Submitted by PEDRO MESQUITA (pedrovmesquita@gmail.com) on 2016-01-26T13:59:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação MSc Pedro Mesquita.pdf: 333112 bytes, checksum: 19c620f913bea534bc0c66b9eab0c763 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSECA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br) on 2016-01-27T18:52:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação MSc Pedro Mesquita.pdf: 333112 bytes, checksum: 19c620f913bea534bc0c66b9eab0c763 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2016-02-01T11:55:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação MSc Pedro Mesquita.pdf: 333112 bytes, checksum: 19c620f913bea534bc0c66b9eab0c763 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-01T11:56:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação MSc Pedro Mesquita.pdf: 333112 bytes, checksum: 19c620f913bea534bc0c66b9eab0c763 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-07 / Extant literature examined the benefits of relational embeddedness in facilitating collaboration between organizations, as well as the necessity of firms to balance their knowledge generation into exploration and exploitation activities. However, the effects of relational embeddedness in the specific outputs of firm-university collaborations, as well as the elements that affect the exploratory nature of such outcomes remain underexplored. By examining fine grained data of more than 4.000 collaborative research and development projects by a firm and universities, 5.000 patents, and 300.000 scientific publications, it was proposed that relational embeddedness would have a positive effect on resource commitment and on joint scientific publications, but a negative effect on joint patents and exploratory outcomes resulting of such collaborations. Additionally, it was proposed that knowledge similarity would have a negative impact in exploratory endeavors made in such projects. Although some of the propositions were not supported by the data, this study revealed that relational embeddedness increases resource commitment and the production of joint scientific publications in such partnerships. At last, this study presents interesting opportunities for future research. / A literatura existente examinou os benefícios de intensidade da relação como facilitador de colaborações entre organizações, assim como a necessidade de empresas balancearem a geração de conhecimento em ações exploratórias e de aplicação. Todavia, os efeitos da intensidade da relação nos resultados específicos das parcerias entre empresas e universidades, assim como os elementos que afetam a natureza exploratória desses resultados, permanecem subexplorados. Examinando dados detalhados de mais de 4.000 projetos de pesquisa e desenvolvimento em colaboração entre uma empresa e universidades, 5.000 patentes e 300.000 publicações científicas, foi proposto que a intensidade da relação teria um efeito positivo no investimento de recursos e na produção de artigos científicos conjuntos, porém um efeito negativo na geração de patentes conjuntas e nos empreendimentos exploratórios resultantes dessas colaborações. Adicionalmente, foi proposto que semelhança entre conhecimentos teria um efeito negativo nas iniciativas exploratórias realizadas nesses projetos. Apesar de algumas proposições não terem sido confirmadas pelos dados, esse estudo revelou que a intensidade da relação tem efeito positivo no investimento de recursos e na produção de artigos científicos conjuntos nessas parcerias. Por fim, o estudo apresenta oportunidades interessantes para pesquisas futuras.

D´après sa déjà longue carrière professionnelle, l´auteur s´interrogea sur le sens du management de la connaissance dans les entreprises de services informatiques où on avait traditionnellement tendance à appréhender les connaissances plutôt comme des objets au lieu de les penser en termes de processus. Au travers de trois expériences successives de recherche-intervention – à la tête d´une software house, orientant un éditeur de logiciel ou dirigeant un centre de services partagés – l´auteur a démontré qu´en privilégiant le knowing sur le knowledge, ainsi que son articulation avec les processus stratégiques et organisationnels, il est possible de donner un contenu au KBV (Knowledge-Based View) dans le secteur des sociétés de services informatiques.En effet, la première de ces expériences montrait qu´en articulant la stratégie et les processus organisationnels d´Eurociber de façon adéquate le partage de la connaissance contribuait pour un vrai contenu du KBV tandis que lors de la deuxième expérience - chez I2S - ce contenu se concrétisait par la coproduction en étroite interaction avec les clients. Finalement, au CA Serviços on a reconnu l´importance de la création de connaissance comme un outil pour le changement stratégique étant donné le besoin fondamental de générer des connaissances sur les interfaces requises par le développement d´une nouvelle vision partagée. / Based on his already long professional career the author asked himself what knowledge management would mean for the knowledge-intensive business services firms where there was a traditional tendency to view knowledge as an object instead of a process of knowing.Through three successive experiments of intervention-research – managing a software house, leading a supplier of packaged software or running a shared services centre – the author has proved that privileging the knowing over the knowledge and ensuring a correct articulation with the strategic and organizational processes it is possible that the KBV (Knowledge-Based View) will make sense in the knowledge-intensive business services sector.In fact, during the first experiment it was shown that articulating appropriately the strategy and the operational processes of Eurociber the KBV made sense through knowledge sharing while during the second experiment at I2S that was achieved through the coproduction in close interaction with the customers. Finally, at CA Serviços it was recognized the importance of knowledge creation as a tool for strategic management assuming the fundamental need to generate knowledge about the interfaces required by the development of a new shared vision.

