Adriana Schiopoiu Burlea

The Complexity of an E-Learning System: A Paradigm for the Human Factor

The purpose of this chapter is to investigate how an e-learning platform — TESYS — contributes to learning development activities. This chapter is aimed at contributing to the increase of the understanding of the influence of the information systems on building new learning perspectives for different categories of users. The results reveal that there are statistically significant differences regarding the ages of the persons considered in the research, but their expectations and needs referring to the e-learning platform seem to be the same. The real differences come from the difficulties of the individual use of the facilities offered by the information systems and from the human factors level of involvement in the improvement of this system. Consequently, there are visible discrepancies in the use of the e-learning platform and these disparities are not only age - and sex - related but also related to the persons knowledge in the field.

An Integrative Approach of E-Learning: From Consumer to Prosumer

This article analyses the challenges of the e-learning platform Tesys for both students and teachers in a Smart environment. In our research, two theoretical approaches are used to develop the hypotheses related to the relationships between user and technology: the relationship user-prosumer and the relationship principal-agent. Therefore, our quantitative and qualitative research put into value a strong relationship between user and technology. We arrived at the conclusion that the entrepreneurial behaviour of the agent is positively related to the Tesys features and also that the agent’s satisfaction is positively related to the principal feedback. We find that the principal-agent theory offers an integrated approach of the e-learning system in a Smart environment, and that a lack of agents control coupled with the lack of the principal’s motivation generated artificial barriers difficult to overcome even with Smart technology.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: A Summary

Throughout this book Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been discussed in an international framework. The European aspects of CSR are presented in the following countries: Switzerland, Italy, The Netherlands, Cyprus and Romania. In the United States of America (US), the CSR was approached by the policies, environmentally-sustainable behaviours and particular corporate citizenship procedures and expectations. In Africa, in countries as Zimbabwe and Ghana, CSR is still a concept that is underdeveloped and it is even so that many businesses seek to propound their involvement in poverty alleviation and protection of the environment.

The independence of managers: an ethical dilemma

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the complex and antagonistic nature of virtue as practised by managers in the context of the recent global financial crisis and in the light of the ethical scandals which pervade the corporate scene. The dispersal of ethical responsibilities is generated by a misunderstanding of autonomy and self-governance and represents a motivation for managers to promote non-virtuous beliefs. The study should prove useful to managers around the world because the relationship between virtue and profit allows them to identify pressures in the decision-making process and thus provides a pragmatic understanding of the virtues of designing corporate social responsibility. The most recent scandal: the case of Volkswagen which has been accused of cheating pollution emissions tests proves more that dispersal of ethical responsibilities is one of the sources of unethical decisions.

An Approach of the Knowledge Management for the Development of the Organisational Commitment

This paper focuses on the relationship between Knowledge Management and Human Resources Management that will change the system of values in the 21 century. Today, the modern organisations have intelligent systems covering the technical necessities. With the help of these intelligent systems various areas of the organisation can be tracked: sourcing, production, quality, stocks, and human resources management. The methodology used in this article involved theoretical development and empirical research. The main idea stated that the research must identify some situations in which all research strategies might be relevant (Mellander, 2001, Yin, 1994). The research reported in this paper focused on a study of the organizational commitment of the employees using data from two Romanian organisations. In this context, knowledge management and human resources management will interweave in the analysis of organisational commitment and will contribute to the establishment of strategic priorities of the organisations. In a modern organisation, the good flexibility of informational sys2 Adriana SCHIOPOIU BURLEA tems offers the opportunity of adjustment to a more and more competitive environment based on knowledge. Taking into consideration the knowledge management – the detection and development of strategic human capital are made on three levels: individual – knowledge and expression; collective – interaction and organisational – competition. Those organisations that will strategically administrate their human resources will successfully pass through the strategic process. This implies a flexible model of knowledge management, model that takes into consideration the employees commitment and their loyalty to the organisation. Consequently, at the human resources level, bad knowledge management can generate hard feelings, lack of motivation, and even confusion, in the moments in which the organisation would need creativity and total commitment from their employees.