Exploring Human Capital Competence within the Complex Cross-Media Publishing Environment

1. Introduction and problem definition

The Publishing industry faces strong structural changes which affect the organisational and the administration structure of the companies and bring them into new tasks. These tasks are related to new requirements, concerning mainly the ability to function into the new cross - media publishing environment and within the changing market of the information and communication industry [COMPRINT 1998] [FRAUNHOFER 1999], [ENLUND 2000].

In particular, these changes affect the structure, the production workflow and the working environment of the companies that are active within the publishing sector [EGF 1998], [ENLUND 1999]. Traditionally, the human capital competence within the publishing industry working environment was based on the printed media qualifications and skills offered by the education and training oriented into these fields. In addition, the employees have developed their experience within the traditional structure of the publishing industry.

The applications of new working tools like the XML, the Internet publishing and the new requirements for publishing, both for printed and electronic media need to be administrated by human capital with new competence. Therefore, the necessity for the reorientation of the human capital positions and tasks, together with the adaptation into new skills, have become essential. This is a critical point for both the employees and the further successful development of the companies that enter the new workflow and working environment of the cross-media publishing.

Among the most important factors within Cross-media Publishing are the competence and skills of the Human capital that is currently employed or will be employed in the near future into the media industry.

The main problem identified here for the Graphic Arts companies is how it will be possible for their existing personnel with traditional qualifications to be efficiently integrated in the new working environment and workflow production. Another important aspect is the capability of finding new qualified personnel for cross-media publishing.

More specifically, the research is directed into the following main areas:

• The consequences to the human capital employed at the publishing companies which enter the new cross-media working environment

• The transition requirements for the traditional graphical workers in order to be successfully integrated within this new working environment.

• The definition of the content for the human capital competence and the most appropriate combination of qualifications and skills required for the highest performance within the cross-media working environment.

  Into which extend, traditional skills must be considered important for this working environment and which new qualifications are necessary. For example, how important, the knowledge of typography and page layout or programming skills can be for the new type of the cross-media publishing industry.

• The orientation of the new skills required for the most efficient management within the new type of the cross-media publishing industry.

Furthermore, the issue of the degree of importance of traditional Graphic Arts qualifications are also discussed. The identification of the human capital competence characteristics will accommodate the establishment of more accurate measures for the adaptability of the existing personnel and the implementation of effective training and education actions, suitable to the nature and the specific requirements of this field of the Publishing sector.

2. Research Methodology

The research methodology was based mostly on Literature study. It was relatively difficult to gain information from scientific areas concerning the field of cross-media publishing. Therefore, the research on this field was based mainly on industry studies and analysis and on scientific papers related to the cross-media working environment workflow for Media Production [EGF 1998], [COMPRINT 1998], [FRAUNHOFER 1999], [NRW 2000], [DEMAND 2001], [GATF 2000], Furthermore, literature study has been carried out on human capital competence and development within the graphic arts and media sector [DTI 1997], [VSW 1998], [MEDIEN 1998], [KOENIG 1999], [NRW 2000], [COMES 2000]. Literature research has been combined with information gathered from the Publishing Industry studies in order to extract the research results.

3. The Cross-Media Publishing definitions and working environment

The term "Cross-Media Publishing" is rather new into the Publishing sector. It first appeared at research studies [COMPRINT 1998], [FRAUNHOFER 1999], [BVD 1999], [GATF 2000], international exhibitions and suppliers descriptions, expressing the necessity for publishing of both printed and electronic media. Today, this term defines the working environment and production workflow for the processing of data that will be published both at printed and electronic Media. Another term that is used is the "Premedia" which means the processing of content and information before the specification of the media that will be used [BVD 1999]. Premedia has been introduced as a key - word at international Printing and Media exhibitions (DRUPA, IMPRINTA, IPEX). According to the explanation that is given, premedia is defined by the three main elements of media publishing as they re presented below [BVD 1999]:

OFFLINE: Electronic offline media products (i.e. CD-ROM)

ONLINE: Electronic online media products (i.e. WEB sites)

PAPER LINE: Conventional or Digital Printing (Printed media)

Rosenquist defines Media as:

• Published content in any form, format and combination of text, images, graphics, sound and video

• Through any type and/or combination of distribution channels

• With a specific communication purpose for one or many media consumers [ROSENQUIST 2000]

This definition is another explanatory approach to the cross - media publishing environment. Based on all the previously mentioned issues, the content become more and more important within the publishing sector.

