Tracks

As an important part of information system, accounting is an inevitable source of information for business decision making. The importance of accounting system is recognized by different users. It is the most regulated information system within the entity. It offers wide variety of information; planned and realised, detail and summarized, etc. On the other hand, internal controls and different types of auditing increase confidence in accounting information. Internal control systems express managements’ effort in the improvement of business operation. Since International financial reporting standards are principle oriented standards, gathering knowledge about different techniques and methods that arise from their application can be an interesting field of research.

The aim of this track is to remark that internal controls, the application of accounting standards, and different types of auditing can influence financial information disclosed in principle financial statements. Since the accounting standards have been a subject to change, it is important to investigate their impact on information. Furthermore, research results on auditing methodology, standards, reports, etc. and can enhance knowledge in the profession that is of great priority to the users of accounting information.

Topics of interest in this track are:

• Accounting information systems as the source of business oriented knowledge
• Spreading knowledge of International financial reporting standards and specifics in national general accepted accounting principles
• “New” EU accounting directive – Let’s find out what happened after the implementation period
• Internal controls, auditing (internal, external, governmental) – new perspectives
• Analysis of financial statements and business decision making process

Track Chairs:
Ivana Mamic Sacer, University of Zagreb, imamic@efzg.hr
Beata Zyznarska-Dworczak, Poznan University of Economics and Business, Beata.Zyznarska-Dworczak@ue.poznan.pl  

A business model is understood to be the logic for “creating, delivering and capturing value” (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010, p. 14) and the logic that connects the architecture of organizational and financial structures of a business with the realization of economic value (Chesbrough and Rosenbloom, 2002). The term “Industry 4.0”, has become a widely used synonym for the rise of a new digital industrial technology and cyber physical systems that enable many innovative functionalities through their networking and their access to the cyber world, thus changing the way we live, think, and relate each other. In this context, new business models, work processes and business operations development that are currently unimaginable will arise. These changes will also influence the society, and the entire structure of the world economy. Industry 4.0 demands more than just a technology-based approach: a thorough rethinking of companies’ value chain and value proposition is required, since established business models may no longer guarantee successful performance.

This track aims at deepening the understanding of Industry 4.0 and its challenges and opportunities for the emerging business models. It invites both, theoretical and empirical papers, that contribute to business model innovations in the context of Industry 4.0.

Contributions may for example focus on topics such as:

• business models for innovation and smart growth in Industry 4.0
• peculiarities of business models in the context of Industry 4.0: how organizations approach business model innovation in the course of Industry 4.0 i.e., which processes, structures, and tools they use to take advantage of the opportunity
• challenges and best practices for businesses in Industry 4.0
• potential value of innovative technology as an important purpose of business models
• business model addressed as process of reshaping and creating new opportunities to deliver value
• the emergence of new “business model dimensions” and “business model elements” in the context of Industry 4.0
• how organizations address the challenge of systematically developing new business models in the age of Industry 4.0, and what these business models will look like

Track Chairs:
Maria do Rosario Cabrita, Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia UNL Lisboa, m.cabrita@fct.unl.pt
José Maria Viedma, Universidad Politecnica de Catalunha, icms.viedma@telefonica.net

As robots, automation and artificial intelligence systems perform more tasks and lead to a massive disruption of jobs, what role will skilled crafts and trade play in a shifting knowledge economy?
As of 2017, more than 45 % of all Austrian businesses engage in this economic sector and represent nearly a third of the national workforce. As a result, it seems necessary to investigate how technological and social advances, that we already face, will affect the economic sector, and how its businesses will shape the future economy. What implication do new macro trends have on people, professions, and jobs in this sector? Can the conjunction of the traditional and the innovative be a critical success factor for the future? How can academia, industry, and government support this transition?

