This book introduces a new perspective on the knowledge economy and the learning challenge it presents for individuals, communities and societies. It demonstrates that the debate about the role of knowledge in the economy has been framed in terms of Cartesian notions of objective and subjective knowledge and human capital notions that the aim of learning is to support people to adapt to a pre-given economic reality. The book argues that these framings rest on questionable assumptions about knowledge and learning and, in the process, deflect us from asking questions about our future economic, political and social direction. Taking ideas from Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), Social Theory and the Philosophy of Mind as its starting point, the book rethinks the relation between knowledge, learning and human activity. It explores this rethinking through the form of learning—Professional, Vocational and Workplace—most closely associated with the use of knowledge for economic, political and social purposes.

Leading scholars from the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand question whether current policies relating to knowledge, learning and assessment are consistent with the kinds of workers and skills required for the knowledge economy?

The growth of the global knowledge economy is transforming the demands of the labour market in economies worldwide. It will require workers to develop new skills and knowledge, whilst education systems will need to adapt to the challenges of lifelong learning, and these changes will be as crucial in transition and developing economies as it is in the developed world. This publication explores how lifelong learning systems can encourage growth, discusses the changing nature of learning and the expanding role of the private sector in education, and considers the policy and financing options available to governments to address the challenges of the global knowledge economy.

This book presents some of the most trenchant critical analyses of the widespread claims for the recent emergence of a knowledge economy and the attendant need for greater lifelong learning. The book contains two sections: first, general critiques of the limits of current notions of a knowledge economy and required adult learning, in terms of historical comparisons, socio-political construction and current empirical evidence; secondly, specific challenges to presumed relations between work requirements and learning through case studies in diverse current workplaces that document richer learning processes than knowledge economy advocates intimate. Many of the leading authors in the field are represented. There are no other books to date that both critically assess the limits of the notion of the knowledge economy and examine closely the relation of workplace restructuring to lifelong learning beyond the confines of formal higher education and related educational policies. This reader provides a distinctive overview for future studies of relations between work and learning in contemporary societies beyond caricatures of the knowledge economy. The book should be of interest to students following undergraduate or postgraduate courses in most social sciences and education, business and labour studies departments, as well as to policy makers and the general public concerned about economic change and lifelong learning issues. D. W. Livingstone is Canada Research Chair in Lifelong Learning and Work and Professor Emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. David Guile is Professor of Education and Work at the Institute of Education, University of London.

This book is an ambitious attempt to address issues of knowledge production and sharing through a better understanding of knowledge and learning processes at a sectorial level.

Exploring the new types of job and ways of working in the knowledge economy, and based on empirical research among advertising workers and software developers in Europe, Singapore and Japan, this book examines relationships between knowledge and creativity and new frameworks for learning and working. Offering critical insights into how workers apply their creative knowledge work capacities towards the production of innovative products and services and the fashioning of digital and tangible goods, it will add significantly to the debate around knowledge work and creativity. Of interest to researchers, educators and policy makers in organisational learning, management and HRM.

This volume investigates the agendas and initiatives for using education to transition Gulf communities from being dependent on natural resources into knowledge societies. This volume presents information, case studies and empirical research about the development of information-based economies across the Arabian Gulf as a whole.

In this book, leading authors explore ways in which organizationscan develop their ability to manage the future. An exploration of the ways in which organizations can developtheir ability to manage the future. Consists of ten papers written by authors from both sides ofthe Atlantic and from Asia, all of whom are distinguished scholarsin the fields of strategy or organizational learning. Addresses key questions about how organizational foresight canbe conceptualized and developed, and the extent to which it ispossible. The papers are prefaced by a foreword from Spyros Makridakisand an introduction from the editors. Helps to shape a new research agenda, and so will be ofinterest to academics, as well as to students andpractitioners.

This volume explores the challenge of engaging knowledge management in a sharing economy. In a hyper-competitive business environment, everything tends to be digital, virtual and highly networked, which raises the issue of how knowledge management can support the decision whether or not to share strategic resources or capabilities. The book answers questions such as: to what extent does the sharing economy preserve or compromise the competitive advantage of organizations? And what are the knowledge-management strategies for competitive, yet cautious sharing dynamics?

This is the first analysis of professional classes, their differing job control and skill utilization. Professional employees especially face declining job control, diminishing use of skills and increasing barriers to continuing learning. The book is an original guide for further studies on professional classes, job design, and training.