The cross-media publishing has developed rapidly in recent years, especially after the spectacular development of the technologies used for data and information processing and the new applications of traditional working tools. For example, Photoshop originally was used for the digital image processing that was going to be imaged on film and/or plate for the printed media. Now, the same software is widely used for web and multimedia applications.

Printed and web media often use the same content. In this case we talk about cross-media publishing or about information trade in selected parallel media. In services and trade, documents need to be produced, output, printed and distriduted. The distribution may be physical, e.g. remote printing, or virtual, such as e-mail, web - distributed documents, logical documents and databases, from which linking takes what is needed at any one moment. The data management issues of media production are central and updated process definitions are needed for the workflow, new formats and cross-media publishing channels. There are many standards, and new specifications are derived from various simultaneous and urgent needs. Workflow and metadata standards come from many sources. [KARTUNNEN 1999].

4. Cross-media publishing and the re- engineering process

The development of a traditional pre-press graphic arts company, from production oriented, to a media services provider, by the establishment of the cross-media working environment and production workflow should not be considered as a simple task. Instead, it requires a business re-engineering process [HAMMER 1990]. Hammer proposed a system which is designed to achieve business efficiency and customer service, through the re-organisation of all the activities of a company. According to Hammer, the key internal benefits for the enterprise are:

• Stronger alignment of core processes to business strategy.

• The creation of customer value becomes a driver for all activities of the enterprise.

• Benchmarking is used to accelerate learning and provide a stimulus for change.

• Enhanced capability and performance lead to increased ambition and conviction.

Within the application of the new working environment, the technical issues seem to be the most important. Hence, the real life has shown that the establishment of new technologies need to be implemented by additional measures and activities in order to be efficient.

Among others these include administration and management issues that have to be taken under consideration. In any case, these issues can be efficiently supported only by the development of the human capital that participates in the re-engineering process. Within this more generic approach, it is necessary to define the human capital competence for the cross-media working environment.

5. Cross media publishing workflow

Within the cross media publishing production workflow, the traditional production processes both for printed and electronic media are combined with new technologies or processes in order to create a new workflow [ENLUND 1999], [DEMAND 2001]. However, the workflow that is applied today is still separated in many cases at graphic arts and media companies, despite the fact that the same content has to be published both in printed and electronic form. This happens mostly at companies where the production deals with advertisement and commercial printing, where time is not a critical issue. On the other hand, in newspaper publishing where time is very critical, the content is processed once and then is directed for printing or for placement into the newspaper website [ROSENQUIST 2000].

The cross-media publishing consists of different elements which are presented at Figure 1:

Figure 1: Elements of cross media publishing

The cross media publishing is based on new standards and tools which allow the efficient establishment of this new production workflow. Figure 2 and Figure 3 present the relationship between cross - media, standards and workflow [DEMAND 2001]:

6. Cross Media Elements - The Standards Issue

Figure 2: Workflow today: (Based on Physical material flow)

Another workflow orientation for cross media publishing based on the PDF standard, is presented below at Figure 4:

Figure 3: Cross media workflow tomorrow: (Based on PDF and JDF)

(Source: Adobe Systems)

Figure 4: PDF- Workflow for cross-media publishing

The study to the diagramms reveals that some additional new elements in Cross - Media Publishing are defined as follows:

• Content processing

• JDF (Job Definition Format) applications

• PDF workflow

The new technology applied like the XML, the new formats and standards lead to the abolition of the borders between the printed and electronic media processing. When electronic documents are used as the storage platform for media content and for the linking elements (i.e. metadata) to prepare and validate the output documents, the resulting workflow is improved. This will help the print and cross- media actors, such as ISPs, publishers, printers, printing brokers, repro houses, advertising agencies and buyers and educational media organisations.

The cross-media workflow has some certain characteristics which have to be taken into account from the graphic arts and media company. These characteristics are essential for the efficient positioning into the new media market and its rapidly changing environment.. Some of these characteristics are:

• The common processing of data and content elements

• The common design of both printed and electronic media

• The establishment of a common work flow production for printed and electronic media

• The application of new processing tools and standards

7. The importance of content management for cross-media publishing applications.

The consumer and markets requirements lead to a new consideration on publishing. Content is becoming more and more important. New tools and software are developed in order to serve this trend.

