Concurrent engineering and virtual reality for human resource planning

New tools, such as the Internet virtual reality, used in support of new global industrial initiatives, can only be implemented effectively with knowledge and consideration of the context in which they are to be used. The following paper provides some background of effective concurrent engineering and its relevance in implementing these new tools and initiatives in the services industry. Considering the current trend toward globalization and the need for geographically distributed product development, manufacturing, marketing and training, it is important to develop domain knowledge regarding technologies, such as the Internet virtual reality, while giving special consideration for the previously developed understanding in concurrent engineering in manufacturing. This paper addresses some research questions recently studied regarding some of the human and organizational aspects of global product development and virtual training in the manufacturing and service industries, while considering some of the current practical limitations. The summary of work presented in this paper together provides a connection between the lessons learned in concurrent engineering in manufacturing industries with applications to risk management training in the service industries. The suggestions for future work are intended to provide some insights for an effective utilization of new technologies, such as the Internet virtual reality, in support of global software product development projects and human resource planning in the service industry.