Value Of Knowledge Research Articles

Measurement of the Valuation of Knowledge in Organizations: A Review Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to address the question of how to measure the value of knowledge in an organization. The study shows how to identify the attributes used to measure this value and identify the relationships between these attributes. As a first step, researchers chose selected 203 studies for review. Then those studies were analyzed through content and contextual analysis. It has been shown that it is possible to identify identical attributes across theoretical works and case studies that are aimed to assess the value of an investment in knowledge. The attributes can be defined and hierarchically structured. The paper provides the basis for establishing a broadly applicable methodology for assessing the value of the investment in knowledge and, consequently, improving the possibilities to determine its effectiveness.

Uso tradicional de la fitodiversidad de los bosques de <i>Pinus hartwegii</i> en dos comunidades mexicanas de alta montaña

Se registra el conocimiento tradicional de las plantas útiles en los bosques de Pinus hartwegii, un ecosistema importante que marca el límite altitudinal de la vegetación arbórea en México y que brinda importantes servicios ambientales por ser cabecera de cuencas hidrológicas. El estudio se realizó en dos comunidades rurales de alta montaña en el centro de México: Ranchería Las Palomas (RLP) en el Estado de México y San José Pilancón (SJP) en el estado de Veracruz. Se usó el método de consenso de informantes y se hicieron entrevistas semiestructuradas al 10 % de la población, recorridos botánicos, análisis de datos del Índice de Valor de Uso (IVU) y riqueza de plantas. Se encontraron 51 especies útiles en RLP y 46 especies en SJP, así como nueve categorías de uso en RLP y once en SJP. El IVU coincidió en las dos comunidades, donde el pino-ocote (P. hartwegii) fue la especie más importante (1,9 RLP y 1,2 SJP). Se encontraron 24 especies en común, 16 coinciden con los nombres comunes y usos, pero ocho especies tuvieron nombres y usos diferentes. De manera general, para las localidades estudiadas, se pudo reconocer que el conocimiento tradicional sobre las plantas útiles se resguarda en la población adulta y del sexo femenino. Se espera que este estudio sea una base para la valoración y conservación del conocimiento tradicional y la fitodiversidad de este tipo de bosques, tanto por las comunidades locales, así como por autoridades en temas ambientales.

Unfulfilled promise of education for creative economy in Brazil

The aim is to examine why the promise that education for creative economy could be the engine for socioeconomic development – present in the academic work on creative economy and the political discourse of some leaders and political parties – remains unfulfilled in Brazil. The central argument indicates that the promise was unfulfilled because the maintenance of rigid curricular guidelines in basic, secondary and higher education limits the development of skills and abilities to deal with the constant transformations of creative economy. The unfulfillment of this promise can also be explained by the fact that the financial crisis – motivated by the adverse international economic situation and the political chaos caused by allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds by politicians and businessmen – made the Brazilian government reduce investments in research and the maintenance of public institutions. The private institutions of basic and secondary education which prepare students for creative economy charge high monthly fees, which is not affordable for the greatest part of Brazilian population, and the Brazilian state does not seem to work to extend this education model for other public and private schools. Many private universities also suffer from the limitation of student financing programs. The transdisciplinarity among the three knowledge pillars of creative economy – technical / scientific, cultural / creative and business pillars –, as well as the valuation of traditional knowledge and practices and the formation of critical thinking in the light of political-economic and socio-cultural dynamics, is being ruined in Brazil.

Leading the Life of a Knowledge Seeker and Enhancing Research Productivity

We discuss the key goal of conducting research which is to create new knowledge. We suggest that this endeavor can be frustrating yet fascinating due to the many ambiguities, uncertainties and eureka moments that can arise while on the path of seeking knowledge. We consider ways in which individuals and institutions can better prepare themselves for a fulfilling and productive career as researchers and research facilitators respectively. We discuss one approach to the valuation of knowledge based on principles from finance and the implications it has for research policy in all fields and the design of systems that can enhance the overall creation and dissemination of knowledge. We conclude with a warning about not taking the knowledge we have accumulated too seriously and to be vigilant towards any unintended consequences that can arise when we implement solutions to the problems we face based on the knowledge we have discovered.

