Final answer:
Business students can learn about knowledge-intensive firms and knowledge workers through classroom activities that analyze the characteristics of hypothetical companies, leading them to understand which organizations are driven by knowledge creation and which rely on the skills of educated employees.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine which companies are knowledge-intensive and which employ knowledge workers, one can analyze the characteristics of each organization. A knowledge-intensive firm is one that primarily operates based on the creation, distribution, and use of knowledge. Such firms usually belong to sectors like IT, biotechnology, and education. In contrast, a company with knowledge workers relies on employees with advanced training and education to work on complex tasks that require significant judgment and expertise but may not necessarily be knowledge-intensive as a whole.
Classroom activity options might utilize this exercise to facilitate understanding of these business concepts. For instance, you could present five hypothetical companies to the class, detailing their operations, markets, and employee skills. Then, the students could engage in discussions or small group activities, deciding which companies are knowledge-intensive and which ones employ knowledge workers. This would provide practical application of the theory, enhancing learning outcomes.