Historically, older and lower-skilled adults in the U.S. have participated in Adult Education and Training (AET) at lower rates than other groups, possibly because of perceived lack of return on investment due to the time required to recover training costs. Global, knowledge based economies have increased the importance of lifelong learning for…

Although there are have been some studies on National Human Resource Development and HRD practices in certain countries, literature shows that we have just scratched the surface in terms of the number of countries we know about. This exploratory study reviews research associated with HRD policies and practices in Brazil, China, India, Italy,…

Reindustrialization problems in the United States (U.S.) include unemployment, low productivity, inflation, and inadequate economic growth. To determine how to improve economic performance, a careful, rational evaluation must be made of such factors as tax policy, spirit of risk, managerial effectiveness, rates of innovation, research and…

The introduction of computers and other microelectronic equipment throughout the Japanese economy has not affected employment negatively, owing to economic growth and the adaptability of the workers and business organizations affected. Because rapid advances in technology are making many specialized skills and areas of knowledge obsolete, it is…

Recent research focusing on Human Resource Development (HRD) in East Asia is attracting increasing attention. The purpose of the study is to explore the definition and practice of HRD, together with influencing cultural factors, in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan. The results indicate a difference in the definition and implementation of HRD…

Institutionalizing organizational change has emerged as an issue among organization researchers and managers alike. Institutionalization of change is derived from change management theory in its emphasis on understanding the roots of organizational success and failure. The field of HRD appears particularly poised to help organizations…

Economic analysis, with its explicit assumption that people are rational, is applied to the Japanese and American business cultures to illustrate how the approach is useful for understanding cultural differences. Specifically, differences in cooperative behavior among Japanese and American workers are examined. Economic analysis goes beyond simple…

The changing role of Japanese women can be seen in the stages of a domestic labor debate which occurred at three different times in the past 30 years. The first debate began with Ayako Ishigaki's (1955) insistence that women should have a job outside the home. Wartime production helped break down traditional divisions of labor by encouraging women…

Although the Japanese term "kyo-iku" is translated into English as "education," significant differences exist between the two terms. A new term, "ergonagy," has been advocated to help integrate the Japanese concept of kyo-iku and the Western concept of education. "Ergonagy" is formed from the Greek terms…

This paper seeks to answer the following questions: What is educational planning? In what way can educational development contribute to the socioeconomic development of society? How can a plan be effectively implemented? What are the major characteristics of educational development in Japan as compared to that in other countries? The discussion of…

Three presentations are provided from Symposium 14, Workforce Diversity, of the Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD) 2000 Conference Proceedings. "Cross-Organizational vs. Localized Participation: A Case Study on Workplace Diversity Dialogues Implementation" (Martin B. Kormanik, Daniel A. Krieger, Timothy E. Tilghman) compares…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on human resource development (HRD) issues in Asia. "The Japanese Human Resource Development System" (Kiyoe Harada) provides a comprehensive model of the Japanese HRD system based on the current state of the art, including management practices and issues and trends in Japanese HRD.…

In many countries throughout the world, efforts to articulate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of workers have translated into the development of organizations with the specific charter to establish industry-based skill standards with attendant new and/or expanded forms of certification of competencies. The new emphasis on skill…

This paper summarizes a comparative study of the impact of market and technological changes on human resources in banks and insurance companies in five countries: France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United States. The research was organized around case studies of changes in 12 firms--9 banks and 3 insurance carriers. The paper discusses the…

This document contains three papers on managerial performance issues. "Managerial Skill Requirements: Evidence from the Scottish Visitor Attraction Industry" (Sandra Watson, Martin McCracken) presents the findings from an exploratory study of those skills that managers in the Scottish visitor attraction sector considered most important…