Get connected! : How Accenture and IBM are using the web for HRM strategy

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – There is a joke made about so‐called “nerds” who spend an inordinate amount of time online, which remarks on the irony that so many people who log on to the Second Life web site do not have a life in the first place. However many of these web wanderers could have the last laugh as huge corporations such as IBM and Cisco Systems are experimenting on Second Life with their own “islands” which could lead to recruitment, training and important connections being made on there. After much promise, the opportunities that have been talked up in the Web 2.0 revolution are finally presenting themselves, although they seem to be appearing slower and more fragmented than first imagined. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.