There is a growing call for more skilled workers-especially in the scarce skills of science, engineering and technology (SET). The current educational system is failing to address these issues, learners are being ill-prepared to cope with the demands of a society that has moved on; and learners are being prepared for a society that no longer exists in practice. In order to address this problem, this thesis calls for a greater emphasis on issues of digital inclusion, integration of whole communities, understanding of the dynamics of integrating ICTs into the classroom, exploring opportunities for the expansion of rapid-prototyping at school level and the promotion of digital literacy. Though this is not a definitive list, the researcher has developed working solutions to each of these issues, as presented in five journal articles. Investigations were conducted in the Tshwane area with male and female learners in both primary and secondary schools. The selection of the learners from both advantaged and disadvantaged institutions was left to the teachers. Design research was the main methodology adopted for this research. The investigations started in 200'1 and the bulk of the work was concluded between 2007-2010. Greater emphasis is placed on a qualitative approach with limited quantitative analysis. The findings of this research indicate the need to extend the scope of the investigation and to massify the different interventions. The pedagogical shift has been away from information transfer, towards using information communication technologies to promote creativity and innovation in a stimulating constructivist environment This has led to an opportunity to track learner involvement in SET events over their school careers and to identify talented individuals. In addition, the findings indicate that there is little difference between learners from advantaged and disadvantaged communities. Added to this is the development of a solution to address the digital divide through the creation of virtual interactive classrooms which can digitally include learners from geographically separated classrooms in remote communities. The strategic importance of ICTs, creativity and innovation are key components of a Human Capital Development strategy, especially at a time when there is a growing shortage of scarce skills in key areas. Post Grade 12 interventions are short term solutions that are not sustainable. This thesis calls for the establishment of a SET pipeline from grassroots level, in order to grow the feeder stock for a national system of innovation as a long-term investment in the future. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

There is a growing call for more skilled workers-especially in the scarce skills of science, engineering and technology (SET). The current educational system is failing to address these issues, learners are being ill-prepared to cope with the demands of a society that has moved on; and learners are being prepared for a society that no longer exists in practice. In order to address this problem, this thesis calls for a greater emphasis on issues of digital inclusion, integration of whole communities, understanding of the dynamics of integrating ICTs into the classroom, exploring opportunities for the expansion of rapid-prototyping at school level and the promotion of digital literacy. Though this is not a definitive list, the researcher has developed working solutions to each of these issues, as presented in five journal articles. Investigations were conducted in the Tshwane area with male and female learners in both primary and secondary schools. The selection of the learners from both advantaged and disadvantaged institutions was left to the teachers. Design research was the main methodology adopted for this research. The investigations started in 200'1 and the bulk of the work was concluded between 2007-2010. Greater emphasis is placed on a qualitative approach with limited quantitative analysis. The findings of this research indicate the need to extend the scope of the investigation and to massify the different interventions. The pedagogical shift has been away from information transfer, towards using information communication technologies to promote creativity and innovation in a stimulating constructivist environment This has led to an opportunity to track learner involvement in SET events over their school careers and to identify talented individuals. In addition, the findings indicate that there is little difference between learners from advantaged and disadvantaged communities. Added to this is the development of a solution to address the digital divide through the creation of virtual interactive classrooms which can digitally include learners from geographically separated classrooms in remote communities. The strategic importance of ICTs, creativity and innovation are key components of a Human Capital Development strategy, especially at a time when there is a growing shortage of scarce skills in key areas. Post Grade 12 interventions are short term solutions that are not sustainable. This thesis calls for the establishment of a SET pipeline from grassroots level, in order to grow the feeder stock for a national system of innovation as a long-term investment in the future. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The research in this thesis focuses on the intangible resources of organisations. Intangible resources include an organisation's collective knowledge and learning, leadership talent, the values that shape its culture, routines and processes and the collaborative relationships. These intangible resources are known as intellectual capital (IC) because they support organisational activity along with financial and physical capital. Previous research has classified IC into three principle components of human, organisational and relationship capital and has established a link between IC and organisational value. Recent studies have also emphasised the notion of interrelationships between the three components of intellectual capital in developing capabilities that drive value creation. Yet it is often unclear how the various elements interrelate to one another to generate organisational value. This thesis investigates how IC contributes to organisational value creation. Central to this research is the examination of the mechanisms through which IC factors are integrated within organisations in order to develop capabilities. As innovation is widely agreed to be a determinant of organisational value creation, this research adapted and extended the model of intelligence and innovation proposed by Glynn (1996) to develop a comprehensive theoretical framework for empirically examining the synergistic effects of IC. Building upon four major theoretical streams: resource-based view of the firm, innovation theory, intellectual capital theory and organisational capabilities, this research has elaborated the ideas and constructs presented in the original model and de-contextualised them to an intellectual capital perspective. A qualitative, interpretive approach was applied to two in-depth case studies for investigating the intangible resource-base of two knowledge intensive companies. The results were then expanded to a cross-case context in order to compare and contrast the value creating potential of the IC factors. The findings of this research are presented in the form of a descriptive framework that classifies the characteristics of a value creating process. The purpose of the framework is to provide pointers for identifying IC resources and developing capabilities in a way that provides an organisation with sustainable competitive advantage, and thereby, value.