Promotion of health, sustainability and social development of a vulnerable community.

to report the experience of research phases on promoting sustainable development based on social technologies with palm fiber artifacts in a vulnerable community. this is an experience report that describes the phases of a multiprofessional project that sought sustainable development, and was conducted with inhabitants from a vulnerable community. the actions were developed in four phases: exploratory, planning, implementation and evaluation. These phases encompassed a situational diagnosis, planning and performing health education workshops, training meetings, production of handcrafted window shutters with insulation and acoustic comfort. The most emphatic result was the possibility of a new source of income. the project actions favored the individual and collective empowerment of the participants regarding their health, especially considering the recovery of self-esteem, valuation of traditional knowledge and a new source of income.

Citizen Cocreation in Tourist and Cultural Events

The aim of this research is to illustrate that in event planning and organization several actors are involved and each of them in specific local communities plays a key active role in the event's success. Event managers and socioinstitutional actors are increasingly looking at events as a mechanism to enhance tourism development in the regions where the events are organized. Therefore, the empowerment of residents and their involvement in the process of territorial development becomes of paramount importance. In this sphere, service-dominant logic is the main theoretical framework of interest, as it embraces the assumption that a host community's involvement in the process of valuation of local traditions, environment, and knowledge of the territory is an essential factor in both tourist and cultural events. Service-dominant logic enables all social and economic actors to be recognized as key actors in resource integration, service provisioning, and value cocreation. Furthermore, in their resource integrating, service provisioning, value cocreating activities, each actor plays an active and dynamic role, thus representing operant resources. Research conducted using Ebsco-source (July 2015), exclusively on academic peer-reviewed journals, highlights articles based on the topic of service-dominant logic and articles regarding management in touristic and cultural events. No articles merging these two spheres were found. The original value of this research lies in demonstrating that service-dominant logic and management in tourist and cultural events are a natural fit. Through multiple case studies, the article examines four international events "Ravello Festival," "Umbria Jazz Festival," "Edinburgh International Festival," and "Singapore International Festival of Arts."

Valuation of knowledge and ignorance in mesolimbic reward circuitry.

The pursuit of knowledge is a basic feature of human nature. However, in domains ranging from health to finance people sometimes choose to remain ignorant. Here, we show that valence is central to the process by which the human brain evaluates the opportunity to gain information, explaining why knowledge may not always be preferred. We reveal that the mesolimbic reward circuitry selectively treats the opportunity to gain knowledge about future favorable outcomes, but not unfavorable outcomes, as if it has positive utility. This neural coding predicts participants' tendency to choose knowledge about future desirable outcomes more often than undesirable ones, and to choose ignorance about future undesirable outcomes more often than desirable ones. Strikingly, participants are willing to pay both for knowledge and ignorance as a function of the expected valence of knowledge. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), however, responds to the opportunity to receive knowledge over ignorance regardless of the valence of the information. Connectivity between the OFC and mesolimbic circuitry could contribute to a general preference for knowledge that is also modulated by valence. Our findings characterize the importance of valence in information seeking and its underlying neural computation. This mechanism could lead to suboptimal behavior, such as when people reject medical screenings or monitor investments more during bull than bear markets.