This leads also to the establishment of new production models within publishing as it was previously described. A question that can be put here is: Where does publishing production start? Are there anymore clear borders between the content creation and authoring and the production within publishing as it is today considered?

The answer here can be given if we will observe the development in new tools that are entering the development in new tools that are entering the publishing process. Most of them are oriented in content processing like XML. New terms such as "content management" are added into the daily working life within publishing.

According to Marion Mathison, the primary benefit of digital content management is a solution to the production and reuse of digital media files. But its real value extends far beyond tactical production, to a strategic advantage. Based on this, digital content management, delivers a strategic competitive advantage to the publisher through faster product and service development life cycles, implementation of new sales channels on the Internet, higher valuation of the company and significantly, improved, secure brand management [MATHISON 1999].

Content management becomes a real critical issue on the today complex cross-media publishing. The competence of human capital must be developed at the same speed in order to adapt to this new concept of publishing.

Another argument concerning the new approach on publishing is the following:

Content, within a cross-media working environment can be also defined as one of the three dimensions in which a media and communication service can be tailored to individuals or communities. The other two dimensions are presentation and delivery [TURPEINEN 1999].

According to this argument, the publishing process can be defined by a new way where, each element or production step can be adjusted to fit to each of these dimensions. For example, content includes all data of a certain media or combination of media.

Presentation is the media itself. Delivery is defined as the process where the content reaches its users / readers/ target groups through the media.

8. Human capital competence for cross-media publishing

The graphic arts companies are entering into new business fields, something that leads to a new Market position. On line Publishing, Cross - Media Publishing and Digital Production Technologies are the key words for the above mentioned development. Within this new Market position into the Media Business, Graphic Arts companies must develop their competence. One of the most important factors for the successful market position is the further training of employees and entrepreneurs into the new Media Professions.

According to the new qualification profile that has been established into the German printing and media industry, traditional qualifications have been combined with new and are offered since 1998 at the German educational system. The most important element in this reform is the establishment of the "Media designer for Digital and Print Media" qualification profile (Mediengestalter/in) which is divided into four subqualifications as follows [MEDIEN 1998]:

• Media Designer

• Media Operator

• Media Technician

• Media Consultant

Measures for restructuring the offered education and training are necessary in order to face the lack of qualified human capital within the new media Production environment. The survey among some European countries, has shown considerable differences concerning the intensity of measurements for the development of new cources and the adaptation to the new requirements of the labour market.

For example, Sweden, Germany and Denmark have already developed new cources for cross-media production whereas other countries are now trying to integrate such processes into their educational and training systems [DTI 1997], [MEDIEN 1998], [GRAFISKA 1999], [OEEK 1999], [LIAISON 1999].

According to a study published by the German Federation of Printing and Media Industries (BVDM), Print, Publishing and WEB run together and create new forms of communication. "Computer - to - Technologies", Media independent data handling, Cross-media production, Database Printing, CD-ROM, Internet and Intranet are the elements of Communication of today [BVD 1999].

Concerning the education and training issue, it is interesting to study the statistical data of the education contracts within the German Graphic Arts and Media Industry: The new course in "Media designer for Digital and Print Media" had 25% more students between the years 1997 and 1998. In addition, traditional Graphic Arts education has also increased (Printing by 6.5%, Binding and Finishing by 13%, Paper making by 11.6%) [BVD 1999]. Traditional graphic arts qualifications such as typographer, layout designer, typesetter or pre-press operator are integrated into the new media qualification.

In another study published in Denmark, the multimedia job profiles and qualification requirements are described in relationship with ten responsibility areas: Sales, administrative project management, creative project management, concept development and design, 2D graphics, 3D graphics, programme construction, video and picture treatment, sound and text production. A job profile can consist of one or more responsibility areas. According to DTI Report, "When establishing a school environment the student's personal qualifications should be taken into account and the multimedia employee's many different educational backgrounds and personal interests should be included in the planning of the supply of continuous vocational training" [DTI 1997].

During a further training action applied through an ADAPT project by the Verbund Strukturwandel GmbH at the Munich region (Germany), the graphic arts and media qualifications were divided in three main categories:

• Print - oriented qualifications

• New Media qualifications

• Other qualifications

This classification appears to be the one that combines all useful characteristics of the existing knowledge and experience coming from the traditional Graphic Arts, the new skills from Media qualifications and other new qualifications not directly related to the two sectors but necessary for the complete competence development. [VSW 1998].

