The role of education, professional development and human capital management in economic and social development
Introduction
Economic and social development can be generally defined as the progression that is depicted in the economic sectors as well as in social institutions and constructions. As postulated by Coale and Hoover (2015), there are various parameters that affect the level of economic and social development in a country. For instance, as postulated by Tarabini (2010) factors such as the political framework and the level of a county’s education system play an important role in enhancing economic and social development. Tarabini (2010) continues to state that education system in a country plays a major role in fostering economic development and strengthening the social institutions in a country. Additionally, as postulated by Naudé (2010), education promotes human capital development which in essence leads to economic development and strengthening of the social institutions in a country. However, despite the increased role of education and human capital development, little emphasis has been undertaken in evaluating the relationship between knowledge acquisition and human capital development on economic and social development.
The research that will be undertaken will evaluate the relationship between knowledge acquisition and human capital development and economic and social development. Specifically, the research that will be undertaken will critically evaluate the role of knowledge (lifelong learning, education and professional development) and human capital management (human capital production and acquisition, and the returns to human capital) in promoting economic competitiveness and social cohesion.
Problem statement
As earlier stated, human capital development and knowledge acquisition play a vital role towards enhancing economic competitiveness and social development. For instance, some studies such as (Stanton-Salazar, 2011; Gidley, Hampson, Wheeler & Bereded-Samuel, 2010) points out to the fact that education systems and human capital empowerment enhances economic and social development. The same analysis is also provided by Yigitcanlar (2009) when they stated that knowledge transfer as well as undertaking human capital empowerment facilitates the economic as well as the social development of a country. However, as postulated by Impey (2011), despite the advantages associated with education and human capital empowerment, little analysis and emphasis has been undertaken in evaluating the various ways through which knowledge transfer and human capital empowerment leads to economic and social development. In a study undertaken by Webster-Wright (2009), Webster-Wright points out that there is a correlation between education and human capital empowerment and economic and social empowerment, however, the nature of the correlation is not well understood
. The above analysis implies that there is a gap in terms of the various ways through which knowledge transfer and human capital empowerment enhances economic competitive advantage as well as social development. The research that will be undertaken will evaluate the various ways through which knowledge transfer and human capital empowerment can enhance economic and social development.
Significance of undertaking the research
Undertaking the research will be of vital importance in the sense that it will offer an insight in how knowledge transfer can enhance economic and social development. Understanding the above construct will enable organizations and countries to develop knowledge transfer strategies and initiatives in terms of lifelong learning, education and professional development as well as human capital management strategies in terms of human capital production and acquisition, and the returns to human capital that are aimed towards promoting economic competitiveness and social cohesion. From an organization perspective, undertaking the research will enable organizations improve on profitability and competitive advantage as well as increase the level of organizational competence, innovation, and creativity through leveraging on the advantages associated with human capital empowerment and employee training and development. Additionally, undertaking the research will offer an insight in understanding how organizations can foster social cohesion and synergies among employees which leads to increased organizational productivity (Oldroyd & Morris, 2012). On the other hand, from a national perspective, undertaking the research will offer an insight in understanding how countries and governments can improve the Gross Domestic Product of a country as well as promote peace and harmony through fostering of knowledge transfer and human capital empowerment for economic development and social cohesion. Additionally, undertaking the research will be of vital importance in the sense that it will promote the quality of life of the citizens through economic empowerment, quality goods and services, increased value for money and increased social integration and cohesion.
Research objectives
The following research objectives will be employed in the undertaking of the research:
To investigate the constructs and determinants of effective knowledge transfer
To determine the constructs and determinants of effective of human capital development
To determine the how networks and partnerships would support knowledge transfer between education, work and communities
To determine the role of effective knowledge transfer in promoting economic competitiveness and social cohesion.
To determine the role of effective human capital development in promoting economic competitiveness and social cohesion.
Research questions
The following research questions will be employed in the undertaking of the research:
What are the constructs and determinants of effective knowledge transfer?
What are the constructs and determinants of effective of human capital development?
How can networks and partnerships support knowledge transfer between education, work and communities?
What are the roles of effective knowledge transfer in promoting economic competitiveness and social cohesion?
What are the roles of effective human capital development in promoting economic competitiveness and social cohesion?
