for moving the field forward on the inevitable path of globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that in the noosphere stage of the development of a society that has a socially oriented economy of the market type, the productive forces of human beings are realized in the form of intellectual capital, which represents a certain store of culture and health that has taken shape in the form of investments and been accumulated by human beings, a store of scientific and educational knowledge and motives that is put to wise use in some sphere of social production or other and that contributes to the growth of the productivity and quality of people's labor, and, in this way, leads to the growth of individual and societal well-being. The HPDI level for each country shows how far it still has to go in order to accomplish the goals that have been set by the world community: an average life span of eighty-five years, equal access to education for all, and a decent income level for the population. And each country chooses its own ways of accomplishing these goals, realizing the productive powers of human beings in the form of human capital in different ways.

The study focuses on the question of how HRD personnel employed in a large multinational company perceive learning at work. We are interested in how HR development staff describe learning at the individual, collective and organizational levels. The participants were Finnish and Chinese human resource professionals (n = 17) who used an asynchronous web-based tool to study adult education. The empirical data consist of all the texts sent to a web-based discussion forum. The findings showed that the HRD practitioners' views of learning covered quite evenly all three levels of organizational learning. The practitioners paid special attention to practical learning taking place in connection with everyday work activities, to communication and collaborative learning and to the development of a learning organization. This reflects the multifaceted nature of learning at work and the necessity of using HRD to integrate individual- and organizational-level needs in order to enhance organizational learning. The participants frequently reported that they found this a demanding task that required a clear 'understanding of humans, people in the organizations and their learning'. If organizational learning is to meet its current challenges it should take note of messages like these from HRD practitioners, which emphasise the diversity of learning experiences. Promoting a shared understanding and especially awareness and recognition of the fundamental issues associated with learning at work is a possible first step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge management is one of the key enabling technologies of distributed engineering enterprises. It encompasses a wide range of organizational, management and technologically orientated approaches that promote the exploitation of an organizations' intellectual assets. Knowledge management approaches may be divided into personalization approaches that emphasize human resources and communication, and codification approaches that emphasize the collection and organization of knowledge. This distinction is used to explore the application of knowledge management in engineering design, after first outlining the engineering circumstances that have led to the current emphasis on the application. The paper then gives an overview of approaches to knowledge management through personalization, including human and organizational approaches, concentrating on the establishment of communities of practice. The role of information technology is explained both in terms of personalization (communication and team support through computer-supported cooperative work) and of codification through information management, knowledge structuring and knowledge-based engineering. The paper concludes with a discussion of the match of knowledge management approach to engineering circumstance, and of the current challenges of knowledge management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quintessentially a US phenomenon, the information and knowledge economy (IKE) combines regional clusters of innovation with new and sophisticated forms of intellectual and finance capital. For those European economies struggling to adjust to global competition, the IKE is seen as the panacea. It is regarded as a proven recipe for all places and sectors, with the potential to remedy structural weaknesses that have become ever more apparent in a world subject to globalisation, increased international competition, and technological change. We suggest an agent-centred perspective for understanding economic systems and behaviour that stresses the significance of cognition and learning for innovation while making the connection between organizations and their environments. We argue that the IKE, as represented by regions such as Silicon Valley and Route 128/495 Boston, is complex and multi-faceted and cannot be transposed easily between cultures. Finally, we draw together the implications of our approach for European regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined the role of university departments in providing intellectual capital in rural areas through field-based courses, using a field study under an undergraduate Bachelor of Tourism course. Destination management for the sustainable development of tourism; Benefits of the field study to the rural area and the students.

This paper probes the effects upon people of defining knowledge primarily in economic terms. It asserts that the language of commerce increasingly appropriates 'knowledge' by defining it in such terms. Theoretically, the analysis draws on the work of Jacques Derrida to explore the effects of metaphors in human resource management and development environments. The paper explores the ways that metaphors can become powerful signifiers of knowledge at work. As critical technologies of representation, the metaphors that have emerged out of recent theorizations of knowledge at work have contributed to a powerful discourse that defines people as 'knowledge workers'. It is argued here that dominant views of 'what constitutes a knowledge worker' imply that subjects are both 'knowledge workers' (cogito) and 'human resources' (economic) - thus the title 'cogito-economic subjects'. By defining people in this way, it is argued that there are potential dangers of metaphors becoming reified with knowledge becoming describable only in economic terms, and people describable only in cogito-economic terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research exploring the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and outcomes such as corporate performance encounters a range of significant practical difficulties. Using two surveys as illustrative cases, this paper examines the practical challenges of operationalizing and measuring HRM, measuring the various outcomes and assessing the relationship between HRM and corporate performance. Despite the problems, it is suggested that significant progress has been made. While possible solutions to some of the problems are put forward, it is argued that a key requirement remains more clearly specified theory, particularly theory about the nature of HRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent academic and managerial interest in electronic commerce (e-commerce) activities has created enormous interest in the world of information technology and in many other industries. Therefore, managers are facing new challenges. One such daunting task is the ability to manage knowledge, as this can now be exchanged or transferred on the Internet or Intranet without physical contact or time constraints. To understand some of the key human resource issues related to organizing global knowledge in the e-commerce context, an exploratory case study was conducted. One of the key findings from this case study is the recognition that human resource management (HRM) will play a new dual role in organizing global knowledge sharing in the e-commerce era. One role is to continue dealing with traditional administrative transactions and the other is to nurture knowledge-related activities. This contradicts simplistic prescriptions about managing knowledge, which suggests that the implementation and utilization of a particular information system are all that are necessary to facilitate effective knowledge sharing. Instead, this exploratory study shows that successful knowledge sharing is dependent not only on the use of particular information technologies but also on the successful creation of a knowledge-sharing environment with a knowledge management-focused HRM as the coordinator of related activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When internationalization goes beyond simply having international sales to having international operations, organizations can benefit from diversity of ideas and knowledge. Our study focuses on a special class of companies called new venture firms. As younger organizations, they may be well equipped to embrace the unique benefits of international diversity. However, new ventures may not be equal in this regard; therefore, our study also explores the moderating effect of human resource value for these firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]