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International
Outsourcing in the ICT Sector: Firms' Strategies and High
Skilled Workers within a Spatial Division of Labor
--
Anna
Ferro
This
paper examines the international outsourcing strategy within
the frame of market globalization and spreading of Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Outsourcing is originally
considered not only as an organizational and industrial
restructuring but also as a strategy to recruit highly skilled
workers. For this reason, the author looks at the relationship
between contractors and subcontractors while paying attention
to the (international, physical or virtual) mobility of
the workers involved. The conceptual and analytical features
of global outsourcing are extensively explored: the reasons
which make firms opt for this strategy are the conditions
that sustain it and the relationships that link firms. Firms'
relationsand workers' mobilityhave different outcomes, whether
the object is a `tactical' or `strategic' outsourcing, or
a `core' or `non-core' activity. Moreover, workers, also
called as "brains without a body", frequently
experiment virtual mobility, although this does not exclude
a (physical) brain circulation. While setting aside the
debate in favor and against IT outsourcing, the author provides
a deep analysis of the elements and conditions that influence,
determine and sustain this decision. The main reason refers
to the breaking of `transaction costs' and `labor costs'.
However, the choice to outsource does not solely include
these motivations, but also the geographical distance, language
and culture, which have a certain impact. Cultural and social
behaviors, tacit assumptions and cultural understandings
affect the relationship between contractors, subcontractors
and clients. Language and culture could be significant elements
for firms in order to recruit highly skilled workers abroad
and to choose the countries where and with whom to outsource.
While firms are becoming more mobile, knowledge workers
recruited in outsourcing are becoming more crucial, not
primarily for their skill shortage but mostly for the compound
of advantages they can offer. Because knowledge economy
is becoming more and more relevant for the country's wealth
and the globalization process, the author perceives that
outsourcingas an industrial restructuring mode, a business
process and a recruitment strategyhas a potential value
which will develop further in the future. This implies that
new firms' relationships, employment possibilities for skilled
workers, and new and increasing mobility of firms and capitals
will be affected.
©
2006 Anna Ferro. All Rights Reserved.
Technology
for Knowledge Innovation
--
Mariana
van der Walt
The
Cynefin Framework, developed by Dave Snowden, is used in
conjunction with the definition of the nature of complex
systems, to investigate developments in various knowledge
innovation approaches in the 20th century. The
emergent properties from this investigation provide the
backbone of the development of a framework for scientific
knowledge creation and knowledge innovation. The study of
the various knowledge innovation approaches like Operations
Research, Systems Thinking, Cybernetics, Complexity, Knowledge
Management, and Scientific Method, leads to the development
of a framework describing sufficient capability for trans-disciplinary
knowledge innovation and knowledge creation. The proposed
framework highlights the various aspects to be developed
in order to develop a robust and sufficient capability which
can be used for research management, knowledge innovation,
scientific problem solving, and quality assurance for knowledge
work. This framework can be seen as a "knowledge technology,"
which can be developed and implemented like any other technology.
This kind of technology for organizational knowledge work
is not widely available yet, which makes this work particularly
interesting. A case study is presented to highlight the
productivity of having used complexity techniques to solve
a complex problem, thus indicating the value of one of the
main arguments of the studythat problems need to be approached
according to their respective natures as no single approach
suffices. The case study also indicates the strategic value
of developing a trans-disciplinary capability which remains
robust in ever-changing environments. This attribute helps
to justify the costly investment of building a capability
of this kind, an endeavor which is usually a multi-year
project carrying a high risk of becoming sub-optimal even
before it is fully operational, due to the changing demands
of the environment.
©
2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Intellectual
Capital Reporting: Concepts and Key Methodologies
--
Madan
Bhasin
Intellectual
Capital (IC) is an important value driver in today's organizations.
Although, IC reporting is receiving increasing attention
from accountants in recent years, the innovativeness of
the concept impedes IC from being fully incorporated in
financial accounting reports as yet. At present, disclosure
of IC-related information by companies is done on a voluntary
basis, as applicable accounting regulations dictate the
definition of a balance sheet and the assets to be included
therein. Omission of IC-related information may adversely
influence the decisions made by shareholders or lead to
material misstatements. Only when companies provide IC statements
on a large scale, we would be able to speak of a true reporting
revolution in company valuation, both in theory and practice.
This paper attempts to review some prominent internal and
external measurement methods of IC. There is, no doubt,
a tremendous need for homogenization in the field of KM
and IC. First of all, a solid theoretical base should be
achieved in order to advance in the field. Parallel with
this, future research should focus on the development of
IC guidelines and their international harmonization. Additionally,
researchers should analyze IC reports published by pioneer
firms from around the world, to gather the best-learning
experiences. With this international insight, firms could
be advised on how to introduce a new dimension in transparency
that will strengthen its organizational governance.
©
2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge
Acquisition through Machine Learning
--
S
Robinson
Computers
require intelligence to solve problems. Knowledge acquisition
makes the process intelligent by updating knowledge to the
knowledge base. Machine learning serves this purpose with
its effective techniques. This paper explores the various
machine learning techniques, which help computers in knowledge
acquiring, thus improving their knowledge base.
©
2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
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