Literature review
Introduction
The purpose of the literature section will critically evaluate the various empirical studies that have been done in the past regarding the main research concepts. Specifically, the analysis will be based on a thematic analysis with bias towards identifying common themes in available literature as well as the various gaps that are depicted in literature that will be addressed in the research that will be undertaken.
Discussion
Constructs of effective knowledge transfer
Various studies have been undertaken that evaluates the various constructs, antecedents and determinants of effective knowledge transfer. For instance, as postulated by Kallen (2013), one of the main components of effective knowledge transfer is the ability of the knowledge transfer systems to enhance continuous skills transfer. The same analysis is also depicted by Hodgson and Spours (2012) when they stated that effective learning and knowledge transfer should be a continuous process that is aimed at transferring lifelong skills. Moreover, as postulated by Frenz and Ietto-Gillies (2009), effective knowledge transfer encompasses the aspect of transferring relevant skills that are in tandem with the dynamics being experienced in various sectors. Moreover, in another study, Joia and Lemos (2010) stated that effective knowledge transfer should encompass the transfer of the skills and knowledge acquired in solving practical situations. The same analysis was also postulated by Nonaka and Von Krogh (2009) when they stated that effective knowledge transfer should enable individuals transfer the theoretical skills into real life situations. Moreover, in another study, Grossman and Salas (2011) stated that one component of effective learning and knowledge transfer is the ability of the learning process to produce permanent behavioural changes in the individual. The same analysis is also provided by Goffin, Koners, Baxter and Van der Hoven (2010) when they stated that effective knowledge transfer and learning should be able to elicit permanent change in individuals.
From the above literature analysis, the common themes that emerge from the constructs and determinants of effective knowledge and learning include the following; lifelong learning, enable individuals transfer the skills and knowledge to solving practical skills and the ability of enhancing long permanent change in individuals.
Constructs of effective human capital development
There are various studies that have been undertaken regarding the constructs and determinants of human capital development. One of the main constructs of human capital development is the aspect of employee motivation. According to Bontis and Serenko (2009) employee motivation will foster human capital development in the sense that motivation enables employees to be productive and work with a sense of organizational ownership. Moreover, as postulated by Pendleton and Robinson (2011), human capital development is vested in the ability of undertaking employee training and development. The same analysis is also provided by Creed and Hood (2009) when they stated that employee training and development fosters human capital development. In another study, Deci and Ryan (2012) stated that employee training and development promotes human capital development in the sense that it facilitates employee self-actualization, determination and competence. In another study, Lengnick-Hall, Beck & Lengnick-Hall (2011) stated that human capital development can be enhanced through enhancing effective human capital appraisal initiatives and strategies. The same analysis is also provided by Cabello-Medina, López-Cabrales and Valle-Cabrera (2011) when they stated that undertaking employee appraisal enhances human capital development through motivating employees.
From the above analysis, common themes that are evident include themes pinned to employee training and development, employee appraisal and employee motivation. However, there is need to undertake research and expand on the various constructs, determinants and antecedents of human capital development. Specifically, from an economic perspective, there is need to evaluate the returns antecedents of human capital development.
Relationship between effective knowledge transfer and economic development and social cohesion
Economic development as defined by Tabellini (2010) is the progression of a country towards improving the quality of life as well as the economic well-being of the society through development of economic structures that enhances income growth and the tax base. On the other hand, as defined by Lähdesmäki and Wagener (2015) social cohesion entails the initiatives that are aimed at peaceful co-existing and bonding among diversified individual settings. According to Harvey (2012), there are little empirical studies that have been undertaken that address the relationship between effective knowledge transfer and economic development and social cohesion. For example, according to Massingham and Diment (2009), effective knowledge transfer empowers employees with the relevant skills and knowledge required to be creative and embrace innovation. The same analysis is also provided by Madhoushi and Sadati (2010) when they stated that through effective knowledge transfer, organizations are able to promote innovation and creativity in an organization which in essence leads to higher levels of productivity and profitability. Moreover, from a national perspective point of view, Wallenborn, M. (2010) stated that effective educational systems enable a country to have a competent and skilled labour force which promotes higher levels of productivity, innovation and creativity. The same analysis is also replicated in a study undertaken by Onsomu, Ngware and Manda (2010). According to Onsomu et al (2010), effective knowledge transfer through education empowers the labour workforce with relevant skills and knowledge that are vital in terms of promoting economic growth. On the other hand, as postulated by Brown (2014) higher levels of knowledge transfer and education facilitates social cohesion in the sense that individuals become enlightened and shun away from social segregation and discrimination. Moreover, as postulated by Alam (2009) social cohesion can be achieved through effective education in which values are shaped. According to Bennett and Reddy (2009), social segregation such as the feminist and the masculinity ideologies can be eradicated through undertaking education aimed at shaping beliefs and value system of the society.