La mondialisation, l'adaptation au besoin du consommateur, le lancement de nouveaux produits présentent des défis permanents et rendent l'innovation un axe stratégique pour réussir sur le marché. Ces exigences ont crée une demande croissante pour repenser le processus d'innovation et plus particulièrement la gestion des projets innovants à travers la mise en place de plateformes d'innovation. Cela revient à créer des équipes dédiées à l'innovation et dont les membres impliqués et disposant de connaissances transversales sont capables de les partager pour innover. Ce travail doctoral cherche à examiner et identifier le rôle du partage des connaissances entre les membres de plateformes d'innovation dans l'élaboration d'un processus d'innovation et répond par conséquentà la problématique : Comment le partage des connaissances au sein des plateformes d'innovation favorise t-il l'émergence des innovations ? En examinant le phénomène du partage des connaissances sous l'angle d'une articulation entre management de l'innovation et management des connaissances, cette recherche se base sur l'approche par les connaissances de la firme, où les pratiques cognitives et sociales jouent un rôle important pour l'innovation. A travers une recherche qualitative, trois études de cas ont été menées au sein des trois plateformes d'innovation d'un groupe leader du secteur agroalimentaire en Tunisie. Nous avons pu identifier les dispositifs organisationnels qui influencent les interactions entre les membres impliqués au sein des plateformes d'innovation. L'examen approfondi des pratiques de chacune des plateformes d'innovation étudiée nous a permis d'observer les phénomènes suivants.Bien que la mise en place des plateformes d'innovation s'inscrive dans une stratégie managériale centrée sur l'innovation et fait référence à un modèle de base, les pratiques de chaque plateforme d'innovation est spécifique. Au-delà du caractère transversal de leur structure, les plateformes d'innovation apparaissent comme une formule relativement souple que chaque entreprise du groupe s'approprie et adapte à son contexte et ses contraintes. Dans les trois cas étudiés, le partage des connaissances s'appréhende comme une approche organisationnelle et technologique ayant pour but la mise en commun et l'intégration des connaissances entre les membres d'une plateforme d'innovation pour innover. L'intérêt de cette approche n'est pas basé sur la connaissance en soi mais sur « Qui » la détient et « Comment » la partage au sein de la plateforme d'innovation. Finalement, deux éléments ont permis de mieux appréhender le partage des connaissances : le management stratégique et la culture d'entreprise. Les enseignements que l'on tire de l'étude de ces plateformes d'innovation étudiées, c'est quand il y a action délibérée pour instaurer une démarche d'innovation fondée sur le partage des connaissances, cette action devient une épisode critique de la vie de l'organisation dans la mesure où elle remet en jeu l'équilibre des pouvoirs, suscite l'enthousiasme de certains acteurs et la méfiance d'autres. Cette thèse, avec les trois plateformes d'innovation étudiées, ne touche pas qu'au niveau culturel des pratiques de partage des connaissances, mais touche aussi au niveau identitaire. La thèse défendue est la suivante : le partage des connaissances entre les membres des plateformes d'innovation impacte l'émergence des innovations au sein des entreprises étudiées. En termes de contribution managériale, nous considérons que le partage des connaissances au sein des plateformes d'innovation est un levier d'action stratégique pour les démarches d'innovation. / The globalization, the adaptation to the consumer needs, the creation of new products represent permanent challenges to promote the market demand and make the innovation a strategic axis to approach. These requirements have enhanced an increasing necessity to rethink about the process of innovation and more particularly the management of the innovative projects through the implementation of innovation platforms. Team work is dedicated to the innovation where the involved members have transverse knowledge and are capable of sharing them to innovate.This doctoral approach tries to examine and to identify the role of the sharing knowledge between the members of innovation platforms in the elaboration of aninnovation process. It deals withthe following problematic: howthe sharing knowledgewithin the innovation platforms favour the emergence of innovations ? By examining the phenomenon of the knowledge sharing taking into consideration an articulation between innovation management and knowledge management,this research digs deep into the Knowledge-based View of the firm, where the cognitive and social practices play an important role for the innovation. Through a qualitative research, three case studies were led within three innovation platforms of a leader group for food industry sector in Tunisia. We were able to identify the organizational devices which influence the interactions between the members involved within the innovation platforms. The deep examination of the practices of each innovation platform allowed us to observe the following phenomena: although the implementation of the innovation platformsis linked to the managerial strategy based on innovation and makes a reference toa basic model, the practices of every platform of innovation is specific. Beyond the transverse quality of their structure, the innovation platforms appear as a relatively flexible formula that every enterprise of the groupcan appropriate and adapt it to its context and its constraints. In the three case studies, the knowledge sharing appears as an organizational and technological approach aiming at sharing and integrating the knowledge between the members of an innovation platform to innovate. The interest of this approach is not based on the knowledge in itself but on "Who" detains it and "How" it is shared within the innovation platform. Finally, two elements allowed to a better understandingof the knowledge sharing: the strategic management and the corporate culture. Our study on the innovation platforms shows that when there is a deliberate action to establish an initiativeof innovation based on the knowledge sharing, this action becomes crucialto the life of the organization as far as it can question its balance of power, arouses the enthusiasm of certain actors and the distrust of others. This thesis, with its three case studiesof innovation platforms, does not only ponder on the cultural level concerning the practices of knowledge sharing but also tacklesthe identity level. The praxis is the following one: the knowledge sharing between the members of the innovation platforms enhances the emergence of the innovations within the companies under study. In terms of the managerial contribution, we consider that the knowledge sharing within the innovation platforms represents anevolving strategic action for the innovation initiatives.