Convaincre et transporter le lecteur : l’hypotypose dans les récits de voyages médiévaux castillans

Si le récit de voyage donne à voir l’ailleurs pour satisfaire la curiosité des lecteurs, leur offrant l’illusion du voyage qu’ils ne peuvent faire, leur montrant les merveilles, ces objets caractérisés par leur capacité à surprendre, nous y retrouverons bien la présence de l’hypotypose, « peinture parlante » qui développe « l’art de rendre présentes les choses absentes » et de « rendre imaginable l’inimaginable et vraisemblable l’invraisemblable ». Les récits de voyages, par leur développement au cours des derniers siècles du Moyen Âge, marquèrent l’affirmation de l’individu et l’avènement de l’empirisme. Basés sur l’expérience personnelle du voyageur (qu’elle soit réelle ou fictive), il faut à ces textes transmettre et convaincre de cette vision directe (autopsiam), afin de rendre visible et palpable pour le lecteur cet horizon inconnu dévoilé par le voyage. L’hypotypose serait ainsi un des outils érigeant le récit de voyage en source pertinente de savoir par le partage de l’expérience sensible du voyageur. La valorisation du savoir empirique s’appuie sur cette caractéristique d’épiphanie de l’hypotypose.

Factors for the Use of Dental Services Associated with Untreated Caries in Children of a Cohort and the Care Offered in the Primary Health Care of Recife, Brazil

Objective: To analyze factors of use of dental services associated with untreated caries in children from a cohort in the Primary Health Care of Recife and the integral care offered to oral health of children in the areas studied. Material and Methods: 1 st step: Analytic study with secondary data from the dental caries inquiry conducted with the cohort in Health District II and IV in 2010. 425 records of children aged 5-7 year were included. The Dependent variable was carious component of the dmft (d≥1) index and independent variables were sociodemographic and use of dental services. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Variables associated with p≤0.20 outcomes were included in the logistic regression multivariate model with permanency criteria of p≤0.05. 2 nd step: Descriptive study with 15 key individuals: (03) managers, (01) central level, (02) district level, (12) members of 2 health family teams from the selected districts. The validation of the data collection instrument was performed (semi structured questionnaire). Data were processed by a descriptive analysis in Excel spreadsheet. Results: The prevalence of untreated caries was high (58.1%). The factors associated with use of dental service was: age: 7 years old (OR: 1.62; p<0.001), toothache in the last 6 months (OR: 9.63; p<0.001), unsatisfactory care (OR: 3.57; p<0.014). There was valuation of epidemiological knowledge to plan integral and integrated oral health actions for children, but deficiencies in inter-professional actions were identified to perform these actions, which are recommended by family health teams. Conclusion: The factors associated with the outcome evidenced fragilities in the dental care directed to children and the structuring of the integral care to the oral health offered, although it indicates inter-professional action, it has not been effective to positively impact the d≥1 levels observed.

