This study compares Human Resource Development (HRD) in Vietnam and Malaysia, looking at their methods, problems, and institutional frameworks in the context of ASEAN economic integration and Industry 4.0. Based on Cho and McLean’s (2004) integrated HRD model, this paper looks at recent research (from 2018 to 2023) to look at important topics such globalization, demographic changes, vocational training alignment, and technology disruption. Vietnam has a vast workforce, but it still has problems with low productivity, skill mismatches, and not being ready for the global market. On the other hand, Malaysia’s institutional HRD structures are making more progress, even though its workforce is getting older and not everyone is adapting to digital transformation at the same rate. The study shows that we need HRD policies that are tailored to each industry, training that is delivered in a decentralized way, and stronger relationships between the public and commercial sectors. It also stresses how important it is for national HRD policies to include global competences and initiatives that help everyone learn new skills. The study adds a unique framework for comparing HRD and gives policymakers, educators, and practitioners useful information, even though it is constrained by its use of secondary data. Future study should use mixed-methods to confirm results and look into interventions that work in specific situations. The study shows that Vietnam and Malaysia need personalized, inclusive, and forward thinking HRD systems to produce strong and competitive workforces in the post-pandemic, digital driven global economy.

This research examines intangible assets or intellectual capital (IC) performance of tourism-related industries in an underexplored area which is a tourism intensively-dependent country. In this study, VAIC which is a monetary valuation method and also the most widely applied measurement method, is utilized as the performance measurement method for quantifying IC performance to monetary values. Moreover, to better understand performance, the standard efficiency levels are further applied for classifying the performance levels of tourism industries. The sample sizes of study are 20 companies operating in the tourism-related industries in the world top travel destination or Thailand, and the companies’ data are collected from 2012 to 2021. Therefore, finally, there are 187 firm-year observations. The utilization of VAIC could assess IC performance of tourism firms and industries, and the standard efficiency levels further support the uniform interpretation of IC efficiency levels. The obtained results show the strong performance of both human and structural capital of the focused tourism dependent country especially in the logistics industry that directly supports and connects to the tourism attractions. Moreover, the finding also highlights the significance of human capital which plays as a major contributor for overall IC performance in this tourism dependent economy. This study contributes the new exploration of IC in the high impact industries and also specifically in the top significant tourism country. Moreover, the application of VAIC also confirms a practical application for management. The limited number of studied countries is a limitation of study. However, these new obtained data and information could be further applied for making comparisons or in-depth or statistical analysis in the future works.

This paper discusses the use of workforce ecosystems to manage human intellectual capital. The need for work ecosystems has emerged in the digital age because of the rapid growth in the number of engaged partners and freelancers in the digitalization of enterprises. It is shown that this growth is directly related to the use of agile management systems in design and development: agile, DevOps, microservice architecture, turquoise practices, etc. The information systems needed to manage workforce ecosystems should have competency-based metrics to link business needs, recruitment and training, and finding new partners. At the same time, training should be prioritized over recruitment and the search for new partners in the context of staff shortages. When automating workforce ecosystems, a platform approach should be used to integrate both corporate HR, time and business process management systems, and similar systems from partners.

Since 1999, China’s higher education has experienced significant growth, with the government dramatically increasing college enrollment rates, thereby enhancing the overall quality of education. However, most existing studies have primarily focused on the quantity of education, with little attention having been given to the impact of higher education quality (HEQ) on economic growth. This study aims to explore how higher education quality (HEQ) contributes to regional economic growth through scientific and technological innovation (STI) and human capital accumulation. Using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces from the period 1999 to 2022, panel regression models and instrumental variable methods were employed to analyze both the direct and indirect impacts of higher education quality (HEQ) on economic growth. The results confirm that improving higher education quality (HEQ) is crucial for sustaining China’s economic growth. More specifically, higher education promotes regional economic expansion both directly, by enhancing labor productivity, and indirectly, by facilitating scientific and technological innovation. Furthermore, the study suggests that the balanced distribution of educational resources across regions should be prioritized to support coordinated regional development. This research provides insights for policymakers on how balanced regional economic development can be achieved through educational and technological policies. This work also lays a foundation for future studies.

This paper examines the detrimental impact of rapid inflation on the quality of private education in developing countries. By focusing on the financial challenges faced by private schools, the study highlights the tension between education policy and economic realities. While private schools often attract parents with smaller class sizes and specialized programs, the core motivation lies in investing in children’s future through quality education. However, this study demonstrates how inflation can cripple this sector. The case of Turkey exemplifies this challenge. Post-pandemic inflation created a financial stranglehold on private schools, as rising costs made it difficult to adjust teacher salaries. This, in turn, led to teacher demotivation and a mass exodus, ultimately compromising educational quality. Furthermore, government interventions aimed at protecting parents from high tuition fees, through limitations on fee increases, inadvertently sacrificed the very quality they sought to safeguard. The paper concludes by advocating for alternative policy approaches that prioritize direct support for education system during economic downturns. Such measures are crucial for ensuring a strong and resilient education system that benefits all stakeholders, including parents, students, and the nation as a whole.

The need for strategic alignment within HR management increased managers’ concern about individual behavior and how this behavior was related to the achievement of goals. In public management, effectively managing employees’ performance has been necessary since Weber’s bureaucratic administration. The individual performance appraisal is the right tool to assess employees’ competencies. Thus, we proposed the following research question: Which factors, as pointed out by theory, have the most significant influence on the individual performance appraisal process? The quantitative method was applied to answer this question, developing and testing a scale via EFA and a hypothetical model via SEM-CB. The results indicated a scale with 25 items able to access the main points of the IPA process and a hypothetical model with 7 constructs that indicate the influence on employee engagement. The main finding is the significant influence of feedback on the whole process. The main theoretical contribution was the construction of the MIPAS scale, and the practical contribution was to identify the points where managers should focus on improving the IPA process with their subordinates.