• Knowledge transfer and (informal) knowledge acquisition through practice
• The present and future role of tacit knowledge in crafts and trade– limits of technology?
• Measuring tacit/informal knowledge and competences – consequences for the emergence of future professions
• Defining characteristics of crafts and trade in a changing environment
• Alternative taxonomies of professions (organized in SMEs)
• Methods and technological approaches for strategic planning
• Internet of things and its consequences for crafts and trade – opportunities for new business models (e.g. co-creative and individualized production/services)
• Digitalization and its implications on social and economic inequality
• Exploring business opportunities in the digital era
• Exploring new markets on individualized production/services, “green economy”, and sustainability
• Implications of power in the platform economy on business models and market transparency
• Alternatives to globalized mass production and standardization
• Reflections on Schumpeter’s creative destruction – emergence of new professions, (service) markets, and entrepreneurs
• Education and vocational training

In this conference track, we welcome contributions, both conceptual and empirical, from all academic fields that tackle these and related questions.

Track Chair: Florian Kragulj, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, florian.kragulj@wu.ac.at

Retail industry is an important part of each national economy (in some European countries even 25% of all active companies operate in this industry). The retail industry is the most sensitive to changes in consumer behaviour. It is the industry that firstly responds to both positive and negative trends in the environment. Therefore, retailers are constantly under pressure to assess consumer satisfaction and to adjust to customer needs rapidly. But, the knowledge era enables retailers to approach customers in more active way and to build and maintain customer experience actively. The aim of this stream is to address the necessity for constant innovation, rapid knowledge creation cycles and implementation of technology for enhancing customer experience in retail both in online and offline sales channels.

Track Chair: Blazenka Knezevic, University of Zagreb, bknezevic@efzg.hr

Competitiveness is a pervasive construct in Business Management research. The core of the definition is about the capability of the firm to compete successfully. Being as vague as it seems, we can say that we know what it is not but we unknown what it is. Or we can say that we know what it is ex-post when we see the firm’s bottom line at the end of the year.

Among the variety of factors affecting the firm’s competitiveness, theories and scholars have usually put the focus following the swings of the pendulum. Industrial Organization (IO) scholars claim that the industry features shape and restrict the variety of strategies available at hand of the firm. Advocates of resource- and knowledge-based views of the firm (RBV, KBV) state that it is up to the firm’s managers achieving and sustaining a competitive edge by combining certain resources and capabilities that meet the VRIN-O principle (these elements must be Valuable, Rare, difficult to Imitate and Non-substitutable while the Organization must be in a position to appropriate the rents derived). Rather than opposed, they should be considered as complementary perspectives that help scholars and practitioners understand how the firm can develop and sustain its competitive advantage.

This call for research aims at considering these additional levels of research and to open new research avenues in the field of strategy and competitiveness, with a particular focus on SMEs and the intangibles sources of competitive advantage. The issue of competitiveness should be central in the papers. The social dimension and interactions among parties in cooperation agreements, the manager’s cognition in shaping the firm’s strategic choices are very welcome. The indicative rather than exhaustive topics to be considered in this track are as follows:

• Psychological and sociological foundations and approaches to shared value, strategy and competitiveness. Knowledge-based arguments are welcome.
• The role of emotions and affective decisions on strategy and competitiveness in global competition contexts.
• The role of managerial cognition and social interactions in shaping the form, breadth and scope of collaboration among SMEs.
• The role of managerial cognition in managing intangible-based or knowledge-based sources of competitive advantages among SMEs.
• The role of cognitive psychological and sociological approaches to decisions made in forms of collaboration, international business, strategy or building sources of shared competitive advantage in global industries.
• Integrative analysis of the diversity of levels – How valuable and strategic knowledge is handle in organizations depending upon the managers’ cognitive style or the managers’ characteristics (risk aversion, entrepreneurial orientation…).
• Psychological and sociological arguments from the ambidexterity approach: whether and how exploitation-seekers or exploration-seekers are different in their cognition and interpretation of valuable knowledge in order to shape the firm’s competitive advantage.
• Any other issue that provide arguments and promote the academic discussion of whether and how the managerial cognitive style has an impact on managing key intangible resources.

The core focus should be SMEs although research on other types of organizations is welcome if authors include an extension of their findings to the case of SMEs. Theoretical and empirical are welcome. Theoretical papers should clearly state which theoretical approach authors propose to follow and should be strongly based on extant literature. We seek scholarly sound, new provocative arguments and new insights in order to continue the academic conversations on the relevance of knowledge in the today’s and tomorrow’s competition.