Five-Year Study on Hiring Trends in Gender, Women's, and Feminist Studies

Feminist Studies 44, no. 2. © 2018 by Feminist Studies, Inc. 253 Jennifer Musial and Christina Holmes Five-Year Study on Hiring Trends in Gender, Women’s, and Feminist Studies Given that there are so few PhD programs, and thus few Women’s Studies PhDs, how have they fared on the job market? . . . Would it be easier for me to get a Women’s Studies job if I had a PhD in Sociology (for example)? I think the time has come for us as a Women’s Studies academic community to assess these questions very seriously—it’s almost criminal for us to turn out Women ’s Studies academics if no one—not even Women’s Studies programs —will hire us.1 The question in the epigraph above was posted in 1997 by Lauraine Leblanc, a then-recent graduate of Emory University’s women’s studies PhD program, in reply to a thread on WMST-L (the women’s studies listserv established in 1991) titled “Graduate Degrees in Women’s Studies.” Two decades later, gender, women’s, and feminist studies (GWFS) faculty lines are at an all-time high because there are 336 departments or programs in the United States alone that have at least one full-time faculty line in GWFS.2 There has never been a greater opportunity to advance 1. Lauraine Leblanc, query to WMST-L listserv, April 11, 1997, http://userpages .umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/phd_ws.html. 2. Laura Briggs, “Precarious Value? Critical Reflections on the PhD in Gender, Women’s and Feminist Studies,” roundtable discussion, National Women’s Studies Association, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, November 14, 2015. 254 Jennifer Musial and Christina Holmes one’s study in the field: as of 2017, there were twenty-five freestanding PhD programs in GWFS between the United States and Canada.3 This reflects a doubling of doctoral programs since 2008, and we are aware of at least two additional PhD programs that are currently in development. This expansion is remarkable during a period of economic austerity marked by limited budgets, hiring freezes, and program closures.4 Yet, even in a presumably auspicious time for the field, Leblanc’s questions plague job seekers who hold a PhD in GWFS. Employment concerns surfaced at the first meeting of the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) PhD Interest Group in 2014, where many sensed that GWFS PhD holders were uniquely disadvantaged when applying for jobs in our field, especially when we realized positions that we applied for were going to those without the GWFS PhD.5 This reignited a long-standing conversation about epistemological authority, and now labor power, within and across the disciplines.6 We asked ourselves, with unprecedented 3. We chose to focus on freestanding PhD programs because it is beyond the scope of this essay to analyze the motivations of joint programs (such as those offered by the University of Michigan, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Cincinnati) that train PhD students in a traditional discipline as a complement to the GWFS PhD. One can assume these schools set up their programs based on factors such as employability, the valuation of disciplinary knowledge, available institutional resources, etc. 4. See Janelle Adsit, Sue Doe, Marisa Allison, Paula Maggio, and Maria Maisto, “Affective Activism: Answering Institutional Productions of Precarity in the Corporate University,” Feminist Formations 27, no. 3 (2015): 21–48; Laura Briggs, “Whither Feminism in Higher Education in the Current Crisis,” Feminist Studies 39, no. 2 (2013): 502–6. 5. Details on the formation of the NWSA PhD Interest Group are described in Melissa Autumn White, Carly Thomsen, and Stina Soderling’s “Critical Mass, Precarious Value? Reflections on the Gender, Women’s and Feminist Studies PhD in Austere Times,” published in this special issue. 6. See Marilyn J. Boxer, “Remapping the University: The Promise of the Women ’s Studies PhD,” Feminist Studies 24, no. 2 (1998): 387–402; Katherine Side, “Rethinking the Women’s Studies PhD in Canadian Universities,” Journal of International Women’s Studies 2, no. 2 (2001): 267–88; Eloise Buker, “Is Women’s Studies a Disciplinary or Interdisciplinary Field of Inquiry?” NWSA Journal 15, no. 1 (2003): 73–93; Vivian May, “Disciplining Feminist Futures?: ‘Undisciplined’ Reflections about the Women...

O ensino da leitura e sua relação com a formação de alfabetizadores: apontamentos a partir da produção acadêmica

This paper presents some reflections built from a bibliographic review of the academic production related to teaching reading from 2013 and 2016, related to the actions of implementation of the Right Age Literacy National Pact (PNAIC, Brazilian abbreviation). The methodological procedures were guided by the definition of categories which emerged during the investigations to explain the objects of study identified regarding teaching reading. The analysis revealed that the studies related to the PNAIC have increased significantly in post-graduation programs, demonstrating the researchers’ concern with the study and understanding of how the pact has been made concrete in literacy practices. It is noticeable, however, that there is a gap between theory and practice and the valuation of tacit knowledge in the government proposal for elementary school teachers’ education. &nbsp; Keywords: Reading. Academic production. Elementary school teachers’ education.

PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN SYNCHRONOUS NETWORKED ENVIRONMENTS: COMPARING ADOBE CONNECT AND SECOND LIFE

We describe our experiences with two networked learning environments: Adobe Connect (AC) and Second Life (SL) for supporting teaching and learning in distance education courses. We collected data in two separate case studies: one in Norway (AC) and the other in the United States (SL), using different but comparable methods of data analysis (qualitative methods). We compare the two environments through the lens of problem-based learning (PBL), using four application characteristics of PBL (learner activity, collaborative learning, feedback, and valuation of previous knowledge). AC’s strength is its easy-to-use interface and its high-quality audio and video streaming that support facial expression and gesturing in communication. The SL interface is more complicated to learn, but it allows for movement in virtual reality by an avatar and interaction with three-dimensional (3D) objects. The avatar makes the users feel less apprehensive during communication.