Hence, Cross Media publishing competence requirements go beyond this approach by demanding new elements, software tools and extensive management skills in a new publishing environment where content, databases, layout design and standards are met with the traditional qualifications. As Bernhard Theiss states:

" The necessary dynamic development of the Media sector is based on new competence profiles" [THEISS 1999].

If all the previously mentioned parameters are taken into account, then it is easy to define some main characteristics of the human capital competence for cross media publishing: First, all new technologies that are applied must be adapted into the new competence.

In addition, it is necessary for the human capital to reorientate its traditional consideration that printed and electronic media are processed separately. Within the new working environment, many operations are performed before the output to a certain type of media, i.e the scanning process for an image will be published for a magazine and for the WWW. Apart from the new or further developed skills that are required in order to operate with such a new specific technical task, it is necessary to develop a new production management workflow, where every process has to be determined according to the cross-media working environment.

New competence content is therefore required for the efficient production management workflow within the cross media working environment.

Another important issue is the shift from the traditional operations concerning page layout, inetrface design and the creation of interactivity, to the content processing and management, long before the output media is defined. The new tools used for this purpose such as PDF and XML, must be totally integrated into the human capital competence in a publishing company.

Databases management and processing for publishing is another key element within cross-media that has to be implemented into the human capital knowledge. As a general conclusion: The Human capital has to reorientate their tasks and to enrich their competence by integrating all the previously mentioned characteristics.

9. Cross-Media Publishing and its implact at learning organisations, education and training

The description of the new competence requirements for electronic media or cross-media publishing working environments might be considered as a task that can be perfirmed rather easily. Yet, it is much more difficult to find ways to transfer the new knowledge to individuals or groups of persons that are already entrepreneurs, students or trainees, middle-aged employees, unemployed individuals, or those who have another qualification. One of the biggest problems that arises here is the degree and the direction of competence and specific skills that must be transferred to the human capital. Another difficulty derives from the different clock speed that changes are taking part into the media companies and the educational and training organisations.

Further training actions, life - long learning concepts and distance learning applications can be the answer to this problem. But, the organisation of such actions has to follow new ways of application which must be flexible, modular and customised.

Reinhard Pawis argues that learning as a part of the Human Resources Development, is characterized by Individualization and Differentation, where learning increasingly turns out to be a strategic task of the enterprises which secures competitiveness in times of increasing economy globalization. In addition, learning is increasingly shifting to the private sector [PAWIS 1999]. This argument brings learning organizations into new conditions. New software tools for eare able to shift online learning applications to a new level of quality and will entail many new products and fields of business. XML, for example is providing the basis on which information can be made fully accesible and reusable according to users needs.

10. Conclusions

The cross media Publishing is going to develop furtherly. Within its development, it creates a number of special requirements and tasks for human capital which can be described as follows:

Graphic Arts expertise, knowledge, experience and skills are important for cross-media and multimedial production environments but they have to be implemented with an extensive range of new skills which are required today. These skills go beyond the new requirements for the simple production of printed and electronic media and include, among others, content management, database processing and publishing and new tools and standards as well.

Furthermore, the establishment and spread of the application of cross media working environments within the media industry will cause significant changes in the way that education and training are offered today by the learning organizations.

Private / individual and customised learning integrated in life - long and distance learning concepts are going to be of increasing importance and be part of knowledge management strategies within the media companies development.

The human capital employed in a company with the cross-media working environment should:

• Be able to work within a flexible - cooperative working environment (teamwork) with continuously changing tasks

• Be capable of working within a complex management environment where technology, administration, production workflow and customer satisfaction issues are combined

• Be ready to participate in life-long learning concepts

Human capital with expertise in Graphic Arts and Media both at the technical and the management level need to develop themselves not only by keeping and importing their traditional competence but also by entering the so-called knowledge society and becoming the leading class within it. This development will be based on a new set of management elements which include a high degree of interactiveness, cultivation of differences, and freedom of action [QUINN 1997] as well as a strong emphasis on individual recognition [KANTER 1989]. These new elements need not to be ignored at any new Human Capital Development Strategy.

Further extensive research is required in the fields of the adaptation of the educational and training systems in such a way that the competence development of human capital within cross-media working environments is sufficiently supported.

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