Track Chair: Francisco Cesário, Universidade Europeia ISPA, francisco.cesario@universidadeeuropeia.pt

Retail industry is an important part of each national economy (in some European countries even 25% of all active companies are operating in this industry). The retail industry is the most sensitive to changes in consumer behaviour. It is the industry that firstly responds to both positive and negative trends in the environment. Therefore, retailers are constantly under pressure to assess consumer satisfaction and to adjust to customer needs rapidly. The recession and the rapid technological innovation puts even greater challenges in front of contemporary retailers because consumers are more and more sensitive to prices, on one hand, and they are excessively informed, on the other hand. So it gets harder and harder to maintain competitive advantage in satisfaction of their needs. The aim of this track is to address the necessity for constant innovation and rapid knowledge creation cycles in companies in retail industry which enables fast and efficient satisfaction of consumer needs.

Topics of interest in this track are:

• contemporary trends in consumers’ behaviour in retail purchasing process and their impact on innovation cycles in retailing companies
• methods and models of evaluation of consumer needs with and their incorporation in retail
• information systems – knowledge resources and their role in efficiency improvement in retailing companies
• knowledge management systems and business intelligence applications in retail value creation process
• justification of investments in information technology in retail
• impact of innovations on retail productivity and efficiency
• systems of formal or continuous education in retail management and marketing
• Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) practices in various product categories in retail
• Alternative retail formats as an answer to changed customer need

Track Chairs:
Blazenka Knezevic, University of Zagreb, bknezevic@efzg.hr
Ivana Plazibat, University of Split, iplazibat@oss.unist.hr

• Relevance of HRD Theories to Practice
• Transfer of Training
• Corporate Social Responsibility and HRD
• National HRD Research, Theory, and Practice
• Values and Ethics in HRD
• Quality of Work Life
• HRD’s Role in Community Development
• HRD’s Role in Social Development
• HRD’s Role in Economic Development
• Information & Communication Technology and HRD
• Workplace Learning
• Social Networks in HRD
• Innovative Practices of HRD
• Performance and Career Development
• Gender/Diversity and HRD
• Global/Cross-Cultural HRD
• Emerging Issues in HRD
• HRD’s Role in Mergers and Acquisitions
• Evaluation of HRD Activities
• Relationship between HRD and HRM
• Preparation of Expatriates for International Assignments

Track Chair: Gary McLean, University of Minnesota, garymclean@gmail.com

This track seeks at revisiting the problem of funding gap in innovative activities of companies as well as general issues of financing research both in public research institutions and private sector. The scope of the track includes, but is not limited to, the followings topics:
financial constraints in business R&D financing;

• internal vs. external forms of financing innovations in the business sector;
• private – public cooperation in R&D financing;
• government financial support for encouraging innovation (tax incentives, R&D subsidies,
• loan guaranties, public procurement);
• efficiency of government financial incentives for R&D intensive companies;
• crowdfunding – as a new emerging financial instrument;
• public venture capital;
• European Union research and innovation policy.

Track Chair: Barbara Grabińska, Cracow University of Economics, grabinsb@uek.krakow.pl

Gamification is deployed in various contexts and is therefore an open and multifaceted concept with multiple applications (Langendahl, Cook and Mark-Herbert, 2016). The role of gamification – which may be defined as the use of game elements in non-game context – is expected to increase over the next years within a variety areas of application, such as learning and assessment, scientific and market research, promotion or business operations, etc. Its potential is related to, among others, the rise of new needs with the entering the labor market by the Y generation. The common purpose of gamification is to enhance one’s motivation (eg. students, employees, job candidates) and engagement in certain activities. Gamification is also an effective tool to help in problem solving which is also used as a support in research. Considering gaming as a research area it is important to distinguish between the process and the experience of gamification (Kari et al., 2016), in particular so called true game experience and its outcomes, methodological framework as well as implementation and evaluation of a models.

