Journal of Enterprise Information Management - Special Issue on: E-learning and the Training Needs of Senior Employees

Journal of Enterprise Information Management

CALL FOR PAPERS

Special Issue on:
E-learning and the Training Needs of Senior Employees

Guest Editors

Aurelio Ravarini        Marinos Themistocleous                Vasiliki Mantzana
aravarini@liuc.it        Marinos.Themistocleous@brunel.ac.uk        Vasiliki.Mantzana@brunel.ac.uk

The focus of this special issue is to investigate the training needs of employees aged over 40 years, who are highly affected by the demographic and social changes. According to sociological studies carried out in western countries, the process of professional development begins to rapidly slow down from the age of 40 on. Specialists' skills usually go deep into their field, but they quickly become obsolete. To maintain a professional relevance, it is imperative that workers undergo a process of continuous training. This will help them not to fall behind in the constantly changing business market, but also to take part in tasks within their companies where innovation processes are involved. One further advantage for both the company and the employee is that innovation, instead of relying on external parties, is brought about and carried on by those who know the company's history because they belong to it. Often, this category of workers does not respond to the training (e-learning activities) that take place into organisations. Since technology rapidly evolves and impacts the business processes and practices in organisations, elder employees are not flexible or resist to these changes. Among others, the special issue emphasizes on: (a) the analysis of training needs that will allow companies and researchers to re-assess the skills of workers aged over 40 years without any prejudice on their ability to re-train and change and (b) the identification of the main variables characterizing a learning (or training) environment within a domain characterized by: (a) senior employees participants, and - more generally - lifelong learning; (b) the systematic use of elearning tools and methods.

This special issue is seeking high quality articles that provide rich and innovative insights on this research area. Topics of special interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

§    E-learning methods, tools and frameworks to capture and analyse the training needs
§    Critical analysis of the normative literature
§    Analysis of the training needs
§    Strategies to satisfy the needs of workers over 40 years of age
§    Case Studies and surveys
§    Best practices
§    Individual vs. group training
§    Didactic environment

This special issue seeks manuscripts utilizing diverse research approaches, including theoretical, qualitative, and quantitative research methods. Authors are strongly encouraged to contact the special issue editors via e-mail to ascertain fit of their work with the special issue in advance of the submission deadline. Send a one-page summary of the proposed paper at Vasiliki.Mantzana@brunel.ac.uk. Final manuscripts must be sent electronically at Vasiliki.Mantzana@brunel.ac.uk, together with 1-5 keywords and an abstract of approximately 150-200 words. Please check the website at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/info/journals/jeim/jeim.jsp concerning the format, style, and guide to authors.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES
15            02, 2007                Paper submission deadline
30            03, 2007                Notification of acceptance
15            07, 2007                Camera ready submission