Knowledge Management

The main aim of European Union is "to become the most competitive and dynamic world economy based on knowledge, capable for viable economic growth with better work places and greater social cohesion". Competitive advantage in "new economy" has passed from material and financial assets on (to) non-material and non-financial belongings. The key challenge for 21st century companies is knowledge defining, measuring, advancing, valuing and controlling. Characteristics of economy based on knowledge are: • knowledge is used as input and as output, • in the most developed countries i the world, more than half gross of domestic product is based on knowledge, • high technology Industries nearly have doubled their share in output in last two decades, while services based on knowledge increase faster, too, • in new employing number of " knowledge " workers brings on an overage 80% of new jobs, and • increasing of information and knowledge portions in production technologies, but in products, too.knowledge management

Capabilities for growth

This study explores firm growth and its relation with firm-specific capabilities. Organisations can benefit from growth in many ways, including greater efficiencies through economies of scale, increased power, the ability to withstand environmental change, increased profits and increased prestige for organizational members. The second element of research in this study, firm-specific capabilities, refers to the ability to integrate, build and reconfigure internal and external competencies to address rapidly changing environments. The fields of growth and capabilities seem to be complementary. However, the exact relationship currently seems to be underdeveloped. In this study, an attempt is made to incorporate the development of capabilities in the process of organisational growth. The following issues are addressed: The way organisations strive to grow, the manner in which firm-specific capabilities are incorporated and translated into the corporate strategy and whether these companies have succeeded.

Origins and consequences of technology acquirement by independent-living seniors:Towards an integrative model

Background: Living independently can be challenging for seniors. Technologies are expected to help older adults age in place, yet little empirical research is available on how seniors develop a need for technologies, how they acquire these technologies, and how these subsequently affect their lives. Aging is complex, dynamic and personal. But how does this translate to seniors’ adoption and acceptance of technology? To better understand origins and consequences of technology acquirement by independent-living seniors, an explorative longitudinal qualitative field study was set up. Methods: Home visits were made to 33 community-dwelling seniors living in the Netherlands, on three occasions (2012–2014). Semi-structured interviews were conducted on the timeline of acquirements, and people and factors involved in acquirements. Additionally, participants were interviewed on experiences in using technologies since acquirement. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze interview transcripts, using a realist approach to better understand the contexts, mechanisms and outcomes of technology acquirements. Results: Findings were accumulated in a new conceptual model: The Cycle of Technology Acquirement by Independent-Living Seniors (C-TAILS), which provides an integrative perspective on why and how technologies are acquired, and why these may or may not prove to be appropriate and effective, considering an independent-living senior’s needs and circumstances at a given point in time. We found that externally driven and purely desire-driven acquirements led to a higher risk of suboptimal use and low levels of need satisfaction. Conclusions: Technology acquirement by independent-living seniors may be best characterized as a heterogeneous process with many different origins, pathways and consequences. Furthermore, technologies that are acquired in ways that are not congruent with seniors’ personal needs and circumstances run a higher risk of proving to be ineffective or inappropriate. Yet, these needs and circumstances are subject to change, and the C-TAILS model can be employed to better understand contexts and mechanisms that come into play

INVESTIGATIVE APPROACH IN OPERATIONS RESEARCH LEARNING USING MAXIMA SYSTEM

In the article the problems of using the systems of computer mathematics (SCM) as a tool to support the teaching and research activities in the field of informatics and mathematics disciplines training are investigated. The role of SCM in the process of bachelors of informatics training and special aspects of pedagogical applications of these systems in the “Operations research” study is defined. The main characteristics of SCM MAXIMA and the ways of organizing access to it both in local and the cloud-oriented implementation are considered. The results of the pedagogical experiment on MAXIMA application to support the investigative approach to operation research study and the analysis of its conclusions are reported. The use of SCM Maxima in the process of “Operations research” teaching aims at the forming students’ ICT-competences, including in a cloud-based environment due to: the acquaintance with functional characteristics of SCM Maxima; developing skills of mathematical research of the applied tasks, in particular the construction of mathematical models; mastering programming in the SCM Maxima; obtaining the necessary knowledge base for studying other disciplines; increasing the level of informatics acquirement by means of the extensive use of SCM and cloud oriented systems in the educational process and research work. The aim of the research is justification of Maxima system use of in the process “Operations research” teaching in the pedagogical university as enchasing the investigative approach to learning and determination of the perspective ways of its introductio