Although there is much theoretical support for the benefits of digital games in learning and education, there is mixed empirical support (McClarty et al., 2012). While the use of simulations and digital games in scientific research and business applications have become increasingly popular in recent years there is a need for further modeling and analyzing the empirical results of these applications. The use of gamification can help the company gain market advantage and increase of effectiveness of organizations. Thus there is bride room to investigate and discuss the roles of digital games as tutor, tool, and tutee for education as well as the effectiveness and potentials of gamification in scientific and business context. This track aims at deepening a contemporary understanding of gamification with a focus on (higher) education in particular and the role of gamification as a tool in scientific and market research, marketing, and business activity. It is focused also on identification and assessment of the opportunities and challenges of gamification. It invites both, theoretical and empirical papers, that contribute to this research area.

Contributions may for example focus on topics such as:

• Theory and research of the gamification – the structure, mechanisms and social context (including the influence on the psychology and behaviour of the player).
• Game-based learning in education – the process and the experience, theory and research perspective.
• Gamification as a tool in the modern education – applications, goals, outcomes, innovation, challenges.
• Scientific and market research with the use of digital and video games – applications, effectiveness, future research perspectives.
• The use of gamification within organizations activities: employees motivating (in particular generation Y), improving sales and recruitment processes, online marketing, social campaigns, etc.
• The potential of gamification in applications for marketing strategies, as a modern form of promotion and business activities.
• Game theory applications in business simulation games.

Track Chairs:
Szymon Truskolaski, Poznan University of Economics and Business, szymon.truskolaski@ue.poznan.pl
Justyna Majewska, Poznan University of Economics and Business, justyna.majewska@ue.poznan.pl

The philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus was right. Centuries before the start of our modern Christian computation of time, he claimed that everything is changing and nothing stands still. Speaking of capitalistic societies, Joseph A. Schumpeter (1942) stated back in 1942 that capitalism must be seen as an evolutionary process, which, by its nature, never can be stationary. Societies are in a flow. Nowadays, of course, things are also changing. A technological revolution centred on information and communication technologies has reshaped and still is reshaping the fundamental basis of our society. With respect to the division of work and occupations, we see the emergence of new professions, freelanced activities and small firms. Also, self-employment is on a revival and especially (female) solo-self-employment. Much is summarized under the label of a newly emerging gig economy. The track will ask for links between gig economy, solo-self-employment and freelancers and for different facets of labor, services, and companies. The educational careers of people being involved in the gig economy are of interest as well as their social and economic conditions, biographies, risks and social certainties. The track asks for all aspects related to one or the other item in the track title.

Topics are welcome among others on

• knowledge and self-employment
• knowledge, services and freelanced activities
• nature and empirical faces of the gig economy
• hybrid self-employment and puzzles of work activities
• self-employment and gender
• self-employment and migration
• taxonomy of freelancers
• solo-self-employment and self-employment: theoretical and empirical developments
• new markets, new professions in the gig and knowledge economy
• biographies of small entrepreneurs and freelancers
• problems of social and economic security: Do those actors serve to become a sort of  modern day laborers?

Track Chairs:
Dieter Bögenhold Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt, Dieter.Boegenhold@aau.at
Ondřej Dvouletý University of Economics Prague, ondrej.dvoulety@vse.cz

From the very beginning of its existence until nowadays accounting has changed and been adjusted towards the requests of current business environment. Not only information technology influences the changes in accounting but also globalisation and harmonisation processes. In that sense the International Financial Reporting Standards have become the key source of accounting principles used in many countries. The EU Regulation strengthens the IFRS application. Further, the IFRS are often the role model for national accounting standards which are usually applied by micro, small and medium sized entities. Since the IFRS are principle, not rule, based standards different interpretation of the principles can sometimes lead to different accounting treatment. Global perspective of accounting is to achieve comparative accounting where financial statements are comparable and useful for decisions of investments, lending money, etc. This is why it would be interesting to recognise some challenges in accounting and auditing perspective regarding principle based accounting across the countries. Scientific articles about global perspectives in accounting and auditing are welcome.

Track Chair: Ivana Mamić Sačer, University of Zagreb, imamic@efzg.hr

Due to the growing internationalization of enterprises activity along with their expansion to the international markets and ease of transfer among countries, more and more employees seek career development opportunities on the international labor market. IHRM therefore, faces multiple challenges of the modern labor market: managing people in diversified workplace, age management, GEN X,Y,Z management, expatriation management.