SPECIAL ISSUE - “COMMUNICATION, DESIGN AND LEARNING”

This special issue of seminar.net is the result of a collaboration between teachers at the two master programmes, “Communication, Design and Learning” at the University of Oslo and “ICT Supported Learning” at the Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. For 2013-2015, we received a grant from Norgesuniversitetet to develop partnership, flexible teaching and study methods, and to increase learning outcomes among students. The four papers represent the first research results from our project. We are grateful to Norgesuniversitetet for its support.Per HetlandGeneral editorThe first paper, by Per Hetland and Anders I. Mørch, both from the University of Oslo has a title called “Ethnography for Investigating the Internet”. They describe the field by giving an overview of the competing concepts, and argue for their chosen path. They point at important crossing roads and selections that needs to be taken for future research.Jan Erik Dahl, also of The University of Oslo, presents the paper “Supporting learning through epistemic scaffolds embedded in a highlighter tool”. It explores how the use of the tool was used to support students’ readings and discussions of research articles. He argues that the use of annotation technologies in education is increasing, and that annotations can play a wide variety of epistemic roles; e.g., they can facilitate a deeper level of engagement, support critical thinking, develop cognitive and metacognitive skills and introduce practices that can support knowledge building and independent learning. Dahl criticises some of the underlying assumption of present research in the field and suggest that one needs to look for the active co-construction that students do in collaboration with others.Monica Johannesen and Leikny Øgrim, of the Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, has collaborated with Ole Smørdal of the University of Oslo on the paper “Facebook as an actor - a case of students negotiating their social presence in an online course”. Their paperreports on a study of a higher education online course based on asynchronous communication. In the selection of technology for online discussions they aimed at creating a sense of togetherness among the teachers and the students. Their choice proved to be a insightful experience of how the differences of agency of a virtual learning environment (VLE) are compared to social media when it comes to social presence.Anders I. Mørch of the University of Oslo has collaborated with Louise Mifsud and Bård Kjetil Engen, of Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences on the fourth paper, called “Problem-Based Learning in Synchronous Networked Environments: Comparing Adobe Connect and Second Life”. Their approach was to compare experiences from using two networked learning environments: Adobe Connect (AC) and Second Life (SL) for supporting teaching and learning in distance education courses. Data were collected from two separate case studies: one in Norway (AC) and the other in the United States (SL), using different but comparable methods of data analysis. They focus on problem-based learning (PBL), using four application characteristics of PBL (learner activity, collaborative learning, feedback, and valuation of previous knowledge).General sectionIn addition to the four papers in the special issue of Seminar.net, we also contribute with two more papers.David Hallberg, representing both The Swedish Red Cross University College and the Stockholm University, has written a paper with Henrik Hansson and Anders G.Nilsson, also from Stockholm University called: “Immigrant Women's Reasoning and Use of Information and Communications Technology in Lifelong Learning”. The paper explores the reasoning and use of information and communications technology (ICT) in lifelong learning by immigrant women. The researchers collected data from semi-structured and unstructured interviews. The study was carried out primarily in a school environment, which also made it possible to draw conclusions about the connection between learning in and outside school environments.Trine Fossland, of University of Tromsø UiT The Arctic University of Norway, presents the last paper in this issue. Her paper, “Stories of technology-enhancement in higher education – a critical approach”, continues a critical stance of educational technology, suggesting that even if there is a large body of research on technology-enhanced learning, questions related to the educational effectiveness of technology use still needs to be questioned. She argues that “digital innovators’” stories about technology enhancement may constitute a rich source for understanding this complex educational phenomenon both in relation to teachers’ daily practices and the implementation of ICT in higher education at large. Her paper relies on biographical interviews with “digital innovators”. Her findings suggest that technology-enhancement is linked to nine key characteristics: different educational models, authenticity, pedagogical added values, meaningful student activities, changing approaches to feedback, assessment and connection with the outside world, as well as holistic planning, supportive leaders and strong micro-cultures. This paper proposes a more nuanced understanding of the term technology enhanced learning and suggests strategies for educational development and further investigations related to this phenomenon in higher education. Yngve Nordkvelle