From geographical innovation clusters towards virtual innovation clusters: The innovation virtual system

The opportunities of the new economic landscape have determined radical changes in the organizational structures of the firms, till the creation of new virtual clusterization forms, that is distinct systems of suppliers, distributors, service providers and clients that use the 'internetworking technologies' as a principal way for co-operating and competing. These 'virtual clusterization forms' that have been also defined as 'e-business communities' or 'b-web communities' (Tapscott, Lowy & Ticoll, 2000), are here defined as 'virtual clusters'. In a virtual cluster (VC), each enterprise adds one or more distinct aspects of product/service value to the value of the network, by exchanging digital knowledge with other members. Recent studies, focused on VCs, highlight that the VC enabling factors may be identified in ICTs ubiquity (increasingly wireless) and bandwidth robustness, that allow firms to access real-time what they need and to co-ordinate their intra and inter-firm activities, creating value both by offering innovative and personalized products, services and by cutting transaction costs. (Davin and Botkin, 1994) (Rayport and Sviokla, 1995). This paper focuses on these VCs innovation processes, in order to make some comparisons between the traditional geographical innovation clusters and the emerging virtual innovation clusters. To this end, the paper is organized in two logical patterns: Some empirical evidence for describing ad discussing the more important features of the emerging VCs. Specifically, the paper focuses on the following issues: - Some first results on VCs characteristics, regarding four distinctive features of their new world of business: i. Agents: radical increase in the number of agents that form a cluster. ii. Connections: virtually unlimited increase in the number of connections and therefore in the potential size of the cluster. iii. Space: delocalization of transactions which become space independent. iv. Time: information transmission takes place at the speed of electronic communication. - The analysis of the VC basic unit, the Internetworked Enterprise (IE), and of its learning process with customers and trough strategic alliances. A model of the VCs global virtual learning environment, here conceived as a system of innovation, defined as 'Innovation Virtual System' (IVS). IVS is here interpreted as a new way of projecting the traditional systems of innovation into a global scale.

MODERN FEATURES OF A LECTURE IN THE FORMAT OF DISTANCE LEARNING FOR STUDENTS OF A MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

Modern conditions of life specify appropriate requirements to the training of   medical specialists. Internet resources and on-line technologies become more popular in educational process.  The objective of the work is to analyze the role of lectures in the educational process of students of a medical university on the basis of literature data, as well as to determine the features of the distance learning process at the Department of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology with the Course of Aesthetic Medicine of FPE of Zaporizhzhia State Medical University. By means of analysis of scientific and pedagogical approaches to lecturing format in different countries two points of view can be defined. The first one is the classic notion about forms and methods of lecturing. Such point of view is typical for majority of educational institutions all over the world. But there is another point of view which emphasizes the fact that the passive transfer of material to students significantly decreases the educational level of specialists and therefore the introduction of new forms and methods for training of medical specialists is required. A special place in the preparation of students of medical universities should take an online lecture-visualization and a lecture-conference. It was in this format that lectures were introduced during quarantine in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic at the Department of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology with the Course of Aesthetic Medicine of FPE lectures were held using the MS Teams program based on Office 365 or Skype for business. During the lecture, the program provided for the possibility of interactive communication with groups of students or cadets. To control the effectiveness and perception of the information presented by the lecturer, an online questionnaire MS Forms on the topic of the lecture was used. The use of this software in lectures at the department helped to increase the level of cognitive processing of information, interest and motivation of all participants in the educational process.Key words: distance learning, online media lecture, education

Education for Global Citizenship. New ways to think, to act, to learn

In this article the author introduces a pilot project for international educational partnership in the field of Education for Global Citizenship outlining not only the project itself but its conceptual background. (DIPF/Orig.)In diesem Beitrag stellt die Autorin das Projekt Education for Global Citizenship vor. Dieses Projekt kann im Bereich internationaler pädagogischer Partnerschaften als Pilotprojekt angesehen werden. Es wird sowohl das Projekt selbst als auch sein konzeptioneller Hintergrund beschrieben. (DIPF/Orig.