The study’s purpose was to describe a handball ATDE (Athletic Talent Development Environment) in the south of Sweden and to examine and derive the success factors of the ATDE, and within this context explore the motivational climate and autonomy support as perceived by members of the ATDE. The study is based on three theories: the Holistic ecological approach, Self Determination theory and Achievement Goal theory. The study’s participants all represented a club in the south of Sweden and consisted of players in the age of 15-19, the club manager, coaches and parents. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews, observations and analysis of documents surrounding the club's vision and training/match policies. A total of seven interviews with four players, two coaches and the manager were conducted. Five observations at a minimum of 90 minutes gave the authors a broader view of the ATDE. An analysis of content and a triangulation with the supervisor were conducted in order to interpret the empirical data. The study revealed that the club is under re-organization, and its enthusiasm to evolve and become even better. The study found the ATDE to have a mastery oriented and autonomy supportive climate which in many ways contributed to the successful features of the ATDE. The study confirms earlier research regarding ATDE success factors as well as connections between SDT and AGT. The results also provide a deeper understanding of how successful factors, relationships, motivational climate and the autonomy support in an ATDE, affects young handball player’s motivation to evolve and reach their full potential. Implications with a basis in the theories used are presented.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Georgia Southern University, 2006. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education" ETD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-105)

<p>The globalisation of economy, increase of employees’ mobility, the forthcoming shortage of people next 10 years and, hence, war for talented people are some of the most important problems of corporations today. This thesis has a purpose to show systematic picture of the organisation, which will be named as Talented Organisation, with appropriate conditions for having talented people within and developing their talents.</p><p>Some assumption of the research discussed in this paper are about the talented people themselves as special, difficult to work with, but interesting for any organisation. They can create some problems for leadership and co-workers and at the same time represent the most important source of ideas and to be essential resource.</p><p>It will be described the strategy for gaining the Talented Organisation which will facilitate the process of hiring talented people as well as will promote the utilisation of inner organisational potential: identifying, breeding, nurturing and retaining of talented people.</p>

Η παρούσα πτυχιακή εργασία εξέτασε την διοίκηση ανθρώπινου δυναμικού στις πολυεθνικές επιχειρήσεις που λειτουργούν στο χώρο των cash and carry και hypermarket. Έμφαση δόθηκε στην ανάπτυξη του ανθρώπινου δυναμικού καθώς και στη διαχείριση των ταλέντων. Από την βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση αναφέρθηκε ότι τόσο η ανάπτυξη του ανθρώπινου κεφαλαίου όσο και η διαχείριση των ταλέντων είναι παράγοντες που καθορίζουν την ποιότητα του ανθρώπινου δυναμικού ενός οργανισμού και την ικανότητα του να υποστηρίξει τον οργανισμό στην εκπλήρωση των στόχων του. Η έρευνα που έγινε σε δείγμα στελεχών ανθρώπινου δυναμικού σε επιχειρήσεις του κλάδου έδειξε ότι σε μεγάλο βαθμό οι δράσεις στην ανάπτυξη του ανθρώπινου δυναμικού είναι σε συνάφεια με τις πολιτικές των μητρικών των πολυεθνικών επιχειρήσεων. Σε ότι αφορά την διαχείριση των ταλέντων σε αυτό το τομέα οι πολιτικές είναι περιορισμένες. Εφόσον εντοπιστεί κάποιο στέλεχος που έχει τις προοπτικές να εξελιχθεί σε “ταλέντο” για την επιχείρηση, τότε θα συνεχίσει την πορεία του στο εξωτερικό. / This thesis examined the human resource management in multinational firms operating in the area of cash and carry and hypermarket. Emphasis is given to human resource development and talent management.

This Master thesis examines the impact of the individual driving forces of young highly educated talents from Italy and Lithuania to apply for a job abroad after the graduation. By investigating the motivations and influences during this decision-making process, we clarify the role of different impulses on the individual’s decision to become part of the phenomenon known as the global talent flow. Within this study, we obtain the actor’s view, while we use an inductive approach to put the construction of meaning of the participants in the center of our study. This aim of our qualitative study is further strengthened by the use of semi-structured interviews and the usage of the phenomenology approach. The data is analyzed and interpreted according to the emerged themes and linked back to the existing theory on‘migration’, the ‘Push-Pull-Mooring’ paradigm, the ‘gravity’ model, and the knowledge flow according to ‘brain gain’, 'brain drain’, and ‘brain circulation’. This study highlights the variety of facets which are of importance to the individuals within the decision-making process of the non-rational phenomenon of the global talent flow. Although the main motivation - the opportunity to grow - is shared among all participants, a clear distinction can be made between the ‘professional’ and the ‘personal’ growth. Furthermore, our study reveals the direct influence of initiatives taken by the European Union (EU), such as the ERASMUS+ Programme on the mobility of young talents and the impact of possible unforeseen side effects such as the ‘brain drain’ in some of the member countries of the EU. Our findings contribute another layer to the understanding of the driving forces of tomorrow’s mobile workforce to apply for a job abroad. This comprehension is fundamental to policymakers, companies, the society at larger, and the young talents themselves, as it becomes crucial to attract this ‘brain’ to secure long-term development of all stakeholders of the global talent flow within the EU.

