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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the extant human resource development (HRD) definition research literature and theorizes a new definition of HRD.

The authors adopted keyword and content analyses to examine selected 32 HRD definitions in relation to different organizational and sociopolitical contexts base on theory development criteria and methodology for definition research.

From a theoretical perspective, the extant definitions were mostly empirical descriptions of HRD practice with conceptualization being absent. From a context perspective, the definitions were based on HRD phenomena indigenous to the western world, especially the USA and Western Europe. They can hardly explain HRD phenomena in a non-western context. The glaring gaps lead to theorizing a new definition by focusing on the hard core of HRD in defining and criterial attributes. The defining attribute of HRD is its host-system-dependence, and the criterial attributes are its shaping and skilling mechanisms.

This study unveils that HRD is a means to support the ends defined by the corresponding host system, and not an end in itself. This definition is applicable to different sociopolitical, cultural, and organizational contexts. It provides clear criteria and boundaries to gauge the relevance of HRD research and shows the unique identity of HRD, thus offering new directions to expand the landscape of HRD research.

The new definition can help human resources practitioners better understand the role and mechanism of HRD that the worldwide practitioners can resonate in various sociocultural and political contexts. Communicating the definition and goals of HRD will enhance internal clients’ understanding and appreciation of the value of HRD.

This study fills important research gaps in HRD definition research. It is the first HRD definition derived through a rigorous theory development process. The new definition connects the HRD research niche to the general human resource literature and lead to new HRD research.

Global competition has pushed firms to improve and upgrade their manufacturing operations continuously. Explores the role of knowledge base and learning to facilitate this phenomenon. Developing a knowledge base requires organising knowledge and expertise for a field of inquiry and making it available in formats suitable for users to support and aid various operational, developmental, and organisational functions. Classification and coding form the basis for organising knowledge bases. Classification implies grouping objects into similar classes on the basis of some similarity criteria pertinent to one or more attributes. Learning in the context of classification implies discovering new attributes, bases for grouping and requires frequent updating of the knowledge base. A formal knowledge base makes a firm’s knowledge cumulative and serves an important integrating and coordinating role for the organisation. Presents an example application utilizing classification as a tool for knowledge acquisition in design support activities.

The concept of performance is pluralistic and demonstrates the ability to migrate from one linguistic and semantic register to another, e.g. from profit to non‐profit contexts. Usage changes denotational and connotational aspects of the concept as people, lay and information professionals, use distinct frames of meaning and employ the concept in abstract, anecdotal and other forms. Performance is a central criterion in the effectiveness of the supplier/user exchange relationship, and this criterial role implies the existence of a deep agenda in both the semantics of the concept and its use. The fact that the concept is also mobile is suggested with reference to new quantitative dimensions attributed to it by literature and practice.

The decisions taken today relating to urban renewal interventions are rarely supported by logical and operational methodologies capable of effectively rationalising selection processes. For this purpose, it is necessary to propose and implement analysis models with the aim of promoting the sustainable development of the territory. The purpose of this paper is to define a model for the optimal allocation of scarce resources.

The Discrete Linear Programming (DLP) is used for selecting investments aimed at achieving financial, social, cultural and environmental sustainability.

The proposed model lends itself to the construction of investment plans on behalf of both types of decision makers, of both a public and a private nature.

All projects are evaluated according to multi-criteria logics, so that it is possible to find compromise solutions, in accordance with the stakeholders’ different preferences.

The model, written with A Mathematical Programming Language using DLP logics, is tested – case study – so as to define an investment programme finalised for urban renewal of a vast area.

The proposed econometric model makes it possible to obtain the optimal combination of projects for urban renewal with a view to achieving the sustainable development of the territory.

Using the proposed model, all projects are evaluated according to multi-criteria logics, so that it is possible to find compromise solutions, in accordance with the stakeholders’ different preferences.

The expression of conceptual syntagmatic relationships in document retrieval systems holds out hope for both increased discrimination (generally) and increased recall (in certain contexts). The inclusion of such relationships in retrieval systems requires both a structured inventory of relationships and some means of expressing them; this article examines the latter. To be fully effective, the expression of conceptual syntagmatic relationships must comply with criteria of systematicity, complexity, efficiency and naturalness. Unfortunately, the complex interaction of natural language means of expressing these relationships (lexicalisation, word order, function words and morphosyntactic cases) causes them to fail the systematicity criterion. Most document retrieval system means of expressing conceptual syntagmatic relationships (as exemplified by various term co‐occurrence techniques, links and role indicators) fail to comply with this and other of the criteria. Only gestalt structures simultaneously representing relationships, participants and roles (for example, frames) conform fully to the criterial checklist.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the conceptual adequacy of the learning economy and its ability to describe the modern globalised economy. It is argued that unlike many fleeting catchwords and phrases found in economics, the learning economy represents a superior conceptual and heuristic starting point that reflects a new and emerging economic regime.

The paper examines those features of the learning economy which makes it a useful conceptualization and highlights some preconditions that are functional for its emergence. The paper then assesses the empirical validity of the learning economy and gauges its performance across 16 EU countries.

The learning economy represents a viable and useful concept in economics and the broader social sciences, which synthesizes recent attempts to depict what is new in the world economy into an internally coherent whole while overcoming previous shortcomings. It reflects a tangible reality that has taken hold most firmly in a small but significant part of the world, the Nordic countries of Northwestern Europe.