This research report captures a detailed exposition of an investigation on Knowledge Management (KM) practices in public and private sector entities in three industries (health, education and business loans) of Limpopo province – a proxy of the rural areas of South Africa. The investigation was necessitated by a need to understand KM in organisational context experiencing constraints in terms of resources that enable KM. It was found through an intensive literature review that there were very few empirical studies on KM practices of organisations operating in the rural areas, particularly in Africa. The theoretical framework of the study emanates from the knowledge-based view which has been popularised by the seminal work of Peter Drucker and Nonaka in the early half of the 90s. The knowledge-based view as presented in chapter 2 recognises the strategic role of knowledge in organisations. Its genesis is traced from the theories of classical scholars such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Various empirical studies of entities which have adopted the knowledge-based view are presented in chapter 2 of this report. The researcher observes from an intensive KM literature study that the average modern organisation could be categorised as knowledge-intensive considering that knowledge workers constitute the majority of its workforce. The definitions of a knowledge-based organisation and knowledge workers are presented in the operational definitions of key concepts. Arising from the identified gaps in KM literature as presented towards the end of chapter 2, this study was conducted as a comparative study between public and private sector entities in three research industries focusing on their extent of ICT application and degree of knowledge-oriented social factors for information and knowledge sharing. The investigation was guided by three research objectives as discussed in chapter 1 of this research report. The main purpose of the study was to answer two fundamental research questions as reflected in chapter 1. In answering the two research questions, the researcher identified four research hypotheses in line with the findings established from KM literature. These hypotheses are discussed in chapter 2 of this report.The underlying hypothesised statement guiding the study was to determine whether there were any significant differences in KM implementation between public and private sector entities in the three research industries in terms of four research constructs. These are: application of ICTs for knowledge and information sharing, degree of achievement of knowledge-based outcomes, tacit knowledge acquisition and the degree of knowledge-oriented social factors. Organisational culture, organisational structures, human resource practices and leadership comprised the social factors tested in the study. The research data were collected through a mixed research design approach combining the advantages of a survey instrument and interviews (this is fully reflected in chapter 3 of this research report). The research results (as presented in chapter 4) pointed to some form of significant differences in KM implementation between public and private sector entities in the education and business loans industry, but there were no significant differences in KM implementation between public and private sector entities in the health industry. Arising from the findings of the study, a model for improved KM implementation is presented in chapter 4 (figure 4.16). It was found during the investigation that all the research entities approached KM implicitly through KM related practices. KM related practices were found to be far more entrenched in the health industry (both public and private sector entities), the private sector entities in the education and business loans industries than was the case with the public sector entities in the education and business loans industries. In the entities where KM related practices were found to be entrenched, there were concerted efforts towards improved organisational processes. The study has managed to unravel the importance of KM related practices in laying the foundation for a formalised KM approach. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / D.B.L.

