Forms of technological modernization and human resorces management in privatized argentine companies

JORGE WALTER; SENEN GONZALEZ, CECILIA

International Journal of Public Administration

Marcel Dekker, Inc.

Lugar: New York; Año: 2000 vol. 23 p. 625 - 665

0190-0692

After the hiperinflation(1989, 1990) the Argentine economy stabilized and most of public companies were privatized. The return of investments is concentrated on them moterizing the technological change which adopts two basic forms: systemic modernization or revamping of existing teams. The first variant - ilustrated by the national telephone network - makes the knowledge accumulated during the statal times obsolete. To confront the structural deficiency of knowledge and experience which result, the private operators invest massively in transfering educational technologies and in the development of costly and sofisticated internal systems of training, while they negotiate numerous and various agreements of cooperation with educational system institutions, public as well as private. In the second variant - illustrated by a steel and metallurgic company - the preexisting knowledge continues being necessary eventhough it may need a vis-a-vis updating of the new demands which are stated referring to the productivity, quality, effectiveness and productive efficiency in markets which are open to competition. Taking into account the significant achievements which are being obtained by this second alternative of modernization  -most of the privatized companies fall into this pattern- the article invites to a reopenning of the old debate on technological blending.