This study examines the influence of the individual characteristic of playfulness on the use of the World Wide Web (WWW). Previous research suggests that microcomputer playfulness has an effect on computer usage in general, and we found support for a similar relationship in WWW use. Two samples of students were surveyed in this study; one consisting of undergraduate students and the other comprised of graduate students. Our findings also suggest that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect WWW use differentially for entertainment purposes and for course work purposes. Our study confirms previous research in that we found that ability to use the computer has a positive effect on WWW usage.

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Recent research has emphasized the strategic focus that human resource management must have in order for an organization to fully utilize its human resources in a competitive market. However, few empirical studies have been done to date regarding how human resource planning should be linked to strategy. An extensive in‐depth study of four large, complex, and very successful companies supports the widespread belief that human resource management can be a powerful tool to enhance competitiveness when policies and practices are logically driven by a firm's strategy and by the key environmental factors it faces. This article describes that study and looks at how the areas of selection, appraisal, reward, and development are handled by these firms. Based on both the specific policies and the actual practices as perceived by middle managers (those that implement the policies), the article presents a contingency framework which offers guidelines as to how certain HRM practices should be implemented to gain competitive advantage.

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