International migrations and their multi-sphere socio-economic consequences are today one of the key determinants of human resources in a global dimension.

This track aims at sharing and exchanging research results as well as theoretical or conceptual papers about the new challenges faced HRM, both internationally and locally, including international corporations as well as public intuitions ad SMEs.

Topics relevant for submissions include, but are not limited to the following:

• The human resource’ competencies of the future (skills, traits, knowledge)
• Diversity management
• Age management
• Generation X,Y,Z at the workplace
• HRM in SMEs
• HRM in public sector
• Migration and global mobility flows
• Expatriation management
• Self-initiated expatriation
• European Social Fund

Track Chairs:
Sylwia Przytuła, Wroclaw University of Economics, s_przytula@wp.pl
Katarzyna Tracz-Krupa, Wroclaw University of Economics, katarzyna.tracz@ue.wroc.pl

Massive technological progress in communication technology supports new forms of organizations and shift boundaries of innovation teams and networks. For entrepreneurs, this creates new opportunities to develop new products and services based on Intellectual Capital (IC) and knowledge.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• What are the Intellectual Capital drivers for the innovation process?
• How can we communicate about IC internally with peers and externally to markets and partners?
• How could we leverage IC as strategic assets to compete in the knowledge economy?
• Which methods and instruments are suitable to specifically support entrepreneurs in managing IC?
• How can organizations systematically develop critical IC/knowledge for the innovation process?
• How can organizations measure the contribution of IC/knowledge in the different stages of the innovation process?
• In the context of open innovation how to find a good trade off between knowledge sharing and knowledge protection?
• Which cases provide IC-related challenges or good practices of to learn from innovative entrepreneurs?

Track Chairs:
Manfred Bornemann, Arbeitskreis Wissensbilanz, bornemann@ia-consulting.at
Susanne Durst, University of Skövde, susanne.durst@his.se

Value creation is increasingly based on leveraging intangibles, but firms lack knowledge and skills on identifying, measuring and managing their intellectual capital. Also the existing academic literature on knowledge-based value creation seems to have concentrated on either IC stocks of firms or their management mechanisms (cf. Kianto et al. 2013). To produce a more complete picture of the tenets of organizational performance in the knowledge economy, this track examines both issues: IC stocks and knowledge management practices.

The topics of papers could be e.g.

• What are the key elements of the companies IC in particular national and regional contexts?
• What are the key mechanisms used to manage IC, i.e. KM practices, in particular national and organizational context
• What are best practices in the management of IC?
• How do IC and its management impact various aspects of value creation, e.g. innovation, financial performance, customer value?
• How can innovation related and/or value inducing IC be identified and measured?
• How do different business environments and firm-specific contingencies impact the relationship between IC and value creation?
• How can IC be measured in different context?

Track Chairs:
Aino Kianto, Lappeenranta University of Technology, aino.kianto@lut.fi
Agneita Pretorius, Tswane University of Technology, pretoriusAB1@tut.ac.za

Organizational knowledge change and unlearning involve innovation in processes of updating, transferring, modifying, and retaining a base of knowledge over time. These knowledge change and unlearning processes may occur at the individual, group, or organizational levels. The ability to update, and use current knowledge effectively, especially in light of the ongoing technological and knowledge explosion, can be costly for any organization. Organizations that consider themselves “knowledge-based” must develop a competent workforce skillful in using knowledge change and unlearning strategies. Success in organizations involves developing a variety of human factors for emerging and updating competencies. In addition, due to advances in technology and its related change, modifications, and revisions, many competencies and skills require continual updating for a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
This Track is devoted to topics that help organizations improve and innovate their knowledge change processes. Current research will examine organizations and knowledge workers to understand their strategies to change and unlearn, capturing strategies to improve organizational function. Here we will value the role of all participants in the organization including leader behavior to establish new theories and practical application of knowledge change and unlearning within the organization.