Talent management (TM) has been researched and practiced by many researchers and practitioners for years. The theory itself is based on empirical findings. However, there is no clear and solid definition for it despite thousands of articles and books were published in the past century. Among them, there are not many related to TM in Chinese context, not to mention TM in the Chinese educational sector which we are quite interested in. The lack of literature and research in this specific field evoked curiosity from us. Therefore, a case study was conducted in Chinese middle schools with a focus on talented teacher management where those teachers are considered the talent which need to be managed. This study is based on qualitative approach with empirical data collected from four in-depth interviews. After analyzing the data, we got unexpected results. As a matter of fact, the schools have no knowledge about TM even though what they did to the teachers reflect some aspects of TM, or in other words, they are not aware of what they did is in fact part of TM. This empirical finding reflects how TM is found, developed and labeled. In the end, we concluded that TM is an area of fascination and inspiration. It comes from the practice without which it will not exist and develop, which is embodied in our case study. In this study, school leaders are not aware that they were in fact using some methods of TM. They just do not know how to label those methods.

Talent management is an organisational process aimed at maximising the benefit gained from the organisation's workforce, mostly by assessing the future potential of senior organisational members to fill key positions based on their proportional contribution to the business. Despite the increasing prevalence of talent management, evidence is accumulating to indicate an extremely low success rate of just 20-25% in predicting high performers. While talent management continues to address a growing business need, a better understanding of the process may help to refine its practice. The underpinning assumptions of the practice of talent management are that organisations are systemic and linear, and that talent management must produce a single answer identifying what it means to be a 'talent' in any specific circumstance. As a profession, talent management also maintains a fantasy of control: the expectation that assessed individuals will indeed behave as anticipated, and that stated targets will remain unchanged. As a progressive and trending HR process, talent management's close connection to organisational power relations and political dynamics is rarely acknowledged. The emotional toll on assessed senior executives, as well as potential ramifications for their colleagues, is also often overlooked, despite the significant implications for individual careers and broader inferences of inclusion-exclusion inherent in the process of talent selection. Talent management practitioners and scholars tend not to consider the impact on individuals of inaccurate assessments and mistaken decisions. As a talent manager practitioner who decrees the fate of individuals, such glaring oversights provoked in me an acute ethical anxiety that drove this research. This work offers a critical perspective on the practice of talent management - in particular, the process of judgment involved in the assessment of 'high potentials' and the potent dynamics of inclusion in/exclusion from the talent group. Having witnessed first-hand the inconsistency between apparently robust predictions (based on best practice) and subsequent outcomes, I began this research with strong feelings of ambivalence towards my practice of 25 years and my prospering business of 10 years. The critical perspective of the current study took shape within the research framework, which is based on the philosophy of pragmatism and the complex responsive process of relating that draws on it, as well as on process sociology and complexity sciences. The research methodology insists that scholars take their own direct experience seriously, collect their raw data through writing narratives, and then exercise reflection and reflexivity both as individuals and as part of the Doctor of Management (DMan) learning community. The narratives 'translate experience so that it is meaningful to the reader' (Cunliffe, 2010, p. 228). Applying this innovative approach not only to my research, but also to my professional practice, has led me to challenge the most fundamental assumptions of talent management. I now have a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the process of judgment at its core, and have developed a new way to approach and implement this process within my work. This thesis culminates in three main arguments describing talent management from a new perspective, as well as redefining the role and degree of involvement of talent management consultants. First, the central process of judgment emerged not as an objective analysis communicated in a unidirectional, linear way from the assessor to the assessed, but rather as a relational and social process that involves shifting power relations and an inclusion-exclusion dynamic influenced by many unpredictable factors. Second, from the perspective of the research framework, the assessor can no longer be seen as an objective observer, but must be regarded as a participant who is simultaneously both involved and detached and who must rely on their practical judgment. Talent management's traditional promise of future-oriented focus and reliable predictions is illusory, given that all participants are continuously merging their ongoing experiences to spontaneously co-create the future in unpredictable ways. . Understanding that the assessment process is not a simple numerical exercise (ranking individuals on various scales) and that no single truth can be obtained through an assessment process (since assessment results are co-created with all participants in the process) has eased my ethical concerns and enabled me to continue practising my profession with confidence, by taking a fresh viewpoint of what it is that I am doing. It is my hope that other talent management practitioners will find these insights useful and generalisable, and valid to their own practice - extrapolating from the local to the global.