In the new economy there are various forms of training for human resources. In this paper we are trying to make a parallel into new forms of training and traditional ones. We will discus about this in the new economy context.new economy, human resources, e-learning, new technologies

Catalin Ionut SILVESTRU

Codrin NISIOIU

Dana COLIBABA

Dragos Stefan SILVESTRU

English

Research Papers in Economics

Revista Informatica Economică, nr. 3 (43)/2007  115
Traditional Learning Models, E-Government and 
E-Learning in the New Economy 
 
Catalin Ionut SILVESTRU, Bucharest, Romania, catalin@ase.ro, 
Dana COLIBABA, Bucharest, Romania, dana@ase.ro, 
Codrin NISIOIU, Bucharest, Romania, codrin.nisioiu@ie.ase.ro, 
Dragoş SILVESTRU, Bucharest, Romania, dragos_silvestru@yahoo.com
 
 
In the new economy there are various forms of training for human resources. In this paper we 
are trying to make a parallel into new forms of training and traditional ones. We will discus 
about this in the new economy context. 
Keywords: new economy, human resources, e-learning, new technologies. 
 
raditional training and learning initia-
tives within companies have focused on 
time consuming and costly classroom-based 
models of tuition. As such, training becomes 
an immediate and obvious target for cost cut-
ting in times of recession, even though such 
cuts are a false economy long term. 
Technology, and the rapid pace at which it 
develops, is a major factor contributing to the 
development of the new economy. Advances 
in the speed and memory of microprocessors 
have opened up new worlds in technological 
development. Procedures that used to take 
hours or weeks to complete can now be per-
formed in minutes or even seconds on high-
powered desktop or notebook computers. 
Technology has also improved telecommuni-
cations systems. It is now possible for com-
panies all across the globe to quickly com-
municate with one another. Such rapid com-
munication has made the international mar-
ketplace a reality. In order to remain com-
petitive in this rapidly changing environment, 
companies are rethinking how they do busi-
ness as a means to improve productivity and 
the quality of their products. They can train 
their employees to understand the most effec-
tive ways to interact with customers and to 
be aware of the best practices of the most 
successful companies in the field. 
In today’s internet-enabled global economy, 
the need to react to changing market condi-
tions and opportunities has never been more 
important. In this climate it becomes a top 
business priority for organizations to ensure 
that they can communicate market-sensitive 
and performance-sensitive information to 
their entire workforce as quickly as possible.  
For most companies, training and learning ini-
tiatives take the form of traditional classroom-
based models. At its most ideal the ‘Oxbridge 
model’ of small or one to one tuition groups 
with pupils and teacher is the richest in terms 
of passing on information and empowering 
the interactivity that is at the heart of truly ef-
fective learning approaches. The bigger the 
class, the less rich the interactive teaching-
learning experience. A classroom with 40 stu-
dents and one teacher cannot have the same 
richness, but it does have a more cost-
effective reach. The ‘Oxbridge model’ simply 
does not scale because to set up a course, hu-
man resources personnel will expend time and 
money sourcing a venue, tutors and course 
content, arranging travel, allocating accom-
modation, possibly ensuring that contract staff 
are organized to cover for the permanent staff 
who have to leave their day to day jobs to at-
tend the course.  
The reasons that traditional classroom based 
learning has remained the predominant 
model is one of familiarity and the basic lack 
of a viable alternative. Everyone has experi-
enced this approach at school, college or uni-
versity.  
But advances in networking technology mean 
that the potential for a paradigm shift in 
learning models is now viable.  
New technology enables organizations to 
embrace a blended model of learning, taking 
the richness of the classroom-based model 
and empowering it with the reach afforded by 
T Revista Informatica Economică, nr. 3 (43)/2007  116 
advances in networking and communications 
technologies.  
eLearning is defined as a strategic solution 
that is deployed as part of the wider business 
strategy throughout the entire organization 
and now is seen as a complete solutions of-
fering, not a reactive, point offering. Its basic 
function is enhancing skills and abilities of 
the workforce, a way to cut costs without cut-
ting back on the continued support and de-
velopment of the human resource.  