Track Chair: Julee Hafner, wehaf2ttalk, haf2lead@gmail.com

While research on knowledge management and organizational learning is primarily concerned with learning and acquiring new knowledge, increasing attention is directed to situations where organizations get rid of knowledge.
Research distinguishes between two kinds of knowledge loss in organizations (Daghfous et al. 2013). Forgetting implies involuntary knowledge loss. It ‘just happens’ and can have detrimental effects. Unlearning refers to intentionally discarding knowledge on the grounds that it is not needed or even hindering for the organization to evolve.
Both forgetting and unlearning pose considerable challenges for research and practice, and there are open questions revolving around conceptual inconsistencies, challenges for empirical research, or the interplay of different levels (Howells & Scholderer 2016).

This track provides a space for research on knowledge loss in organizations. We welcome conceptual and empirical studies that promote an understanding of organizational forgetting and/or unlearning from different perspectives.

Daghfous, A. et al. (2013). Understanding and Managing Knowledge Loss in Organizations. Journal of Knowledge Management, 17(5), pp. 639-660.
Howells, J. & Scholderer, J., (2016). Forget unlearning? How an empirically unwarranted concept from psychology was imported to flourish in management and organisation studies. Management Learning, 47(4), pp.443–463.

Track Chairs:
Thomas Grisold, University of Liechtenstein, thomas.grisold@uni.li
Adrian Klammer, University of Liechtenstein, adrian.klammer@uni.li
Nhien Nguyen, Nordland Research Institute, nhien.nguyen@nforsk.no

Knowledge became in the last decades a strategic resource for business and managing knowledge constitutes a challenge for practitioners as well as for researchers in the field. Knowledge Management is a new field of research and although there are many international journals and conferences dedicated to this phenomenon it still needs efforts and creativity to discover the laws which govern its complexity and dynamics. This conference aims at being a forum of sharing our new ideas and research results about knowledge and knowledge management.

The following are suggested area of interest for this track without any limitations in complementing them with new topics:

• Knowledge metaphors and new approaches to knowledge nature understanding.
• Knowledge dynamics in organizations and its influence upon decision making.
• Knowledge creation and knowledge acquisition.
• Knowledge sharing and communities of practice. Intra-organizational and inter-organizational knowledge sharing.
• Knowledge loss and knowledge retention. Intergenerational knowledge transfer.
• Knowledge and organizational learning. Knowledge and organizational entropy.
• Knowledge strategies in turbulent business environments and crazy times.
• Information management and knowledge management. Learning from big data and crowdsourcing

Track Chair: Constantin Bratianu, Bucharest Academy for Economic Studies, constantin.bratianu@gmail.com

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) drive today’s economy. They account for more than 90 % of enterprises worldwide (Khalique et al. 2015). SMEs show specific characteristics that distinguish them from large enterprises. Most often, no formal knowledge management (KM) is in place and business depends particularly on the tacit knowledge of the entrepreneurs and employees (Durst & Edvardsson, 2012).

Despite the importance and distinctiveness of small businesses, KM research has paid little attention to it (Serenko, 2013). Massaro et al (2016, p. 277) call “scholars to increase efforts to find new, relevant, research avenues by focusing on what makes SMEs a specific and unique research context rather than replicating concepts derived from larger organisations”.

This conference track provides the opportunity to bring together current research on the prospects and challenges associated with the SMEs’ knowledge practices. It gathers current research addressing the characteristics of SMEs in terms of knowledge management and neighbouring fields such as organizational learning, intellectual capital, strategic management, philosophy (epistemology), human resources, and other research areas.

We invite scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers to contribute to the scientific dialogue. We welcome all types of papers, both conceptual and empirical, using diverse methods to provide new insights into KM practice in SMEs.