This doctoral thesis presents the basic and the main developments of the theories of the firm rooted in Transaction Cost Theory (TCT). Since the article of Coase on the nature of the firm, this question has been elaborated by number of economists. In my point of view, I would like to introduce the last theory developed by the representative of the school called New Institutional Economics. The theory concentrates on the role of institutions. We distinguish institutions formal and informal. The formal are laws, constitution, regulations, contracts and other written rules. The informal don't require a written form and they represent informal restrictions such as rules of behaviour, conventions, traditions and habits. The main purpose of the institutions in their various forms is mainly to protect property rights, enforce voluntary contracts and establish the physical and regulatory infrastructure to facilitate economic activity. Generally, we can call them the rules of the game. They inform us about possible economic behaviour and give us basic restrictions in this sense. First -- the theoretical part of this thesis, we can find a simple model with human asset specificity based on TCT. The main proposition is that transactions with a high level of asset specificity are more probably internalised because the firm handles better such transactions compared to the market, even if asset specificity increases the cost of coordination in the firm. If the hierarchy, for example through the formation of routines, may enhance the efficiency compared to the market, we can modify the previous model. The model developed according to a Knowledge-based view assumes that asset specificity reduces transaction costs inside the firm and increases transaction costs on the market. In the conclusion of the theoretical part is discussed the reply on first formulate hypothesis if the TCT is still compatible with a newer Capability and Knowledge based view. In my opinion based on the presented arguments and views, both theories are compatible, they can answer more questions and explain more issues. The last step links the aforementioned theories into one Theory of firm boundaries. In the practical part of the thesis, I bring basic arguments about the institutional framework quality in the Czech Republic. These arguments rely on the latest studies of the international institutions such The Transparency International, The Heritage Foundation, The Kurtzman Group and mainly The World Bank. Studies reveal certain weak arrangements concerning for example the number of procedures when starting a business, complicated construction permits, rigidity of working hours, time-consuming and administrative demanding tax system, duration of judicial process which results in ineffective contract enforcement and mainly poor protection of property rights. Taking these disclosures into account we have to say that emergent transaction costs are enormous. These transaction costs influence negatively the competitiveness of the firms and the whole Czech economy. Therefore a negative response to the second hypothesis relating to the quality of the institutional framework in the Czech Republic.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:44:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gilmar Lima Hilario.pdf: 4391683 bytes, checksum: 9b2bffb0c354d5d73021c08c4604cee2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-10-24 / The recognition that internal factors of the organization, among them knowledge, can act much more on its performance than the external factors, is collaborating to consolidate the use of new approaches for enterprise administration. Among these, are pointed out in this paper the Knowledge-Based View (KBV) and the Resource-Based View (RBV). In the information technology (IT) sector, in which the knowledge is used in an intensive way, the adoption of those approaches can be expressed through the increasing of the knowledge to the condition of an important asset for the company. Consequently, the adoption of knowledge management practices aims at producing better performance results and quality in the processes of products generation and services offerings. In this paper - drewed out from a Case Study with a Research-Action carried through in a business unit of a company supplier of specialized IT services the evaluation was focused on the potential contributions and main challenges for the adoption of knowledge management practices. As result, a knowledge management method was produced, whose application can contribute for knowledge mapping and dissemination in projects of same scope / O reconhecimento de que fatores internos da organização, entre eles o conhecimento, exercem uma influência significativamente maior sobre seu desempenho do que os fatores externos estão colaborando para consolidar a utilização de novas abordagens para gestão empresarial. Entre estas abordagens destacam-se neste trabalho a Visão da Empresa Baseado no Conhecimento (KBV Knowledge-Based View) e a Visão da Empresa Baseada em Recursos (RBV Resource-Based View). No setor de tecnologia da informação TI, em que o conhecimento é utilizado de maneira intensiva, a adoção dessas abordagens podem se traduzir na elevação do conhecimento à condição de importante ativo da empresa. Por conseqüência, a adoção de praticas de gestão do conhecimento tem como objetivo produzir melhores resultados de desempenho e qualidade nos processos de geração de produtos e prestação de serviços. Neste trabalho a partir de um estudo de caso com pesquisa ação - realizada em uma unidade de negócios de uma empresa prestadora de serviços especializados de TI busca-se avaliar as potenciais contribuições e principais desafios inerentes a adoção de práticas de gestão do conhecimento. Como resultado, produziu-se um método para gestão do conhecimento cuja aplicação pode trazer contribuições para mapeamento e disseminação de conhecimentos em projetos de mesmo teor