However, on the contrary, some scholars such as Gilead (2009) and Oxoby (2009) are of the opinion that education alone does not foster economic development and social cohesion in the sense that there is no direct positive correlation between education and social cohesion and economic development. Moreover, Gilead (2009) states that while education plays a role in shaping social norms and transmitting skills to the labour force, there is need to do further research to determine how various factors interact in order to foster economic development. The above analysis underpins the fact that there are divergent views regarding the correlation between effective knowledge transfer and economic development as well as social cohesion. The above analysis presents a major gap that will be addressed in the research undertaking in the sense that little emphasis has been undertaken regarding the correlation between education and social cohesion and the fact that there are divergent views regarding the nature of correlation between education and economic development.
Relationship between effective human capital development and social cohesion
Human capital development can be generally defined as the various strategies and initiatives that are undertaken by relevant stakeholders in enhancing the personal and professional development of an employee or the labour force (Son, 2010). The above definition of human capital development basically implies that human capital development is a multifaceted phenomenon that encompasses diverse constructs that are aimed at improving the workforce in terms of personal and professional development. As stipulated by Dhillon (2015), little emphasis has been undertaken in evaluating the intricacy and the nature of the correlation between human capital development and social cohesion. This is attributed to the fact that most of human capital development studies have been biased towards evaluating the organizational benefits of undertaking human capital development. For example, in a study undertaken by Fernandez and Moldogaziev (2012), Fernandez and Moldogaziev stated that human capital development through employee training and development leads to higher levels of productivity and employee specialization. According to Ciccone and Papaioannou (2009), higher levels of organizational productivity and specialization lead to higher organizational output in terms of efficiency and effectiveness which subsequently leads to higher levels of profitability and competitive advantage. Additionally, in another study, Messersmith and Guthrie (2010) stated that human capital empowerment through undertaking employee training and development leads to higher levels of innovation and subsequently increased organizational profitability.
In another study Kusluvan, Kusluvan, Ilhan and Buyruk (2010) found out that human capital empowerment through effective employee remuneration and appraisal frameworks boost the morale of employees. According to Kusluvan et al (2010), increased employee motivation leads to higher levels of synergies and interactions between organizational teams which eventually leads to high productivity levels an increased profitability.
The above analysis implies that various studies regarding correlation between human capital empowerment and economic development and social cohesion is biased towards the advantages associated with enhancing human capital empowerment in an organization. Little emphasis has been placed on the level of association between human capital empowerment and the economic development and social cohesion. This presents a major gap in literature that will be analyzed through evaluating the roles of effective human capital development towards enhancing economic development and social cohesion.
Conclusion
From the above literature analysis, there are various gaps and common themes that are depicted. For instance, some of the common themes depicted in the literature review are that; determinants of effective knowledge and learning include the following include lifelong learning, enabling individuals transfer the skills and knowledge to solving practical skills and the ability of enhancing long permanent change in individuals. On the other hand common themes regarding human capital development are that human capital development entails the process of employee appraisal and employee motivation. However, there is need to undertake research and expand on the various constructs, determinants and antecedents of human capital development due to lack of substantive and exhaustive constructs and determinants of human capital development. Moreover, from the literature review analysis that was undertaken, there are divergent views regarding the correlation between effective knowledge transfer and economic development as well as social cohesion and that there are little emphasis that has been undertaken regarding the correlation between education and social cohesion. Additionally, another major limitation depicted in the study is that various studies regarding correlation between human capital empowerment and economic development and social cohesion are inclined towards the advantages associated with enhancing human capital empowerment in an organization with little emphasis being placed on the association between human capital empowerment and the economic development and social cohesion.