Topics relevant for submissions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Defining characteristics of SMEs from a knowledge and learning perspective (compared to large enterprises)
• Organizational learning and unlearning
• Research on (non-)knowledge intensive SMEs
• Factors affecting KM practices (critical success factors)
• (Alternative) concepts of knowledge (epistemologies)
• KM in micro-enterprises
• Comparative research in respect to organisational contexts, economic branches, and countries
• KM tools, instruments, and strategies to foster creation, development, and sharing of (tacit) knowledge
• The role of entrepreneurs in KM practice
• The role of information technology in KM practice
• The impact of knowledge processes on performance

Track Chair: Florian Kragulj, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, florian.kragulj@wu.ac.at

 “Knowledge Regions” has been a political buzzword in the so called Lisbon period of European R&D policy. Since then diverse projects have been itiniated and still are underway the aim of them is to profile regions from the perspective of their knowledge (eceonomics) potential. Methods for characterizing knowledge regions have been developed and have reached a level of maturity that they can by applied by politicians and regional development agencies.
The track aims to (1) identify projects on developing knowledge regions, as well as (2) to learn about the methodologies applied. (3) Special interest is to discuss the question, which effects knowledge region developments have on the economy of regions under research.
Preference shall be given to papers on research in progress and practicioners’ contributions. In case of large interest, an additional workshop shall be arranged, run by participants with experience in knowledge region developments

Track Chairs:
Günter Koch, Humboldt Cosmos Multiversity, guenter.koch@chello.at
Javier Carrillo, Monterrey Tech, fjcarrillo@itesm.mx

Over the past decades, the reliance of European companies on robots has been increasing from 0.6 robots per 1,000 workers in 1990s to 2.6 robots per 1,000 workers in the late 2000s (Acemoglu & Restrepo, 2017). As a result, there is less opportunity for human learning, in particular for low-medium skilled workers, resulting in decreasing tacit knowledge about processes and systems. This effect was described 35 years ago as one of the “ironies of automation” (Bainbridge, 1983) and “recent technological developments may have some new ironies in store for us” (Baxter et al., 2012). Such recent technological developments include robotics, (intelligent) assistance systems and AI, which are some of the driving forces behind Industry 4.0. However, in all the excitement about the new technological potential with respect to automation and digitalization, human capabilities are often considered as a given, almost static variable. In an extension of the “human-in-the-loop” approach, we have recently introduced the mutual (reciprocal) learning methodology (Ansari et al., 2018) to human-machine learning with the goal, to improve the capabilities of both humans and machines simultaneously in order to raise their “Collective Intelligence” (Levy, 1994; Glenn, 2013).

Pursuing this line of research, the key question remains, however, how to utilize unexploited learning potential in man-machine hybrid settings through the design and realization of innovative learning assistance systems in smart factories?

This track aims at deepening the insights, compounding the efforts and finding a better understanding of learning in the “age of Industry 4.0”. In particular it focuses on “learning assistance systems” in smart factories. We invite both theoretical and applied-oriented papers that contribute to the design, modeling and implementation of innovative approaches to technology assisted learning in smart factories. To accomplish this goal, we would like to encourage submitting your contributions to this track, by focusing on the following topics:

• Workplace Learning
• Workplace Assistance Systems
• Adaptive Learning Systems
• Utility Films
• Reciprocal Learning
• Competence Development in Manufacturing
• Vocational Learning
• Hybrid Learning
• Learning Factories
• Teaching Factories
• Remote Support
• Case Studies, Best Practices

Track Chairs:
Sebastian Schlund, Vienna University of Technology, sebastian.schlund@tuwien.ac.at
Fazel Ansari, Vienna University of Technology, fazel.ansari@tuwien.ac.at
Walter Mayrhofer, Vienna University of Technology, walter.mayrhofer@tuwien.ac.at

The development of nations is receiving considerable attention in academic journals. It is an ideal track for TAKE as it is truly a multidimensional and multidisciplinary undertaking. Countries are realizing that competitiveness with other countries, both economically and for its human capital, requires that government ministries or departments need to coordinate their activities for effective and efficient GDP growth. Attention from fields that are essential for such development include human resource development, economics, public policy and administration, anthropology, cross-cultural and international development, and many others. This conference will be a great opportunity for scholars in these varies fields to interact and build synergies for the benefit of individual countries, geographic regions, and perhaps even globally.

Track Chair: Gary McLean, University of Minnesota, garynmclean@gmail.com

In this track we look for contributions on the application of policies, and the difference between theories and applications within those policies. Governance is an important topic and experiences may relate to sectors has political science, education, health, social security, etc.

