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The development of fuel cells in Europe, North America and Japan is studied and the experience of two leading fuel cell companies: Plug Power and Sulzer Hexis are compared. The article focuses on the opportunity for small firms to play an important part as creators of technology-specific advocacy coalitions and advocates of a new technology in various experimental conditions.

Increasing market and usage of fuel cells for meeting residential electric needs in Japan and Germany is discussed.

A study examines the impact of industry clustering on economic development and competition in the optoelectronic industry in the United Kingdom.

The authors conclude that industry factors drive organizational networking patterns in the United Kingdom's biotechnology industry. These include research funding, the technology-science base, competitor strategies, and the business models of firms. Implications for cluster policy research are discussed.

Internationalization is often seen as posing distinctive human resource problems that are difficult to overcome. This paper takes an alternative approach by considering the processes by which firms, large and small, internationalize and the way they sustain overseas activity at different stages of their internationalization. It does so by reference to six challenges faced by firms in the course of internationalization. The result is to highlight continuities and regularities between international human resource management and the creation of an effective domestic organization, along with common underlying processes and skills centred on networking, teams and organizational learning. It is argued that this shifts attention from the specific tasks of the human resources function to more broadly defined human resource activities and processes which affect the growth of firms internationally. Secondly, it helps firms to think more positively about becoming international and to address relevant skills. Thirdly, it identifies appropriate activities, tasks and situations that business schools need to provide as part of an international management education. However, the paper also recognizes the internationalization involves specific differences between domestic and international business management. A number of these are rooted in country-specific institutional factors which human resource management, the function, has to address. While processes may be common, knowledge is context-bound. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

The management of change literature is unfortunately marked by an atheoretical pragmatism and is excessively concentrated on the political elements of the change process. Potential solution seems to be emerging with the growing interest in the learning organization, which can help in the development of a theory of change that follows the requirement to build learning capacity within organizations. This should lead to an emphasis on learning theory within the theory of planned organizational change. This should also rejuvenate action research through the definition of a more comprehensive list of learning technologies and perspectives. Learning theories currently being used within the theory of organizational change are discussed. In addition, the concept of communities-of-practice as a major agent for learning, work, acculturation and change is presented.

Adult learning in an organization needs to be linked with an organizational purpose. A learning organization could be established when change is required. This may provoke a change in attitudes. This change may involve power, authority, and personal development. Adults learn by independence and experiential learning.

The article examines the impact of corporate governance reforms and market conditions on executive compensation.

CHRIS HENDRY [*] JAMES BROWN [*] ROBERT DEFILLIPPI [+] HENDRY C., BROWN J. and DEFILLIPPI R. (2000) Regional clustering of high technology-based firms: opto-electronics in three countries, Reg. Studies 34, [...]