Methodology
Research design
The research that will be undertaken will be based on a mixed method research design in which the researcher will employ the use of both qualitative and quantitative research designs. Specifically, the research that will be undertaken will employ the use of questionnaires as the main form of primary data collection as well as a comparative analysis that will be achieved through the use of systematic literature review. For instance, the empirical methodological approach will be undertaken through the use of statistical measures to analyze the quantitative data that will be collected while theoretical contributions will be undertaken through the use of systematic literature reviews. The choice of mixed method design is based on a number of advantages that are associated with the use of mixed methods. For instance, as postulated by Tashakkori and Teddlie (2010) some of the advantages associated with mixed designs include the following; mixed research methods are characterized with high level of validity, provides numerous strengths that are used to offset the weaknesses associated with qualitative and quantitative research designs, and mixed methods are characterized with high level of objectivity. Additionally, a total of 160 participants that will be recruited from two diverse groups (employees in the public sector and employees in the private sector) in order to determine their responses regarding the research questions. The researcher will also employ the use of simple random sampling in selecting the final sample of 160 participants.
Research philosophy
According to Onwuegbuzie and Frels (2013), a research philosophy can be generally defined as a school of thought that underpins the methodological approach of undertaking a research. According to Creswell (2013), there are two main research philosophies that a researcher can employ in undertaking a research. They are the positivist research philosophy and the phenomenological research philosophy. The phenomenological research philosophy emphasizes on qualitative research designs and focusses on subjectivity. On the other hand, the positivist research philosophy is based on quantitative research designs and emphasizes on objectivity through the use empirical scientific approaches in developing knowledge. The research that will be undertaken will be based on both the positivist and the phenomenological research philosophies. The use of both research philosophies is underpinned by the fact that the research will employ both the quantitative and the qualitative research design.
Population and sampling
The research that will be undertaken will involve the use of both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data collection method will be through the use of questionnaires that will be administered to a total of 160 research participants that will be selected from a general population of 200 participants. The researcher will employ the use of simple random sampling in selecting the final research participants. The use of simple random sampling is vested in the fact that simple random sampling is characterized with diverse advantages. According to Levy and Lemeshow (2013), simple random sampling is characterized with minimal sampling bias since every member of the general population has equal probability of being selected in the final population. Moreover, simple random sampling is a cost effective, and that it can be undertaken in the shortest time possible due to minimal complexities. The final population sample will be required to fill in a questionnaire in order to determine their responses regarding the research questions.
Research instruments
The main form of primary data collection will be through the use of questionnaires while secondary data collection will be done through the use of published journal articles. The use of questionnaires is based on the fact that questionnaires are more objective, can be used to undertake quantitative data collection from a large population and are an effective tool to collect data from a large group of participants. On the other hand, the secondary data sources will provide a theoretical framework for supplementing the quantitative data that will be collected through the use of questionnaires. Specifically, a systematic literature review will be undertaken in order to determine relevant recent peer reviewed journal articles.
Proposed data analysis
Data that will be collected through the use of questionnaires will be analyzed through the use of spearman rho coefficient while data that will be collected from systematic comparative analysis will be analyzed through the use of thematic analysis in which the frequency count of the themes will be evaluated and linked to observations made from the quantitative data. The spearman correlation coefficient will be used to evaluate the relationship between the education and human capital empowerment between two groups (employees from the private sector and employees from the public sector) in order to determine their views regarding the research questions. Statistical significance between the groups will be evaluated through the use SPSS ANOVA analysis.
Ethical considerations
The researcher will employ a variety of ethical considerations in order to ensure that the research that will be undertaken conforms to various ethical guidelines in undertaking a research based on human subjects. The following ethical considerations will be considered in the undertaking of the research (Rhodes, 2010):
i. All participants prior to the undertaking of the research will be informed about the scope of the research in terms of the research objectives, the time frame for undertaking the research and the contributions and importance of undertaking the research. This will ensure that the participants do not engage in the research undertaking without prior knowledge about the objectives of the research.
ii. The participation in the research undertaking by the subjects will solely be based on a voluntary basis in the sense that the participants will have a free choice to either participate or not participate in the research undertaking. Moreover, the participants will also be allowed to terminate their participation in the undertaking of the research if they are uncomfortable without giving a notice in advance.
iii. Lastly, the participants will be informed that the data that will be collected will be used only for the purposes described in the research objectives. Additionally, after the completion of the research, the data collected will be destroyed through burning and data privacy of participants will be enhanced through employing participant’s anonymity in the questionnaires.
Proposed timeline for dissertation
Section Week1 Week2 Week2 Week4 Week5 Week6 Week7 Week8
Introduction
Literature review
Methodology
Data analysis
Conclusion and discussion
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