Customer knowledge valuation model based on customer lifecycle

Customers can create value for firms in a variety of ways. Four of them are parts of customer relationship management (CRM), and mentioned as customer engagement value (CEV) components. The first component is customer lifetime value (CLV); the second is customer referral value (CRV); the third component is customer influencer value (CIV); the fourth component is customer knowledge value (CKV). There are a lot of works concerning the particular CEV element estimates, such as CLV, and recently also CIV or CRV. However, it is important to notice that there is no work on how to estimate CKV. Based on the observations above, finding a model to estimate CKV would be relevant and interesting.

Assessing the Potential and Limitations of Leveraging Food Sovereignty to Improve Human Health

Food sovereignty has been defined as “the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.” Human health is an implied component of this definition through the principle of healthy food. In fact, improved human health is commonly cited as a benefit of transforming food production away from the dominant practices of industrial agriculture. Yet, does the use of “ecologically sound and sustainable methods” of food production necessarily translate into better human health outcomes? Does greater choice in defining an agricultural or food system create gains in health and well-being? We elucidate the conceptual linkages between food sovereignty and human health, critically examine the empirical evidence supporting or refuting these linkages, and identify research gaps and key priorities for the food sovereignty-human health research agenda. Five domains of food sovereignty are discussed including: (1) use of agroecological management practices for food production, (2) the localization of food production and consumption, (3) promotion of social justice and equity, (4) valuation of traditional knowledge, and (5) the transformation of economic and political institutions and structures to support self-determination. We find that although there are many plausible linkages between food sovereignty and human health, the empirical evidence in support of the hypothesis that increasing food sovereignty yields improvements to human health is weak. We propose that a concerted effort to generate new empirical evidence on the health implications of these domains of food sovereignty is urgently needed, and suggest areas of research that may be crucial for addressing the gaps in the evidence base.

Measuring the performance of knowledge resources using a value perspective: integrating BSC and ANP

Purpose– This paper aims to provide insight into how knowledge resources in R &amp; D organizations can be effectively and separately measured for knowledge sharing and transfer. Knowledge is recognized as a durable strategic resource to obtain sustainable competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approach– The paper proposes a theoretical framework integrating an analytic network process (ANP) with a balanced scorecard (BSC) to measure the performance of knowledge resources under value perspective. Four indicators and three knowledge value (KV) components including labor value, technology value and utilization value are discussed. The model construction, problem structuring and calculation procedure for measuring the performance of knowledge resources based on ANP and BSC are demonstrated.Findings– Despite a number of models to assess the performance of knowledge resources being proposed, they highlighted a need for separately measuring under value perspective. With the aim of filling this gap, the main finding of the paper is to clarify relevant issues, providing a better framework for assessment of the performance of knowledge resources.Research limitations/implications– To handle the dynamic nature of knowledge, the research should take into account more advanced methods to measure the performance of knowledge resources. Both qualitative and quantitative methods should be utilized in future research.Practical implications– The consequences of measuring the performance of knowledge resources under value perspective may help managers to organize and arrange the separate knowledge resources, improving the knowledge resources exchange between different institutions in R &amp; D organizations.Originality/value– The main contribution of this paper lies in the development of a comprehensive model, which incorporates diversified issues for conducting the performance of knowledge resources under value perspective.