The benefits of elearning can be itemized 
easily:  
• Cost Reduction  
• Personalization of Learning 
• More Effective Scheduling  
• Immediate Dissemination of Vital Informa-
tion 
• Cost Effective Staff Motivation  
• Assessment Made Easier 
• Increased Collaboration and Access to In-
formation  
Teachers need to see the world behind the 
text created by the Internet. The physical re-
ality of working with students, in real time, 
across time and space is a staggering idea. 
The world it creates in the interpretation and 
application of its living text is beyond any-
thing ever experienced in the world of learn-
ing and education. A new understanding, a 
transformation of our being takes place as we 
reinvent ourselves based on new experiences, 
new understandings and new relationships. 
Our world behind the text is understood dif-
ferently than through traditional means of 
communication and, in turn, this understand-
ing creates a completely different world in 
front of the text. 
The Internet allows us to understand and in-
terpret ourselves differently. Our self is re-
figured again and again in reflection and rela-
tionship to the other. Who we are, nationally 
and individually, changes as we participate in 
a borderless world where ideas regarding 
anything imagined can be accessed and in-
terpreted by all. We can create worlds, cul-
tures and recreate traditions in an attempt to 
base our understanding of ourselves on un-
derstanding others rather than on making 
judgments based on media and stereotypes.  
Qualification issue and training issue in 
eGovernment. While eGovernment has a po-
tential to substantially change the current 
way public section is operating and function-
ing, new qualification requirements arise for 
users, managers, decision makers in public 
administration. As a result, effective training 
programs should be worked out to meet this 
potentially big demand from public sector.  
A well known approach is educating  per-
sonnel in information systems in public ad-
ministration. In contrast to trainings, educa-
tion programs are well suited for learning 
fundamentally new subjects, though the fo-
cus on information systems design and im-
plementation results in a neglect of more e-
government specific qualifications like those 
related to customer orientation or engineering 
and this provides comprehensive qualifica-
tion in information systems and public ad-
ministration. In contrast, graduate programs 
avoid some practical problems like the long 
absence of qualified personnel from the job. 
In addition, the internal qualification base has 
to be fostered and apart from training on the 
job the most popular are trainings for internal 
personnel. They are a mean to teach skills 
necessary to perform primary tasks in e-
government as well as for training experts. 
Though computer scientist help building up 
internal technical know how they tend to lack 
qualifications in the integrated design of or-
ganizational and technical systems, customer 
orientation as well as controlling and steer-
ing. 
We have to work together in different and 
various forms of collaboration in order to en-
sure a good development for trainings in e-
government. 
Conclusion 
Our experience shows that it is possible to 
develop and organize e-Learning courses 
with modest technology and in environment 
with different levels of economic develop-
ment.  
e-Learning can strongly support education 
and the transferring of resources between 
economies. 
Today's most successful companies realize 
that their employees are their greatest asset Revista Informatica Economică, nr. 3 (43)/2007  117
and they are increasingly investing in educat-
ing of their employees so that they can grow 
and change within the company.  
Training opportunities varies considerably 
from company to company so, when re-
searching potential employers, it is important 
for job seekers who care about this to inves-
tigate the level and type of training provided 
to employees. 
Human resources training programs for e-
government and e-learning methods must be 
developed even further as the trust for this 
new ways is building up. 
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[3]  Lenk, K, Traunmüller, R (2002) Elec-
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Electronic Government: Where are we heading? Keynote paper for the 1st DEXA EGovernment Conference Aix-en-Provence,

Handbuch zum computerunterstützten kooperativen Arbeiten,

Managing in a Time of Great Change.

Refiguring Language, Space, and Identity: Modes of Being and Transformation Online. A dissertation University

Traditional Learning Models, E-Government and E-Learning in the New Economy

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