This research report captures a detailed exposition of an investigation on Knowledge Management (KM) practices in public and private sector entities in three industries (health, education and business loans) of Limpopo province – a proxy of the rural areas of South Africa. The investigation was necessitated by a need to understand KM in organisational context experiencing constraints in terms of resources that enable KM. It was found through an intensive literature review that there were very few empirical studies on KM practices of organisations operating in the rural areas, particularly in Africa. The theoretical framework of the study emanates from the knowledge-based view which has been popularised by the seminal work of Peter Drucker and Nonaka in the early half of the 90s. The knowledge-based view as presented in chapter 2 recognises the strategic role of knowledge in organisations. Its genesis is traced from the theories of classical scholars such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Various empirical studies of entities which have adopted the knowledge-based view are presented in chapter 2 of this report. The researcher observes from an intensive KM literature study that the average modern organisation could be categorised as knowledge-intensive considering that knowledge workers constitute the majority of its workforce. The definitions of a knowledge-based organisation and knowledge workers are presented in the operational definitions of key concepts. Arising from the identified gaps in KM literature as presented towards the end of chapter 2, this study was conducted as a comparative study between public and private sector entities in three research industries focusing on their extent of ICT application and degree of knowledge-oriented social factors for information and knowledge sharing. The investigation was guided by three research objectives as discussed in chapter 1 of this research report. The main purpose of the study was to answer two fundamental research questions as reflected in chapter 1. In answering the two research questions, the researcher identified four research hypotheses in line with the findings established from KM literature. These hypotheses are discussed in chapter 2 of this report.The underlying hypothesised statement guiding the study was to determine whether there were any significant differences in KM implementation between public and private sector entities in the three research industries in terms of four research constructs. These are: application of ICTs for knowledge and information sharing, degree of achievement of knowledge-based outcomes, tacit knowledge acquisition and the degree of knowledge-oriented social factors. Organisational culture, organisational structures, human resource practices and leadership comprised the social factors tested in the study. The research data were collected through a mixed research design approach combining the advantages of a survey instrument and interviews (this is fully reflected in chapter 3 of this research report). The research results (as presented in chapter 4) pointed to some form of significant differences in KM implementation between public and private sector entities in the education and business loans industry, but there were no significant differences in KM implementation between public and private sector entities in the health industry. Arising from the findings of the study, a model for improved KM implementation is presented in chapter 4 (figure 4.16). It was found during the investigation that all the research entities approached KM implicitly through KM related practices. KM related practices were found to be far more entrenched in the health industry (both public and private sector entities), the private sector entities in the education and business loans industries than was the case with the public sector entities in the education and business loans industries. In the entities where KM related practices were found to be entrenched, there were concerted efforts towards improved organisational processes. The study has managed to unravel the importance of KM related practices in laying the foundation for a formalised KM approach. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / D.B.L.

Ce travail analyse le rôle des sociétés de capital-investissement dans la formation d’alliances stratégiques sur le marché français du capital-investissement. Après nous être fait une idée de l’importance du phénomène à l’aide des informations nouvelles que nous avons générées par notre propre enquête, nous apportons une explication au phénomène observé. L’analyse théorique se fait sous l’angle de la création de valeur actionnariale, en recourant conjointement aux théories contractuelles et cognitives. Les théories sociologiques des réseaux viennent compléter les principaux arguments de ces deux cadres théoriques. Le modèle explicatif qui en découle est ensuite mis à l’épreuve empirique à l’aide d’une étude multi-méthodes à visée infirmationniste, combinant une analyse économétrique et une étude de cas multiples. Nos résultats permettent de conclure que les sociétés françaises de capital-investissement jouent un rôle tant intentionnel que non intentionnel dans la formation d’alliances stratégiques pour leurs participations. Ces rôles mettent en avant une intervention tant passive qu’active des sociétés françaises de capital-investissement. Bien que l’argumentation cognitive trouve, dans son ensemble, plus de support que l’argumentation contractuelle, l’analyse fait ressortir l’intérêt de recourir à une utilisation conjointe des théories contractuelles et cognitives qui se révèlent complémentaires. / This research analyses the role of Private Equity firms in the formation of strategic alliances within the field of the French Private Equity market. We start to provide evidence of its importance from new survey information, before offering an explanation of the organizational phenomenon. The study addresses the questions of how and why Private Equity firms act as relational intermediaries to help their portfolio companies form alliances. Both questions are investigated in the light of the Private Equity firms’ contribution to the value creation process that comes with alliance formation. Answers are provided by means of three jointly used theoretical frameworks: (1) mainstream theories (transaction cost theory and the positive theory of agency); (2) the knowledge based view; and 3) social network theories to complement the resulting from jointly use of the previous two theories. The theoretical construct is then tested empirically by means of a multi-method study with explanatory design, based on the pattern of joint evidence from both statistical tests and a multiple case study. Results show that French Private Equity firms do play a role in alliance formation. This role can be intentional as well as non-intentional. Furthermore, although arguments from the knowledge-based perspective finds more support in explaining this behavior than from the mainstream theories, our study highlights the benefits of the joint use of these theories and the complementary nature of them to better explaining the phenomenon as a whole.