Dialogic co-creation and service innovation performance in high-tech companies

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how customer co-creation affects the performance of service innovation through the operant resources. Design/methodology/approachThis study uses survey methodology to examine a research model with six hypotheses. Data from 149 high-tech firms are analyzed using structural equation modeling. FindingsThe dialogic co-creation affects customer relationship strength (relational resource), valuation of knowledge (informational resource), and capability of customization (organizational resource), facilitating service innovation. Research limitations/implicationsFindings offer novel insights into how service innovation co-creation takes place within a dialogic context leading to organizational changes. The results clarify the influences of operant resources on service innovation and indicate that companies should emphasize dialogic communication with customer in developing service innovation. Practical implicationsManagers have to understand that co-creation is an effective approach in business to stretch business boundaries, and that customers are the crucial external party that co-creates. According to the mutual influences of co-creation, businesses not only can exploit knowledge from customers but also strengthen the relationship bond with them. For the investment programs on service innovation of businesses, managers should allocate budget to relation-specific investments and knowledge acquisition with customers. Originality/valueThis research model, guided by the R-A theory and S-D logic, might serve as a template for scholars exploring issues of service innovation. Findings of this study identify important implications that benefit service innovation research in several ways.

Exploring the required success factors for developing absorptive capacity in knowledge intensive organisations

Absorptive capacity is a developing research topic within the field of knowledge management, whereby researchers are exploring business methods for improving the capture and valuation of new knowledge entering organisations from external sources. Organisational processes and human-centred systems at macro-level, in relation to absorptive capacity, have been explored extensively but typically in a generalised form. Antecedents highlighting the successful implementation of absorptive capacity processes have not been intensely studied to date. This study, through critical exploration of existing success factors within pharmaceutical organisations based in Pakistan, aims to extend this body of knowledge by highlighting the requirements required for the effective development of absorptive capacity in the workplace. Results show that factors relating to employees and management, both at mid and senior level, are critical in the successful development of absorptive capacity. Furthermore, this study explores new pathways for critical evaluation of absorptive capacity in relation to employees and management.

Drivers of conservation and utilization of pineapple genetic resources in Benin.

Valuation of farmer knowledge has been seen as a route to promote sustainable use of plant genetic resources. In pineapple production systems in Benin, inadequate knowledge of cultivation practices can lead to a number of inconveniences including abandon of some varieties and cultivars. To understand how farmer’s knowledge and cultivation practices impact the sustainable utilization of pineapple genetic resources, we surveyed 177 pineapple farmers in southern Benin. We assessed farmers’ knowledge and analyzed the relationship between their knowledge and factors such as age, education, and locality of provenance. Pineapple production system was dominated by men (96% respondents). According to farmers, Smooth cayenne is international market-oriented while Sugarloaf mainly targets domestic and regional markets. All farmers recognized that Smooth cayenne provided more income (USD 5,750/ha) than sugarloaf (USD 3,950/ha) in the production systems of southern Benin. The high value of median scores in comparison with the range of possible score showed that most farmers agreed and shared relatively similar knowledge. Correlation matrix and multiple linear regressions showed a significant relationship between farmers’ practices and their knowledge of the plant; their knowledge of pineapple varieties is based on fruits traits. Also, farmer’s knowledge was associated with locality of provenance. Constraints and options for genetic resources conservation and utilization in the pineapple production systems in Southern Benin were discussed based on current knowledge.

Market value of R&D, patents, and organizational capital: Finnish evidence

This paper studies how knowledge and organizational capital (OC) affect the market valuation of firms. Detailed occupational information from Finnish linked employer–employee data is used to form new estimates of firms’ organizational investments. The market value of OC is analyzed together with research and development (R&D) and patent variables. A nonlinear least-squares regression is used to investigate the contribution of these variables to the market value of Finnish firms during the period 1995–2008. The results show that OC, R&D, patents, and patent citations all have positive and significant effects on market value. A particularly interesting finding is that the effect of OC appears to be even stronger than the effect of R&D investments. This study also provides internationally comparable results on the market valuation of knowledge assets that indicate that in Finland, the market valuation of R&D, but not patents, is lower than in the USA and many European countries.