David McGuire's student-friendly introduction looks at Human Resource Development on an individual, organisational and societal level analysing how HRD can play a major role in organisational innovation, in developing communities and society and in operating on a cross-national and international...

The problem and the solution. This issue overview to the special issue presents a brief justification for adopting a multi-perspectival approach to theory and practice in HRD. It is argued that such an approach has the potential to add both theoretical depth and breadth to HRD discourse as well...

Perspectives suggest different conceptions of HRD. This concluding article of the Special Issue reviews the contributions and proposes four meta-perspectives on HRD: language; community/societal; system; and psychological. It is argued that each perspective suggests a particular conception or...

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is becoming an increasingly important issue facing the Irish legal profession. It requires individuals, law firms and professional associations to examine the developmental needs of legal practitioners and how these needs can best be satisfied. This...

The impact of the forces of globalisation on managerial practices across national boundaries has renewed interest in examining the degree to which culture impacts on the effectiveness of such practices. Increased employee interaction with global customers and the growth in cross-cultural...

This paper sets out to critically challenge five inter-related assumptions prominent in the HRD literature. These relate to: the exploitation of labour in enhancing shareholder value; the view that employees are co-contributors to and co-recipients of HRD benefits; the distinction between HRD and...

John Seely Brown notes that context must be added to data and information to produce meaning. To move forward, Brown suggests, we must not merely look ahead but we must also learn to look around because learning occurs when members of a community of practice (CoP) socially construct and share...