Because it has already emerged in some advanced countries, the learning economy offers a concrete exemplar for other countries to emulate. If one has to ask people and communities to sacrifice, save and invest for the future, it is more convincing to do so for a concrete and credible future that does exist than for some conjectural future.

The paper uses an epistemological perspective to analyse the concept of the learning economy as articulated by Bengt-Äke Lundvall.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and test a model for numerical evaluation of the effectiveness of green practices implemented in two industrial supply chains (SCs). Two real case applications were made: footwear and metal-mechanics industry.

The research method is quali-quantitative modeling. By literature review, a model based on three constructs was proposed (green strategy, green innovation, and green operations), organized in 16 categorical indicators, prioritized with analytic hierarchy process. Three practitioners of each focal companies assessed the indicators fulfilling scales (very good to very bad).

The overall performance reached 51 and 57 percent, respectively of the maximum possible. The indicators that most jeopardized the performance were complexity management and communication, barriers to green supply chain management, green products, and green market (first case) and innovation in processes, and green market (second case).

The model cannot be generalized or extended to other SCs. Further refinement and testing are required.

Managers and practitioners can improve the eco-efficiency of SC, focusing on the green practices that should be prioritized in greening strategies for the entire chain.

Improvement of eco-efficiency is positively correlated with corporate social responsibility.

The model can produce a numerical overall value that represents the level or degree of implementation of green practices in the context of a SC management.

In a previous paper the authors emphasized the advantages of multicriteria methodologies to evaluate business performance. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the metachoice problem that always arises in a benchmark multicriteria analysis that can be synthesized as follows: “how to choose an algorithm to choose?”

In order to perform a benchmark analysis, a set of criteria must be chosen. In the Balanced Scorecard approach, for example, key performance indicators (KPIs) are grouped in four different perspectives: financial, customer, internal processes and learning and growth. In this paper, the authors focus on multicriteria benchmark analysis applied to KPIs of the financial perspective. The paper considers a set of criteria used in financial statement analysis based on balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. A case study is described.

The main findings of the paper are when the evaluation of a firm is based on different genuine criteria, a metachoice problem arises: multicriteria ranking algorithms cannot be selected using a multicriteria algorithm; the choice of an algorithm ultimately depends on the subjective preference of the policy maker; and the authors metachoice solution to the benchmarking problem is in accordance with Simon’s satisfacing solution, describing a non-maximizing performance measurement methodology.

The paper provides several practical implications in all cases in which a ranking has to be assigned to a group of firms based on financial performances. More in general the problem is very relevant when a ranking has to be carried out with respect to a set of projects, a set of strategies, a set of organizational units, etc.

The adoption of a set of criteria is certainly an advantage to avoid uni-criterial myopic evaluation. However, this also creates some methodological problems. The paper demonstrates the “relativity” (subjectivity) of results of the evaluation process when there are many evaluation criteria, as in a benchmark context. This is a metachoice problem that cannot be solved by using another multicriteria algorithm.

This essay summarizes the formation of the concept of “sociality” as it was developed in The Concept of the Social in Uniting the Humanities and Social Sciences. Its thesis is that if the human sciences are to have a representative discipline – in contrast with a field of largely topical studies – that defines human reality in the course of its work, then that discipline must have a concept of its distinctive reality, and the basic fact that the concept describes must be indisputable: that is, it must be irreducible and irrepressible as well as distinctively human. These qualities are satisfied by the formula “each-dependent-on-All,” where each shows itself as “intra-dependence” and, therefore, as “being-in-the-middle” of a “course of activity without immanent beginning and end.” This concept is then applied to theoretical positions presented or hinted at by the other chapters of this volume in order (1) to see how a given theory might differ from what is conventionally taught as sociological theory when the basic fact is systematically taken into account, and (2) to find among the implications of the concept a dialectic of social progress and societal change that is incompatible with received positive ideas of society, e.g., as an entity, system, or totality and compatible with the idea of such an apparent formation as a project in which the manifold (internal) relations of each-dependent-on-All present social progress as the ongoing reality of human reality.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze sustainability of the constructed projects (Djerdap 1 and 2) and feasibility of the planned ones (Djerdap 3) on the river Danube in the region of Iron Gate, with multi-criteria focus on technical, economical and environmental parameters.

The main objectives were achieved by using the methodology of a holistic multi-criteria approach. Electra method was applied. The design of the three projects on the international Danube River were analyzed, from technical, economical and environmental point of view, with the goal to manage a higher involvement of renewable resources.

The results of the research imply that the most profitable technical solutions cannot reach its realization and construction if the environmental quality criteria are not fulfilled and included in the multi-criteria optimization model. At the same time, the most sustainable and environmentally friendly technical solutions, such as the renewable hydro pump storage scheme, cannot be realized without proper project management and investment.

The results and conclusions are valid for all the structures and projects of renewable resources, where there is a conflict to the environment. This research has implications to all decision-making processes focusing on holistic analyses of conflicted techno-economical and environmental parameters.

The value of the paper and research is in proving the necessity of simultaneous analyses of technical, economical and environmental impacts on the projects. All the results of the research are beneficial for stakeholders who intend to invest in renewable hydro energy resources, in the function of sustainable development.