GROWTH OF COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE BY LINKING KNOWLEDGE WORKERS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

Collective intelligence can be defined, very broadly, as groups of individuals that do things collectively, and that seem to be intelligent. Collective intelligence has existed for ages. Families, tribes, companies, countries, etc., are all groups of individuals doing things collectively, and that seem to be intelligent. However, over the past two decades, the rise of the Internet has given upturn to new types of collective intelligence. Companies can take advantage from the so-called Web-enabled collective intelligence. Web-enabled collective intelligence is based on linking knowledge workers through social media. That means that companies can hire geographically dispersed knowledge workers and create so-called virtual teams of these knowledge workers (members of the virtual teams are connected only via the Internet and do not meet face to face). By providing an online social network, the companies can achieve significant growth of collective intelligence. But to create and use an online social network within a company in a really efficient way, the managers need to have a deep understanding of how such a system works. Thus the purpose of this paper is to share the knowledge about effective use of social networks in companies. The main objectives of this paper are as follows: to introduce some good practices of the use of social media in companies, to analyze these practices and to generalize recommendations for a successful introduction and use of social media to increase collective intelligence of a company

Cross-border virtual teams, as seen from applied psychology & applied economy perspective. A Case study of a cross-cultural teaching program

As communication becomes easier with the proliferation of ICT (Internet Communication Technology), more companies and individuals face the need and challenge of creating and facilitating virtual teams. Those are groups of people that contact each other only by the means of the internet, with no real-world physical face-to-face contact. Despite the numerous benefits, as low-to-non monetary costs and enormous creation flexibility, there are also many (psychological) risks, often not apparent from the outside. In the current paper we discuss the teaching program that was designed to foster virtual communication skills. We describe a project conducted simultaneously between Palacký University (Olomouc, CZ) and University of Opole (Opole, PL) in the summer term of 2015. We argue that such classes have a potential for individual and business development, provided the necessary preparations are made.Podczas gdy komunikacja staje się coraz łatwiejsza dzięki rozprzestrzenianiu się technologii komunikacji przez Internet (ICT), coraz więcej firm i osób staje przed wyzwaniem (współ)tworzenia i zwiększania efektywności wirtualnych zespołów. Chodzi tutaj o grupy ludzi kontaktujące się między sobą wyłącznie przez Internet, bez kontaktów w realnym świecie. Pomimo licznych zalet, do których należą między innymi niskie lub wręcz zerowe koszty finansowe oraz niezwykła elastyczność tworzenia, przed wirtualnymi zespołami istnieje też wiele wyzwań, nie widocznych z zewnątrz. W bieżącym artykule omawiamy zalety programu zajęć, zaprojektowanego do wzmacniania umiejętności komunikacji w wirtualnych zespołach. Opisujemy projekt dydaktyczny zrealizowany jednocześnie pomiędzy Uniwersytetem Palackiego (Olomouc, CZ) i Uniwersytetem Opolskim (Opole, PL) w semestrze letnim w roku 2015. Argumentujemy, iż taki program może przynieść korzyści zarówno z perspektyw jednostkowej, jak i biznesowej, pod warunkiem podjęcia odpowiednich przygotowań

Je řízení lidského kapitálu přínosné?

In recent years the Human Resources Management specialists or Human Capital Management specialists have tried to persuade senior managements in organizations of added value, which Human Capital Management produces. This discussion ends in idea that Human Capital managers should be strategic partners of senior management. It means Human Capital managers will participate in business strategy development, support its implemetation and they will prepare appropriate Human Capital Management processes. However, there are not enough proofs for significance of Human Capital Management for business performance and it keeps off the realization of this easy and natural idea. If Human Capital Management wants to play a strategic role in organizations, it needs to dvelop its ability to measure and to model how Human Capital affects th business strategy realization. The results of several significant studies can be a good inspiration for business use. However, a lot of questions to discuss still remain in this area

Alfabetización mediática y co-innovación en la microempresa: primeras evidencias para España

Media literacy and co-innovation in microenterprises: first evidence in Spain.- The inexorable progress of ICT has brought about radical changes in the social and business world. In this context, new pat-terns of communication and participation, especially since the advent of Web 2.0, and the widespread use of smartphones by the whole population, are particularly striking. In this situation, it is essential to establish what kind of personal skills related to the efficient use of media can be useful from a business perspective, and how these media literacy skills can be aligned with other factors, such as innovation, that determine the competitiveness of companies. In this paper, we analyze the media skills of workers and their connections to the innovation processes in microenterprises. With this analytical objective, exploratory fieldwork has been done in a sample of 154 professionals working in Spanish microenterprises

Pre-treatment and extraction techniques for recovery of added value compounds from wastes throughout the agri-food chain

The enormous quantity of food wastes discarded annually force to look for alternatives for this interesting feedstock. Thus, food bio-waste valorisation is one of the imperatives of the nowadays society. This review is the most comprehensive overview of currently existing technologies and processes in this field. It tackles classical and innovative physical, physico-chemical and chemical methods of food waste pre-treatment and extraction for recovery of added value compounds and detection by modern technologies and are an outcome of the COST Action EUBIS, TD1203 Food Waste Valorisation for Sustainable Chemicals, Materials and Fuels

Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies in Social Services in the Vysocina Region

This bachelor thesis deals with the topic of Equine assisted activities and therapies in social services in the Vysočina Region. The theme is up to date given by the growing interest in Equine assisted activities and therapies. The theoretical part of the bachelor thesis is focused on questions related to hiporehabilitation and more specifically on the field of Equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT). The first chapter deals with zootherapy in general and furthermore with zooterapeutical methods. In the next chapter is described the hiporehabilitation, its structure, history and the organizations that deal with it, both abroad and in the Czech Republic. The last chapter gives a definition of the term Equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT), the target group, the indications and contraindications, the goals or effects of EAAT. Furthermore, this chapter contains the composition of the team for EAAT, hiporehabilitation horse, the therapeutic plan of the client, techniques and methods in EAAT ad. The aim of the bachelor thesis was to map the possibilities and limits of Equine assisted activities and therapies, which are provided in social services as part of hiporehabilitation. The partial aim was to find out indications, goals, contraindications, method of work, methods and techniques used, benefit, involvement of a social worker in EAAT. A qualitative research strategy was chosen. Polling method and semi-standardized interview technique were used. The sample was made up of four parents of clients with a health, mental or combined disability who are clients of the organization AMBRA Association. This sample was also supplemented by a social worker who regularly takes part in Equine assisted activities and therapies. The informants were selected by a dedicated quota sampling. The research was carried out at the AMBRA Association in Černá in the Vysocina Region. Through qualitative research, the main and partial research questions were answered. Most surprising were the results regarding the contribution of Equine assisted activities and therapies. The benefit of EAAT is significant in the area of self-confidence or self-assurance of the client. Positive results are also in terms of motivation, communication, improvement also occurs in behavioral or social competencies. Regarding field of fine and gross motor skills, interesting results have also emerged. Parents of clients also welcome cooperation with a social worker. The results also show that client's parents would appreciate the introduction of a new service, namely therapeutic carriage driving. Therapeutic carriage driving is suitable for clients who can not ride or sit on horseback due to higher weight or health complications. The bachelor thesis also includes a SWOT analysis, which provides interesting information about operation of the organization AMBRA Association