Track Chair: Carlos Jalali, University of Aveiro, cjalali@ua.pt

Soft skills need to be empowered throughout business and society. They are an essential element of the knowledge economy, even though there was never enough emphasis on them. At a time when society turns towards one very mighty new element, which is artificial intelligence, both academicians and practitioners need to (re)focus: Embedding all facets of soft skills into interpersonal and inter-organizational relations and procedures is becoming a competitive edge for firms, public authorities and individuals. An exchange of ideas on this and on how to teach the phenomenon is at the center of this track.

The track asks for contributions along the following lines:

1. Cognition – knowledge – skills: Depicting a manifold phenomenon.
2. Cultural diversities in developing and applying soft skills.
3. Soft skills and the labor market.
4. Soft skills and business processes.
5. Soft skills in academia, science and politics.

The track seeks to offer a well balanced mix of papers, case studies and round tables. Educators, students, business owners/executives and government officials are invited to submit.

Track Chairs:
Roland Bardy, Goizueta Business School Atlanta / Florida Gulf Coast University, rbardy@t-online.de
Arthur Rubens, Florida Gulf Coast University, arubens@fgcu.edu
Ron Tarr, University of Central Florida (UCF), tarr.ron@gmail.com
Maurizio Massaro, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, mail@mauriziomassaro.eu

Papers in the track are invited (but not limited) to address the following questions:

1. Individual KM:

• Overwhelmed by knowledge – how can/should we cope with increasing availability of knowledge, growing demand for a widening range of knowledge, and apparently accelerating evolution of knowledge?
• What are challenges of today and tomorrow to logistics practitioners and supply chain managers in individual knowledge acquisition, application, sharing?

2. KM to support experience-based learning:

• How might companies cope with a potential loss of experience in project-based professions caused by recent and future demographic development? Does KM help?
• What are promising approaches or best practices in maintaining company experience despite of retiring experts? How knowledge and experience might be directly or indirectly transferred from well-experiences experts to well-trained young professionals?

3. The role of KM in Industry 4.0 / cyber-physical systems:

• What will be the role of persons after the 4th industrial revolution aiming for directly and automatically connecting products, production facilities and partners in the supply chain?
• Which role KM will (or will have to) play in industrial systems of the future – enabler, supporter, book-keeper/reporter?

4. Logistics and supply chain KM in cases: (practical experiences and there theoretical background)

• What are successful (or even unsuccessful) KM implementations in logistics companies/organizations and/or supply chains?
• What are best practices to be shared, what are problems or challenges to be aware of?
• Are there sectoral or national studies on the role of knowledge in logistics services and companies or alongside supply chains/networks?

We will be also glad to provide a platform for discussing your specific needs for KM in logistics and your specific problems in implementing KM in a logistics/supply chain background.

Track Chair: Gaby Neumann, Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau, gaby.neumann@th-wildau.de

This track provides the opportunity to bring both conceptual and empirical contributions. The following are suggested area of interest for this track without any limitations in complementing them with new topics:

• The teaching and Learning Paradigms
• Education, Globalisation and Knowledge Economy
• The Theory and Practice of Online Learning
• The Use of Technology in University Teaching and Learning
• Lifelong Learning and the Knowledge Economy
• The Practical Aprroach to Teaching and Learning
• Technology and Knowledge Economy
• Innovation Management Learning in the Knowledge Economy

Track Chair: Adriana Schiopoiu Burlea, University of Craiova, aburlea3@hotmail.com

We welcome short papers related to ongoing PhD projects in the context of the knowledge economy.

Track Chair: Anthony Wensley, University of Toronto, anthony.wensley@utoronto.ca

In this track we look for contributions from managers and practitioners in the various fields of the knowledge economy, which relate to the difference between theory and practice. We also welcome discussions about the nonexistence or the unawareness of knowledge. We hope to succeed attracting companies and organizations representing the knowledge economy in this track

Track Chairs:
Eduardo Tomé, Universidade Europeia, eduardo.tome@clix.pt
Daniela Dimitrov, University of Maryland University College, daniela.dimitrov@faculty.umuc.edu