Title: Learning organisations as a part of the process of building the competitiveness and innovativeness in rural areas

Authors: Urszula Ziemiańczyk; Anna Krakowiak-Bal

Addresses: Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 116b, 30-149 Kraków, Poland ' Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 116b, 30-149 Kraków, Poland

Abstract: Regional learning and innovation is a key to promote more resilient, robust and inclusive rural areas (Wellbrock et al., 2012). In OECD (2006), stated that rural development policies need to focus on places instead of sectors to ensure more dynamic rural areas in an era of globalisation. In the process of building, the competitiveness and innovativeness of rural area (which is based on knowledge and information) learning skills of people and organisations are key factor. In the context of regional development, the role of institutions supporting these processes is crucial. The changes rate and development - both social and economic will largely depend from these institutions. The aim of the study is to analyse different types of organisations - from government, non-government to public - acting for the development of rural areas according to Senge's learning organisation framework. In the paper, we focused on sources of knowledge and information most commonly used by employees (managers) of selected institutions. Also, relationships and regularities characterising the processes of knowledge acquisition in these institutions are defined. Analysed knowledge sources will influence the learning processes.

Keywords: knowledge management; learning institutions; rural areas; learning process; learning organisations; competitiveness; innovativeness; regional learning; regional innovation; rural development; regional development; knowledge acquisition.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEM.2017.080791

International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets, 2017 Vol.9 No.1, pp.19 - 32

Received: 12 Oct 2015
Accepted: 22 Jun 2016
Published online: 07 Dec 2016 *

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